Is a supplier’s card-payment link safe?
A card-payment link can be reasonable for a small sample order if you independently verify the processor, the merchant and the invoice. A familiar logo does not prove who gets paid. Do not send card photographs or security codes to the supplier. Ask Cambridge China Bridge to help check the supplier and payment request.
Check the processor independently
Ask which payment processor hosts the checkout. Find its official website independently, rather than through the supplier’s message, and check its guidance on payment-link addresses. If the address remains unclear, contact support through that independently found website before entering card details. Fraudulent sites can copy familiar branding.
Check the actual checkout address, including after redirects. Do not treat a logo or padlock as verification of the seller. Stop at a browser security warning or an unexplained domain. For the wider choice of payment method, see how to pay Chinese suppliers safely.
Identify the merchant receiving payment
The processor handles the payment; the merchant is the business receiving it. Ask for the merchant’s legal name and the name expected on your card statement. Compare these with the invoice seller and the supplier identity you have checked independently. A genuine processor does not establish that the merchant is your supplier.
If a trading company or collection agent receives payment, ask the seller to explain the relationship in writing and confirm that paying that merchant settles the named invoice. Verify the explanation using an established contact route. Pause if the relationship cannot be checked. Use supplier verification before payment for the underlying company checks.
Match the checkout to the sample invoice
Before authorising payment, compare the checkout amount and currency with the invoice. Check the sample model, specification revision, quantity, courier charge and any agreed payment fee. Ask for the invoice reference to appear in the payment description or written confirmation. Resolve differences before paying.
Keep the invoice, sample specification and agreed dispatch arrangements together. Record whether the sample charge will be credited against a later order. Save the checkout details and receipt without recording card credentials. See purchase orders, proformas and commercial invoices for how the documents connect. For what to send the supplier afterwards, see our payment proof guide.
Refuse card photographs and shared codes
Do not email or message photographs of the front or back of your card, even if described as payment verification. Card details and the printed security code can be copied. Ask what verification is needed, then check the request independently with the processor or card issuer. Request a checkout route that avoids sending card images to the supplier.
Distinguish the printed card security code from a temporary bank authentication code. Enter the printed code only into the checkout you have verified, rather than sending it to the salesperson. Complete bank authentication yourself after checking the merchant and amount. Do not read out or forward temporary codes, banking passwords or your card’s cash-machine PIN.
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Stop safely when something changes
Pause if the merchant, amount or payment route changes without explanation. If the page freezes or the supplier says payment failed, check your card account and contact the issuer before retrying. Do not pay again merely because a replacement link arrives.
If you have shared card images or codes, contact your card issuer immediately through its app or a known telephone number. Explain what you shared and ask about blocking or replacing the card and checking transactions. Preserve messages and receipts without circulating exposed credentials. For help checking the commercial request, use our quote review.
Frequently asked questions
Does a genuine payment processor mean the supplier is safe?
No. Verify the merchant separately and connect it to the invoice seller. A genuine checkout does not prove the supplier will send the agreed sample.
Should I send my supplier a photograph of my card?
Do not send card photographs by email or chat. Ask for an alternative verification route and check it independently with the processor or your card issuer.
Can I enter my card security code on a payment link?
Only after independently checking the checkout and merchant. Enter the printed code into the verified payment form; do not send it to the supplier or forward bank authentication codes.
What if the checkout merchant differs from the invoice?
Pause. Obtain a written explanation linking the merchant to the seller and confirming that payment settles your invoice. Verify it through an established contact route before paying.