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PayRam tutorial: start accepting USDT / USDC from scratch
You do not need your own server to accept stablecoins. This tutorial takes you from the concepts to your first payment, and then to letting customers pay by card.
The short version: you do not need your own server to accept USDT or USDC. After you apply and are onboarded, you connect your wallets in the dashboard and deploy a sweep contract once, and customer payments flow straight into your own cold wallet. Merchants do not submit KYC / KYB documents to us. Customers can also pay by card and other fiat methods while you still receive stablecoins.
1. What PayRam and PayRamHost are
PayRam is self-hosted crypto payment gateway software. You deploy it on a server, and when a customer pays, the funds are swept on-chain into the merchant's own cold wallet. The funds do not sit in anyone else's account, which is why it is described as non-custodial.
PayRamHost is an independently operated merchant service built on PayRam. Merchants do not have to buy a server or install software. You apply, log in to our dashboard, configure your wallets and start collecting. PayRamHost is not affiliated with PayRam.
2. Self-host, or use PayRamHost
| Item | Self-host PayRam | Use PayRamHost |
|---|---|---|
| Server | You provide and maintain it. PayRam's website puts hosting at roughly 20 to 150 USD a month | Not needed. We operate it |
| Getting started | You install it and set up HTTPS, nodes and wallets. PayRam says deployment takes about ten minutes | Apply, log in, configure your wallets |
| Cost | Server cost. The software's own fees are as stated by PayRam | A service fee on the payment amount, confirmed in writing at onboarding |
| Hot wallet key | Stored on your own server | Stored encrypted on a server we operate, so keep only a small balance |
| KYC / KYB | There is no PayRam account to verify | No KYC / KYB documents to us. You only describe your business |
| Language | Official docs are in English | Chinese docs and Chinese onboarding as well as English |
Merchants without a technical team who want to start quickly are better off using PayRamHost. Teams with operations skills who want to control every layer can self-host by following the official PayRam documentation.
No KYC does not mean no obligations. You must still follow the laws where you operate, including anti-money-laundering and sanctions rules.
3. How a payment flows
- You create a payment in the dashboard (or through the API) with an amount in US dollars.
- The system generates a dedicated deposit address for that customer. The customer picks a coin and network on the payment page and sends the payment.
- The system watches the chain. Once the required confirmations are reached, the page shows the payment as complete and a webhook notifies your server.
- Funds in the deposit address are swept through the sweep contract into your cold wallet, and the service fee is split in the same on-chain transaction, so there is nothing to settle separately.
On-chain payments have no card-style chargeback. When a refund is due, you send it manually from your hot wallet.
4. Three choices before you start
Choose a chain
Ethereum, Base and Polygon are supported, and what you can actually use is shown in the dashboard. Gas on Base and Polygon is usually lower than on Ethereum mainnet, which makes small payments more economical. We recommend enabling one chain first and adding the others once the first works.
Choose a coin
- To receive USDC: Ethereum, Base and Polygon all work.
- To receive USDT: choose Ethereum or Polygon. On Base the stablecoin is USDC.
Decide the test amount
The first time, test with just 1 US dollar to confirm the payment page and payment detection work. Note that a deposit address must first reach a one-time minimum balance (by default roughly the equivalent of 5 US dollars) before the system deploys its smart wallet contract and triggers a sweep. So a 1 dollar test proves receipt, but you will not immediately see the funds arrive in your cold wallet.
5. Five steps to your first payment
- Apply and log in. Fill in your business details on the application page. Once we have confirmed the type of business, we send you the dashboard address and your initial login. Change the password straight after your first login.
- Prepare three wallets.
- Master account: a browser wallet such as MetaMask. It deploys the sweep contract and needs a little native coin for gas.
- Cold wallet: the address where payments finally land. A hardware wallet is strongly recommended.
- Hot wallet: a newly created wallet used only to pay sweep gas and send payouts. It also needs a little native coin.
- Set up the deposit wallet. In the dashboard connect the master account, enter the cold wallet address and deploy the sweep contract. You deploy once per chain and pay gas each time. Check the cold wallet address digit by digit against your hardware wallet screen, because a wrong address cannot be recovered. See setting up deposit wallets.
- Add the hot wallet. Enter the private key of this dedicated wallet and send it a little native coin. Never use the key of your master account or cold wallet. See setting up the hot wallet.
- Test with 1 dollar. Create a payment link, pay it from another wallet and watch the payment page move from waiting to complete. Once it works, add the API and webhooks as needed. See creating a test payment link.
Never send your private key or seed phrase to anyone, including us. We will not ask for it. The only place a private key goes is the "Add Hot Wallet" step in the dashboard, and it must be a dedicated wallet that holds only a small amount for gas.
6. Let customers pay by card (optional)
Once the card channel is enabled, customers without a crypto wallet can still pay. They can use a card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, bank transfer and similar methods, depending on their region. A regulated third-party provider does the conversion, and you receive stablecoins directly in your own wallet. Merchants do not need KYC / KYB for this.
In the dashboard go to Settings → Payment Channels and click Activate next to Cards. Before you do, make sure the network the provider settles on is enabled. The full steps are in the merchant guide under creating a test payment link, and a deeper explanation is in the card-to-crypto channel explained.
On a first fiat purchase the customer completes a one-time basic KYC check with the provider. Provider fees are shown at checkout, and the available payment methods, regions and limits are decided by the provider. If a customer's region is not covered, they can buy USDC on an exchange or in a wallet app first and then pay directly in stablecoins.
7. Questions beginners ask most
Do I have to buy a server?
No. With PayRamHost we operate the server. You only configure your wallets in the dashboard.
Why did my 1 dollar test not sweep to the cold wallet?
A deposit address must first reach a one-time minimum balance (by default roughly 5 US dollars) before the system deploys its smart wallet contract. Below that it stays dormant and is not swept. The 1 dollar test only proves payment detection. These thresholds can be adjusted.
Who pays gas?
The merchant, and it is not part of the service fee. Gas for deploying the sweep contract comes from the master account. Gas for sweeps and payouts comes from the hot wallet. When the hot wallet runs out, the system cannot pay sweep gas or send payouts, so turn on balance alerts.
Where is the hot wallet key stored?
The hot wallet's private key is stored encrypted on a server operated by the platform, and it is the only wallet in the whole system whose key is held there. Use a dedicated wallet and keep only an amount you are comfortable leaving there.
What if a customer wants a refund?
On-chain payments have no automatic chargeback. You issue the refund from the dashboard or through the API, sending it from the hot wallet to the customer's address, so keep the right coin in the hot wallet. See refunds and payouts.
Do I need KYC to accept payments?
Merchants do not submit KYC / KYB documents to us. A customer paying by card or another fiat method completes a basic check with the third-party provider on their first purchase. In every case you must follow the laws where you operate.
8. Next steps
- For screens and field-by-field detail: the merchant guide.
- Ready to start: apply to onboard.
- To understand the software itself: the official PayRam documentation.
Related reading
- Merchant guide: A step-by-step guide to the PayRam merchant dashboard, from logging in to your first payment: nodes, wallets, hot wallet, payment links, the API and webhooks.
- Wallet roles: What each of the four wallets in PayRam does: the master account deploys contracts, deposit wallets receive customer payments, the cold wallet holds the final funds and the hot wallet only pays gas and sends payouts, plus how much to keep in each and where the keys live.
- Card-to-crypto channel: How PayRam's card-to-crypto channel works: customers pay by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or bank transfer, a third-party provider converts it to stablecoins and the merchant receives them directly. Which chain each provider settles on, and who completes KYC.
- No-KYC gateway: What "no KYC" means for a crypto payment gateway: PayRam's own definition is that there is no PayRam account to verify, not that you have no compliance obligations. Who does and does not complete KYC, and what you remain responsible for.