> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developer.novacpayment.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Overview

> Learn how to create a Novac checkout payment using a payment URL and a unique transaction reference.

Checkout payments are transactions initiated via the Novac API. They allow your customers to complete payments through Novac's secure prebuilt checkout or your own custom interface.

Every Novac payment starts with a checkout session. Your server creates the session with the transaction details amount, currency, customer email, and a unique reference you generate. Novac returns a `paymentRedirectUrl` that the customer uses to complete payment. You can open this URL on a new tab for your customer to complete the payment via the prebuilt Novac checkout.

The `transactionReference` you provide is the identifier that ties the entire payment lifecycle together: from session creation, through the customer's callback redirect, to server-side verification before you release value.

We offer two ways to create a checkout payment

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card icon="link" title="Payment Link Reference" href="/docs/accept-payment/checkout/create-checkout-with-payment-link-reference">
    Retrieve the payment Link Reference from your dashboard and use it to initiate a checkout via the API.
  </Card>

  <Card icon="fingerprint" title="Unique Transaction Reference" href="/docs/accept-payment/checkout/create-checkout-with-transaction-reference">
    Generate your own unique reference and pass it when creating a checkout. Best for tying payments directly to orders or records in your system.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Note>
  Novac offers support for GHS and KES inflows via mobile money payment. To get started, create a checkout payment with currency set to "KES" or "GHS" to present mobile money as a payment option," then redirect to the hosted page or build a custom MoMo UI to complete the payment.
  See [MoMo checkout payment to learn more.](/docs/accept-payment/checkout/create-momo-checkout-payment)
</Note>