How-To Guides

How to Pay for PlanIt with Bitcoin: A 5-Minute Walkthrough

PlanIt Team · · 6 min read

Never used Bitcoin? Here is how to get a wallet, send a payment, and avoid the common mistakes, all in about five minutes.

What You Need

Two things: some Bitcoin, and a place to send it from. Most people get both from one app. PlanIt is not affiliated with any wallet or exchange, and this is not financial advice. Use whatever you trust.

Pick Your App

Exchange or payment app (examples: Coinbase, Kraken, Cash App, Strike). You buy Bitcoin with a bank account or card and it sits in the app. This is the fastest way to start, but it usually needs ID verification, and withdrawals can have fees, limits, or holds.

Self-custody wallet (examples: Proton Wallet, Blue Wallet, Muun, Sparrow, Electrum). Only you hold the keys. Write your recovery phrase on paper and keep it offline. Never type it into any website. PlanIt will never ask for it.

Paying PlanIt, Step by Step

  1. Start checkout for whatever you are paying for. No account is needed.
  2. You land on a private pay page showing the total in USD and BTC, a countdown for your price lock, a QR code, and the payment address.
  3. On a phone, tap "Open in wallet app" or scan the QR code. On desktop or an exchange, use the copy buttons for the address and amount.
  4. Check three things before you confirm: the first and last 8 characters of the address match the page, the amount matches, and the network is Bitcoin on-chain, not Lightning.
  5. Send with a normal network fee. A very low fee can leave your payment stuck for hours.

The page updates on its own as your payment is detected and confirmed. Your pay page is your receipt.

Common Mistakes

  • Choosing Lightning. We only accept on-chain Bitcoin.
  • "Subtract fee from amount" turned on. Your payment arrives slightly short. Turn it off.
  • Buying Bitcoin after starting checkout. Some apps hold new purchases before you can send them. Buy first, then open the pay page so the timer is not running while you wait.
  • Exchange address whitelists. Every order has a fresh address, so a whitelist can block you. Pay from a wallet instead, or pause the whitelist for this payment.
  • Paying twice because it feels slow. If something stalls, do not resend. Check the pay page first.

If You See TEST MODE

That banner means the site is on a Bitcoin test network. Those coins have no value. Never send real Bitcoin to a test-mode address.