If you have never sent a crypto payment, the process is simpler than it looks. Here is the whole thing, start to finish, with the two mistakes that actually cost people money.
Use a large, established exchange available in your country. Signing up requires an email, a password and identity verification. Verification can take anywhere from minutes to a day, so do it before you need to pay for something.
For paying for goods, buy USDC or USDT. Both track the US dollar, so 95 USDC is 95 dollars and stays that way while your order ships. Buying Bitcoin or ETH to pay a fixed-dollar invoice means the value can move between purchase and payment.
This is the step that catches beginners. The same coin exists on several networks, and the fees differ enormously:
Send on the same network you selected at checkout. Sending USDC on Ethereum to a Polygon address (or the reverse) is the single most common way people lose a payment. Match the network exactly.
At checkout you get three things: a QR code, an exact amount, and a payment address. In your exchange or wallet choose withdraw or send, scan the QR or paste the address, enter the exact amount, and confirm.
Remember that some exchanges deduct their withdrawal fee from the amount you send. Check that the amount arriving matches what was quoted, or the order may show short.
The payment page watches the blockchain and updates itself when the network confirms — usually a minute or two on Polygon or BNB Chain. You do not need to send a screenshot or a transaction ID. Keep the page open until it flips to confirmed.
Full details on our payment guide.