Payers may accidentally send too little Bitcoin when actioning payment requests, resulting in an underpayment. This often occurs when a payer does not include Bitcoin network fees for an on-chain Bitcoin transaction. It can also happen when a user pays from an exchange.
As a result of an underpayment, the payer will receive an email prompting them to either complete the payment or ask for a refund.
Best practices for managing underpayments
Set an underpaid threshold
OpenNode provides the ability for businesses to set an underpaid threshold.
👉 Learn more about the underpaid threshold here.
Encourage payers to use a Bitcoin/Lightning payment wallet rather than paying from an exchange
Payment wallets are purpose-built to manage network fee payments.
Suggest exchange users calculate on-chain fees before completing payment.
It is easy to calculate the fee using a block explorer like mempool.space. Adding just a few more BTC (0.0002 BTC) to a payment makes it significantly less likely to become underpaid.
Collect email address as part of the checkout flow to resolve underpayments with payers
Payer email addresses will enable OpenNode to contact payers about underpayments, and offer the option to top up payment or request a refund.
How to resolve underpayments
Underpayments are indicated in red at the top of the dashboard.
Click on Manage Underpayments to access the the underpayments control panel or navigate to https://app.opennode.com/underpayments. You will also receive an email each time that a payment is underpaid.
From the underpayments control panel, follow these steps to resolve an underpayment:
Select an underpayment from the list
Review underpayment details
Decide whether to accept the underpayment or email the payer.
Accept means the underpaid amount is sufficient to complete the payment request. The Underpaid by x% should help make this determination.
Email payer sends the payer an email that prompts them to either:
Request a refund of the underpaid amount.
Top up the payment.
Of Note:
If a checkout from any of our E-commerce integrations is underpaid, an email will be automatically sent to the customer.
Sharing the checkout URL also allows the payer to request a refund or top up the payment.
👉 Learn more about underpayments for payers
Have Questions? Let us know!
In the case of payment discrepancies, OpenNode will respond to inquiries on a case-by-case basis. You can email us at support@opennode.com or use the chatbot at the bottom right of any OpenNode dashboard page.