What is a customer payment portal?
A customer payment portal is a web page where a customer sees every open invoice they owe a business and can pay one or several of them online. It shows the balance owing, the due date of each invoice and a way to pay, so the customer does not have to find the right email first.
A payment link opens a payment page for one amount. A portal goes further and lists the whole account. A payment gateway processes the card or bank payment behind either one.
A portal matters most when a customer has several open invoices at once. Instead of opening one email per invoice, the customer sees the whole balance, picks what to pay and pays in one visit. It also gives the customer a link to return to, so an unpaid invoice is not lost in an inbox.
A portal is not a statement. A statement is a document you send at a point in time, while a portal stays open to the customer and shows the balance as it stands.
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