Bitcoin payment links: BIP-321 keeps amount units and payment approval separate
BIP-321 replaces the older URI specification. A payment link can describe an instruction, but scanning it does not establish the recipient’s identity or complete a transfer.
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What the primary record establishes
BIP-321 describes Bitcoin payment instructions in a bitcoin: URI and is marked Complete. It requires an amount, when supplied, to use decimal BTC with a period and no thousands separators. It also says clients must obtain user authorisation before acting. Bitcoin BIP-321 — URI Scheme ↗
What the distinction changes
For illustration, amount=0.001 describes one thousandth of a bitcoin, not one thousandth of a satoshi. A wallet may display another unit, but the interface must preserve the instruction’s economic amount. A correct parser does not establish that the requested payment is legitimate.
What to check before drawing a conclusion
Test supported parameters and address formats against the actual wallet integration. Keep the payment request, the user’s approval, the submitted transaction and any subsequent settlement evidence as different states. Opening a link should not be reported as a completed payment.
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Original WFN vector illustrationWFN · 18 October 2026
Editorial noteSource-based explanation with original WFN analysis. Historical records retain their dates; numerical examples are illustrative. The original vector illustration is conceptual and is not documentary evidence.
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What is on the record?
Primary-source explainer
Primary-source explainer
Primary record / reference periodBIP-321 Complete specification; BIP-21 supersession checked 18 October 2026
The linked source supports the documented record; WFN interpretation and illustrative examples are separate.
BIP-321 replaces the older URI specification. A payment link can describe an instruction, but scanning it does not establish the recipient’s identity or complete a transfer.
01 · VERIFIED RECORD
What the primary record establishes
BIP-321 describes Bitcoin payment instructions in a bitcoin: URI and is marked Complete. It requires an amount, when supplied, to use decimal BTC with a period and no thousands separators. It also says clients must obtain user authorisation before acting. Bitcoin BIP-321 — URI Scheme ↗
The BIP-21 page now explicitly says it has been superseded by BIP-321. Referring to the newer specification matters because it documents modern address types and additional payment instructions, rather than only the older on-chain form. Bitcoin BIP-21 — superseded URI specification ↗
02 · WFN EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
What the distinction changes
For illustration, amount=0.001 describes one thousandth of a bitcoin, not one thousandth of a satoshi. A wallet may display another unit, but the interface must preserve the instruction’s economic amount. A correct parser does not establish that the requested payment is legitimate.
A label supplied inside a link is also supplied data. Displaying a familiar company name does not prove that company controls the destination. The review screen should help the payer inspect the payment method, destination and amount before approval.
03 · REVIEW POINTS
What to check before drawing a conclusion
Test supported parameters and address formats against the actual wallet integration. Keep the payment request, the user’s approval, the submitted transaction and any subsequent settlement evidence as different states. Opening a link should not be reported as a completed payment.
Do not expose a recovery phrase to validate a payment request. Verify the recipient through an independent channel appropriate to the transaction. This article concerns the instruction format; it does not endorse a particular wallet, link or payment destination.
