BOLT12 Offers: Reusable Lightning Addresses That Never Expire

If you’ve used Lightning Network before, you know the frustration: generate an invoice, share it, but it expires in an hour. Need another payment? Generate a new invoice. It’s tedious.

BOLT12 offers solve this problem completely.

What is BOLT12?

BOLT12 is a new Lightning Network specification that introduces Offers - reusable payment endpoints that never expire.

Think of it like:

• BOLT11 (old): A check made out for a specific amount that expires
• BOLT12 (new): Your bank account number - share it once, receive unlimited payments

The Problem with BOLT11 Invoices

Current Lightning invoices (BOLT11) have several limitations:

Single-Use Only

Each invoice can only be paid once. Want to receive multiple payments? Generate multiple invoices.

Expiration

Most invoices expire in 1 hour. If your customer waits too long, the invoice is invalid.

Fixed Amounts

Invoices specify an exact amount. If you want to receive variable amounts, you need to generate custom invoices for each payment.

Privacy Concerns

Invoices contain your node’s public key, linking all your payments together.

How BOLT12 Offers Work

A BOLT12 offer is a compact QR code or text string that you can share publicly.

The Flow

1. Merchant creates an offer - This is the reusable payment endpoint
2. Customer scans the offer - Using their Lightning wallet
3. Customer’s wallet requests an invoice - Behind the scenes, automatically
4. Merchant’s wallet sends a custom invoice - Generated on the fly
5. Payment completes - Customer pays the invoice
6. Everyone’s happy - No expiration, no manual invoice generation

The Magic

The offer itself contains minimal information - it’s just an endpoint. The actual invoice is generated when needed, providing:

• Fresh, non-expired invoices every time
• Custom amounts (customer can choose or merchant can specify)
• Improved privacy (each invoice is unique)
• Infinite reusability

Benefits of BOLT12 Offers

For Merchants

Print Once, Use Forever

• Put your offer QR code on business cards
• Display at your physical location
• Embed on your website
• No more updating expired QR codes

Variable Amounts Customers can send any amount, or you can specify a minimum/maximum.

Simplified Accounting All payments come to the same offer - easier to track and reconcile.

For Content Creators

Donations Made Easy Put your offer in:

• YouTube descriptions
• Podcast show notes
• Blog sidebars
• Social media bios

Fans can support you with any amount, anytime.

For Bitcoin Miners

Set and Forget Configure your mining pool payout once with your BOLT12 offer. Receive daily payouts indefinitely without updating anything.

Ocean Mining Pool supports BOLT12 offers, making Bolt21 the perfect wallet for miners.

For Everyone

Better Privacy Each payment uses a fresh invoice with unique payment details, making it harder to link your transactions.

Simpler Experience Share one QR code instead of generating new invoices constantly.

No Expiration Worries Your offer works today, tomorrow, and forever.

BOLT12 vs Other Solutions

Lightning Address (user@domain.com)

Similarities:

• Both provide reusable payment endpoints
• Both enable variable amount payments

Differences:

• Lightning Address requires a web server and domain
• BOLT12 offers work with just a wallet
• Lightning Address relies on centralized DNS
• BOLT12 is native to Lightning protocol

LNURL

Similarities:

• Both enable advanced Lightning features
• Both support reusable payments

Differences:

• LNURL requires HTTP servers
• BOLT12 is pure Lightning protocol
• BOLT12 offers better privacy
• BOLT12 is more decentralized

Traditional Bitcoin Addresses

Similarities:

• Both can be reused (though you shouldn’t reuse Bitcoin addresses)

Differences:

• BOLT12 is for Lightning (instant, low-fee)
• Bitcoin addresses are on-chain (slower, higher fees)
• BOLT12 offers better privacy than address reuse

Real-World Use Cases

Coffee Shop

Display a BOLT12 offer QR code at the register:

1. Customer scans with their wallet
2. Enters the amount (or amount is preset)
3. Pays instantly
4. Coffee delivered

No payment processor, no fees, no chargebacks.

Freelancer

Include your BOLT12 offer in your email signature or invoice:

• Clients can pay immediately
• Works for any amount
• No waiting for bank transfers
• No international payment fees

Podcast Donations

Put your offer in show notes:

• Listeners can donate during or after listening
• Any amount, from 1 sat to millions
• No Patreon fees
• Direct to your wallet

Mining Payouts (Ocean + Bolt21)

Set your Bolt21 BOLT12 offer as your Ocean payout address:

• Receive daily payouts automatically
• No minimum payout (as low as 2,000 sats)
• Zero Lightning fees
• Complete self-custody

How to Create a BOLT12 Offer with Bolt21

It’s incredibly simple:

1. Open Bolt21
2. Tap “Receive”
3. Select “BOLT12 Offer”
4. Share the QR code or text

That’s it. Your offer is ready to receive unlimited payments.

Customization Options

You can configure:

• Description (what the payment is for)
• Amount (fixed or variable)
• Expiry (though most offers never expire)

The Future of Lightning Payments

BOLT12 is still relatively new, with wallet support growing throughout 2024. But it’s quickly becoming the standard for:

• Merchant payments
• Donation/tipping platforms
• Subscription services
• Mining pool payouts
• Any scenario requiring reusable payment endpoints

Current Support

Wallets:

• Bolt21 (full support)
• Core Lightning (reference implementation)
• Phoenix (coming soon)
• Others adding support throughout 2024

Services:

• Ocean Mining Pool
• BTCPay Server (in development)
• Various merchant solutions

Common Questions

Can I use one offer for multiple purposes? Yes! You can use the same offer for your coffee shop, online store, and donations. However, separate offers make accounting easier.

What if my wallet is offline? Your wallet needs to be online (or using a Lightning Service Provider) to generate invoices when someone tries to pay your offer. Bolt21 handles this automatically.

Are offers backward compatible? BOLT11 wallets can’t pay BOLT12 offers (yet). Most modern wallets are adding support. In the meantime, you can offer both BOLT11 invoices and BOLT12 offers.

Can I cancel an offer? You can stop responding to payment requests for an offer, effectively “canceling” it. But the offer string itself can’t be revoked once shared.

Getting Started with BOLT12

Ready to experience the future of Lightning payments?

1. Download Bolt21 - Native BOLT12 support
2. Create your offer - Takes 30 seconds
3. Start sharing - Put it everywhere
4. Receive payments - Unlimited, forever

BOLT12 offers represent a massive leap forward in Lightning usability. If you’ve been frustrated with expiring invoices and manual payment requests, BOLT12 is the solution you’ve been waiting for.

One offer. Unlimited payments. Forever.

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Related Articles:

• Lightning Network Basics: Fast, Cheap Bitcoin Payments
• Bitcoin Payments for Merchants: Complete Guide
• Understanding BOLT12 in the Docs