Create your first payment

The quickest way to make your first ICEPAY payment is to create a Payment Link in the ICEPAY Portal.

You can use the link to open ICEPAY Checkout, complete a test payment, and verify the payment status in the Portal without building an integration first.

Before you start

Make sure that:

• Your merchant is configured.
• You can access the Payment Links area in the ICEPAY Portal.
• You have an enabled merchant available in Test mode.
• You know the amount, currency, and reference you want to use for the test payment.

Caution

Test Payment Links do not process real customer payments. Make sure you select a merchant in Test mode while following this guide.

Never share your merchant secret. The Portal creates the Payment Link using your merchant configuration, so you do not need to copy credentials into this guide or expose them in your browser or application.

Create a Payment Link

1. Sign in to the ICEPAY Portal

   Open the ICEPAY Portal and sign in with your ICEPAY account.

   If you belong to more than one ICEPAY Account, select the account that contains the merchant you want to use.

2. Select your merchant

   Open the merchant area and select the merchant you want to use for the test payment.

   Select an enabled merchant in Test mode. If you cannot see the merchant, ask your account administrator to confirm that:

   • You were invited to the correct ICEPAY Account.
   • Your invitation was accepted.
   • Your user account is enabled.
   • You have permission to view Payment Links.
   • The merchant is enabled and configured for testing.

3. Open Payment Links

   In the Portal, open Payment Links.

   This page shows Payment Links that have already been created for the selected account or merchant. Each payment in the list displays its checkout key, reference, amount, status, environment and creation date.

4. Start creating a Payment Link

   Select Create Payment Link.

   The Portal opens a form where you can enter the details for the payment.

5. Enter the payment details

   Complete the form with:

   • Reference: A description that identifies the payment, such as First test payment.
   • Amount: The amount that you want to test.
   • Currency: Select the currency for the payment. The Portal currently supports EUR, GBP, and USD.
   • Merchant: Select the enabled merchant that you want to use.
   • Expiration: Choose whether the link expires after a specified number of days or hours, then enter the duration. By default, the link expires after 7 days.

   Use a short, recognizable reference so that you can identify the payment later in the Portal.

6. Confirm that you are using Test mode

   Check the selected merchant and environment before creating the link.

   If the merchant is in Test mode, the Portal displays a warning that a test Payment Link will be returned. Confirm that this is the environment you want to use.

   Caution

   Do not use a production merchant for this first test. A Test Payment Link is intended for integration testing and does not charge a real customer.

7. Create the Payment Link

   Select Create Payment Link.

   If the link is created successfully, the Portal displays the generated checkout link together with the payment reference and amount.

8. Open or share the checkout link

   Copy the checkout link and open it in your browser.

   The Portal also displays a QR code for the link. You can scan the QR code with a mobile device to open the same ICEPAY Checkout page.

   Treat the generated link as a test checkout URL and do not publish it as a live customer payment link.

9. Complete the test checkout

   Follow the instructions in ICEPAY Checkout and complete the test payment using the available test payment flow.

   The exact steps depend on the payment method configured for your merchant. We recommend that you do not use real customer payment details in Test mode.

10. Verify the payment in the Portal

    Return to Payment Links and find the link using its reference or checkout key.

    Review the payment status and environment. Depending on the checkout flow and whether any follow-up action is required, a link can show statuses such as:

    • Started: The Payment Link has been created or the payment flow has started.
    • Paid: The payment has been completed by the shopper.
    • Expired: The Payment Link is no longer valid.
    • Completed: The payment has been marked as completed.

    Status updates may not appear immediately. Refresh the page and allow time for the checkout and follow-up processing to finish.

What this test demonstrates

This test confirms the basic ICEPAY payment flow:

1. The Portal creates a Payment Link for your selected merchant.
2. The shopper opens the link and is sent to ICEPAY Checkout.
3. The shopper completes the payment.
4. The payment and its status can be monitored in the Portal.

You can now choose how you want to continue integrating ICEPAY.

Continue integrating

Integrate with an e-commerce platformContinue with an integration such as WooCommerce or Magento.

Continue with the APIBuild a direct integration and explore ICEPAY API endpoints.

Go liveComplete the final page in the introduction section and prepare to process live payments.

Troubleshooting

Payment Links is not visible

Your user account may not have permission to access Payment Links.

Ask your account administrator to confirm that:

• You are using the correct ICEPAY Account.
• Your invitation was accepted.
• Your user account is enabled.
• You have permission to view Payment Links.

No enabled or test merchant is available

Confirm that the merchant is assigned to the correct account and is enabled.

If no merchant is available in Test mode, contact your account administrator or ICEPAY Support. Include your account details and Merchant ID if available.

Payment Link creation fails

Check that:

• A merchant is selected.
• The selected merchant is enabled.
• The amount is valid.
• A supported currency is selected.
• The reference is completed.
• The expiration value is valid.

If the link still cannot be created, contact ICEPAY Support and include the error message and Merchant ID. Do not include your merchant secret.

The Payment Link has expired

Create another Payment Link with a new expiration period.

An expired link cannot be used to complete the original checkout flow.

The payment status has not been updated

Refresh the Payment Links page and confirm that you are viewing the correct account and merchant.

Status updates may take some time after the checkout is completed. If the status remains unchanged, contact ICEPAY Support with the payment reference or checkout key, the merchant ID, and the approximate time of the test payment.

Never send your merchant secret or other credentials in a support request.

Tip

Once your test payment is working, continue with an e-commerce integration, the API Explorer, or the Go Live guide.