For the complete documentation index, see llms.txt. This page is also available as Markdown.

Why Did My Payment Expire, and What Happens Next?

A Bead payment expires when the payment quote window closes before any funds are detected. This page explains what causes expiry, what the customer experiences, and how integrators should handle it.

Why does a payment expire?

Each Bead payment is backed by a crypto quote — a fixed conversion rate valid for a limited window. The quote window starts when the payment is created. If the customer does not complete the wallet transfer before the quote window closes, the payment moves to expired.

Expiry is triggered by the quote window timing out, not by any action from the merchant or integrator.

What happens in the hosted UI?

When the quote is about to expire, the hosted payment page gives the customer a short window to request a new quote. If the customer does not act within that window, the payment session ends and the status moves to expired automatically.

What if funds arrive after the payment expires?

Any funds that arrive after a payment has expired are not converted. Bead routes those funds to the reclaim flow and returns them to the payer.

  • If a refundEmail was provided in the original payment request, Bead emails reclaim instructions to that address automatically.

  • If no email was provided, the hosted payment page prompts the customer to enter an email so reclaim can proceed.

Integrators do not need to implement the return flow directly. See Reclaiming Unconverted Crypto for full details on timing, windows, and customer experience.

What should the integrator do?

  • Treat expired as a terminal non-success state. Do not fulfill the order.

  • Do not reuse the expired payment URL. It cannot be restarted.

  • If the customer still wants to pay, create a new payment and direct them to the new hosted payment URL.

  • Surface clear messaging so the customer understands what happened and what to do next.

Suggested UI message:

What if the customer sent funds just before or just after expiry?

If funds arrived before the quote expired but were not detected in time, or arrived shortly after expiry, they are treated the same as any other post-expiry funds — not converted, and returned through the reclaim process.

The customer should be directed to start a new payment if they still want to complete their purchase.

Can the customer fix an expired payment without starting over?

No. Once a payment reaches expired, the session cannot be resumed or extended. The integrator must create a new payment and provide the customer with the new hosted payment URL.

Last updated