# Your guide to getting paid

> Set up your business, take your first card payment, and follow every sale to your wallet. Start here, with or without a website.

Source: https://railbed.io/docs/user-guide/ · Updated: 2026-09-26 · Railbed by DeepWork user guide

New to Railbed? [Set up your account and try a Test payment](https://railbed.io/docs/user-guide/getting-started.md).

**Visual example: How a payment works.** 1. Share your checkout: Send a payment link or publish a reusable checkout. You set the price. 2. Your buyer pays by card: They choose an eligible provider and pay on its page. Provider checks may apply. 3. Confirm the payment: Read the payment status and reported USDC settlement in Railbed. Your wallet · Polygon. Deliver only when the payment is Paid. A browser return does not confirm payment.

*The Live payment journey. In Test mode, the provider and settlement are simulated.*

## Start with your first payment

A customer pays by card. You receive USDC on Polygon in a wallet you control. Railbed gives you the checkout, a record of each payment, and a place to manage it all.

Start in **Test mode** to try the full experience without charging a card. When you are ready to take real payments, create your customer-facing links in **Live mode**.

- [Set up your account](https://railbed.io/docs/user-guide/getting-started.md): Add your business, choose a payout wallet, and find your way around the dashboard.
- [Try a test payment](https://railbed.io/docs/user-guide/test-and-live.md): See a successful payment, an underpayment, and a decline before going live.

## Choose how to get paid

The right starting point depends on whether you are requesting one payment or selling the same thing repeatedly.

| You want to… | Use | What you share |
|---|---|---|
| Ask one customer for a specific amount | [Payment link](https://railbed.io/docs/user-guide/payment-links.md) | A one-time link or QR code, with an optional invoice reference |
| Sell one product to many buyers | [Checkout page](https://railbed.io/docs/user-guide/checkout-pages.md) | A reusable page; each buyer gets a separate payment |
| Let buyers choose between packages | [Pricing table](https://railbed.io/docs/user-guide/pricing-tables.md) | A reusable page with up to four plans |
| Take payments inside your website | [Widget or buy button](https://railbed.io/docs/user-guide/widgets-and-buttons.md) | A short HTML snippet copied from the dashboard |
| Connect a WordPress store | [WooCommerce](https://railbed.io/docs/user-guide/integrations.md) | The Railbed plugin, connected to your account |

## Make Railbed part of your day

- [Manage your orders](https://railbed.io/docs/user-guide/orders.md): See items, payment attempts and what still needs to be fulfilled.
- [Know your customers](https://railbed.io/docs/user-guide/customers.md): Read purchase histories, save private notes and manage customer data.
- [Understand your payments](https://railbed.io/docs/user-guide/payments.md): Find an order, read its status, and open its timeline.
- [Read your wallet](https://railbed.io/docs/user-guide/wallet-and-settlement.md): Understand the difference between a balance, a sale, and the amount received.
- [Make it yours](https://railbed.io/docs/user-guide/branding-and-settings.md): Set your business name, logo, support email, and checkout appearance.
- [Solve a problem](https://railbed.io/docs/user-guide/troubleshooting.md): Find the next step for a missing payment, an unavailable checkout, or a buyer who needs help.

Use [account search](https://railbed.io/docs/user-guide/search.md) to jump between records. Prefer reading in the dark? Choose **Dark** or **Match system** from the docs theme selector. [Appearance settings](https://railbed.io/docs/user-guide/branding-and-settings.md#choose-light-dark-or-match-system) explains the separate dashboard and checkout preferences.

## A few things to know

**You control the wallet.** Railbed does not hold a balance for you to withdraw. Settlement goes to your own wallet.

**Your buyer pays with a card provider.** They enter card details on that provider's page. Available providers and identity checks vary by buyer, country, currency and amount.

**Payment status is what matters.** Check that a payment is **Paid** before delivering the order. A buyer returning to a thank-you page is not proof of payment. [Read the statuses](https://railbed.io/docs/user-guide/payments.md#understand-each-status).

**Pricing tables are one-time purchases.** A monthly or yearly label does not create automatic recurring billing.

Building your own store, app or game? Switch to the [developer docs](https://railbed.io/docs/index.md) for API examples and signed webhooks. These user guides focus on the dashboard and everyday merchant tasks.