What is Solana Pay?

Solana Pay is a set of rules and software tools that let apps and stores ask for payment on the Solana blockchain. Instead of a card network sitting in the middle, the buyer's wallet sends funds straight to the merchant's address. It was developed by Solana Labs and launched in February 2022.

How do Solana payments work with Solana Pay?

Every Solana Pay request is a web address that starts with "solana:". That address can be shown as a clickable link, turned into a QR code at a checkout counter, or opened as a deep link on a phone. When a buyer scans or taps it, their wallet reads the details and asks them to approve.

There are two kinds of requests:

• Transfer requests contain everything the wallet needs right in the link: who gets paid, how much, which token, plus an optional label and message. The wallet builds and signs the payment without talking to any server.
• Transaction requests point to a merchant's secure web address. The wallet contacts that server, which sends back a ready-made transaction. This allows more complex actions, such as dynamic pricing, loyalty rewards or minting an NFT with a purchase.

To confirm a sale, the merchant can add a unique "reference" code to the request. That code is attached to the on-chain transaction, so the merchant's system can search the blockchain for it and check that the right amount arrived before handing over goods.

Can you use USDC with Solana Pay?

Yes. A transfer request can name any token built on Solana's token standard, not only the native SOL coin. In practice, many merchant tools focus on USDC, a stablecoin designed to track the US dollar. Our guide to what a stablecoin is explains how these tokens aim to hold a steady value.

How do Solana Pay merchants accept payments on Shopify?

In August 2023, Solana Pay released a plug-in for Shopify. At launch it supported USDC as the payment option. At checkout, a customer picks Solana Pay, connects a Solana wallet and approves the payment, which settles on the Solana network. The Solana Pay commerce documentation says it does not store personal customer data beyond what is already public on-chain, such as wallet addresses and the amount of USDC spent.

The project describes direct payments as having no processor fees for merchants, although ordinary Solana network fees still apply to each transaction. For a broader view of the options stores use, see how businesses accept crypto payments.

What should buyers and merchants keep in mind?

Crypto payments usually cannot be reversed the way a card charge can, so sending to the wrong address or approving a fake request can mean a permanent loss. Wallets are told to treat transactions from a merchant server as untrusted and check them before signing. Reading up on crypto phishing and wallet drainers helps explain why that check matters. Supported tokens and plug-in features can change, so these details reflect Solana Pay as of October 2026.