Easy Set Up guide to start accepting crypto payments with Solana Pay in Shopify
If you run a Shopify store, it's time to consider accepting payments via USDC and other tokens to give your customers more options.
Accepting Solana Tokens + USDC on your Shopify Store
If you run a Shopify store, it's time to consider accepting payments via USDC and other tokens to give your customers more options. Solana Pay uses the Solana network to accept USDC and other Solana tokens.
You can add SolanaPay into your Shopify store for free. It's run by Helio and when you sign up for an account and connect your storefront, you can choose to use your own wallet, or they can create one for you using only your email address. Helio was recently acquired by MoonPay, so we should see more news rolling out over the next few months.
In order to get payments in USDC, you need to have accounts to receive payments into and crypto wallet addresses. If you'd like to use your own wallets, I'd suggest using Phantom which will provide you with a Solana, Ethereum (Base/Polygon) and Bitcoin address to use.
You can choose to accept other tokens or to have all tokens used for payment automatically swapped into USDC for you. For example, someone could pay with $PENGU and it would swap it into USDC into your wallet. As business owners, being paid in a stable asset typically makes the most sense, but you have options available to adjust your risk curve as much as you'd like.
Let's hook it up to your store
Step 1: Install Solana Pay on Shopify
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Go to the Shopify App Store: Log into your Shopify admin panel (your control room) and head to "Apps."
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You can also go directly to its listing in the Shopify Store
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Find Solana Pay: Search for "Solana Pay" and click "Add App."
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Install It: Click "Install" and follow the prompts. Shopify will ask permission to connect Solana Pay to your store -- say yes, and you're on your way.
Analogy: "Think of this like plugging a new card reader into your physical shop's counter." Once it's plugged in, it's ready to take payments once you finish onboarding.
Set Up Your Merchant Account
After installing, Solana Pay needs a bit of info from you:
Add Your Wallet Address: Paste that Phantom wallet address you got earlier if you'd like to use an external wallet you control. This tells Solana Pay where to send your money. You can also choose to use a wallet address provided by Helio as the defaults.
Turn It On in Shopify
Once approved:
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Go to Settings > Payments: In your Shopify admin, find the "Payments" section.
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Activate Solana Pay: Look for Solana Pay in the list, click "Activate," and it'll appear as an option at checkout.
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Test It: Make a small test purchase (maybe a $1 item) using your own Phantom wallet to ensure it works. Assuming you already have another Solana wallet, try sending yourself an invoice for $1 to your email and proceed to checkout using Solana Pay to make sure it all works how you want it to.
How Customers Use It (So You Know What to Expect)
When a customer checks out:
- They pick "Solana Pay" as their payment method.
- They connect their own Solana wallet (like Phantom) or scan a QR code with their phone.
- They approve the payment, and bam -- the money's in your wallet in seconds.
Analogy: "It's like them handing you cash directly, skipping the bank's middleman. No delays, no fuss."
Example: A customer buys a $20 t-shirt. They pick Solana Pay, scan the QR code with their phone (or use a browser extension wallet), and pay with USDC. You see the payment hit your wallet before the customer even closes their browser.
Practical Benefits (Why This Matters to You)
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Save Money: "Credit card fees eat 2-3% of every sale. Solana Pay's fees are $0.00025 -- basically nothing." On a $100 sale, you keep $100 instead of $97.
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Get Paid Fast: No more waiting days for funds. It's instant, like a cash handover.
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Attract Crypto Fans: Some shoppers love using crypto -- give them what they want, and they might pick your store over others.
Example: "Typically, you'd lose $60 a month on $2,000 in sales to fees in CC fees." With Solana Pay, you keep almost all of it and get paid right away.
Securing your brand's .SOL name address
If you are using Solana, you can purchase a domain name address for your receiving address to your wallet. In reality, your website is a string of numbers for the address, but when you buy a domain, such as defithesystemx.com, it allows people to find you based on your brand.
Similar things can be done on chain by obtaining yourbrand.sol for easier receiving. "It's not very expensive ($20 if it's open)" and if you want to add digital currency payments, it is worth looking into.
Useful Links
Solana Pay Official Site - (integrates with Shopify)
- Website: https://solanapay.com/
- X: @solanapay
- Solana Pay in the Shopify App store
Phantom Wallet - popular wallet for Solana - learning information
- Website: https://phantom.app/learn
- X: @phantom
Helio - Company behind SolanaPay integration
- Website: https://www.hel.io/
- X: @helio_pay
Solana Name Service
- Website: https://www.sns.id/
- X: @sns
