Overview of Beam Bolt

Beam Bolt is an application that accepts payment in person.

Where Beam Bolt runs

You can run Beam Bolt on a device you buy from us, or on an Android device you already own.

On a Bolt+ device. Bolt+ is a dedicated device that we sell with Beam Bolt already installed.
On your own Android device. Install Beam Bolt from Google Play , then log in to your merchant account.

Either way, the device needs:

An internet connection. Beam Bolt cannot take payments offline, in any mode.
NFC, if you want to accept contactless card taps. Bolt+ supports NFC already. An Android device you supply yourself must support it too.

Important

Deep Link Mode needs your own Android device. Your application and Beam Bolt have to be installed side by side and switch between each other, and a Bolt+ cannot do that because it is locked to Beam Bolt. Standalone Mode and Pairing Mode run on both.

Pick your mode

Beam Bolt has three modes. They differ in how much you build and where the payment starts, not in the payment methods you can accept. Pick the one that fits, then follow its guide.

Your staff enter the amount on the device and take the payment, like a traditional card terminal (EDC). No server and no integration work.

Standalone Mode

Your server sends payment requests to a paired device over the internet. Best when you want payments tied to your own orders, delivery, or inventory systems.

Pairing Mode

Your own Android app hands the payment to Beam Bolt on the same device, then gets the shopper back when it is done.

Deep Link Mode

Compare the modes

Mode	Do you call the API?	Needs your own software?	Runs on	Needs a Bolt Connection?
Standalone	No	No	Bolt+ or your own Android device	No
Pairing	Yes, from your server	Your point-of-sale or till	Bolt+ or your own Android device	Yes
Deep Link	Yes, from your server	Your own app, on the device	Your own Android device only	No

Where Bolt payments appear

Payments arrive the same way in all three modes. When a shopper pays, Beam creates a Charge with source BOLT and sourceId equal to the Bolt Intent’s id. You can see those Charges:

In Lighthouse: on the Bolt Charges page.
Through the API: GET /api/v1/charges?source_in=BOLT lists Bolt payments, and Transactions gives you the accounting record.

Events on Beam Bolt

Beam sends the same webhook events in all three modes, so your own system can stay in sync even in Standalone Mode, where you never call the API:

bolt_intent.paid, bolt_intent.canceled, bolt_intent.expired
charge.succeeded, charge.failed
refund.succeeded, refund.failed
transaction.created

There is no bolt_intent.failed event. See Listen to Bolt Intent webhooks for which event tells you a payment was declined, Event Types for each payload, and the Webhook guide for how to set your endpoint up.

Core concepts

Bolt Intent: the payment request itself. Every Beam Bolt payment is one, including the ones a device creates by itself in Standalone Mode.
Bolt Connection: the link between your server and a device. Pairing Mode only.