When you start accepting Bitcoin, a natural question comes up: should your menu, price tags, or invoices show prices in Bitcoin or Ethereum as well as dollars? Should you say "this coffee is $4.50 or 0.000046 BTC"?

For almost every merchant, in almost every situation, the answer is: price in dollars, convert to crypto at the moment of payment. Here's why — and what the one exception looks like.

Why dollar-denominated pricing is almost always right

Bitcoin prices move constantly. Bitcoin can shift 3–5% in a single day. If you print a menu showing coffee at 0.000046 BTC this morning, that number is wrong by this afternoon. You'd either need to update prices constantly or eat the difference.

OrangeTill handles this automatically: you enter the dollar amount, it calculates the exact crypto equivalent at the current live rate, and generates a QR code for that precise amount. The customer sends exactly what the item costs in dollars — no math required on either side.

✅ Dollar pricing (recommended)
Prices never need updating
No confusion for customers
Consistent with your POS and receipts
Tax reporting is straightforward
OrangeTill converts automatically
⚠️ Crypto pricing (usually avoid)
Prices become stale within hours
Confusing for non-crypto customers
Manual updating or errors
Tax complexity increases
Only practical for stablecoins

You always price in dollars

Whether the customer pays on-chain or over Lightning, OrangeTill takes the dollar amount you enter and converts it to the exact Bitcoin equivalent at the live rate. You think in dollars; the customer's wallet handles the sats. There's no reason to ever price in Bitcoin.

Even then, most merchants stick to dollar pricing for consistency. Your menu says $4.50, the customer pays $4.50 in USDC, everyone's happy. No need to create a parallel pricing system.

What about Lightning Network?

Lightning payments are denominated in satoshis (the smallest unit of Bitcoin). OrangeTill handles the conversion: you enter dollars, it generates the Lightning invoice for the correct satoshi amount. You never need to think in satoshis — unless you want to.

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Hodl says
Keep it simple: your prices are in dollars, your POS is in dollars, your taxes are in dollars. OrangeTill handles the Bitcoin math so you don't have to. Price in dollars. Sleep well.

Displaying the crypto equivalent — a middle ground

Some merchants like to display the crypto equivalent alongside the dollar price as a novelty or conversation starter — especially at markets or pop-ups where crypto-curious customers are browsing. This can work well as long as you:

OrangeTill always uses the live rate at the moment of transaction — so even if your signage is slightly outdated, the QR code will reflect the correct current price.

Questions

Is there a legal requirement to price in dollars in the US? ▼
There's no federal law requiring prices to be displayed in US dollars, but most state consumer protection rules expect prices to be clear and not misleading. Practically speaking, pricing in dollars with crypto as an accepted tender type is the cleanest approach legally, operationally, and for your customers. Consult a lawyer if you have specific concerns about your business or state.
What if a customer wants to negotiate the crypto amount? ▼
Keep it simple: the price is in dollars, OrangeTill calculates the crypto equivalent at the live rate, and that's what gets paid. You're not in the business of negotiating exchange rates. If a customer wants to pay a different crypto amount, the answer is: "The price is $X — OrangeTill will calculate the crypto equivalent automatically."
What about international customers paying in Bitcoin? ▼
Same principle — you price in dollars, OrangeTill converts. International customers often love Bitcoin payments precisely because they avoid card foreign transaction fees and unfavorable exchange rates. The dollar amount is what it is; the crypto conversion happens automatically.

Dollar pricing, Bitcoin payments — OrangeTill handles the math.

Enter any dollar amount and get a live crypto QR code in seconds. No mental math required.

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