NostrLibreRelayOperator
Data Storage Nodes
Sep 7, 2025

Phoenix Wallet Node, Robosats Escrow and Bolt Card's spending layer

Workflows you can actually run.

1. What each component is

  • Phoenix Wallet

    • A self-custodial Bitcoin Lightning wallet by ACINQ.
    • Seamless channels, one-wallet = one-node.
    • Perfect for spending/receiving Lightning payments without manual channel management.

  • Robosats

    • A peer-to-peer (P2P) exchange for buying/selling Bitcoin with fiat.
    • Uses Lightning escrow, Nostr communication, Tor browser friendly.
    • Lets you acquire or sell BTC without KYC.

  • Bolt Card

    • An NFC card that works with LNURL-withdraw or LNURL-auth.
    • Tap to pay at merchants or withdraw sats from supporting services.
    • Tied to a Lightning wallet/node that funds the card.

2. Core flows (how the “equation” solves)

A. Get Bitcoin into Phoenix (via Robosats)

  1. Install Phoenix Wallet on phone.
  2. Go to Robosats (Tor browser or clearnet).
  3. Open or accept an order to buy BTC with your fiat method.
  4. Robosats creates a Lightning invoice for escrow.
  5. Pay that invoice from Phoenix Wallet → now escrow is funded.
  6. Once seller confirms payment, escrow releases BTC to your Phoenix Wallet.

→ Now Phoenix Wallet has sats from a P2P non-KYC trade.

B. Link Phoenix to Bolt Card (spending layer)

  1. Get a Bolt Card (e.g. from Bolt Card or LNBits vendors).

  2. In Phoenix Wallet, enable LNURL-withdraw support (built-in).

  3. Provision the Bolt Card with an LNURL-withdraw link from Phoenix.

    • Phoenix generates LNURL withdraw address.
    • Write it onto the Bolt Card using NFC and your phone.

  4. Test by tapping the card on a merchant’s POS or LNURL-withdraw demo site.

    • Phoenix will serve the withdrawal, card triggers it.

→ Now your Phoenix wallet can be spent physically with just a card tap.

C. Combined workflow — full cycle

  1. Acquire sats: Fiat → Robosats → Phoenix Wallet.
  2. Custody: Phoenix automatically manages channels, funds are liquid Lightning sats.
  3. Spend: Link Phoenix → Bolt Card → Tap to pay merchant.

This forms a circular economy stack:

  • Robosats (entry/exit fiat ↔ BTC).
  • Phoenix (Lightning custody + spending wallet).
  • Bolt Card (UX layer for physical payments).

3. Concrete example (step-by-step)

  • You want to buy $50 of BTC in Trinidad:

    1. On Robosats, open a “Buy BTC with PayPal/Bank/Top-Up Card” offer.
    2. Escrow invoice is created.
    3. Pay that invoice with Phoenix Wallet.
    4. Complete fiat transfer to seller.
    5. BTC is released → you now have ~0.0009 BTC in Phoenix.

  • You then provision your Bolt Card:

    1. Phoenix generates LNURL withdraw.
    2. Write LNURL to Bolt Card using LNBits tool or Phoenix NFC.
    3. Now at a café that supports LNURL, you tap the card.
    4. Merchant’s POS requests withdrawal, Phoenix sends sats.

4. Security notes

  • Phoenix is non-custodial, but it requires inbound liquidity management by ACINQ; still secure.
  • Robosats is KYC-less but you must use Tor/Nostr for max privacy.
  • Bolt Card is only as safe as your linked wallet — if lost, someone can drain LNURL if not capped. Always set withdrawal limits.

5. Operational Notes

  • Robosats escrow requires Lightning invoice capacity → Phoenix may need a swap-in fee if channel is small.
  • Bolt Card may not be supported at all merchants (works best in BTC-friendly communities).
  • LNURL withdraw has to be enabled properly; test with small amounts first.

👉 In simple terms:

  • Phoenix Wallet = your Lightning bank.
  • Robosats = your fiat↔BTC on-ramp/off-ramp.
  • Bolt Card = your debit card for everyday payments.
PhoenixRobosatsBoltcards