--- title: "The customer portal explained" description: "What customers see and do in their portal—payments, paying online, direct debit, receipts, documents and profile." lastModified: "2026-06-13" lang: "en" wordCount: 561 url: https://qualyhq.com/training/portal/the-customer-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) # The customer portal explained > A self-service home for every customer. ## At a glance - **Intended for:** Everyone - **Available in:** All plans - **Reading time:** 4 minutes - **Last updated:** 31st May 2026 ## Quick summary The customer portal lets customers log in (via a magic link) to see their payments and orders, pay with any enabled method, set up and manage direct debit, download receipts and statements, view documents you've shared and upload requested ones, and manage their profile and notification preferences. ## Overview The **customer portal** is the customer's self-service home. With nothing more than a **magic link** to their email, they can see what they owe, pay it, and manage the essentials—reducing the back-and-forth with you. The customer portal is for whoever is paying. That includes a **parent paying on a student's behalf**—they can use the customer portal to see what's owed, pay, and download receipts. (Schools and agents you work with use the separate **partner portal** instead.) ## What customers can do ### See payments and orders All their payments—upcoming, overdue and paid—and everything they've ordered, grouped clearly. ### Pay online Each payment has a **Pay** action leading to checkout with the methods you've enabled. ### Set up and manage direct debit Authorise a direct debit agreement (such as PayTo) so future payments collect automatically, and view or cancel existing ones. ### Download receipts and statements A **receipt** (PDF) for each paid payment, plus a full **statement**. ### Manage documents View documents you've shared and **upload** ones you've requested. ### Update profile and preferences Their name and contact details, and notification preferences. ## Logging in Customers sign in with a **magic link** sent to their email—no password. (If login isn't needed, a **public payment list** lets them pay without signing in.) Preview the portal as the customer before inviting them in—"View customer portal as the customer"—so you know exactly what they'll see. ## Frequently asked questions ### How do customers log in? With a magic link sent to their email—no password to remember. Any customer with an email can access the portal. ### Can a parent paying for a student use this portal? Yes. A payer—including a parent paying on a student's behalf—uses the customer portal to see what's owed, pay, and download receipts. Schools and agents you work with use the separate partner portal instead. ### What can a customer do in the portal? See their payments and orders, pay online, set up and manage direct debit, download receipts and a statement, view and upload documents, and update their profile and notification preferences. ### Can customers pay directly from the portal? Yes. Each payment has a Pay action that takes the customer to checkout with the methods you've enabled. ### Can they manage direct debit themselves? Yes. Customers can set up a direct debit agreement and see or cancel existing ones from the portal. ### Where do customers get receipts? From the portal—each paid payment has a receipt they can download as a PDF, plus a statement covering all payments. ### Can customers see documents I've shared? Yes, and they can upload documents you request. Everything shows on their side of the portal. ### Is there a way to pay without logging in? Yes—a public payment list lets a customer pay without signing in, when that's more convenient. ## 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)