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Crypto Payments (USDC)

PayRequest supports USDC payments on the Base network — a fast, low-cost stablecoin payment method that works worldwide. Customers pay with USDC from their own wallet and funds go directly to your connected wallet via an on-chain smart contract. No intermediary holds your money.
Crypto payments are available on your payment page alongside your existing payment methods (iDEAL, credit card, bank transfer, etc.). Enable it once in your settings and it appears on all your payment pages automatically.

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Why Add Crypto Payments

Worldwide reach

Crypto works everywhere — no country restrictions, no currency conversion issues. Anyone with a wallet on Base can pay you in seconds.

Zero chargebacks

USDC payments are irreversible once confirmed on-chain. No disputes, no chargeback fees, no refund fraud.

Instant settlement

Funds arrive in your wallet within seconds of the customer confirming the transaction. No 2–3 day bank delays.

Own your wallet

PayRequest never holds your funds. An on-chain smart contract splits the payment atomically: 98% goes directly to your wallet, 2% covers the platform fee — all in one transaction.

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How It Works

1

Connect your wallet

Go to Provider Settings and find the Crypto (USDC) card. Click Connect Wallet and scan the QR code with your wallet app (MetaMask, Coinbase Wallet, or any WalletConnect-compatible wallet).
2

Sign to verify ownership

Your wallet asks you to sign a short message. This confirms you own the wallet address. No gas fee — no transaction is sent.
3

Your wallet is connected

You’ll see your wallet address displayed with a green Connected badge. Crypto is now available as a payment method on all your payment pages.
4

Customers pay with USDC

When a customer selects “Pay with Crypto” on your payment page, a WalletConnect QR code appears. They scan it with their wallet, confirm the USDC amount, and the transaction is signed and sent to the Base network.
5

Smart contract splits the payment

PayRequest’s FeeSplitting contract receives the transaction and atomically sends 98% directly to your wallet and 2% to the PayRequest fee address — in a single on-chain transaction. No manual forwarding, no escrow.
First time using crypto? You’ll need a wallet app like MetaMask or Coinbase Wallet. See the supported wallets guide for setup instructions.

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Wallet Balance

Once your wallet is connected you can see your live balances directly in Provider Settings → Crypto (USDC):
  • USDC balance — your current USDC on Base, ready to spend or send to an exchange
  • ETH balance — your ETH available for gas fees on Base (~$0.001 per transaction)
Balances are read directly from the Base blockchain (no sign-in required) and cached for 5 minutes. Hit Refresh at any time to see the latest figures.
ETH is only needed when you initiate transactions yourself (e.g., sending USDC from your wallet). Customers pay the gas when they send payments to you — you don’t need ETH to receive.

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Customer Experience

Your customers don’t need an account or prior crypto knowledge — just a wallet with USDC on Base.

Scan & pay

A WalletConnect QR code appears on the payment page. Customers scan it with their phone wallet app or click to open their browser extension.

See the exact amount

The total is shown in USDC (converted from EUR at the current rate). No surprise fees.

Fast confirmation

Base confirms transactions in under 1 second. The payment page updates automatically once confirmed.

Works on mobile

WalletConnect works on iOS Safari and Android Chrome. No app switching required on most devices.

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Fees & Costs

PayRequest charges a 2% platform fee on each crypto payment, enforced by the on-chain FeeSplitting contract.Example:
  • Customer pays 100 USDC
  • 98 USDC goes directly to your wallet
  • 2 USDC goes to PayRequest (platform fee)
The split happens atomically in one transaction — there is no intermediate step where funds are held. The customer also pays a small Base network gas fee (typically under $0.01).
No hidden costs. The 2% fee is the only PayRequest charge, and it’s enforced by an immutable smart contract — it cannot be changed after deployment.Unlike credit cards, there are no monthly minimums, no statement fees, no chargeback fees, and no currency conversion costs.
The 2% fee covers infrastructure, WalletConnect integration, on-chain payment monitoring, and support. This fee only applies to crypto payments — your other payment methods (iDEAL, cards, etc.) are unaffected.

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How the FeeSplitting Contract Works

PayRequest uses an immutable smart contract on Base to split payments on-chain:
  1. Customer approves the contract to spend their USDC (one-time per wallet)
  2. Customer calls splitPayment(merchant, amount) on the contract
  3. The contract atomically transfers 98% to your wallet and 2% to PayRequest in a single call
  4. The transaction is verifiable by anyone on Basescan
The contract has no admin keys, no upgrade mechanism, and no ability to move funds — it can only split incoming payments at the fixed 2% rate.
The USDC contract address on Base is 0x833589fCD6eDb6E08f4c7C32D4f71b54bdA02913. This is the native USDC issued by Circle on Base — not a bridged or wrapped version.

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Supported Wallet Apps

Any wallet supporting WalletConnect on the Base network works. Popular choices:
WalletPlatformBest for
MetaMaskMobile + browserMost popular, wide support
Coinbase WalletMobile + browserEasy USDC purchase via Coinbase
RabbyMobile + browserMulti-chain power users
RainbowMobileClean, beginner-friendly UX
Trust WalletMobileBuilt-in dApp browser
Kraken WalletMobileKraken exchange users
Blockchain.com DeFi WalletMobileDeFi-focused users
See the full supported wallets guide for setup instructions and tips.

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Refunds

Cryptocurrency payments are irreversible on-chain. If you need to refund a customer, send USDC directly from your wallet to their address. The customer’s wallet address and transaction hash are available in your PayRequest transaction history.
Because crypto payments are final, there are no chargebacks or disputes. This is a key advantage — once a customer pays, the transaction is settled permanently. For customer service issues, handle refunds directly with the customer.

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Frequently Asked Questions

USDC is a stablecoin — a cryptocurrency always worth exactly $1 USD. Unlike Bitcoin or Ethereum, the value doesn’t fluctuate. It’s issued by Circle and backed by real dollar reserves, making it ideal for invoicing.
Base is a blockchain network built by Coinbase. It’s fast (under 1 second confirmation), cheap (gas under $0.01), and widely supported. PayRequest chose Base for its speed, cost, and wallet ecosystem.
No. You just need a wallet to receive USDC. You don’t need to hold or buy any crypto in advance. To convert received USDC to euros, send it to an exchange like Coinbase or Kraken and withdraw to your bank.
The FeeSplitting contract sends your 98% in the same transaction the customer signs. Base confirms it in under 1 second. Total time from customer click to USDC in your wallet: under 5 seconds.
USDC must be on the Base network (native USDC, contract 0x833589fCD6eDb6E08f4c7C32D4f71b54bdA02913). Not bridged or wrapped versions. Most major wallets support Base out of the box.
Yes. Crypto payments work worldwide — no country restrictions. Anyone with an internet connection and USDC on Base can pay. Especially useful for international customers who don’t have access to iDEAL or SEPA.
All transactions are publicly verifiable and cryptographically signed on the Base blockchain. PayRequest never holds your private keys or seed phrase. The FeeSplitting contract is immutable — no one can change the split ratio or redirect your funds.

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Crypto for Subscriptions (Recurring Billing)

Crypto works for recurring subscriptions too. When a subscription uses USDC as its payment method, an invoice is generated each billing cycle and the customer pays it from their wallet — 98% goes directly to your wallet, just like one-time payments.

Crypto Recurring Payments

Read the full guide on using USDC for subscription billing — setup, customer experience, and FAQs.

Payment Methods for Subscriptions

See all subscription payment methods and how to switch between them.

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Next Steps

Supported Wallets

See all supported wallets and how to get USDC on Base for both you and your customers.

Payment Methods Overview

See all payment methods PayRequest supports — crypto, iDEAL, credit cards, and more.