Getting started

Your first payment in about ten minutes.

Open an account, answer the questions every payment company has to ask, connect your bank, send a link. Here is exactly what to expect.

Create your account Read the questions page

Have these ready

Financial regulations require every payment platform to verify the business and the person behind it. Flow asks once, inside your account.

Your business name, address and website or a line about what you sell
Your business type: sole proprietor, LLC, corporation or non-profit
Your EIN, or for a sole proprietor the last four digits of your Social Security number
Your name, date of birth, home address and phone, as the account representative
The routing and account number of the bank account that should receive payouts
The name you want on your customers' statements, 5 to 22 characters

Six steps, start to finish

Create your account

Your business name, your email and a password. One minute.

Answer the verification questions

Business details, the account representative, and the bank account for payouts. Many accounts are live within minutes; some are asked for a document and take longer.

Set your name

The statement descriptor your customers will see. Keep it recognisable: the name on your sign, not your legal entity.

Make your first pay link

Name it, set the amount or leave it open, copy the link. Show the QR code if the customer is standing in front of you.

Send it

Text, email, a button on your site, or your software. The customer opens it on their phone, picks card or bank, pays, and gets a receipt.

Watch the payout land

The payment shows in your Payments list, then inside a payout on your Payouts page, then on your bank statement as one deposit. The first payout on a new account can take a little longer.

What most businesses do first

Collect rent by bank

One link per unit, autopay on the first, returned payments reopen the balance.

Send an invoice

Line items, due date, pay link at the bottom, reminders sent for you.

Take a deposit

A fixed-amount link in your bio or your booking message. Paid in seconds by card.

Put a Pay button on your site

Paste one line, or install the WordPress plugin. Works on any site, whoever built it.

Things people ask on day one

Do I need a card reader or any equipment?

No. Customers pay on their own phone or computer. For in-person payments, show the QR code.

Do my customers need to sign up?

No. They open the link and pay. They can sign in later with an emailed link if they want to see receipts or change an upcoming payment.

Is there a contract or a monthly fee?

No contract, no monthly fee, no minimum. A $1,600 rent by bank costs $9.00 and no bank payment costs more than $15.00; card payments are 3.4% + $0.30, less on large ones. No monthly fee.

How long does verification take?

Often minutes. If a document is requested it can take a few business days. Your Bank and account page shows the status and anything still needed.

What if I already have a website?

Keep it. Press Add to website on any pay link and paste the line it gives you, or install the WordPress plugin. Nothing else about your site changes.

What if I use my own software?

Create an API key on the Developers page and drop one file into your software. It can ask for payments and hear when they are paid.