--- title: "Giving a customer access to the portal" description: "Let customers log in to see their payments, pay online, set up direct debit, and download receipts and documents." lastModified: "2026-06-13" lang: "en" wordCount: 647 url: https://qualyhq.com/training/contacts/giving-access-to-the-student-portal --- ## Site navigation - [For schools](/international-education/for-schools.md) — For international education schools - [For agents](/international-education/for-education-agents.md) — For international education agents - [Explore](/training.md) — Watch videos on how to use Qualy - [About](/about.md) — Learn about Qualy's mission and values - [Pricing](/pricing) - [5-min demo](/demo.md) - [Login](https://dashboard.qualyhq.com) # Giving a customer access to the portal > Turn on the self-service portal so customers can see and pay without emailing you. ## At a glance - **Intended for:** Everyone - **Available in:** All plans - **Reading time:** 3 minutes - **Last updated:** 31st May 2026 ## Quick summary A customer with an email can access the portal. From the customer you can choose "View Customer portal as the customer" to preview it exactly as they'd see it, open their "Customer portal" login page, or open a public payment list. They sign in with a magic link and can see payments, pay, set up direct debit, download receipts and view documents. ## Overview The **customer portal** lets customers help themselves: see what they owe, pay online, set up direct debit and download receipts—without emailing you for every detail. Any customer with an **email** can use it. ## Previewing the portal Before you point a customer to the portal, you can see exactly what they'll see. From the customer, choose **"View Customer portal as the customer"**. Qualy shows you how the portal looks to that customer and opens it as them. Previewing is the fastest way to confirm the right payments, branding and documents are showing before you point the customer to it. ## Giving the customer access You have a few options: - Open their **"Customer portal"** login page (from the customer, or from the **Customers** list) - Share a **public payment list** with **"Open public payment list"** if you'd rather they pay without signing in To sign in, the customer enters their email on the login page and Qualy emails them a **magic link**—no password to manage. A customer needs an **email address** to receive the magic link. If they don't have one on file, add it first, or use the public payment list instead. ## What the customer can do Once in, the customer can: - See all their **payments** and what's due - **Pay** with any method you've enabled - **Set up direct debit** (for example PayTo) so payments collect automatically - **Download receipts** and a full statement - View **documents** you've shared and upload ones you request - Update their **profile** and **notification preferences** See the full portal tour for everything customers can do. ## Frequently asked questions ### How does a customer get access to the portal? Any customer with an email address can use the portal. Open their "Customer portal" login page (from the customer or the Customers list) and the customer signs in with a magic link emailed to them—no password needed. ### Can a parent paying on a student's behalf get access? Yes. A parent paying for a student is a payer, so they can use the customer portal to see what's owed, pay, and download receipts—just give them access with their own email. Schools and agents you work with use the separate partner portal instead. ### What can a customer do in the portal? See their payments, pay online with any enabled method, set up direct debit, download receipts and statements, view documents you've shared, and update their profile and notification preferences. ### Can I see exactly what the customer sees? Yes. From the customer, choose "View Customer portal as the customer" to open the portal as that customer and preview their experience before pointing them to it. ### What if the customer has no email? You'll need to add an email to give portal access, since the magic-link login is sent there. Without one, you can still share a public payment list link. ### Is there a public payment page without login? Yes. You can open a public payment list for a customer so they can pay without signing in—handy when login isn't necessary. ### Do customers need a password? No password to remember—portal sign-in uses a magic link sent to the customer's email. ## Prefer doing this via the Qualy API? Head over to our developer docs for everything you need—endpoints, examples, and simple how-tos. [View API Docs](https://docs.qualyhq.com/docs) ## More on Qualy **Industries** - [For schools](/international-education/for-schools.md) — For international education schools - [For agents](/international-education/for-education-agents.md) — For international education agents **Support** - [Training](/training.md) - [System status](https://qualyhq.statuspage.io/) — Qualy system status - [Product updates](https://changelog.qualyhq.com) — As we work on Qualy, here we spotlight what we’ve learned and updated across our products - [Contact](/contact-us.md) **Product** - [Demo](/demo.md) - [Enterprise](/enterprise.md) - [Testimonials](/testimonials.md) — Learn what some customers have to say about Qualy - [About](/about.md) — Learn about Qualy's mission and values - [Blog](/blog) — International education payments blog by Qualy - [Trust center](/trust.md) - [API](/api.md) — Qualy API for international education payments - [Zapier](/zapier.md) — Connect Qualy to 7,000+ apps with Zapier **Legal** - [General terms](/terms-and-conditions.md) - [Payer terms](/terms-for-payers.md) - [Privacy policy](/privacy-policy.md) - [BECS DDR](/becs-dd-service-agreement.md)