How to donate with crypto

Never paid with Bitcoin before? This page walks you through it: what you need, how to get a small amount of bitcoin, how to pay the invoice, and what to do if something goes wrong.

At a glance

Invoice valid for: 30 minutes
Confirmations needed: 1
Usual wait: 10 to 30 minutes
Network fee: Paid by you, on top of the amount
Thank-you coins: Added automatically after the confirmation

What you need

Your Aethernal2 account: sign in on the website, or open the Donate tab in the shop window in the game.
A Bitcoin wallet. That can be an app on your phone or computer, or the bitcoin balance in an exchange account. Any wallet that can send to a Bitcoin address works.
A little more bitcoin than the donation itself: you pay the network fee, on top of the amount of the invoice.
Half an hour of time: the invoice stays open for 30 minutes, and the confirmation usually follows within 10 to 30 minutes.

Good to know: every Bitcoin payment is recorded publicly on the blockchain, and exchanges know who their customers are. A Bitcoin donation is not a secret payment.

Wallets for beginners

With these wallets you hold the keys yourself: nobody can block your bitcoin, but nobody can recover it for you either. All of them are free, well known, still maintained and available in the EU (checked in November 2026).

BlueWallet

Android · iOS

A simple, long-running phone wallet. Good for normal Bitcoin payments: scan our QR code and the address and the amount are filled in for you.

Phoenix

Android · iOS

A phone wallet by ACINQ, made for the Lightning network. It can also pay normal Bitcoin addresses. Receiving into it can cost a small fee, which the app explains.

Sparrow Wallet

Windows · macOS · Linux

A wallet for the computer that shows every detail, including the network fee. A good choice if you prefer a desktop or use a hardware wallet.

Straight from an exchange

Your exchange account

If you buy your bitcoin on an exchange, you can send the donation straight from there, without a separate wallet. Read the two exchange mistakes further down first.

We have no link with any of these apps or companies and get nothing for naming them. Install apps only from the official app store or the project’s own website.

When a wallet shows you its recovery words (12 or 24 words), write them down on paper and keep them safe. Never type them into a website and never give them to anyone, not even to our team.

Buying a small amount of bitcoin in the EU

The easiest way is an exchange app that works in your country, for example Bitvavo, Kraken or Coinbase. All three are large, regulated exchanges that serve customers across the EU.

Create an account. Exchanges ask for an ID document and a selfie when you sign up; this can take a few minutes up to a day.
Add euros, usually by bank transfer (SEPA) or card. A card is faster but often costs more.
Buy bitcoin for a little more than your donation. A few euros extra cover the withdrawal fee and the network fee.
Then either send the bitcoin to your own wallet and pay from there, or pay the invoice straight from the exchange.

When you send bitcoin from an exchange to an outside address, the exchange may ask who that address belongs to. The address on our invoice belongs to Aethernal2, not to you: answer that it is another person or organisation, with “Aethernal2” as the name. If it gets complicated, send the bitcoin to your own wallet first and pay from there.

The price of bitcoin goes up and down all the time. Buy only the small amount you want to donate. This guide explains how to pay; it is not financial or investment advice.

Donating step by step

Choose a donation

Open Donate on the website, or the Donate tab in the shop window in the game, and pick a donation. Each one shows the thank-you coins you get.
Choose Bitcoin

Pick Bitcoin as the payment method.
Confirm

Check the summary, tick the two boxes (the Donation Terms and the immediate delivery of the coins) and press the button. The invoice is created now: the amount is fixed in euros and converted into bitcoin at this moment’s rate.
Pay the invoice

On the website you go to our payment page on pay.aethernal2.eu; in the game the payment opens in the same window. Scan the QR code with your wallet: the address and the exact amount are filled in. Or copy the address and the BTC amount by hand. Check that your wallet sends exactly the amount on the invoice, then send.
Wait for the confirmation

Your payment shows up within seconds, then it needs one confirmation from the Bitcoin network. That usually takes 10 to 30 minutes, and sometimes an hour or more when the network is busy or the fee was very low. You can close the page: the payment still counts.
Get your coins

As soon as the payment is confirmed, the thank-you coins are added to your account automatically and you get a thank-you e-mail. Your balance is on your account page and in the shop.

Common mistakes, and what happens then

An invoice is settled automatically only when exactly the right amount arrives in time. Here is what to watch out for.

Sending too little

The invoice must be paid in full; there is no margin. Even a few satoshis short counts as not paid.

What happens: The payment page shows the amount still missing. Send exactly that, to the same invoice, before it expires. If the invoice expires before it is paid in full, no coins are added automatically: the team checks the payment by hand.

Sending too much

Typing the amount by hand makes this easy to get wrong. Scanning the QR code avoids it.

What happens: The invoice is marked as overpaid, and the team checks it by hand before the coins are added.

Paying an expired invoice

An invoice is valid for 30 minutes, because the bitcoin amount is fixed only for that time. Never pay an old invoice or an address you saved earlier: start a new donation instead. What counts is that your payment reaches the network within the 30 minutes; the confirmation may come later.

What happens: A payment that arrives after the invoice has expired is not counted automatically; the team checks it by hand.

Exchange fees and minimums

Exchanges charge a fee for every withdrawal, and many have a minimum withdrawal amount. Both are shown on the withdrawal screen and in the exchange’s fee list.

What happens: If your balance does not cover the donation plus the fee, the exchange refuses the withdrawal or you end up sending too little. Check both before you buy.

An exchange that takes its fee out of the amount

Many exchanges take the withdrawal fee out of the amount you type in: you enter the invoice amount and our address receives less.

What happens: The invoice is underpaid (see “Sending too little”). Before you confirm the withdrawal, look at the line “you will receive” or “amount received”: it must be exactly the invoice amount. If needed, add the fee to the amount you type in.

A very low network fee

With a very low fee your payment can wait for hours before it is confirmed.

What happens: It still counts if it reached the network before the invoice expired, but the coins arrive later. Let your wallet choose a normal fee.

Another coin or another network

Send only bitcoin (BTC) on the Bitcoin network to the address on the invoice. Other coins, “wrapped” bitcoin or bitcoin on another network (for example BNB Chain) do not arrive at this address.

What happens: Such a payment is not seen by our payment server and can be lost. On an exchange, choose the network “Bitcoin” (sometimes called BTC or “native”).

When the team checks a payment by hand, write to us (see Help below) so we can match it quickly. The rules for donations are in the Donation Terms.

Need help?

Something went wrong, or the coins did not arrive? Write to contact@aethernal2.eu and include:

the e-mail address of your account, and the order number if you have it (on the payment page and in the thank-you e-mail)
the amount you sent, and the date and time
the transaction ID (txid) from your wallet or exchange
what happened, in a few words

Nobody needs your recovery words, private keys or passwords to check a payment. Our team will never ask for them; anyone who does is not us.

Go to Donate