NOWPayments referral link and review

NOWPayments is a crypto payment gateway that lets online businesses accept 300+ cryptocurrencies through an API, invoices, plugins and donation widgets. The service fee is 1% without exchange and 1.5% for multi-currency payments. It is not offered to residents or citizens of the EU, UK, US, UAE or Russia.

No extra sign-up bonus via this link — the provider's standard terms apply.

Get NOWPayments →

Referral link disclosure: the button above is our referral link. If you sign up through it, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The bonus and terms are set by NOWPayments and can change — check them on the official site before you sign up.

How to get started

Open NOWPayments through the referral link on this page; our partner ID is in the URL, so there is no code to type.
Register with your email and confirm it through the verification email.
Add the wallet address where you want to receive funds, or enable Custody to keep balances with NOWPayments.
Connect a plugin (WooCommerce, Shopify, WHMCS and others), create an invoice or donation widget, or integrate the API.
Run a small test payment to see the service and network fees before going live.

What is NOWPayments?

NOWPayments is a cryptocurrency payment gateway founded in 2019. It is aimed at merchants who want to accept Bitcoin, stablecoins and other coins on a website, in an app or by invoice. Its help center lists:

Payment API and hosted invoices for custom checkouts.
E-commerce plugins for PrestaShop, OpenCart, WooCommerce, Magento 2, WHMCS and Shopify, with Ecwid and Zen Cart listed as coming soon.
Donation tools – a widget and a button for non-profits and creators.
Mass Payouts for sending crypto to many addresses at once.
Auto-conversion – a customer pays in any supported coin and the merchant receives the currency they chose, swapped through built-in exchange infrastructure.
Fiat options – crypto can be withdrawn as fiat through a third-party provider.

By default the gateway is non-custodial: payments are forwarded to your own wallet and NOWPayments does not hold your private keys. A Custody feature can be switched on if you prefer to keep a balance on the platform.

Who it's for

NOWPayments fits online stores, SaaS and hosting businesses (there is a WHMCS module), creators collecting donations, and projects paying many recipients in crypto. It is a business tool, not a personal wallet or exchange.

Fees at a glance

Payment type	NOWPayments service fee
Payment without exchange (same coin in and out)	1%
Multi-currency, fixed-rate or "fee paid by user" payment	1.5%

Blockchain network fees are charged on top. They are not a fixed percentage: they depend on the blockchain, its current load and processing speed. In the default non-custodial flow a network fee applies both to the deposit and to forwarding funds to you; with Custody, one.

The homepage describes the 1% as a starting fee with loyalty discounts and says that merchants with higher monthly volume pay smaller fees, with enterprise pricing on request. Thresholds are not published.

Country limits, KYC and refunds

Restricted countries. The terms of service state that the services are not provided to residents or citizens of the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, the United Arab Emirates and the Russian Federation, or anywhere crypto services are restricted by law.
Age and status. Users must be at least 18 (or of legal age locally) or a registered business entity.
Verification. Signing up needs a verified email. The terms say NOWPayments may run a KYC check on individual partners and may make KYC mandatory later; fiat withdrawals can trigger a KYB check by the third-party provider.
Refunds. Refunds of customer payments go through review by the support team, may carry extra fees, and refunds to a new address need additional validation such as a small verification transfer.

NOWPayments affiliate program terms

NOWPayments runs its own affiliate program that any account holder can join from the dashboard:

Reward: 25% of NOWPayments' profit from the fees paid by merchants you refer, with no earnings cap.
Duration: the current landing page says rewards run for 5 years with a possible extension; an older blog post says 1 year.
Payout: once your balance exceeds $50 (the help center also gives 50 USDT), you request a withdrawal in USDT or another supported crypto from the dashboard; there is no fixed payout cycle.
Rules: you must accept the Affiliate Agreement, and self-referrals or referring accounts you control are not allowed.

Performance-based boosts are mentioned without numbers. Details are on the affiliate program page.

Pros and cons

Pros

Accepts 300+ cryptocurrencies with automatic conversion to your chosen coin
Non-custodial by default, with optional Custody
Ready-made plugins for WooCommerce, Shopify, WHMCS, Magento 2 and more
Mass payouts, invoices and donation widgets
Published service fees: 1% without exchange, 1.5% with conversion

Cons

Not offered to residents or citizens of the EU, UK, US, UAE and Russia
Network fees come on top of the service fee
Volume discount thresholds are not published
No sign-up bonus for merchants who join through a referral link
Company is registered in St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Frequently asked questions

Is there a NOWPayments referral code or sign-up bonus?

There is no code to type: the referral link on this page carries the partner ID in the URL. NOWPayments does not advertise a discount or bonus for merchants who sign up this way, so fees are the same as a direct sign-up.

Is NOWPayments legit?

According to its terms of service, the operator is FD Transfers LLC, registered in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. It publishes terms, fees and a help center, with email support at support@nowpayments.io. The terms exclude users from the EU, UK, US, UAE and Russia, so check eligibility first.

How much does NOWPayments charge?

1% for payments without exchange and 1.5% for multi-currency, fixed-rate and fee-paid-by-user payments, plus blockchain network fees. Higher-volume merchants can get lower fees.

Does NOWPayments require KYC?

Sign-up needs a verified email. The terms allow NOWPayments to request KYC from individual partners and say it may become mandatory; fiat withdrawals may require KYB verification by the third-party provider.

How does the NOWPayments affiliate program pay?

Affiliates get 25% of NOWPayments' profit from their referrals' fees, for 5 years according to the current landing page. Payouts are requested from the dashboard in USDT or another crypto once the balance exceeds $50.

Get NOWPayments →

Facts checked on 2026-10-28

Sources:

NOWPayments alternatives

Cypherock Hardware wallet that splits your key across a vault and 4 cards; no paper seed needed