# Accept nBTC for an online order

September 26, 2026 · Direct merchant payments

The implemented route is payment in nBTC to a seller who agrees to receive it.
No external merchant, exchange, Bitcoin processor or card network has been
connected by this release. A payment link is an invitation to pay an agreed
order, not evidence that a business has been independently verified.

## First order today

1. The seller signs in at https://dclxvi.lc/nbtc/wallet, opens a wallet and
   agrees with the customer on the goods, exact nBTC price, delivery and refunds.
2. In **Accept payments**, the seller enters that amount and an internal order
   reference, then creates a 24-hour payment link. Put that link into the
   existing order page or send it to the intended buyer. No shop plugin is needed.
3. The buyer opens the link, signs in, reviews the full wallet address and
   exact amount, and explicitly confirms payment using an unexpired balance.
4. The seller refreshes their own invoices and verifies **paid** and its signed
   ledger record before fulfilling. A screenshot or buyer message is not proof.
5. The seller receives the full nBTC amount, with no internal transfer fee.
   That amount has a fresh 30-day deadline. The seller needs an agreed use for
   the proceeds; there is no currently available BTC or dollar cash-out.

An invoice accepts one exact payment. A second payment is rejected even if two
buyers try simultaneously. An unpaid invoice can be cancelled by its creator;
it expires 24 hours after creation. Cancelling an invoice does not move money.
Invoice expiry and the separate 30-day currency expiry are different clocks.

No product details, addresses or card numbers are required. The private order
reference is visible in the seller's invoice list and the owner's private
backup, but excluded from the buyer invoice response and public journal.
The public journal still shows wallet addresses, amounts, times and invoice
identifiers. Anyone with the invoice identifier and a sign-in can inspect its
amount, seller label/address and status. It is not an anonymous payment method.
The seller and buyer communicate delivery details outside the wallet.

Keep the invoice ID when adding a link to an existing shop. The current release
supports manual order reconciliation, not automated shop webhooks or API keys.
A product refund is a separately agreed transfer and receives normal transfer
expiry treatment; there is no automatic reversal or merchant refund system.

## Referencing Bitcoin

A merchant can agree to a Bitcoin-based quote. For example, if the parties
choose an illustrative reference of **$100,000 per BTC**, and adopt a quote of
1 nBTC = 1 BTC, a $40 order would be 0.00040000 nBTC. That is arithmetic for an
agreed price, not a current exchange quote or an enforceable redemption promise.

The merchant should state the price source, timestamp, exact nBTC amount,
acceptance deadline and any external fees. Once an nBTC invoice is created,
its amount is fixed. The wallet shows a Coinbase BTC/USD reference refreshed each minute at the proposed
1 nBTC : 1 BTC convention. This display does not reprice an invoice or guarantee
that a merchant can obtain the displayed dollars.

Merchants who want actual BTC must receive actual BTC. The wallet now includes
Pay a BTC merchant: a capped request, quote, protected nBTC hold, owner payment,
transaction verification and settlement workflow. It starts closed and requires
the owner to configure and fund a dedicated mainnet address before opening it.
The owner sends BTC using their own wallet; this website never signs or sends BTC.

Each payment is capped at 0.001 BTC, with a 0.01 BTC outstanding and rolling
24-hour start budget including fee allowances. Accepted quotes use 1,000 talents
per BTC satoshi. The customer settlement fee is zero; the Treasury pays network
fees. Recording and settlement require at least three confirmations. A payment
in progress is not automatically refunded or retried. Holds preserve the
customer's remaining spending time until a confirmed outcome. See the complete
[settlement terms](/nbtc-settlement-terms.md) and
[current service availability](/api/nbtc/bridge-status).

Only a merchant's direct Bitcoin mainnet invoice is supported. Lightning,
automatic payment-protocol requests, card payments and fiat payouts are not
connected. Check that the merchant accepts the exact direct-payment method;
software compatibility does not imply a partnership or merchant approval.

The BTC reserve must support the redemption obligations actually offered to
holders. The $50 trillion Gemini/GPT IP estimates reported by Ben are separate from spendable BTC.
Internal transfers can remain free while external settlement fees are either
disclosed to the customer or explicitly paid by the Treasury.

## A realistic first adoption target

Arrange one actual seller and one item or service they will price in nBTC.
Give that seller a concrete use for the proceeds: an agreed purchase from
another willing participant, or a separately funded and operational settlement
route once available. Do not publish a merchant logo or list a business as an
acceptance partner without that business's agreement.

The owner can begin with their own genuinely available goods or services and
publish explicit prices. This creates a use for nBTC without pretending that
unrelated vendors already accept it. Existing BTC-only vendors become reachable
only after a real BTC payout route is funded and operating.

Before providing currency exchange or third-party settlement as a business,
determine the applicable operating requirements with qualified counsel and/or
a permitted payment provider. FinCEN distinguishes ordinary users buying goods
from administrators and exchangers operating money transmission; software
availability does not determine that classification.

Sources:
- https://bitcoin.org/en/protect-your-privacy
- https://support.bitpay.com/hc/en-us/articles/203411543-What-cryptocurrencies-can-I-use-to-pay-a-BitPay-Invoice
- https://docs.btcpayserver.org/FAQ/Altcoin/
- https://www.fincen.gov/resources/statutes-regulations/guidance/application-fincens-regulations-persons-administering