This guide is for merchants using the Cryptbrew iOS app and related services.
It explains how payments move from your customer to your wallet, fees, and what each part of the app does.
In short: Cryptbrew is a managed Lightning hub.
Customers pay a Cryptbrew invoice. We receive the payment on our infrastructure,
take a small platform fee, and automatically forward the rest to the payout wallet you register.
We do not store your wallet private keys or seed phrase.
1. How payments work
You register a payout destination in the app (Wallet tab): a Lightning address (recommended) and optionally a Bitcoin on-chain address as fallback.
You create an invoice for a fixed amount of sats (or USD converted to sats using a live price). Optionally add line items from a product catalog.
Your customer pays by scanning the QR code (Lightning bolt11) or using the checkout page. Funds land on Cryptbrew’s Lightning infrastructure — not directly in your personal node.
We settle and forward after the invoice is paid: platform fee is deducted, and the merchant net is sent to your registered wallet (Lightning first when available).
You do not need to run a Lightning node, open channels, or manage liquidity.
Cryptbrew operates that infrastructure for invoicing and settlement.
2. Payouts (getting paid)
Lightning address (primary)
Use a Lightning Address in the form you@walletprovider.com
(for example from Wallet of Satoshi, Phoenix, Alby, or another wallet that supports Lightning Addresses).
In the app you can Verify address so we probe the destination before you save it.
On-chain Bitcoin (fallback)
You may also register a Bitcoin address (bc1…). On-chain forwards are used when Lightning delivery is not available or not configured.
On-chain sends have higher minimums and network miner fees (paid by the hub in normal operation; very high fee estimates may delay or block an automatic send).
Changing an on-chain address may require email confirmation for safety.
What you receive
The amount you enter as the charge is what you are meant to receive (merchant net).
The customer’s invoice is grossed up so they pay that amount plus the platform fee (see Fees below).
Until a payout destination is saved, the Invoice tab stays locked.
Set your wallet first under Wallet in the app.
3. Fees
Platform fee (Lightning auto-forward): 1% of the payment, with a minimum of 10 sats per invoice.
Gross-up: Your entered amount is the merchant receive target; the customer pays receive + fee.
On-chain mode: Different minimums and Bitcoin network fees apply; the in-app fee caption explains when you are on on-chain-only payout settings.
Altcoin swaps (Trocador): Swap fees and timing are set by Trocador, not Cryptbrew’s 1% platform fee.
Exact fee lines also appear on the Invoice screen when you set an amount.
4. Using the app
Invoice (Charge)
Enter an amount with the keypad (sats or USD). The large display is what you are typing — not a second copy of the cart total.
Optional cart: add line items or catalog products. When the cart is not empty, Charge uses the cart total.
Minimum invoice amounts apply (shown on screen; higher if only on-chain payout is configured).
After Charge, show the QR to the customer. Lightning is preferred; checkout/Safari is available when needed.
History
Paid invoices, settlement and payout status (pending, sent, failed), and fee details where available.
Analytics
Summaries of activity and CSV export for bookkeeping / tax prep.
Wallet
Payout destination, contact profile, optional map listing and NFC tag tools, and retry controls when a forward needs another attempt.
About / Legal
Company info, this help guide, Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service.
5. Payment status & amount due
Invoice paid means the customer paid Cryptbrew. Forwarding to you is a separate step that usually runs automatically.
Amount due on Wallet means sats are still on the hub waiting for a successful forward (for example a bad or unreachable payout address). Fix the destination, then use Retry when shown.
Avoid changing payout addresses mid-send unless a previous attempt failed.
The homepage health strip (“Payments Ready”) reflects whether Lightning capacity is healthy enough to accept payments — not the balance of your personal wallet.
6. Altcoins (Trocador)
Where enabled, customers may pay via an alternate coin on the BTCPay checkout page (Trocador plugin).
Swaps settle according to that service; prefer on-chain BTC as the settle target in store configuration when using that path.
Cryptbrew’s platform fee still applies to the Lightning settlement path as described above; swap-specific costs are separate.
7. Security & custody
Cryptbrew holds customer payments on managed infrastructure until they are forwarded to you.
We do not take custody of your personal wallet keys. Only addresses you register are used for payouts.
Protect your login (strong password or Sign in with Apple). Password reset uses your registered email.