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Invoicing Clients in Bitcoin: A Guide for Freelancers & Small Businesses

Over 15,000 businesses, including Microsoft, Etsy, Home Depot, and NewEgg, already accept Bitcoins. If you are a business or a freelancer considering to accept Bitcoin payments, now is the right time to get started. They are cheaper to process, globally accessible, and fully decentralized — giving you full control over your funds.

In this blog, we will learn why you should enable Bitcoin payments, how to receive them, and how you can create and send Bitcoin invoices to your customers with Speed. If that sounds exciting, let’s get going.

Why accept Bitcoins?

In 2014, Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, remarked, “Bitcoin is exciting,” and it is “better than currency” in the final speech at SIBOS 2014, the annual SWIFT banking conference held in Boston.

A decade later, his words are still relevant. Today, thousands of businesses rely on Bitcoin for their day-to-day transactions.  And why not? Cryptocurrencies have several advantages over fiat currencies. Here are a few reasons you should consider accepting Bitcoins:

  • It’s cheaper to process when compared to other payment modes like credit cards/bank transfers.
  • Unlike credit card payments, Bitcoin transactions are settled almost immediately,  irrespective of the location of the customer.
  • A low barrier of entry makes Bitcoins easily accessible worldwide, even to unbanked citizens who have relatively low incomes.
  • Bitcoin transactions cannot be reversed. This helps merchants prevent fraudulent chargebacks.
  • There will be only 21 million Bitcoins to ever exist. This makes them scarce and prevents inflation.

How to send Bitcoin invoices with Speed?

Speed is an all-in-one Bitcoin payment processor that allows freelancers and businesses to accept Bitcoins in real time. With Speed, you can create and send professional Bitcoin invoices to your clients and customers in just a few clicks. Let’s understand how:

  • First things first, you will need a Speed merchant account to send invoices. So, if you don’t have one, create it via this link.
  • Once registered, log in to your account and head to Receive Payments > Invoices.
  • On the ‘Invoices’ tab, click on ‘Create New’ to get started.
  • Here, you will be able to add your customers, add item/service information, and edit the footer and memo section.

Bitcoin Invoice Preview

  • You can also add your logo and icon, change brand color, and customize fonts to ensure the Bitcoin invoice resonates with your brand identity. To change the settings, head over to Dashboard > Settings > Business Settings > Branding. Here, you can select Invoice PDF and change the branding settings as per your preference.

Customize Bitcoin Invoice Settings

  • Once ready, you can preview and send the invoice directly to your customers via email right from the dashboard. Moreover, Speed lets you download the PDF invoice with just a few clicks.

You can also share the Bitcoin invoice link with your customers via social media applications. Customers will be able to complete the payment by scanning the payment QR with their preferred Bitcoin wallet.

Benefits of professional invoices

Professional invoices can set you apart from novices who collect payments in an ad-hoc fashion. Here are a few advantages of using professional invoices:

  • They make bookkeeping easier. HMRC requires businesses to keep track of their financial transactions for up to six years and for the self-employed to retain the records of sales, income, and expenses for five years. Failing to present the records to the HMRC may incur a hefty fine for individuals and businesses.
  • They portray your professionalism. A professional invoice can significantly improve customer experience. It shows your business runs on efficient processes and builds their trust in you. It also helps you stand out from your competitors.
  • They make payments easy and timely. A well-crafted invoice will have a lot of important details, such as the invoice number, date of issuance, your company’s name and address, information about the product/service, due amount, and an overdue fee. When your customers have that information in one place, completing the payment gets easier. Moreover, a due date and overdue fee can create a sense of urgency for completing the payment.
  • They keep your customers happy. Invoices can help you build trust in your customers. It also helps you verify a customer’s purchase in case they want to return/replace it later. For the customer, an invoice is like an assurance that you will stand by your commitment and help them in the future in case the product malfunctions.
  • They keep you organized. While this may sound obvious, a good percentage of SMEs and freelancers don’t use invoices and end up losing a significant chunk of business due to lost productivity and inefficient payment methods. Sending invoices will help you keep track of all your payments, pending or otherwise.

Why use Speed invoices?

Speed offers one of the most customizable and user-friendly invoicing modules for businesses and freelancers seeking to accept Bitcoins. Here are a few things that set it apart from other similar alternatives:

Get paid fast globally

Right out-of-the-box, Speed supports over 100 currencies and works globally, making Bitcoin payments simple and easy, irrespective of your customers’ geographical location. You can send invoices to your customers located abroad in just a few clicks with Speed.

No design or coding knowledge required

You can send professional-looking invoices to your customers without extensive knowledge about designing or coding. Speed offers ready-made invoice templates that you can send to your customers in a matter of minutes. Spend less time managing billing and more time on your business.

Highly customizable

Speed lets you customize the look and feel of your invoice quickly and easily. You can change the color of the invoice, swap fonts, and add your logo and icon to ensure it adheres to your branding guidelines.

Zero setup cost and lowest transaction fees

You can get started with Speed for free. All you need is a valid email address to create a Speed merchant account. What’s more, there are no transaction fees until your total transaction volume is up to 0.5 BTC. Post that, you pay only a 1% fee per transaction — lower than most other payment processors.

Get started today

If you are seeking to accept Bitcoins, now is the right time to get started. Sign up with Speed today and start sending professional Bitcoin invoices to your customers anywhere around the world. With the lowest transaction fees, 99.99% uptime guarantee, and world-class customer support, Speed is undoubtedly one of the best Bitcoin payment processors on the internet. Register today for free to experience lightning-fast Bitcoin transactions with Speed. 

FAQs

How long does it take for my client to receive my Bitcoin invoice?

Bitcoin invoices sent with Speed are processed instantly, so your client should receive the invoice immediately via email.

As such, there are no fees for creating and sending Bitcoin invoices. Transaction fees are applicable only when your total transaction volume exceeds 0.5 BTC (approx. $28,434). Speed levies transaction fees as low as 1%.

Yes, your customers can pay via on-chain or Lightning Network quickly and easily.

Speed Team