A customer at your counter asks, "Can I pay with Bitcoin?" With riverArk, the answer takes about as long as a card tap. Your staff types the total on a phone or tablet, a QR code for that exact amount appears, the customer scans it with their app, and the sale is done. No terminal to lease, no card reader to pair, no change to your register.
This post covers the counter flow in detail: what you need, how a sale runs, how it fits beside the register you already use, and what a POS developer can build. For the full account setup, start with the hub guide: how to accept Bitcoin at your business.
What you need at the counter
- A phone or tablet. Any device your staff already uses with a web browser. It shows the amount and the QR code.
- A riverArk account. Sign up at ark.riverark.io. It is free to start.
- A Strike business account. This is where your money lands. You connect it by entering your Strike username in riverArk, during signup or later under Settings, then Merchant Account. Strike's business approval usually takes one to two days with complete documents. The Strike setup guide walks through it.
That is the whole kit. There is no card reader, no printer requirement and no new register.
How a Bitcoin sale runs, step by step
- Ring up the sale as usual. Your register gives you the total.
- Type the total into riverArk on the phone or tablet.
- Show the QR code. It is for that amount only, so the customer cannot underpay or type the wrong number.
- The customer scans and pays from Cash App, Strike, Phoenix, or any app that pays a Lightning invoice. Coinbase and Kraken can pay one too.
- Confirm the payment shows as paid, then hand over the goods.
The payment runs on Bitcoin's Lightning network, which is why it lands in seconds instead of minutes. If you want the plain-language version of how that works, read Lightning payments for business.
What the customer needs
A Lightning-capable app. Nearly 60 million people use Cash App, and since a Cash App release on November 13, 2025, a Cash App customer can pay a Lightning QR code from their dollar balance without holding any bitcoin. Customers who keep crypto in Coinbase or Kraken can pay from there.
What you receive
Dollars, in your own Strike business account. The customer can pay from bitcoin or dollars, and you still receive dollars, so there is no volatility exposure on the sale. If you would rather keep some sales in bitcoin, you can choose that instead.
riverArk never holds your money. It creates the payment request and reports the sale. The money moves from your customer to your own Strike account.
Running it next to your existing register
You do not replace anything. Bitcoin becomes one more tender at the counter, the way a gift card or a check might be.
Ring it as its own tender. Most registers let you add a custom tender type. Name it "Bitcoin" or "riverArk" and use it when a customer pays this way, so the register knows the sale was paid.
Sales are reported in riverArk. Every payment shows up in your riverArk account with the amount and time. That is your record of what came in this way.
Reconcile at close. At the end of the day, compare the register's Bitcoin tender total with the riverArk total for the same day. They should match. If they do not, the usual cause is a sale rung on the register under Bitcoin but paid another way, or the reverse.
Returns work like cash. A completed Lightning payment is final and cannot be charged back. When a customer returns something, handle it the way you handle a cash return, under your normal return policy. More on that in Bitcoin payments with no chargebacks.
More than one register or station
Each device that runs riverArk can show its own QR codes. A shop with two registers can run a phone at each one. Everything reports into the same riverArk account, so the close still comes down to one total against another.
What it costs at the counter
One rate on what moves through riverArk each month: 1% up to $5,000, 0.85% to $25,000, and 0.75% above that. Card processing typically costs small businesses 1.5% to 3.5%.
Dynamic Pricing is a single setting, from minus 10% to plus 5%. At plus 1%, the customer paying this way covers the riverArk fee. Below zero, it becomes a discount for paying with Bitcoin. Surcharge and discount rules vary by state, so check yours before setting a premium.
Tips
Tips are available on Bitcoin sales on the Plus plan and above.
Bigger tickets
A single payment is capped at 0.05 BTC, and its dollar value moves with the price. For a large sale above that, take a deposit this way and the balance another way, or split it across payments.
For POS developers: integrate through the API
If you build or maintain a point of sale system, you can add Bitcoin as a tender today. The riverArk API is public, with docs at ark.riverark.io/docs. Your POS can create the payment request for the sale total, display the QR code on its own customer screen, and mark the ticket paid when the payment completes. That removes the retyping step and puts the Bitcoin total straight into your POS reports.
Using the API counts as developer use at Strike and can add verification steps to the merchant's Strike approval. Plan for that in onboarding.
Comparing processors before you build? See BitPay vs BTCPay vs riverArk.
Try it before you set it up
Pay the live demo machine from your own phone at ark.riverark.io/demo and watch the payment land. It is the same flow your customers will see.
FAQ
Do I need special hardware to accept Bitcoin in store?
No. A phone or tablet with a browser shows the amount and the QR code. There is nothing to lease or pair.
Does riverArk replace my POS?
No. It runs beside your register. Ring Bitcoin as its own tender, and match the register total to the riverArk total at close. A POS developer can also build it in through the API.
How fast does the money arrive?
The payment lands in your Strike account in seconds. Moving dollars from Strike to your bank by standard transfer takes about three to five business days.
Which apps can customers pay from?
Cash App, Strike, Phoenix, Coinbase, Kraken, or any app that pays a Lightning invoice. A Cash App customer can pay from their dollar balance.
What happens if a customer wants their money back?
A completed payment is final, so there is no chargeback. Handle a return like a cash return, under your own policy.
Is there a limit per payment?
Yes. A single payment is capped at 0.05 BTC. For larger tickets, take a deposit this way and the balance another way.
riverArk does not give investment, tax or legal advice. You can settle every sale in US dollars.