With the release of Checkfront 3.3.1, we’ve added in a long-requested feature: Bitcoin compatibility. We are now compatible with Coinbase, a popular Bitcoin wallet service.

Bitcoin is a new form of currency that is generated via a complex algorithm, and works like online cash. It’s a private, secure method of payment that is becoming increasingly popular in some areas of the web. Using bitcoins eliminates chargebacks, as there is no issuing bank to communicate with; they charge 1% of each transaction after the first $1,000,000 bitcoins processed. You must have a Coinbase merchant account in order to use the Coinbase gateway in Checkfront.

Checkfront’s Coinbase plugin is a supplemental gateway, which means that it can be used in conjunction with another payment method on your site. You do not have to choose between bitcoins and traditional credit card/cash transactions; if you accept booking payments using Stripe or another payment gateway on our app, you can activate Coinbase in addition to that gateway. When a customer chooses to pay using bitcoins, Coinbase takes care of the transaction and notifies the Checkfront app when the payment is received. Checkfront does not actively process or store any bitcoin information. Coinbase provides a WordPress plugin, but you do not need to activate it if you are using it through Checkfront. You may also accept bitcoin payments at your brick and mortar location; more information can be found here.

In order to activate Coinbase in Checkfront, visit Manage > E-Commerce and select the Coinbase button. You will need to create a Coinbase API key to copy-paste into our system, and have filled out your merchant profile. Coinbase’s merchant account FAQ can be found here.