Digital Cheques
One-time payments you can cancel anytime before they're cashed
Digital Cheques are time-locked payment promises that give you complete control until cashed. Write a $5,000 payment to a contractor — cancel it if they don't deliver. Set 72-hour security delays for large amounts. Recipients see the cheque immediately but can't cash until the delay expires. Your funds keep earning yield until the second they're claimed.
Perfect for contractor payments, large transfers needing review time, or any payment where you want an undo button. No pre-approval needed — send to any address. Cancel anytime before cashing. Full transparency onchain for both parties.
Why Digital Cheques Exist
The Problem with Instant Crypto Payments
Traditional crypto transfers are irreversible the moment you click send. No grace period. No take-backs. This creates unnecessary risk for legitimate transactions where:
You need to verify work before releasing payment
Large amounts require extra security measures
Payment timing needs to align with business processes
Mistakes in addresses or amounts must be correctable
The Digital Cheque Solution
Digital Cheques separate payment authorization from execution:
Write Now, Pay Later: Create a payment commitment that executes on your terms
Cancellable Until Cashed: Maintain control until the moment funds transfer
Automatic Security Delays: Large payments get built-in review periods
Yield Preservation: Funds keep earning in your wallet until payment, plus protocol rewards
One-Off Simplicity: No recurring schedules to manage — perfect for single payments
The Four-Stage Lifecycle
Creation → Time-locked → Active → Finalized
│ │ │ │
└──────────┴───────────┴─────────┴─→ Cancel anytime until paidWriting (Creation)
Just like filling out a paper cheque, you specify the recipient and amount. We record the USD value at this moment — think of it as writing today's date on the cheque. No money moves yet; you've just made a promise to pay.
Dating (Time-locked)
Remember post-dated cheques? Our security delays work the same way:
Large amounts get automatic "post-dating" for your protection
You can set custom dates for future payments
Your money stays in your account earning interest, just like at the bank
Ready to Cash (Active)
The cheque is now valid and can be cashed by:
You deciding to process it immediately
Your authorized assistant (Manager) handling it
The recipient depositing it themselves (if you enabled this)
Cleared or Void (Finalized)
Just like a physical cheque, it ends up either:
Cleared: Money successfully transferred to recipient
Void: Expired uncashed or cancelled by you
Smart Security Features
Automatic USD Thresholds
Set a single delay threshold (e.g., $1,000):
Below: Cheques can be immediate
Above: Automatic delay applied
Note: Cheques cannot be created for whitelisted addresses. If you trust an address enough to whitelist it, use the Whitelist feature for instant, unlimited transfers — Cheques are for addresses that need payment controls.
Example impact:
$500 payment → No delay needed
$5,000 payment → Security delay applied
Time Controls
Expensive Delay: How long high-value cheques wait (e.g., 3-7 days)
Default Expiry: How long cheques stay active (e.g., 30 days)
Custom Timing: Override per cheque as needed
Time is measured in blocks (on Base L2: ~2 seconds per block, ~43,200 blocks per day).
Financial Controls
You can set a variety of controls and limits to ensure your Digital Cheques work exactly how you want them to. These controls help you manage risk, prevent mistakes, and maintain oversight of your payment operations. Whether you're an individual managing personal finances or a business handling vendor payments, you can customize these settings to match your specific needs and comfort level.
Creation Limits
Max Active Cheques: Total unpaid cheques allowed (e.g., 20)
Max Cheque Value: Largest single cheque (e.g., $50,000)
Period Caps: Monthly creation limits (e.g., $100,000)
Payment Limits
Period Payment Cap: Maximum cashed per period (e.g., $50,000/week)
Payment Cooldown: Time between payments (e.g., 10 minutes)
Asset Restrictions
Limit cheques to specific tokens:
Stablecoins only for conservative operations
Any token for flexible businesses
Single asset for simplified accounting
Permission System
Who Can Create
Owner: Always can create any cheque Managers: Only if globally enabled AND individually permitted
Payment Options
Push Payment: You or manager executes Pull Payment: Recipient claims when ready (must be explicitly enabled)
Who Can Cancel
Owner: Any cheque, anytime before payment Security: Emergency cancellation rights only
Real-World Configurations
Social Payment
Amount: $30 USDC
Unlock: Immediate (under threshold)
Expiry: 7 days
Pull: Enabled
Result: Friend grabs lunch money when convenientFreelance Invoice
Amount: $3,000 USDC
Unlock: 3 days (automatic over $1,000 threshold)
Expiry: 30 days
Pull: Enabled
Result: Client shows commitment, freelancer controls timingMonthly Rent
Amount: $2,500 USDC
Created: 25th of month
Unlock: 1st of next month
Pull: Enabled
Result: Landlord gets paid on time, you keep controlHigh-Value Contract
Amount: $50,000 USDC
Unlock: 7 days (expensive delay)
Expiry: 45 days
Review benefit: Time to verify deliverables
Yield earned: ~$48 during delay**Yield varies with current market rates
The Recipient Experience
Digital Cheques are designed to be just as simple for recipients as they are secure for senders. Recipients benefit from complete transparency — they can verify a cheque's existence and terms on the blockchain before providing goods or services. Once the security delay (if any) has passed, the recipient can claim their payment at their convenience within the validity period.
This creates a trust-building dynamic: the recipient sees your commitment to pay, while you maintain the ability to cancel if something goes wrong. The blockchain ensures both parties have clear visibility into the payment status at all times, eliminating the uncertainty that often surrounds traditional payment methods.
Advanced Features
Manager-Created Cheques
Let AI or team members create cheques within your rules. Learn about setting up Managers with cheque permissions:
Manager creates cheque from approved invoice
Time-lock applies automatically
You review during delay period
Cancel or let it proceed
Smart Fund Sourcing
Like the automated payment system, cheques intelligently source funds from yield when needed:
Check liquid balance first
Auto-withdraw from Aave/Morpho/etc if needed
Complete payment in one transaction
Common Questions
What if I send the wrong amount? Cancel the cheque before it's cashed, create a new one.
Can recipients see pending cheques? Yes, full transparency onchain from creation.
Can I modify a cheque? No, but you can cancel and recreate with new terms.
Can I write a cheque to a whitelisted address? No — use Whitelist for instant payments. Cheques are for non-whitelisted recipients who need payment controls.
What happens when a cheque expires? Just like a void cheque at the bank, expired cheques become invalid automatically. The funds never leave your wallet, so they're immediately available for other uses. No action needed from you.
Are there limits on cheque amounts or how many I can have? Yes, for security. You can set maximum values per cheque and limit total active cheques. These safeguards prevent accidental overcommitment while giving plenty of flexibility for normal use.
Can my Manager handle cheques for me? Yes, and it's incredibly useful. You can authorize a Wallet Manager to create and cancel cheques within limits you set. This is perfect for businesses where your CFO handles vendor payments, or individuals who want their financial advisor to help manage large transactions. The beauty is that Managers can only operate within your pre-set boundaries — they can't exceed spending limits or change your security settings. Learn how to set up these secure delegated permissions in our guide on Managing Your Wallet with Managers.
Related Features
Payees: Set up automated recurring payments for regular expenses
Managers: Learn how to delegate payment tasks to AI or team members
Whitelist: Configure instant, unlimited transfers for your most trusted addresses
User Wallet: Explore your complete financial command center and all its features
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