Glossary · payments and processing
What is an order status?
An order status is the field that tells you where a payment is in its life: created, awaiting funds, confirmed, expired. In a crypto payment it is the single most important thing your integration reads, because it is how you know when to fulfil.
The nine states, and the two that are quiet
A CoinGate order moves through nine possible statuses. The path most orders take is short: created, then awaiting the shopper’s choice, then awaiting funds, then paid.
The others cover what else can happen. An invoice can expire before anyone pays. A payment can arrive after expiry and be settled manually. A refund can be issued in full or in part. A payment can fail.
Two details are worth building around. Callbacks fire on seven of the nine statuses, so two changes reach you only if you ask. And there is no underpaid status at all, because a short payment is carried as an amount on the order rather than as a state, which is why a change in it is also silent.
So the rule is simple. React to callbacks for the seven, and poll the order for the rest.
How to use it well
Three habits that prevent most integration bugs.
Trust the status, not the shopper
A customer saying they paid is not a state change. Read the field.
Frequently asked questions
Which statuses do not send a callback?
Two of the nine, plus a change in the underpaid amount. Poll the order for those rather than waiting for a message that will not come. The full list
When is it safe to fulfil an order?
When the status says the payment is confirmed. Not when the shopper says they sent it, and not while it is awaiting funds.
Can an expired order still be paid?
The funds are not lost. An order can be settled with Mark as paid inside a window configured for your account.