Dominyka is a Copywriter at CoinGate. During her career as a copywriter, journalist, and communication specialist, she had the opportunity to handle a wide range of topics, from human rights to lifestyle articles, technology, and now crypto. She sees the importance of new technologies spread and a need for educational and usable content.

Vilius is a seasoned copywriter and bitcoin enthusiast specializing in blockchain and cryptocurrency topics. He's been with CoinGate since 2018, writing blogs, social media content, sales materials, newsletters, FAQs, and more. He's relentless in pursuing knowledge and a better understanding of the crypto industry, which helps him create meaningful and engaging content every day.

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Have you ever sent Bitcoin to someone just to see your transaction hang unconfirmed for hours and even days? Don’t worry – it is safe and as expected as it is avoidable. 
<img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4594" src="https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/310c1357-blog-main-img1.jpg" alt="things you can do when bitcoin mempool is congested" width="2500" height="1307" srcset="https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/310c1357-blog-main-img1.jpg 2500w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/310c1357-blog-main-img1-150x78.jpg 150w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/310c1357-blog-main-img1-300x157.jpg 300w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/310c1357-blog-main-img1-768x402.jpg 768w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/310c1357-blog-main-img1-1024x535.jpg 1024w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/310c1357-blog-main-img1-1920x1004.jpg 1920w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/310c1357-blog-main-img1-1680x878.jpg 1680w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/310c1357-blog-main-img1-1240x648.jpg 1240w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/310c1357-blog-main-img1-860x450.jpg 860w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/310c1357-blog-main-img1-680x356.jpg 680w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/310c1357-blog-main-img1-500x261.jpg 500w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/310c1357-blog-main-img1-400x209.jpg 400w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/310c1357-blog-main-img1-200x105.jpg 200w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/310c1357-blog-main-img1-50x26.jpg 50w" sizes="(max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" />
We know that the Bitcoin blockchain will always process a block every 10 minutes or so. But, more often than not, some broadcasted transactions cannot fit in the next block or the block after that. 
Some level of network congestion is a normal and expected occurrence. It happens because of two main reasons:
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>The transaction volume spikes, meaning that some of them will have to wait for others to be processed first.</li>
<li>The hashrate suddenly drops, which means the processing power for approving transactions reduces until mining difficulty corrects itself accordingly. The difficulty adjustment happens every two weeks. </li>
</ul>
In any (or both) of these cases, nodes have a way to prioritize some transactions over others: generally speaking, those that pay larger fees get to be mined and processed first. 
Meanwhile, all other unconfirmed transactions that pay lower fees land in a backlog, otherwise known as mempool. 
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">Things to know about Bitcoin mempool congestion</h2>
Although most people refer to the mempool as a single entity, it is technically not. It is easy to get confused as it seems like a single entity most of the time. 
In fact, each node has its own mempool. Nodes may vary slightly, depending on whether they run on default settings or not. However, by default, the mempool size usually cannot exceed 300MB. 
So whenever you make a Bitcoin transaction, first it is broadcasted to the network for the miners’ nodes to pick it up. When it’s included in a confirmed block, nodes remove it from their mempools.
If and when the transaction volume goes up, users choose to pay higher fees to receive confirmations faster than others. That’s when your transaction might end up unconfirmed for a while, assuming the median fee price spiked at the moment of you moving your BTC.
<figure id="attachment_4596" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4596" style="width: 1894px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-4596" src="https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/f7102cc3-pending-btc-transaction-fees.png" alt="pending transaction fees btc" width="1894" height="834" srcset="https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/f7102cc3-pending-btc-transaction-fees.png 1894w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/f7102cc3-pending-btc-transaction-fees-150x66.png 150w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/f7102cc3-pending-btc-transaction-fees-300x132.png 300w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/f7102cc3-pending-btc-transaction-fees-768x338.png 768w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/f7102cc3-pending-btc-transaction-fees-1024x451.png 1024w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/f7102cc3-pending-btc-transaction-fees-1680x740.png 1680w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/f7102cc3-pending-btc-transaction-fees-1240x546.png 1240w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/f7102cc3-pending-btc-transaction-fees-860x379.png 860w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/f7102cc3-pending-btc-transaction-fees-680x299.png 680w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/f7102cc3-pending-btc-transaction-fees-500x220.png 500w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/f7102cc3-pending-btc-transaction-fees-400x176.png 400w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/f7102cc3-pending-btc-transaction-fees-200x88.png 200w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/f7102cc3-pending-btc-transaction-fees-50x22.png 50w" sizes="(max-width: 1894px) 100vw, 1894px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-4596" class="wp-caption-text">Pending transaction fees have accumulated to more than 50 BTC earlier this year on October 29.</figcaption></figure>
It goes vice versa – when transaction volume drops and no transactions wait in the backlog, you can choose to pay as low as 1 sat/byte fee and get your transaction confirmed in as fast as 10 minutes. 
In fact, <a class="keychainify-checked" style="color: #ff6600;" href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/bitcoin-fees-plummet-as-mempool-clears-to-zero" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Bitcoin mempool was completely cleared</a> not so long ago on November 11, 2020, allowing to send Bitcoin for extremely low fees. 
<figure id="attachment_4597" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4597" style="width: 1896px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-4597" src="https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/b211604c-btc-mempool-cleared.png" alt="Bitcoin mempool shrank 2020" width="1896" height="838" srcset="https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/b211604c-btc-mempool-cleared.png 1896w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/b211604c-btc-mempool-cleared-150x66.png 150w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/b211604c-btc-mempool-cleared-300x133.png 300w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/b211604c-btc-mempool-cleared-768x339.png 768w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/b211604c-btc-mempool-cleared-1024x453.png 1024w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/b211604c-btc-mempool-cleared-1680x743.png 1680w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/b211604c-btc-mempool-cleared-1240x548.png 1240w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/b211604c-btc-mempool-cleared-860x380.png 860w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/b211604c-btc-mempool-cleared-680x301.png 680w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/b211604c-btc-mempool-cleared-500x221.png 500w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/b211604c-btc-mempool-cleared-400x177.png 400w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/b211604c-btc-mempool-cleared-200x88.png 200w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/b211604c-btc-mempool-cleared-50x22.png 50w" sizes="(max-width: 1896px) 100vw, 1896px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-4597" class="wp-caption-text">On November 11, 2020, Bitcoin mempool shrank to mere 0.673 MB.</figcaption></figure>
But on rare occasions, the exact opposite can happen: <a class="keychainify-checked" style="color: #ff6600;" href="https://www.coindesk.com/bitcoin-transaction-fees-hashrate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bitcoin mempool gets full</a> by exceeding its maximum size limit, just like it did two weeks before it was cleared, on October 30, 2020, spiking the median fees to a three-year high of $11.66 and leaving 145,000 transactions pending. 
<figure id="attachment_4598" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4598" style="width: 1914px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-4598" src="https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/3d1a486e-unconfirmed-btc-transactions.png" alt=" BTC transaction count during a period of high transaction volume" width="1914" height="906" srcset="https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/3d1a486e-unconfirmed-btc-transactions.png 1914w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/3d1a486e-unconfirmed-btc-transactions-150x71.png 150w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/3d1a486e-unconfirmed-btc-transactions-300x142.png 300w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/3d1a486e-unconfirmed-btc-transactions-768x364.png 768w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/3d1a486e-unconfirmed-btc-transactions-1024x485.png 1024w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/3d1a486e-unconfirmed-btc-transactions-1680x795.png 1680w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/3d1a486e-unconfirmed-btc-transactions-1240x587.png 1240w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/3d1a486e-unconfirmed-btc-transactions-860x407.png 860w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/3d1a486e-unconfirmed-btc-transactions-680x322.png 680w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/3d1a486e-unconfirmed-btc-transactions-500x237.png 500w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/3d1a486e-unconfirmed-btc-transactions-400x189.png 400w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/3d1a486e-unconfirmed-btc-transactions-200x95.png 200w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/11/3d1a486e-unconfirmed-btc-transactions-50x24.png 50w" sizes="(max-width: 1914px) 100vw, 1914px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-4598" class="wp-caption-text">The highest pending BTC transaction count during a period of high transaction volume.</figcaption></figure>
The highest pending BTC transaction count during a period of high transaction volume. 

In this situation, the lowest fee transactions might be thrown out of most mempools. That’s why it is never recommended to send a transaction for a minimum fee but is always advised to check the network status prior to sending a transaction. 
You can check the metrics of Bitcoin mempool (unconfirmed transaction count, pending transaction fees, mempool size, etc.) anytime right <a class="keychainify-checked" style="color: #000000;" href="https://core.jochen-hoenicke.de/queue/#0,24h" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a> or in similar sites that aggregate real-time blockchain data.
But even if your transaction does not show on a blockchain due to this specific reason, you can always rebroadcast it later. However, you can also take measures to prevent or avoid such situations whatsoever, especially when shopping at CoinGate merchants. 
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">How to speed up your Bitcoin transaction when the network is clogged</h2>
We already mentioned that one can go around the network congestion quite easily. There are a few options that you have to speed up your transaction, like <a class="keychainify-checked" style="color: #000000;" href="https://bitcoinops.org/en/topics/cpfp/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Child Pays For Parent (CPFP) option</a>, or <a class="keychainify-checked" style="color: #000000;" href="https://www.buybitcoinworldwide.com/rbf/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RBF (Replace By Fee) setting</a> on your wallet. 
However, if you are spending Bitcoin at one of the <a href="https://coingate.com/stores" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CoinGate merchants</a> or at the <a href="https://coingate.com/gift-cards" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gift card store</a>, there is a way more efficient and less complicated method for that – Lightning Network. 
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">Lightning Network – a perfect weapon to battle BTC network congestion?</h2>
To put it briefly, <a href="https://coingate.com/blog/post/ethereum-wallets-multi-asset">Lightning Network</a> is a second-layer solution for Bitcoin that enables much faster and cheaper transactions in high volumes between users, without the need for miners to mine the block and confirm it.
To use Lightning Network payments, all you need is a wallet that supports it. <a class="keychainify-checked" style="color: #000000;" href="https://electrum.org/#home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Electrum</a>, <a class="keychainify-checked" style="color: #000000;" href="https://zaphq.io/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Zap</a> and <a class="keychainify-checked" style="color: #000000;" href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=fr.acinq.eclair.wallet.mainnet2&amp;hl=en&amp;gl=US" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Eclair</a> wallets stand out from the rest as they are non-custodial and they don’t require you to set up your own node. 
Good news is, all CoinGate merchants have Lightning Network support enabled by default, meaning you can make purchases with Bitcoin at hundreds of online shops any time without worrying about whether the network is congested or not, or what the transaction cost should be. 
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">What is Lightning Network, again?</h2>
If you are not familiar with Bitcoin’s Lightning Network protocol yet, here’s a few key points that summarize it quite well:
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Since the Bitcoin’s blockchain can handle around seven transactions per second (TPS), the network’s scalability eventually became an issue, and a second-layer solution, called the Lightning Network (LN), was suggested;</li>
<li>LN solution enabled split-second Bitcoin transactions in high volumes between users, without the need for network confirmations;</li>
<li>By opening Lightning channels, users can transact between each other “off-chain” for infinity, and settle only the final amount;</li>
<li>LN transactions themselves cost close to nothing and allow sending smallest fractions of Bitcoin.</li>
</ul>
Learn more by watching this Youtube video:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Non-Technical: Lightning Network Explained" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XCSfoiD8wUA?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">Here’s how to send Bitcoin via the Lightning Network to CoinGate merchants</h2>
If you want to try using the Lightning Network, you can! 
Don’t have a clue where to start? Feel free to use <a class="keychainify-checked" style="color: #000000;" href="https://coingate.com/blog/post/pay-using-lightning-network" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this step-by-step guide</a> that teaches you how to use Lightning Network <a href="https://coingate.com/accept" target="_blank" rel="noopener">payments</a> when you stumble upon one of the CoinGate’s merchants. 
Do you know any other effective ways to speed up Bitcoin transactions? Let us know on <a class="keychainify-checked" style="color: #000000;" href="https://twitter.com/CoinGatecom" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a>!

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Top 3 most common & obvious Bitcoin scams to watch out for

Businesses, non-profits and freelance workers now have an option to accept crypto payments via billing service.
<img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-5086" src="https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/e0692c08-send_crypto_bills-1024x576.png" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/e0692c08-send_crypto_bills-1024x576.png 1024w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/e0692c08-send_crypto_bills-150x84.png 150w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/e0692c08-send_crypto_bills-300x169.png 300w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/e0692c08-send_crypto_bills-768x432.png 768w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/e0692c08-send_crypto_bills.png 1920w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/e0692c08-send_crypto_bills-1680x945.png 1680w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/e0692c08-send_crypto_bills-1240x698.png 1240w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/e0692c08-send_crypto_bills-860x484.png 860w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/e0692c08-send_crypto_bills-680x383.png 680w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/e0692c08-send_crypto_bills-500x281.png 500w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/e0692c08-send_crypto_bills-400x225.png 400w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/e0692c08-send_crypto_bills-200x113.png 200w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/e0692c08-send_crypto_bills-50x28.png 50w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
Billing allows any business account that’s verified on CoinGate to instantly create and send reusable cryptocurrency bills via email or a link with QR code. Here’s <a class="c-link keychainify-checked" style="color: #ff6600;" tabindex="-1" href="https://coingate.com/blog/post/verify-merchant-account-faq" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://34.90.149.110/2019/05/verify-merchant-account-faq/" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">how to verify your business account</a>.
The solution is available to use it from the account dashboard without any coding efforts at all.
You can also set a schedule to send bills recurringly and use API integration (optional).<a class="keychainify-checked" style="color: #ff6600;" href="https://coingate.com/blog/post/recurring-billing-guide-for-crypto" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Learn how.</a> 
As with all other <a class="keychainify-checked" style="color: #000000;" href="https://coingate.com/integration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">payment integration tools</a>, instant billing allows accepting payments in over 70 cryptocurrencies with a feature to convert revenue to other coins or Euros / GBP / US dollars. 
This service also supports <a class="keychainify-checked" style="color: #000000;" href="https://coingate.com/blog/post/lightning-network-payments-intro" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lightning Network</a> payments for Bitcoin and Litecoin, <a class="keychainify-checked" style="color: #ff6600;" href="https://coingate.com/blog/post/business-user-permissions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">account permissions</a> and more.
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">The instant email billing solution</h2>
The ability to immediately send one-time crypto invoices via email or link can be practical in many different cases. 
<figure id="attachment_4525" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4525" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-4525 size-full" src="https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/148437b7-billing-steps.jpg" alt="how instant emal billing works on crypto payments" width="2500" height="1307" srcset="https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/148437b7-billing-steps.jpg 2500w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/148437b7-billing-steps-150x78.jpg 150w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/148437b7-billing-steps-300x157.jpg 300w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/148437b7-billing-steps-768x402.jpg 768w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/148437b7-billing-steps-1024x535.jpg 1024w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/148437b7-billing-steps-1920x1004.jpg 1920w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/148437b7-billing-steps-1680x878.jpg 1680w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/148437b7-billing-steps-1240x648.jpg 1240w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/148437b7-billing-steps-860x450.jpg 860w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/148437b7-billing-steps-680x356.jpg 680w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/148437b7-billing-steps-500x261.jpg 500w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/148437b7-billing-steps-400x209.jpg 400w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/148437b7-billing-steps-200x105.jpg 200w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/148437b7-billing-steps-50x26.jpg 50w" sizes="(max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-4525" class="wp-caption-text">A simple visualization of CoinGate instant bill.</figcaption></figure>
First off, it’s really simple–once logged in to a business account, you can start sending crypto bills immediately without spending any additional time on setup or coding. All payment details, contacts, as well as paid and unpaid bills, can be tracked on the same dashboard.
So, instead of setting up a whole payment method for one or a few clients to pay with crypto, generating one invoice to request the payment is a much more convenient approach to settle matters fast and without any inexplicable costs. 
<img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4530" src="https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/5ffbfc0c-laptopmobilefinal.png" alt="this is how instant bill looks like" width="2337" height="1504" srcset="https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/5ffbfc0c-laptopmobilefinal.png 2337w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/5ffbfc0c-laptopmobilefinal-150x97.png 150w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/5ffbfc0c-laptopmobilefinal-300x193.png 300w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/5ffbfc0c-laptopmobilefinal-768x494.png 768w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/5ffbfc0c-laptopmobilefinal-1024x659.png 1024w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/5ffbfc0c-laptopmobilefinal-1920x1236.png 1920w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/5ffbfc0c-laptopmobilefinal-1680x1081.png 1680w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/5ffbfc0c-laptopmobilefinal-1240x798.png 1240w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/5ffbfc0c-laptopmobilefinal-860x553.png 860w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/5ffbfc0c-laptopmobilefinal-680x438.png 680w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/5ffbfc0c-laptopmobilefinal-500x322.png 500w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/5ffbfc0c-laptopmobilefinal-400x257.png 400w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/5ffbfc0c-laptopmobilefinal-200x129.png 200w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/5ffbfc0c-laptopmobilefinal-50x32.png 50w" sizes="(max-width: 2337px) 100vw, 2337px" />
Simply share a link to it, or allow CoinGate to deliver the bill via email on your behalf. Then it’s for you to decide whether you want to keep the coin as it is, convert it to fiat currency or other coins.
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">How to create and send instant email bills</h2>
<h3>1. Log into your CoinGate business account</h3>
Note that you have to be verified in order to use this service. Here’s <a class="keychainify-checked" style="color: #ff6600;" href="https://coingate.com/blog/post/verify-merchant-account-faq">how to verify your business account</a>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">2. Find the “New Instant Bill” option in the menu</h3>
When clicked, a new window will pop up where you can start building your first crypto bill. 
<img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4526" src="https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/billing-menu.png" alt="the exact location of billing menu on the dashboard" width="1865" height="885" srcset="https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/billing-menu.png 1865w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/billing-menu-150x71.png 150w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/billing-menu-300x142.png 300w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/billing-menu-768x364.png 768w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/billing-menu-1024x486.png 1024w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/billing-menu-1680x797.png 1680w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/billing-menu-1240x588.png 1240w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/billing-menu-860x408.png 860w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/billing-menu-680x323.png 680w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/billing-menu-500x237.png 500w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/billing-menu-400x190.png 400w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/billing-menu-200x95.png 200w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/billing-menu-50x24.png 50w" sizes="(max-width: 1865px) 100vw, 1865px" />
<h3>3. Select or add a new payer</h3>
Every time you add a new payer, it will remain in your contact list. To add a fist contact, click the “Add new” button, then fill out the necessary information. 
<img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4527" src="https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/3c7d1c55-add-new-payer.png" alt="billing option's add new payer screen" width="898" height="634" srcset="https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/3c7d1c55-add-new-payer.png 898w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/3c7d1c55-add-new-payer-150x106.png 150w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/3c7d1c55-add-new-payer-300x212.png 300w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/3c7d1c55-add-new-payer-768x542.png 768w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/3c7d1c55-add-new-payer-860x607.png 860w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/3c7d1c55-add-new-payer-680x480.png 680w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/3c7d1c55-add-new-payer-500x353.png 500w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/3c7d1c55-add-new-payer-400x282.png 400w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/3c7d1c55-add-new-payer-200x141.png 200w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/3c7d1c55-add-new-payer-50x35.png 50w" sizes="(max-width: 898px) 100vw, 898px" />
When adding a new payer, the only mandatory field is the payer’s email address, while everything else is optional to provide. You can also select whether your bill is intended for an organisation or a regular person.
<img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4529" src="https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/adding-new-payer.png" alt="the process of adding a new payer" width="699" height="723" srcset="https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/adding-new-payer.png 699w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/adding-new-payer-145x150.png 145w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/adding-new-payer-290x300.png 290w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/adding-new-payer-680x703.png 680w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/adding-new-payer-500x517.png 500w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/adding-new-payer-400x414.png 400w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/adding-new-payer-200x207.png 200w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/adding-new-payer-50x52.png 50w" sizes="(max-width: 699px) 100vw, 699px" />
In the menu section, payers are referred to as “Subscribers”.
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">4. Select or add payment details</h3>
First off, name your bill so you can distinguish it from others. Also, select whether you wish to send this bill via email or a link with QR code, specify the amount and price currency (aka currency in which the total amount is shown). 
<img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4531" src="https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/addng-new-payment-details-simple.png" alt="filling out new payment details" width="644" height="761" srcset="https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/addng-new-payment-details-simple.png 644w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/addng-new-payment-details-simple-127x150.png 127w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/addng-new-payment-details-simple-254x300.png 254w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/addng-new-payment-details-simple-500x591.png 500w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/addng-new-payment-details-simple-400x473.png 400w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/addng-new-payment-details-simple-200x236.png 200w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/addng-new-payment-details-simple-50x59.png 50w" sizes="(max-width: 644px) 100vw, 644px" />
This is the most basic bill details that you can do; however, you can click the “More details” button to get more options:
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Set the “receive currency” settings. It determines what currency you will receive (Euros, GBP and US dollars included) once the invoice will be paid with any of 70 cryptocurrencies that it supports. </li>
<li>Place URL to which the API callbacks will be sent in case you want to connect directly to your website’s system. </li>
<li>Enable paid order notifications and add payment ID.  </li>
</ul>
<img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4532" src="https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/more-information-billing-screen.png" alt="additional information of payment details billing screen" width="724" height="456" srcset="https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/more-information-billing-screen.png 724w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/more-information-billing-screen-150x94.png 150w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/more-information-billing-screen-300x189.png 300w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/more-information-billing-screen-680x428.png 680w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/more-information-billing-screen-500x315.png 500w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/more-information-billing-screen-400x252.png 400w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/more-information-billing-screen-200x126.png 200w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/more-information-billing-screen-50x31.png 50w" sizes="(max-width: 724px) 100vw, 724px" />
After that, you will be ready to name the price of merchandise and quantity. Feel free to add as many items as you want by clicking “Add items”. 
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">5. Click the “Create a bill” button</h3>
<img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4533" src="https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/create-bill.png" alt="how to create crypto bill" width="753" height="444" srcset="https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/create-bill.png 753w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/create-bill-150x88.png 150w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/create-bill-300x177.png 300w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/create-bill-680x401.png 680w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/create-bill-500x295.png 500w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/create-bill-400x236.png 400w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/create-bill-200x118.png 200w, https://wp-blog-assets.coingate.com/2020/10/create-bill-50x29.png 50w" sizes="(max-width: 753px) 100vw, 753px" />
In the menu section, the saved payment details are referred to as “Details”. When the bill is sent, you can see the payment status under the “Payments” menu section.
Navigate to “Merchant”->”Billing” to find all menu sections dedicated to billing service.
For more in-depth information about this payment option and its technical aspects, refer to <a class="keychainify-checked" style="color: #ff6600;" href="https://developer.coingate.com/docs/billing-api-overview" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the billing API overview</a>.
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">Activating recurring payments</h2>
There is one more menu section called “Subscriptions” (“Billing”→“Subscriptions”). This is where you can form payment schedules for your new and existing bills. 

This option is perfect for subscription-based business models. <a class="keychainify-checked" style="color: #ff6600;" href="https://coingate.com/blog/post/recurring-billing-guide-for-crypto">Learn more. </a>
Want to jump right into it? <a class="keychainify-checked" style="color: #ff6600;" href="https://dashboard.coingate.com/register" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sign up at CoinGate</a> to get started, or log into your account, access the business environment and go to the “Merchant”→“Billing” menu section.

Billing allows any business account that’s verified on CoinGate to instantly create and send reusable cryptocurrency bills via email or a link with QR code.

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