# Payment Flow

> Understand the customer-facing Stafiel payment flow.

Canonical: https://stafiel.org/documentation/accept-payments/payment-flow
Version: v1.0.0

The payment flow explains what customers see on the Stafiel payment page or
widget and how they complete payment after a checkout session is created.

![Payment flow overview](/documentation/payment-flow-light.png)

## 1. Pay From A Wallet

The customer sees a checkout waiting for payment:

- Awaiting Payment: the checkout is open and waiting for payment.

The customer can scan the QR code or copy the payment address into a mobile
wallet, browser extension wallet, or centralized exchange.

Payment must use the selected USDT or USDC token, selected network, and payment
address shown on the page or widget. A changed amount, different token, wrong
network, or address from another checkout can create a payment exception and
may result in lost funds.

Important: Customers should not send payment after the payment window
expires. Late on-chain transfers are not credited to the order balance and do
not enter the settlement flow.

For the supported token and network list, see
[Supported Assets and Networks](/documentation/start/supported-assets-and-networks).
For exchange-related refund limitations, see
[Refund Basics](/documentation/accept-payments/refund-basics) and
[Payment and Refund Risks](/documentation/risk-and-reference/payment-and-refund-risks).

## 2. Payment Detected

Soon after payment is sent, the customer may see that payment activity has started:

- Payment Detected: Incoming payment activity appears. The final payment
amount and order status are not confirmed yet. Some networks may skip this
stage.

## 3. Payment Received

The customer sees the received payment result after the payment receives initial
on-chain confirmation. Timing varies by network:

- Fullpaid: the received amount matches the requested amount.

- Overpaid: the received amount is above the requested amount; the extra
amount can be reviewed for refund once the after-sales window opens, when
refunds are available on the selected network.

- Underpaid: the received amount is below the requested amount; the customer
can send an additional payment to the same address during the payment window.

Note: For Overpaid or Underpaid orders, the merchant decides the next
step: fulfill, hold, review refund availability for the extra amount, request
the missing amount during the payment window, or follow up with the customer.

## 4. Payment Confirmed

This stage means the payment has reached the required block confirmation count.
Customers do not need to go through this stage directly. It runs in the
background and can be viewed in order details in the Merchant Dashboard.

## Payment Completion Confidence

Stage
Corresponding order status
Completion confidence
Customer impression

Pay From A Wallet
Awaiting Payment
Not recorded yet
The customer is sending or preparing to send payment.

Payment Detected
Awaiting Payment
Seen on-chain
The customer may see that payment activity has started.

Payment Received
Fullpaid, Overpaid, or Underpaid
Amount recorded on-chain
The customer sees that the payment has been received and recorded for the order.

Payment Confirmed
Fullpaid, Overpaid, or Underpaid
Confirmed for fulfillment review
This runs in the background and can be viewed in Merchant Dashboard order details.

For lifecycle details, see
[Order Lifecycle and Payment Status](/documentation/accept-payments/order-lifecycle-and-payment-status).

## 5. Return To Merchant Site

After payment is received, the customer can return to the merchant store, order
page, invoice flow, or support path via the configured Return URL when it is set
correctly.