© 2026 Della Group. All Rights Reserved.
Okay, look. Every other Solana Pay guide out there jumps straight into "install this, code that" without telling you why you'd even bother. Like, they assume you're already sold on crypto payments. But honestly? If you're a shop owner or freelancer eyeing instant crypto, the real hook is those fees at 0.000005 SOL per transaction. That's half a penny, max. Credit cards rape you with 3%. And settlements? Instant. No waiting for banks. I usually skip guides that don't hit that first because it feels like homework without the payoff.
What's next? You wanna accept SOL, USDC, whatever, right now. Not in six months after dev bootcamp. So we'll fix that. Start simple, build to real world. Sound familiar? You've probably tried Stripe plugins that glitch. This won't.
Phantom. That's my go to. Download the browser extension and the phone app. Why both? Merchant side on desktop, customer scans from mobile. Super short setup.
Now switch to Devnet for testing. In settings, pick Devnet. Why? Free SOL from faucets. No real money lost if you mess up. In my experience, mainnet scares newbies into quitting.
Fund it quick. Go to Solfaucet, paste your address, grab 2 SOL on Devnet. Takes seconds. You'll need this for fees later - always a tiny 0.000005 SOL base fee, even for token swaps.
Two wallets needed for testing. One's your store (merchant), other's the buyer. Copy merchant address from Phantom desktop. Phone Phantom for customer. Fund customer with another 2 SOL. Easy.
So you wanna see it work before building? Smart. Most guides make you code from scratch. Nah. Clone Solana Pay's point of sale repo. It's free, open source.
git clone https://github.com/solana pay/point of sale.gityarn install for deps.yarn dev. Fires local server.yarn proxy. Client server up.Browser to localhost:3000. Boom. POS screen. Edit the URL: https://localhost:3001?recipient=YOURMERCHANTADDRESS&label=YourStore. Paste your Phantom merchant address. Hit enter. Payment page ready.
Input amount, say 0.1 SOL. Generate QR. Phone Phantom (customer wallet) - barcode scanner top right. Scan. Approve. Done. Check merchant wallet. Funds there in seconds. Fees? Negligible, like 0.000005 SOL.
Issue? Proxy not running? Kill terminals, restart. Happens if ports clash. Now you get it. Instant. No middleman.
Here's the table most people ignore. Compare this to your current setup.
| Action | Solana Pay Fee | USD at $100/SOL | Card Fee (3% on $20 sale) |
|---|---|---|---|
| SOL Transfer | 0.000005 SOL | $0.0005 | $0.60 |
| Token Swap/USDC | 0.000005-0.00001 SOL | $0.0005-$0.001 | $0.60 |
| NFT Buy | 0.000005-0.001 SOL | $0.0005-$0.10 | $0.60 |
| Busy Network + Priority | 0.0001-0.001 SOL | $0.01-$0.10 | $0.60 |
Why does this matter? Sarah sells $20 jewelry. Cards take 3%, you're out a buck. Solana? Keeps 99.9995%. Multiply by 100 sales. That's real money. Priority fees only if network's jammed - rare, under a dime total.
But catch: Need SOL for fees, even USDC payments. Tiny amount. Buy $5 SOL on exchange, withdraw to wallet. Lasts forever.
POS demo cool, but online store? Use @solana/pay SDK. No backend nightmare. Frontend only for starters.
I usually start a Next.js or plain HTML page. npm install @solana/pay @solana/web3.js. Boom.
Code snippet - copy this:
import { createTransfer } from '@solana/pay';
import { Connection, PublicKey, LAMPORTSPERSOL } from '@solana/web3.js'; const connection = new Connection('https://api.devnet.solana.com');
const recipient = new PublicKey('YOURMERCHANTADDRESS');
const amount = 0.1 * LAMPORTSPERSOL; // 0.1 SOL const transaction = createTransfer(connection, recipient, amount, 'YourReference');
const url = solana:${transaction.serializeUri()}; // QR or linkDisplay as QR. Libraries like qrcode.react make it pretty. Customer wallet opens, signs, sends. Verify on backend with transaction sig.
What's next? Webhook for confirmation. Poll Solana RPC or use Helius. Free tier works.
Potential glitch: Wrong network. Force Devnet in code. 'https://api.devnet.solana.com'. Switch mainnet later.
Plugin city. Solana Pay's official Shopify app. Install, add merchant address. Checkout shows QR or button. Works with USDC too - stablecoin, no volatility.
In my experience, customers love it. "Scan and pay" beats typing card details. Fees? Shopify takes theirs, but Solana's yours.
Offline? POS app on iPad. Same repo, host anywhere. NFC tags even - tap phone, pay.
Failed tx still costs 0.000005 SOL. Not a biggie. Unlike Eth, no gas wars.
Okay, you're hooked. Multi token? Add USDC, USDT. Stable. No SOL price swings.
Custom app? Backend verifies sigs. Use:
const verified = await verifyTransaction(connection, sig);Emails receipts. Inventory updates. All instant.
Issue: Refunds. Create reverse transfer. Track with memos.
Taxes? On chain, auditable. No bank statements fighting you.
USDC on Solana. Mint: EPjFWdd5AufqSSqeM2qN1xzybapC8G4wEGGkZwyTDt1v. Add to request. Fees same tiny.
Never expose private keys. Wallets sign client side. Merchant address public, fine.
Phishing? Warn customers: Verify amount before approve.
Hot wallet risk? Hardware like Ledger. But for small biz, Phantom's fine. Multisig if paranoid.
Honestly, safer than cards. No chargebacks. Finality in seconds.
Miguel trades daily. 20 swaps, $0.10 total fees. Brokers charge hundreds.
Ami sends $50 home. Solana: $0.0005. Western Union: $5.
Your coffee shop? $5 latte, QR pay. Keep all but fraction of cent.
Go live. Swap to mainnet URL: https://api.mainnet beta.solana.com. Fund real SOL/USDC. Accept crypto instantly.
© 2026 Della Group. All Rights Reserved.