Key takeaways
- Tell customers before they reach checkout. A surprise at the payment step loses more orders than the change itself.
- Say what changed, how to pay, how payments are matched to orders and when orders ship. Do not explain or speculate about why.
- Never ask customers to describe a payment as something it is not, or to send a personal payment for a purchase.
- Email only the customers who agreed to hear from you; open orders get a transactional note instead.
- Answer the trust question before it is asked: a business name on the receiving account that matches the store, an order number on every payment and a confirmation email when it is matched.
Say it before checkout, not at it
The worst place for a customer to learn that cards are off is the payment step, with a full cart and a decision already made. Some will switch methods; many will leave and not come back. Put the change in front of them earlier, in three places that each do a different job.
- A site-wide banner. One line, on every page, so returning customers know before they browse.
- A note on the cart and checkout. The methods you accept now, and that orders ship once payment is matched.
- The order email. The exact amount, where to send it, the order number to include and how long the order is held.
What to say, and what to leave out
Customers want to know three things: how do I pay, how do you know it was me, and when does my order ship. Answer those plainly. Leave out the story of what happened with your processor. It invites questions you cannot answer, and it reads as drama to a customer who only wanted to reorder.
Say
Which methods you accept now. The exact total to send, including shipping. The order number to put in the payment note. How often you check for payments and roughly when orders ship after that. That refunds go back through the same app to the same sender. That you will never send payment details by text, direct message or a separate email, and that the checkout page is the only place to find them.
Never ask
Never ask customers to describe the payment as something other than a purchase from your store, to leave the note blank so it looks personal, or to send it as a “friends and family” payment to avoid fees. Payment apps’ terms generally require business payments for goods, a disguised payment can get your receiving account closed, and it strips the customer of whatever protection the app offers them. The order number is the only note you need.
Do not promise a date when cards will be back. You do not control it, and a missed date costs more trust than saying nothing.
Templates you can adapt
Replace the bracketed parts. Keep the tone matter-of-fact; the shorter each one is, the more of it gets read.
- Banner: “We now accept [Zelle, Cash App and Venmo] at checkout. Card payments are paused. Orders ship once payment is matched, usually within [one business day].”
- Checkout note: “After you place your order you’ll see where to send payment and your order number. Put the order number in the payment note. We match payments [twice each business day] and email you when your order is confirmed.”
- Order email: “Order [#1042] is reserved for [3] days. Send exactly $[184.50] to [handle], shown as [legal business name], with [1042] in the note. We’ll email you when it’s matched and again when it ships.”
- Email to past customers: Subject “How to pay at [Store] now”. “Card payments at [Store] are paused, and you can pay by [methods] at checkout. Put your order number in the payment note and we’ll confirm it by email. Everything else, products, certificates and shipping, is unchanged. Questions: [support email].”
- Reply to “is this legit?”: “Yes. The account is in our business name, [legal business name], and it’s the same one shown on our checkout page. We match every payment by order number and email you when it’s confirmed. We never send payment details any other way.”
Who can receive the email
An email to everyone who ever bought from you is usually marketing, so send it only to customers who agreed to hear from you and include an unsubscribe link. A customer with an open order is different: a note about how to pay for that order is part of the transaction. Email and privacy rules vary by country and state, so check the ones that apply to you; this is general information, not legal advice.
Answer the trust question first
Paying a store by app feels riskier to a customer than typing a card, because they know a card has a dispute button. You cannot copy that, but you can remove the doubt that makes people hesitate.
- Use accounts in the business’s name, and show that name at checkout, so the recipient the customer sees in the app matches the store.
- Put a QR code beside each handle if your checkout supports it; it removes typos.
- Send a confirmation email the moment a payment is matched, and a tracking email when the order ships.
- Show a support address and a business address on every page, and link the refund policy from checkout. See the policies processors read; customers read the same pages.
Watch what happens for two weeks
Count three numbers every day for the first two weeks: orders placed, orders paid and orders that expired unpaid. If many orders are placed and not paid, the instructions are unclear or the window is too short. If few are placed at all, customers are leaving before checkout, and the banner or the method list is the place to look.
One reminder before an unpaid order expires recovers a share of them. Send it once, with the amount, the handle and the order number repeated, and let the order expire if it still is not paid. The routine for expiry and matching is in accepting Zelle, Cash App and Venmo.
How Torva handles the change
In Torva you switch Zelle, Cash App and Venmo on in the Desk. Checkout shows your instructions and a QR code for each method, the order is created as awaiting payment, and the order email repeats the amount and the reference. You mark it paid once you have matched the money, and only then can it get a shipping label.
Before you relaunch on any platform, run the free processor check so the pages customers and reviewers read say the right things, then see your store rebuilt in the free preview. It needs no card and your current site stays live.
Frequently asked questions
Should I email customers who unsubscribed?
No. Email only customers who agreed to marketing email. A customer with an open order can get a note about paying for that order, because it is part of the transaction.
Will I lose sales when cards are off?
Probably some, especially from first-time buyers. Clear instructions, a business name on the receiving account and fast confirmation emails keep more of them, but no wording keeps all of them.
Can I offer a discount for paying by app?
Some stores do. If you do, show it as a price everyone paying that way gets, and check each app’s terms and the rules where you sell before you advertise it.
What do I tell a customer whose card order is stuck?
Tell them plainly whether the order was charged. If it was, ship it or refund it. If it was not, send them the new payment instructions with their order number.
Preview your store on Torva OS — no card needed — or explore the Desk demo, the eight themes and the plans. Questions: hello@torvaos.com.
General information for merchants, not legal, tax or financial advice. Check the rules in your jurisdiction and with your providers.