What is btcpay.exchange? #
The 2-minute overview.
btcpay.exchange is a Bitcoin-first platform built around one principle: you stay in control of your money and your identity. It bundles four services:
- Managed BTCPay Server hosting — we run a dedicated, self-custodial Bitcoin & Lightning payment processor for your business at node.btcpay.exchange. $30/month flat, zero platform fees.
- Buy crypto — purchase any of 800+ cryptocurrencies at the best aggregated rate, no account or KYC.
- Swap crypto — exchange one coin for another peer-to-peer, comparing live quotes from dozens of exchanges.
- Prepaid cards & gift cards — spend crypto in the real world via virtual Visa/Mastercard and gift cards for 500+ retailers, delivered by email.
The exchange and card services are powered by our partner Trocador, a privacy-respecting exchange aggregator. Hosting runs on our own infrastructure using the open-source BTCPay Server project.
Security & privacy model #
What we can and cannot touch.
Self-custody, always
Your BTCPay node settles payments directly to your own wallet. You connect an xpub (watch-only public key) or a hardware wallet — your private keys never leave your hands and are never on our servers. If btcpay.exchange disappeared tomorrow, your funds would be untouched and your store data exportable to any other BTCPay instance.
Swaps and cards are non-custodial too
When you buy, swap or order a card, you send coins straight to the executing exchange and receive coins (or a card) straight back. We never hold customer funds at any point in the flow.
No KYC, minimal data
- No identity verification on any service.
- No account or registration for buying, swapping or cards.
- The only personal data a card order needs is the delivery email — use an alias if you prefer.
- BTCPay supports Tor and Payjoin for transaction-level privacy.
BTCPay hosting guide #
From sign-up to your first Lightning payment in about five minutes.
BTCPay Server is the most trusted open-source Bitcoin payment processor in the world — used by tens of thousands of merchants. The hard part is operating it: a synced full node, an always-online Lightning node, channel liquidity, backups, monitoring and updates. That's the part we do.
- SubscribeGo to node.btcpay.exchange and create your instance — $30/month, no setup fee, cancel anytime. Your node is provisioned automatically.
- Create your storeInside BTCPay, click
Create Store, give it a name and default currency. One node can run unlimited stores. - Connect your walletAdd your xpub or pair a hardware wallet (see below). This is where every payment settles.
- Enable LightningOne click — your store attaches to the managed LND node. We handle channels and liquidity for you.
- Take a test paymentCreate an invoice from the dashboard, pay it from your phone wallet, and watch it confirm. You're live.
Connecting your wallet
BTCPay needs only a watch-only view of your wallet to generate addresses and detect payments:
- xpub / extended public key — export it from wallets like Sparrow, Electrum, BlueWallet or Wasabi and paste it into
Store → Wallet → Setup. BTCPay derives a fresh address per invoice. - Hardware wallet — Ledger, Trezor, ColdCard and others pair directly via the BTCPay Vault app; keys stay on the device.
- Hot wallet (optional) — BTCPay can generate a wallet on the node for small operational amounts, e.g. to fund Payjoin. For meaningful sums, always prefer the xpub or hardware route.
Plugins, e-commerce & point of sale
Once your store is live, plug it into wherever you sell:
| Channel | How |
|---|---|
| WooCommerce | Install the official BTCPay for WooCommerce plugin, pair via API key, done. Orders auto-update when invoices settle. |
| Shopify | Connect via the BTCPay Shopify integration to add a Bitcoin option at checkout. |
| Magento / PrestaShop / Drupal | Native community plugins, configured the same pairing way. |
| Point of Sale | Built-in POS app: a clean keypad or product grid you can open on any tablet or phone — supports tips, NFC tap-to-pay and custom amounts. |
| Payment buttons | Generate an HTML snippet for a Pay-with-Bitcoin button on any website — no backend required. |
| Invoices & pull payments | Send payment requests by link/email, run crowdfunds, or set up pull payments & refunds straight from the dashboard. |
| REST API | Full Greenfield API for custom integrations — everything the dashboard does, programmable. |
We keep your node on the current BTCPay release with nightly backups and 24/7 monitoring; you'll never have to SSH into anything.
Buying & swapping crypto #
How the rate aggregator finds you the best deal — without an account.
Both the Buy and Swap pages work the same way underneath: our partner Trocador queries dozens of exchanges simultaneously and ranks every live quote for your pair. You pick a quote, send your coins, and the purchased coins land in your wallet. No registration, no custody, no KYC.
- Pick your pairChoose the coin you'll send and the coin you want to receive — 800+ assets across all major networks. Mind the network label (e.g. USDT exists on ERC20, TRC20 and more).
- Compare quotesYou'll see each provider's payout, a Fixed or Float tag, and a KYC rating from A to D. The best payout is pre-selected.
- Enter addressesYour receive address, an optional memo/tag (XRP, XLM, TON…), and a refund address — optional but strongly recommended.
- Send the exact amountYou get a deposit address and QR code. Send precisely the stated amount; the status updates live until coins arrive in your wallet.
Fixed vs floating rate
| Type | What it means | Choose it when… |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed | Your payout is locked the moment the trade is created. Market moves while it processes don't affect you. | You want certainty, or the market is volatile. |
| Floating | The payout is recalculated when your deposit arrives — it can end slightly higher or lower than quoted. | You want the (usually slightly) better headline rate and accept small variance. |
KYC ratings explained
Every exchange behind a quote is independently rated for its identity-verification and fund-holding behaviour:
| Rating | Meaning |
|---|---|
| A | No KYC, ever. Fully anonymous swaps. The default recommendation for privacy. |
| B | Verification possible in rare, extreme cases (e.g. sanctioned-address flags), but everyday swaps pass untouched. |
| C | Risk-based checks — large or flagged amounts may require email or ID before release. |
| D | Full KYC programs; may hold funds during review. Only shown because rates are sometimes unbeatable — use knowingly. |
If privacy is your priority, stick to A and B quotes — there is almost always an A-rated provider within a fraction of a percent of the best rate.
Prepaid & gift cards #
Turn crypto into spendable balance in minutes.
Virtual prepaid Visa & Mastercard
On the prepaid cards page you choose a card brand and currency (USD or EUR), pick a denomination, select any of 800+ cryptos to pay with, and enter a delivery email. After your payment confirms you receive the card number, expiry and CVV by email — usable immediately anywhere Visa/Mastercard is accepted online.
- Cards are one-time prepaid: spend the balance across as many purchases as you like, but they can't be reloaded.
- Some cards carry country restrictions — they're shown on the card before you order.
- The price you see includes processing; you pay the face value plus your blockchain network fee.
Gift cards for 500+ retailers
The gift cards page works the same way, but you first select your country — the catalogue (Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Steam, Google Play, airlines, restaurants and hundreds more) varies by region. Redemption codes arrive by email instantly after payment confirms.
Tracking your order #
Every swap and card order has a trade ID — keep it.
When you create any swap or card order, you're given a trade ID (shown under the payment address). The page polls the status for you automatically, but you can also check any time on the Track Order page — just paste the ID.
What each status means
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| waiting | The provider is waiting for your deposit to appear on the network. Nothing has been received yet. |
| confirming | Your deposit was detected and is gathering blockchain confirmations. |
| sending | The provider has exchanged your coins and is sending the payout (or issuing your card). |
| finished | Done — coins delivered to your address, or card emailed to you. |
| expired | No deposit arrived within the trade window. If you sent late, contact support with your trade ID. |
| failed | Something went wrong (e.g. underpayment). If you provided a refund address, coins are returned automatically. |
| refunded | Your deposit was sent back to your refund address. |
Typical end-to-end times are 5–30 minutes, driven almost entirely by blockchain confirmation speed: Lightning is near-instant, BTC on-chain typically 10–20 minutes, Monero a little longer by design.
Fees & limits #
What you pay, and what you never pay.
| Service | Our fee | What else applies |
|---|---|---|
| BTCPay hosting | $30 / month flat | Bitcoin network & Lightning routing fees only — paid to miners/routing nodes, never to us. 0% per transaction. |
| Buy / swap crypto | Included in the quoted rate | The payout you see is the payout you get. Spread varies by provider — that's why we show you all of them, ranked. |
| Prepaid cards | Included in the card price | Your blockchain network fee for the payment. |
| Gift cards | Included in the card price | Your blockchain network fee for the payment. |
Limits
- Swaps: each pair shows a per-provider minimum (displayed under the amount field) and generous maximums. Very large swaps may get better treatment split across providers.
- Prepaid cards: available in fixed denominations shown per card, typically from about $25/€25 up to several hundred.
- Gift cards: denominations are set by the retailer — some fixed, some any amount within a range.
- Hosting: unlimited stores, invoices and API calls. Fair-use applies to node resources.
Troubleshooting & refunds #
When something doesn't go to plan.
My swap looks stuck
- Check the status on the Track Order page. confirming just means the blockchain is slow today — congested networks can take an hour.
- Verify your deposit transaction actually broadcast and used a sufficient network fee (check a block explorer for your txid).
- If the status is failed or halted, and you gave a refund address, coins return automatically. Otherwise contact us with the trade ID.
I sent the wrong amount
- Underpaid: the trade usually fails; with a refund address set, your coins come back minus the network fee. Without one, contact support immediately with your trade ID and txid.
- Overpaid: most providers either complete the trade at the larger amount or refund the excess.
My card never arrived
- Confirm the payment shows finished on the track page.
- Search your inbox and spam for "Trocador" or "card".
- Still nothing after 30 minutes? Email support@btcpay.exchange with the trade ID — we'll chase it with the provider.
BTCPay node questions
Invoice not detecting payments? Double-check the wallet xpub matches the wallet you're watching. Lightning payment failing? It's usually route liquidity — retry after a moment or fall back to on-chain. For anything else, priority support is included in your plan: open the live chat or email us.
Getting support #
Real humans, usually within a few hours.
- Live chat — bottom-right corner of every page. Fastest for quick questions.
- Email — support@btcpay.exchange for technical issues, admin@btcpay.exchange for billing and partnerships.
- Contact form — on the homepage.
For deep BTCPay Server topics, the upstream open-source docs at docs.btcpayserver.org are excellent — everything there applies to your hosted node too.