All guides / In-person retail

Scan to Pay for In-Person Retail

The merchant enters an amount, the customer scans a QR code and pays in a supported app, and the register waits for verified settlement.

Restricted categories require prior written approval from Peer. Production access is subject to merchant, product, and jurisdiction review.

A counter payment should be easy to explain and easy to verify

Cash-heavy stores need a digital option that does not add an unfamiliar account-creation step at the register. Staff also need a reliable paid state, not screenshots or manual matching.

Scan to Pay turns the merchant display into the handoff: enter the amount, show the QR code, let the customer approve payment on their phone, and wait for the register confirmation.

What changes with Peer Pay

Peer Pay is checkout software, not a payment processor or merchant account. The customer starts a payment from a supported app, a cryptographic proof verifies the transfer, and USDC settles to a self-custodial wallet controlled by the store. Peer does not hold the merchant's funds, so this flow has no processor balance, rolling reserve, or payout schedule.

That different settlement path does not change the underlying sale. The merchant still owns product eligibility, licensing, customer checks, fulfillment, refunds, taxes, disclosures, and every rule that applies in the places it serves.

How the payment works

Create the order. Use a hosted payment link, ecommerce integration, embedded checkout, or Scan to Pay at the counter.
The customer chooses a supported app. They review the recipient and amount, then approve the payment on their own device.
Wait for proof. Peer verifies the transfer before the order is marked paid. A screenshot is not payment confirmation.
Reconcile settlement. USDC reaches the wallet controlled by the store, and the dashboard keeps the payment tied to the order.

When the fit is strongest

You want a second payment rail that does not create a processor-held balance.
Your customers already use supported payment apps and can approve each purchase themselves.
You can receive USDC in a self-custodial wallet and reconcile it into your own operations.
Your staff can keep the sale open until the register shows the verified payment state.

Before you launch

Do not release goods from a customer screenshot; use the confirmed order state.
Train staff on stalled or mismatched payments and the merchant's refund policy.
Industry, product, licensing, age, and location restrictions still apply to the underlying sale.

FAQ

What does the customer need?

A phone with a supported payment app. They scan the QR code and complete the payment on their own device.

What if the payment does not confirm?

Keep the sale open and follow the merchant support flow. Staff should rely on the confirmed order state, not a screenshot.