Skip to main content

Coinbase Gateway

Coinbase is an external gateway for accepting cryptocurrency payments. You connect it through a Coinbase Commerce account.

Important (invoice-based only):

Coinbase is not available as a direct checkout element. It is available only through manual orders and invoice-based payments. The customer receives an invoice link and chooses Coinbase as the payment method. To collect crypto from a customer, create a Manual Order and send them an invoice (see Supported Payment Methods).

Fees on this gateway:

PaymentsAI charges a 1% platform fee per transaction for Coinbase, on top of Coinbase Commerce fees. See Pricing and Fees.

Prerequisites

  • Coinbase Commerce account: Required to connect this gateway. If you do not have one, apply at coinbase.com/commerce.

Step-by-step setup

The connection has three required inputs: an API key, a webhook endpoint, and a tolerance percentage.

1. Create the API key in Coinbase

  1. In Coinbase Commerce, go to Settings → Security (https://beta.commerce.coinbase.com/settings/security).
  2. Create a new API key.
  3. Copy the new key.

2. Paste the API key into PaymentsAI

  1. In PaymentsAI, go to the Gateways panel.
  2. On the Coinbase card, click Connect.
  3. Paste your API key and click Next step.

3. Add the webhook endpoint in Coinbase

  1. In PaymentsAI, copy the URL shown after entering the API key.
  2. In Coinbase Commerce, go to Settings → Notifications (https://beta.commerce.coinbase.com/settings/notifications).
  3. Click Add an endpoint, paste the full URL, and save.

4. Verify and set tolerance percentage

  1. Return to PaymentsAI and click Next. Verification can take up to 60 seconds.
  2. After successful verification, click Success.
  3. Enter a Tolerance Percentage.
  4. Wait for the final confirmation call from the gateway. The connection is then ready.

Tolerance percentage

Cryptocurrency amounts can shift between the moment a payment is quoted and when it settles. The tolerance percentage defines the acceptable variance for a payment to be considered complete.

  • Default: 5%
  • Range: 0 to 100 (a single value covering both under- and over-payment)

A higher tolerance accepts a wider variance between the quoted and settled amount; a tolerance of 0 requires an exact match. When a payment falls outside the tolerance, it is not treated as complete.

Additional requirements

Two situations can block a successful connection even after the steps above:

  • Ethereum wallet requirement: Coinbase often requires an Ethereum wallet on your account before it can be fully active. Add one in Coinbase under Settings → Deposits.
  • PaymentsAI whitelisting: If the connection still fails, whitelist the PaymentsAI server in Coinbase. Go to Settings → Security (https://beta.commerce.coinbase.com/settings/security), click Whitelist a domain, paste https://api.payments.ai, and confirm. Then retry the webhook verification in PaymentsAI.