What hardware do I need to accept Bitcoin at my convenience store?

Any tablet, phone, or laptop with a web browser. The SatsRail Point of Sale runs in the browser — no special terminal, no card reader, no monthly hardware rental. You display a QR code, the customer scans it from their Bitcoin wallet, the payment settles in seconds.

How much does it cost to accept Bitcoin payments?

SatsRail charges no transaction fee on payments — currently free during early access. There is no terminal rental, no monthly minimum, no PCI compliance surcharge, no batch settlement fee. The customer pays a sub-cent Lightning routing fee. Compare with $40–100/month in card terminal rental, 1.5–3% interchange, and various network and statement fees.

What if my customer doesn't have Bitcoin?

You keep accepting cash and cards alongside Bitcoin. Bitcoin POS is additive — it's a payment option that costs you nothing and grows over time as more locals install a wallet. Some store owners offer a small discount for paying in Bitcoin (skipping the card fee), which converts new users fast.

Can I run multiple terminals from one wallet?

Yes. Run the POS on as many devices as you want — each one connects to the same merchant account and routes payments to the same wallet. Useful for multi-register stores, multi-location owners, or a checkout-plus-self-service-kiosk setup.

How does end-of-day reconciliation work?

The SatsRail dashboard shows every transaction with timestamp, amount in your local currency, and Bitcoin amount. Export to CSV for your accounting software. Because every payment lands in your wallet in seconds, there's no end-of-day batch settlement waiting period — the books match the wallet in real time.

What about fraud and chargebacks?

Bitcoin Lightning payments are final. There is no chargeback mechanism — no buyer can call a card network 60 days later to claim fraud. For a convenience store with thin margins, this eliminates an entire category of loss.

Is this PCI-compliant?

PCI-DSS applies to credit card data. Bitcoin POS doesn't process card data at all — the buyer pays from their own wallet, you receive directly. PCI compliance is not required for the Bitcoin payment path. Your existing card setup, if you keep one, has its own separate PCI obligations as before.

Convenience Stores & Gas Stations

Cut Credit Card Fees by 90%
With Bitcoin Payments

Stop losing 2-3% on every swipe. Accept Bitcoin Lightning payments for less than 0.3%. Serve the unbanked. Zero chargebacks.

Get Started Free Calculate Your Savings

The Card Processing Trap

You're bleeding profit on every transaction

2-3% Gone Forever

On $1M/month sales = $30,000 in fees. That's pure profit loss.

Chargeback Losses

$15-25 per chargeback + you lose the product. Fraud is rampant.

Unbanked Customers

25% of your neighborhood can't get cards. You lose sales.

High-Fee Wire Transfers

Sending money abroad? Banks charge 5-10% + days of wait.

A store doing $1M/month loses $30,000 to Visa/Mastercard

That's $360,000/year. SatsRail cuts this to ~$3,000/month.

How SatsRail Helps Convenience Stores

Accept digital payments for pennies, not percentages

0.1-0.3% Fees

Lightning Network fees are pennies. Save 90% vs credit cards.

Zero Chargebacks

Bitcoin is final. No fraud. No disputes. Payment confirmed = done.

Serve the Unbanked

25% of customers don't have bank accounts. Bitcoin = access for all.

Instant Settlement

Funds in your wallet in seconds. No 2-day ACH wait.

Real Revenue Impact

Save Thousands Every Month

Cut processing fees by 90%

Visa/MC: 2-3% per transaction
Lightning: 0.1-0.3% per transaction
On $1M/month: Save $27,000/month = $324K/year

Eliminate chargeback losses

Average store loses $500-2000/month to chargebacks. Bitcoin is irreversible.

Attract new customers

Bitcoin holders actively seek stores that accept crypto. Free marketing.

Instant remittances

Customers send money home for 1% instead of 10%. You become their go-to spot.

Real Example: Corner Store

Monthly sales:	$1,000,000
Visa/MC fees (2.5%):	-$25,000
Chargebacks:	-$1,000
Terminal rentals:	-$500
Total cost:	-$26,500/mo
SatsRail (0.3% avg):	-$3,000
Monthly Savings:	$23,500
Annual Savings:	$282,000

Where Your Margin Actually Goes

A bodega makes 15–25 cents on a candy bar. Card processors take a third of that before you see it.

Interchange + processor markup

Visa and Mastercard interchange runs 1.15–2.4% on most consumer cards, and the processor adds 0.3–0.8% margin. A $5 transaction loses 10–18 cents to the rail before any other fee.

Terminal rental and monthly minimums

Most small-store card terminals cost $40–100/month to rent, plus PCI compliance fees, statement fees, batch fees, and minimum-transaction surcharges. Even on slow weeks, the bill keeps coming.

Batch settlement delays

Card payments settle next business day if you're lucky, 2–3 days on weekends and holidays. Bitcoin Lightning payments settle in seconds, directly to your own wallet — no clearing house, no banking holiday.

Stolen-card chargebacks

A stolen card used at your store often results in a chargeback to you — you lose the goods AND the cash, plus a $25 dispute fee. Bitcoin payments come from the buyer's own wallet; there's nothing to dispute.

Who SatsRail Fits

Small-format retail where every cent of margin matters.

Bodegas and corner shops

Independent grocers serving a neighborhood. Cards already eat your snack-aisle margin — Bitcoin gives you a no-fee rail.

Gas stations and mini-marts

Card fees on the inside-store sales are pure leakage. Run a Bitcoin tablet at the counter, keep your card terminal at the pumps.

Small grocers

Independent supermarkets and ethnic food stores serving Bitcoin-friendly communities. Many regulars already hold sats.

Kiosks and food stalls

Markets, fairs, beach stalls. No terminal to lug around — just a phone and a stand. Same setup works for food trucks.

Liquor and convenience

Tight-margin verticals where 2–3% card fees compound across hundreds of small daily transactions.

Pop-ups and short-term retail

No card-terminal contract or PCI setup to deal with for a 2-week pop-up. Set up Bitcoin POS in 10 minutes.

See the POS in detail Pricing

How It Works

Step 1 - 10 minutes

Connect Your Wallet

Create a Bitcoin wallet. Link to SatsRail. Start accepting payments.

We recommend: Mobile wallet for small amounts, hardware wallet for daily deposits.

Step 2 - Customer pays

QR Code Checkout

Customer scans QR at register. Pays from phone. Confirmed in 5-30 seconds.

Works with: Cash App, Strike, any Lightning wallet. No app download needed.

Step 3 - You're paid

Instant Settlement

Payment arrives in seconds. Cash out to exchange or spend directly.

Your choice: Convert to USD daily or hold Bitcoin long-term.

Perfect For

Gas Stations

High volume, low margins. Every 0.1% matters. Cut fees by 90% and keep more profit.

Corner Stores

Serve immigrant communities. Offer remittances. Accept payments from the unbanked.

Food Trucks

Mobile payments without monthly terminal fees. QR code on your phone = instant register.

Bodegas

Tight margins need low fees. Bitcoin = 10x cheaper than credit cards.

Check Cashing

Already serving the unbanked? Add Bitcoin on/off-ramp services. New revenue stream.

Liquor Stores

High-ticket items = high fees. $200 whiskey bottle costs you $5 in fees. Cut it to $0.50.

Common Questions

More than you think! Cash App alone has 50M+ users who can pay with Bitcoin in seconds. Strike, Coinbase, Chime all support it. For customers who don't, they can buy Bitcoin in 2 minutes and pay. It's easier than it sounds.

Convert Bitcoin to USD instantly via Strike or Cash App. Payment arrives → sell to USD → withdraw. You choose your risk level. Many merchants hold Bitcoin and benefit from long-term appreciation.

100% legal. Bitcoin is property (like gold). You're just accepting a different form of payment. Report it like any other income. Same tax rules as cash.

Lightning Network payments confirm in 5-30 seconds. Faster than chip cards. Customer scans, pays, done.