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Pay Now Link Management

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Shelley Labrecque
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This article provides instructions for management company staff to add and manage Pay Now links in communications.

Important: Vantaca Pay must be enabled for the association to use Pay Now Links.



Contents



What are Pay Now Links?

Pay Now links are persistent, automatically-managed payment links that allow homeowners to make payments from emails and action items without logging into Vantaca Home. The system automatically generates and maintains these links for every homeowner in associations that use Vantaca Pay.

The benefits of Pay Now links include:

  • Reduces friction in payment collection.
  • Increases payment rates through one-click access.
  • Eliminates the need for homeowners to remember login credentials.
  • Streamlines collection efforts.
  • Provides secure, trackable payment access.
     

How Pay Now Links Work

There are three phases to Pay Now links:

  • Automatic Link Generation: The system automatically generates Pay Now links:
    • For every homeowner when their property is added to a Vantaca Pay association.
    • When a new homeowner or user is added to an existing Vantaca Pay association.
    • When a new association is added to a Vantaca Pay management company.
  • Link Lifecycle: Pay Now links have a 40-day lifecycle and automatically refresh:
    • Ten days before expiration, and then the system generates a new link automatically.
    • After a homeowner makes a payment, the link becomes invalid and a new link generates immediately.
      Note: Pay Now links also automatically invalidate when homeowners enroll in recurring payments through the Pay Now flow.
    • When staff invalidates a link, a new link generates immediately.
  • Expired Link Behavior: When homeowners click an expired Pay Now link:
    • They are redirected to the Vantaca Home guest payment flow where they can still complete their payment.
    • The next communication will include a new active link.

Note: To protect homeowner privacy, the property address shown on a Pay Now link page is partially masked. Homeowners see their house number, state, and zip code, while the street name and city are hidden. A tooltip on the page explains the masking. If a homeowner reports the visible portion looks incorrect, verify the address on the property record.



Maximum Payment Limit

Pay Now links enforce a maximum payment limit to prevent excessive payments.

The Pay Now payment flow allows homeowners to make payments even with a $0 balance and includes a safeguard limiting payments to 3x the combined upcoming charges. The payment amounts are validated and an error message displays if the payment is over the maximum allowed amount.

Homeowners have more flexibility to make advance payments while the system prevents accidental overpayments that could create accounting issues.
 

Adding Pay Now Links to Communications

Pay Now links require the following two merge tags used together:

Important: Both merge tags must be placed side-by-side with no space between them to create a functional payment URL.

[~web portal~][~pay now link~]

  • [~web portal~] = The base portal URL (e.g., https://home.vantaca.com)
  • [~pay now link~] = The unique payment route (e.g., /epay/ucn387nun)



Adding Merge Tags to Letter Templates

To include Pay Now links in letter templates:

  1. Follow the instructions in "Letter Template Manager" and add the Pay Now Link merge tags with no spaces between them: [~web portal~][~pay now link~]
    • [~web portal~] = The base portal URL (e.g., https://home.vantaca.com)
    • [~pay now link~] = The unique payment route (e.g., /epay/ucn387nun)
  2. Format the merge tags as a hyperlink with display text such as "Pay Now" or "Make a Payment".
  3. Save the template.
     

Adding Merge Tags to Action Item Email Templates

Tip: The Email Designer also includes a built-in Pay Now component you can drag into the canvas. The component generates a personalized payment link automatically, so you do not need to add the Pay Now merge tag yourself. Use the merge tag approach below only when you need the Pay Now link inside body text or a custom layout. For details on the component, see Insert a Pay Now Button.

To include Pay Now links in action item email templates:

  1. Navigate to Settings > Action Types/Steps. 
    The Action Types screen displays.
  2. Locate the specific action type and click the caret to display the steps within.
  3. Find the step with the template that you want to modify and click Rules next to it.
  4. Click Email Template in the side-navigation and add the merge tags:
     [~web portal~][~pay now link~] 
    and appropriate language within the body of the email template. 
    For example: "Your monthly assessment is now due. To make a payment, click the link below: Make a Payment][~web portal~][~pay now link~] Thank you for your prompt payment."
    Important: With the new Email Designer you can also do this by adding a Pay Now component. For details, see the "Email Templates" article.
  5. Click Save to save the template to the Portfolio, or Assign & Close to save and assign it to the current step.

 

Best Practices for Use

  • Monthly Statements: Include the link prominently near the balance due.
  • Collection Notices: Add the link with urgency language about avoiding additional fees.
  • Payment Reminders: Use as a call-to-action with clear payment instructions.
  • Special Assessments: Include with assessment explanation and due date.
  • Welcome Letters: Add for new homeowners to establish easy payment habits.
  • Bank Return Notices: Include the link with the returned payment amount and any applicable fees to enable immediate re-payment and prevent further penalties.
  • Violation Fine Notices: Add the link with the fine amount and resolution deadline to facilitate prompt payment and avoid escalation.
  • Estatements: Include the link in monthly electronic statements as a convenient one-click payment option alongside balance details.
  • Collections Late Notices: Add the link with total amount due including late fees to provide a final opportunity for payment before further collection action.



Invalidating Pay Now Links

You may need to manually invalidate Pay Now links when:

  • A security concern arises (e.g. a link was shared inappropriately).
  • A homeowner reports their link was compromised.
  • Account ownership changes.
  • The homeowner requests a new link.
     

To manually invalidate a Pay Now link:

  1. Navigate to Homeowners > Homeowner Profile > Communication > Logins.
  2. Select the homeowner.
  3. Click Invalidate Pay Link. 
  4. Read the confirmation message and click Yes to invalidate the link.

After invalidation:

  • The current link immediately becomes invalid.
  • A new link is automatically generated.
  • The new link will appear in the next communication using the merge tags (you don't have to change anything).
  • If the homeowner clicks the old link, they are redirected to Vantaca Home guest payment and can still make a payment without logging in.



Link Lifecycle Management

The system handles most link management automatically:

  • Rolling Generation (10 Days Before Expiration):
    • The system generates a new link automatically.
    • A new link becomes active alongside the existing link for 10 days (overlap period).
    • The old link expires at the end of its 40-day period.
    • Homeowner communications automatically use the newest active link.
  • After Payment:
    • The used link becomes invalid with reason: Link used in Payment.
    • The new link generates immediately (unless the user enrolled in recurring payments in which case pay now links are no longer needed).
    • The next communication includes the new link.
  • After Manual Invalidation:
    • The used link becomes invalid with reason: Link Invalidated.
    • The new link generates immediately.

    • The next communication includes the new link.

       

Troubleshooting

Q: What do I do if a homeowner reports that a link is not working?

A: Check the following:

  • Check if the link has expired (used for payment, manually invalidated, or reached the expired date).
  • Verify the homeowner is clicking a link from a recent communication.
  • Confirm the merge tags are correctly formatted in the template with no spaces between them or that the Pay Now component is working and uses the correct link:
     [~web portal~][~pay now link~]
  • If needed, manually invalidate the link to generate a new one and send a new communication with the updated link.
     

Q. Why is my Pay Now link not appearing in emails?

A: Check the following:

  • Verify both merge tags are present with no space in between: [~web portal~][~pay now link~]
  •  If you used a Pay Now component, check that the link associated with it is valid. 
  • Check that the homeowner account is in a Vantaca Pay association.
  • Verify the email template is saved correctly.



Q: Why does my Pay Now link direct to the guest payment instead of the Pay Now page?

A: This is expected behavior when:

  • The link has expired.
  • The link was already used for a payment.
  • The link was manually invalidated.

The homeowner can still complete their payment through the guest payment flow. The next communication will include a new valid link.
 

Q: How does this work with multiple homeowners on one account?

Each user login receives their own unique Pay Now link. If multiple people need to make payments for one property:

  • Each person should use their own link from communications sent to their email.
  • Each person's link tracks to their specific user account for audit purposes.
  • All links can be used to pay the same property balance.

 

 

 

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