# How to accept crypto payments without custody

Canonical: https://apa.app/resources/guides/how-to-accept-crypto-payments
Category: Getting started

A practical guide for merchants who want to accept crypto while funds settle directly to their own wallet.

Accepting crypto does not have to mean opening an exchange account, holding a processor balance or building wallet logic from scratch. A non-custodial checkout gives the customer a clear hosted payment flow while the merchant keeps control of settlement.

## Start with your payout wallet

The first decision is not which coins customers can pay with. It is what you want to receive. In Apa, that means creating a payout wallet with an asset, a network and a wallet address you control.

That profile becomes the destination for payment links and checkout sessions. It also creates the difference between direct payments and routed payments.

- Only the exact payout asset on your payout wallet's network is direct.
- Different asset or network means routed when a safe route exists.
- The payout wallet remains yours.

## Choose links or API checkout

Payment links are best for invoices, single sellers, services and one-off payments. API checkout is better for ecommerce stores that need order references, redirects and webhooks.

A merchant can use both. A store may use API sessions for cart checkout and payment links for support invoices.

## Handle payment states

Crypto payment status is asynchronous. A payment can be created, pending, routing, settling, paid, failed, expired or refund-required. Your customer experience and backend should reflect that.

For fulfillment, treat paid as the clean success state. Pending and routing are active states, not final states.

## FAQ

### Can a merchant accept crypto without custody?

Yes. A non-custodial checkout can coordinate the payment while funds settle to the merchant's own wallet.

### Do customers need an account?

No. In Apa's hosted checkout, customers open a payment link or checkout session and pay from their own wallet.