Topic · 2 insights · 3 how-tos
Bitcoin Lightning: Self-Custody Payment Guides
Lightning is a payment network on top of Bitcoin that settles small payments in seconds for a fraction of an on-chain fee. You get paid with a Lightning address, which looks like an email address, or with an invoice for an exact amount, and you pay by scanning or pasting either one.
In SpendTheBits, Lightning runs on your own keys through the Breez SDK, on Bitcoin mainnet. On current app versions your @handle gets a Lightning address at pay.spendthebits.com that can be paid even while your phone is off, and SpendTheBits adds no fee to Lightning payments.
- Address format: yourhandle@pay.spendthebits.com.
- Unit: sats. 100,000,000 sats make one bitcoin.
- Network: Bitcoin mainnet only.
- SpendTheBits fee on Lightning: none. You pay only the network's routing fee.
Insights
· 7 min read
Lightning Address in a Self-Custody Wallet: Getting Paid While Your Phone Is Off
How a Lightning address can pay a self-custody phone wallet while it is switched off, what the hosted server sees, and how to judge a wallet's setup.
· 8 min read
Lightning vs On-Chain Bitcoin for Payments Under $50
Lightning vs on-chain Bitcoin for small payments: measured fees, settlement times and the Liquid-backed liquidity model, with every number cited.
How-to guides
- How to get a Lightning address for Bitcoin3 min · step by step
- How to request a Lightning invoice2 min · step by step
- How to pay with Bitcoin Lightning3 min · step by step
In the product: The wallet · Payments
Try it with your own keys.
SpendTheBits is a fully non-custodial wallet, free on iOS and Android.