The Send SMS method is the fastest way to get a customer to pay when they're not in the workshop. Pistonlog generates a Square-hosted checkout page, texts the customer the link, and waits for the webhook to confirm payment.
How it works
Click Take payment → Send SMS
On the jobcard. Pistonlog reads the customer's phone number from their record.
Pistonlog creates a payment link
A POST to Square's Online Checkout API returns a hosted checkout URL. The payment is logged as PENDING in Pistonlog at this point.
The customer gets a text
Twilio sends the SMS with the URL. One SMS credit is deducted from the garage's balance.
The customer taps and pays
Square's hosted page handles card entry and SCA. When they complete, Square fires a payment.updated webhook to Pistonlog.
Status flips to COMPLETED
Pistonlog's webhook handler verifies the signature and updates the payment record.
What if the customer doesn't pay
Nothing happens. The payment record stays PENDING indefinitely. You can resend, take payment a different way, or just leave it.
What if the SMS fails
If Twilio rejects the send (bad number, carrier issue, no credits), Pistonlog marks the payment record as FAILED rather than leaving it stuck on PENDING. The SMS credit isn't deducted for a failed send. You can retry the send or pick a different payment method.