Specify asset, network, amount and expiry. Verify the transaction on the correct network and meet your confirmation threshold before delivery. Ask the customer to confirm a refund address.
Specify every parameter
Match invoice and hash
Set a suitable threshold
Create the request
Show exact asset, network, amount, expiry and possible fees. An address alone makes wrong-network and wrong-token mistakes more likely.
Verify receipt
Check token contract when relevant, actual amount received, status and confirmations. A screenshot from a customer is not proof of receipt.
Choose when to deliver
Confirmation and finality rules vary by network and order value. Document when a payment counts as sufficiently settled.
Handle refunds
A confirmed payment generally cannot be reversed. Contact the customer through a trusted channel and confirm a refund address on the chosen network.
Prepare a refund
A refund is not an automatic reversal of the received transaction. Define asset, network, possible exchange rate and a process to confirm a new address when requesting payment.
- Keep the order reference and payment hash.
- Do not refund an address merely assumed to belong to the customer.
Practical case: decision and limits
An invoice expires before the customer pays. Define late, underpaid and wrong-network handling in advance; do not deliver based on a screenshot. For refunds, verify a fresh address through a known channel: the sending address may belong to an exchange unable to credit returns. Keep invoice reference, hash, amount, charges and conversion rule.
A concrete verification
Reconcile invoice and receipt yourself: customer screenshots are not independent verification.
Checks to make
| Topic | Check |
|---|---|
| Create the request | Specify every parameter |
| Verify receipt | Match invoice and hash |
| Choose when to deliver | Set a suitable threshold |
| Handle refunds | Confirm the destination |
Frequently asked questions
Can it be charged back like a card?
A confirmed transfer is generally irreversible; a merchant sends a new transaction for a refund.
Is a customer screenshot enough?
No. Check the ledger and your own order system.
Why not automatically refund the sending address?
It may belong to a platform requiring a memo or unable to recognize the return. Authenticate the refund destination and agree on asset, network, amount and fees. A refund is a new transaction, not technical cancellation of the first.
Verifiable sources
Bitcoin.org — Bitcoin for businesses- Bitcoin Developer Guide — Payment processing
Ethereum.org — Transactions
Independent educational content reviewed against primary documentation. No personalized recommendation or promise of returns. Updated October 6, 2026
