What is BitPay and how does it work?

BitPay is a company that helps businesses accept cryptocurrency and helps people spend it. It was founded in May 2011 by Tony Gallippi and Stephen Pair and is based in Atlanta, making it one of the oldest bitcoin payment companies. It works as a crypto payment gateway, sitting between a shop's checkout and the blockchain.

What is BitPay used for?

Merchants use BitPay to add a crypto option at checkout. As of November 2026, its pricing page lists coins including bitcoin, bitcoin cash, ether, dogecoin, litecoin and XRP, plus tokens such as USDC, DAI and EURC. A business can take settlement in local currency, in crypto or in a mix, with daily bank settlement available in currencies including US dollars, euros and British pounds.

Customers use BitPay when a shop, bill provider or gift card seller routes crypto payments through it. For the wider picture of how shops handle this, including fees and taxes, see how do businesses accept crypto payments.

How does BitPay work when you pay?

When you choose crypto at a BitPay merchant, BitPay creates an invoice. According to its support pages, you log in or create a BitPay account, complete BitPay ID verification if you have not already, pick a wallet and coin, and then pay by scanning a QR code, tapping "Pay in Wallet" or copying the address and amount.

Payment must go out within a 15-minute acceptance window, which locks the exchange rate. Wallets that support BitPay's payment protocol fill in the exact amount automatically. If you type it in by hand and send a different amount, the payment is not accepted and has to be refunded, as does a payment that arrives late. Paying straight from most exchange accounts is not supported, except Coinbase for US users.

What is the BitPay wallet?

The BitPay Wallet is a mobile and desktop app. BitPay says it is self-custody, meaning only you hold the keys, a difference covered in custodial vs non-custodial wallets. It supports optional multisignature security.

Inside the app you can buy crypto through partner on-ramps, swap between assets, send and receive, pay BitPay merchants and buy gift cards from more than 250 brands. The guide to how crypto gift cards work explains that route.

What is the BitPay limit?

For merchants, BitPay sets processing volume tiers. Its support page lists a base limit of $10,000 a day. Higher tiers allow up to $100,000 a day and $5 million a year, or more, once the business uploads extra documents. Each invoice counts against the daily limit for 24 hours.

Merchant fees are tiered by monthly volume. As of November 2026, BitPay lists 2% plus 25 cents per transaction below $500,000 a month, falling to 1% plus 25 cents at $1 million or more, with higher rates for high-risk industries. Shoppers may still pay a network fee to send the coins.