Within BitPay’s products, there are many passwords. Some of these passwords are related to the BitPay app, and others are related to BitPay’s other products and logins. This article should clarify the differences between each of the passwords, the importance of each, and security measures to take in order to keep your funds safe and recoverable.

 

Each of the passwords listed is independent and not related to other passwords.

 

Here are the BitPay products and passwords related to them:

BitPay App:

• Encrypt password
• Backup Phrase / Recovery Phrase / Passphrase / Twelve Words
• PIN / Fingerprint app lock
• Wallet export password

BitPay website login passwords:

• BitPay cardholder dashboard login
• BitPay merchant account dashboard login
• Two-Factor Authentication

Checkout App:

• Pairing Code

 

BitPay Wallet app Passwords

The BitPay Wallet does not have an online account or login.

Encrypt Password

The encrypt password is used as an optional security measure. While some older versions of the wallet use the term “spending password”, BitPay’s current apps use the term encrypt password. This helps to prevent an unauthorized user from sending funds out of the wallet. The encrypt password adds security to your funds in case your device is lost or stolen.

There are no specific requirements such as capital letters, numbers, symbols, or length.  

This password is required anytime you wish to send funds out of the wallet, such as a regular transaction, paying a BitPay invoice, or the available in-app purchases like Coinbase. This password is also required to modify certain configurations, like the password itself or to access the wallet backup.

If you forget or lose your password, the only way to recover the wallet is by the 12-word passphrase.

We strongly recommend that you store the password and passphrase in a safe place.

How to set up the encrypt password:

1. Open the BitPay app.
2. Tap the desired wallet.
3. Go to Preferences (the top right corner icon).
4. Tap Request Encrypt Password.
5. Enter the password and confirm it.

 

How to recover the encrypt password

There is no way to recover the encrypt password.
If you lose your encrypt password, you can recover your wallet by using the recovery passphrase.

To do so you need to:

1. Make sure you have the backup phrase of the wallet you want to recover.
2. Confirm the backup phrase of the wallet you want to recover:
• If you only have one wallet, you can try to import the wallet. If you get an error saying the wallet already exists in the app, the passphrase belongs to your same wallet.
• If you have more than one wallet:
1. Install the Copay app from the App Store (iOS) or Google Play Store (Android). If you are using the wallet on a desktop computer, download the most recent version of the Copay wallet.
2. Import the wallet using the passphrase.
3. Check the wallet imported is the one you want to restore.
3. Remove the wallet:
1. Open the BitPay app
2. Go to the wallet
3. Tap the upper right icon
4. Scroll down and tap Delete Wallet
5. Tap Delete > OK
4. Import the wallet using the passphrase.
5. After importing the wallet, it will have no encrypt password. To set up a new encrypt password:
1. Open the BitPay app
2. Tap the desired wallet
3. Go to Preferences (the top right corner icon)
4. Enable Request Encrypt Password
5. Enter the password and confirm.
   
   

Please be extremely careful, if you lose this password, the only way to recover your wallet is the backup phrase.

 

Backup Phrase / Recovery Phrase / Passphrase

The backup phrase is the only way to recover a wallet. We strongly recommend you write down your wallet’s backup phrase on a piece of paper and keep it in a safe place.

A private key in the context of Bitcoin is a secret number that allows bitcoin to be spent.

Every wallet has one or more private keys which are used to sign a transaction. These private keys are unique, which means the wallet is unique too.

Because the private key is the "ticket" that allows someone to spend bitcoin, it is important that these are kept secure.

A private key is a 256-bit number, which can be represented one of several ways.

The twelve word backup phrase is a human-friendly way to represent the wallet’s private key, for the simple reason it is easier to write down “abbey watermelon encourage spaceship dandelion feasible rage invasive detach gathering liver pinpoint” than E9873D79C6D87DC0FB6A5778633389_F4453213303DA61F20BD67FC233AA33262.

You may see some call this phrase your wallet’s “Twelve Words,” “Backup Phrase,” “Recovery Phrase,” “Passphrase,” or “Seed Phrase.” BitPay’s current apps use the term backup phrase, so we use this phrase in the rest of this article.

The backup phrase is the only way to recover a wallet if you lose or break your device or encrypt password. There is no account or password for the BitPay wallet. Please see Why don't I have an online account for my BitPay Wallet?. The backup phrase is how you represent and use your private key.

We strongly recommend you to write your wallet’s backup phrase down on a piece of paper and keep it in a safe place. We do not recommend emailing it to yourself or save it on your computer as it could be stolen.

To avoid losing access to your wallet and funds, the BitPay wallet does not let the user receive funds until they have backed up the wallet.

To back up the wallet, follow these instructions:

1. Open the BitPay app.
2. Go to Preferences (the top right corner icon).
3. Tap Backup.
4. Follow the guided process.
5. When have you the wallet backed up, store the backup phrase in a safe place.

We also have a video guide on how to back up your BitPay wallet:

 

PIN / Fingerprint app lock

The BitPay Wallet mobile app offers the possibility of setting up a lock to restrict access to the app. In order to set up a PIN lock for the app, all the wallets in the app need to be backed up.

There are two options:

• PIN
• Fingerprint (has to be supported by the phone and enabled)

The PIN lock consists of a set of four numbers from 0 to 9.

Fingerprint lock must be set up on the system (Android or iOS). If you do not know how to set up this feature, please refer to support for your device.

If a PIN or fingerprint lock is enabled, this lock screen is going to be shown every time the app is opened.
If the password is entered incorrectly five times, the app will lock for five minutes.

To set up a PIN lock, follow these instructions:

1. Open the BitPay app.
2. Go to Settings (the gear icon on the upper right corner).
3. Tap Lock.
4. Tap PIN or Fingerprint
5. Set the PIN (fingerprint does not need to be set up)

 

How to recover the lock

There is no way to recover the PIN lock.
If you lose your PIN lock, to access the wallet again, you will need to remove the wallet and reinstall it. The app requires wallets to be backed up in order to set up the PIN lock. This is because if you delete the app without first backing it up you will lose all your wallets and their funds.

There is no way to recover the fingerprint lock, but you can remove the fingerprint on the system options of your device. However, the next time you open up the app, you will be required to enter the system lock PIN (the PIN used to unlock the phone).

 

Wallet Export password

The BitPay app offers the possibility of exporting your wallet as a file (desktop version) or text (mobile version). The wallet export password is used to encrypt the wallet when exported.

That same password will be required to decrypt the file when importing the wallet. We recommend you backup the wallet export password and store it in a safe place.

How to export the wallet

On mobile devices

1. Open the BitPay app
2. Tap the wallet you want to export
3. Go to Preferences (the top right corner icon).
4. Tap Export wallet
5. Enter the password
6. You have the option to copy the content to the clipboard or send by it by email. Since the wallet export is encrypted, it is safe to be sent.

An encrypted text is generated, it can be pasted and saved in a file or sent by email. Because the text is encrypted, it can be safely shared.

On desktop computers:

1. Open the BitPay app.
2. Click the wallet you want to export.
3. Go to Preferences (the top right corner icon).
4. Click Export wallet.
5. Enter the password.
6. Click Download.
7. A .JSON file will be downloaded. That file can be used to import the wallet. 

 

BitPay Checkout

Pairing code

The BitPay Checkout pairing code is a code that lets you connect your BitPay merchant account to the device.
To generate that code, you need to log into your merchant account.

How do I set up BitPay Checkout for accepting retail payments?

You can also refer to the BitPay Checkout documentation: https://bitpay.com/docs/retail

 

BitPay website passwords

Logging in via the dashboard

The BitPay login lets users manage their merchant accounts and BitPay cardholder accounts.

Does this login have something to do with the BitPay wallet?

The BitPay web dashboard has no direct relationship with the BitPay wallet app. Please see Why don't I have an online account for my BitPay wallet?

Does this login information provide an additional recovery method for the BitPay wallet?

No. The only way to recover the BitPay wallet is by the recovery phrase.

Do I need to create an “account” on the BitPay website to have or manage a BitPay wallet?

No. The BitPay wallet is totally independent to the BitPay site. Wallets are created and managed on the BitPay wallet app.

Can I see my BitPay wallet funds online?

No, the only way to see your wallet funds is by accessing the wallet app itself on the device where it is installed.

I have set up an email address and password in the BitPay wallet app, and now I cannot login in the website.

The email address that can be set up in the BitPay wallet app is used to notify the user when a transaction or purchase is performed.

The encrypt password set up in the wallet app is used to encrypt and protect the wallet from intruders. It is required to send funds and other operations.

The email address and password set up in the wallet app is unrelated to the BitPay website and cannot be used to log in.

The BitPay site login is not related to the wallet and cannot be used to manage your BitPay wallet.

I have a BitPay wallet and I have received an email notifying me about a transaction. Doesn’t this mean I have a BitPay account?

No. The email address you set up on the BitPay app is only for receiving notifications when a transaction is performed. Setting up a notification email does not set up an online account or login information on the BitPay website.

What is the BitPay website login for?

The website login is used by BitPay merchants or cardholders to manage their BitPay accounts.

I have the BitPay card, but I cannot see my wallet funds in the dashboard.

The BitPay Card dashboard only shows the information for the cardholder’s BitPay Card account. The BitPay Card dashboard does not show the wallet balance or any other wallet information.

 

Two factor authentication

Two Factor Authentication, also known as 2FA, is an extra layer of security that is also known as "multi factor authentication." Two Factor Authentication makes a login require not only a password and username but also something secondary that only the user should have access to, such as a physical token.

Using a username and password together with a piece of information that only the user knows makes it harder for potential intruders to gain access and steal that person's personal data, identity or funds.

Learn more about enabling two factor authentication for your BitPay account.