Step 1: which are you?
Step 2: check your app can send over Lightning
Most big apps can. What we could confirm on the companies' own help pages, today:
| App | Can it pay a Lightning code? | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Cash App | Yes, scan the code and pay from your dollar balance | Not available in New York |
| Coinbase | Yes, by pasting the code | Lightning is not available in Canada or New York, and Coinbase needs the code itself, not an address |
| Shakepay | Yes, paste the code and send | Sending needs bitcoin in the account first |
| Kraken | Yes | A fresh purchase can be locked for 72 hours, or 7 days for some bank methods, so it is no good for tonight |
Step 3: pay
- Tap the amount on VibeA square code appears, with a Copy button under it.
- Scan or paste it in your appScan the square with your phone camera inside the app, or paste the copied code into its send screen.
- ConfirmThe creator sees it in the room within seconds, and your access opens straight away.
The code on screen is good for a few minutes only. If it runs out, close it and tap the amount again for a fresh one. Nothing is charged twice.
Step 2: where are you?
- Install Cash App and verify your identityUsually a few minutes. Not available in New York; there, use Coinbase with a debit card instead.
- Add money from your bank or debit cardPlain dollars. You do not have to buy bitcoin first.
- PayOn Vibe, tap the amount. In Cash App tap the QR scanner, point it at the square, choose your Cash balance and confirm. Cash App adds a small fee for converting dollars.
- Open an account with a bitcoin service that serves your countryBull Bitcoin covers the whole EU and EEA under a license held in France, and says most people finish the checks in under three minutes.
- Send money by SEPA InstantFree and instant on their published rates, up to 50,000 euro.
- PayPlace the order with the code from Vibe as the delivery destination, so the money goes straight to the creator and you never hold bitcoin yourself.
- Install Shakepay and verify your identityPhoto of your ID and a selfie. Usually minutes, occasionally longer if a person has to look at it.
- Send money by e-TransferInstant once your bank account has been approved. The very first transfer can take up to 24 hours, which is why you set this up before the show.
- Buy, then payBuy the amount you want, then tap Bitcoin, Send, paste the code from Vibe and confirm. Coinbase does not do Lightning here, so use Shakepay or another service that does.
- Use a wallet that can buy inside the appWallet of Satoshi on Android can buy through a card provider in most countries. On iPhone there is no in-app buy, so you need a local exchange that supports Lightning.
- Add the amount you want to spendCard or bank, whichever it offers you.
- PayScan the square on Vibe, or paste the code, and confirm.
Every step above is a one-off. The problem on a first night is the bank, not the payment: a first transfer can take an hour or a day to arrive, while the code on the tip screen lasts minutes. Get money into the app first, then tap the amount and pay in seconds.
What it costs and what shows up
- Vibe takes nothing from your payment. All of it goes to the creator.
- The app you buy through charges its own small fee, shown before you confirm.
- Your card or bank statement shows that app's name. It never shows the creator, and never shows Vibe.
- Payments are final, like cash. There is no chargeback, so only pay what you mean to.
After the first time
Once the app has money in it, paying is scan, confirm, done. Better still, connect the wallet to your account with a monthly limit you choose: tips and renewals become a single tap, and you can never be charged past the limit.
A membership is a 30-day pass paid once. It does not renew by itself. Before it ends you get a reminder, and renewing is a new payment you approve.
Questions
Does the creator see my wallet or my name?
No. The creator sees a payment with your display name. Nothing about your wallet, card or bank reaches them, and nothing reaches us either.
Do I have to understand bitcoin?
No. You add ordinary money to an app, and the app handles the rest. Prices on Vibe are shown in dollars.
How long does the first setup take?
Ten minutes if you use a debit card in an app that allows it, up to a day if your first bank transfer has to clear. After that, paying takes seconds.
What if the code expires while I am paying?
Nothing is charged. Close it, tap the amount again, and a fresh code appears.
Every tip and membership goes straight to the creator's wallet in seconds. Watch any room free before you sign in.