# How customers can make invoice payments

Your customers can pay outstanding invoices through the Alternative Payments customer payment portal. There are several ways to direct customers to their portal using your [billing link](https://help.alternativepayments.io/getting-started/account-set-up-and-configuration/custom-billing-links):

1. **Send invoices through Alternative Payments** -- invoices include a direct link to the payment portal
2. **Add your billing link to your invoices** -- embed the link in your accounting software's invoice memo field
3. **Add a Pay button to your website** -- give customers a self-service way to pay at any time

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## Available payment methods

Customers can pay using any of the following methods that you have enabled:

* **ACH bank payment** (United States)
* **Pre-Authorized Debit (PAD)** (Canada)
* **EFT bank payment** (Canada)
* **Credit or debit card**
* [**Pay in Installments**](https://help.alternativepayments.io/payments-and-invoicing/bnpl-pay-in-installments/pay-in-installments-benefits) -- a financing option that lets customers split their invoice into scheduled payments over 30 to 150 day terms

Customers can also make **partial payments** on an invoice if they are unable to pay the full balance at once. The remaining balance will continue to appear as outstanding until the invoice is paid in full.

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## Customer payment flow

Once your customer clicks the billing link and accesses the payment portal, they will complete the following steps:

1. Enter their email address
2. Verify their identity with a one-time code sent to their email
3. Input basic business information (first-time customers only)
4. View their outstanding invoices
5. Select the invoices they wish to pay (or enter a partial payment amount)
6. Choose their preferred payment method: ACH, PAD, EFT, credit/debit card, or Pay in Installments
7. Connect their bank account via Plaid, enter bank details manually, or enter credit/debit card information
8. Review and confirm payment

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## Pay in Installments

The [Pay in Installments](https://help.alternativepayments.io/payments-and-invoicing/bnpl-pay-in-installments/pay-in-installments-benefits) option allows customers to spread their invoice payments over time with terms ranging from 30 to 150 days. When a customer selects this option, they will see available installment plans and can choose the schedule that works best for them. Payments are then collected automatically according to the agreed schedule.

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## Payment reconciliation

When you have connected an [accounting integration](https://help.alternativepayments.io/integrations/accounting-integration-guides) (such as QuickBooks Online or Xero), customer payments are automatically reconciled and marked as paid in both your accounting software and your Alternative Payments dashboard.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Note:** Auto-reconciliation requires an active accounting integration. If you are not using an integration, payments will still appear in your Alternative Payments dashboard, but you will need to manually reconcile them in your accounting software.
{% endhint %}

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