QR Codes vs Click & Collect vs Payment Links: Which One Do You Need?

The Farm Stall has three different ways to take card payments, and it's a fair question which one you actually need. Short answer: probably more than one, since each is built for a different moment in a sale rather than competing with each other.

QR codes — scan, pay, take it now

Print a code per product, stick it on the shelf or honesty box. A buyer scans it with their phone camera, pays by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, and takes the item there and then. No app, no hardware, no one needs to be present.

Not suited to: anything priced by weight — a QR code charges one fixed price the moment it's scanned, before anything's been weighed. See QR payments or our honesty box guide for more.

Click & collect — order ahead, pay online, pick up later

A buyer orders and pays online in advance, then collects when it suits both of you. Perfect for anything that needs preparing — a bespoke hamper, a butchered joint, a Christmas turkey — and the only option here that supports taking a deposit instead of full payment upfront, with the exact balance collected once you know the real weight or price.

See click & collect for the full feature, or our turkey deposit walkthrough for a worked example.

Payment links — build a basket on the spot

You put together whatever the customer's buying that day on your own phone — including weighing anything sold by weight and typing in the real figure — then send a link or QR code for that exact total. Built for situations where you don't have a fixed pitch or printed codes ready, like a market stall or pop-up.

See payment links, or our farmers market guide for more.

A realistic setup

Most sellers don't pick just one. A common pattern: QR codes on the everyday honesty box items (eggs, honey, veg), click & collect with a deposit for the Christmas turkey pre-orders, and payment links kept in reserve for the odd market day. All three run on the same connected bank account — no extra setup needed to use more than one.