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How to receive your first payment in digital dollars while living in Colombia
The first mistake when getting paid in digital dollars happens before you even get paid: sharing a wallet address without specifying the network.
Here we tell you what information to request, how to confirm that the payment arrived using the transaction hash, and how much is convenient to convert to pesos.
Download the belo app and check how to receive your first payment in digital dollars according to your account and current conditions.
What information to share before getting paid
The first mistake when receiving your first payment in digital dollars happens before anyone sends you anything. It happens when you send your wallet address without specifying the network, and the payer chooses an incompatible one.
Those funds can end up trapped or lost. The difference between getting paid correctly and getting paid incorrectly starts with a three-line message.
When someone is going to pay you in USDT or USDC, they need three pieces of information from you. The first is your wallet address, a unique alphanumeric string where the funds are received.
The second is the blockchain network through which you want to receive, because the same stablecoin like USDT can be sent over different networks such as Tron, Ethereum, or Polygon, and each has different costs and transaction times.
The third, which many forget, is the memo or tag, an additional field that some platforms require to identify the recipient within the same shared address.
The three pieces of information you must share before getting paid
Your wallet address, which is the unique alphanumeric string where the funds are received
The blockchain network through which you want to receive, clearly specified (for example, Tron TRC-20, Ethereum, Polygon)
The memo or tag, an additional field that some platforms require to identify the recipient within the same shared address
A message that works looks like this: "Here is my information for the payment. Address: [your address]. Network: Tron (TRC-20). Memo: N/A.
Please confirm the transaction hash with me when you send it." Asking for the hash saves you the anxiety of waiting without knowing if the payment went through or not.
Comparison of costs and times by network
Network | Estimated fee cost | Typical confirmation time |
|---|---|---|
Tron (TRC-20) | Around 1 dollar or less | Less than a minute |
Ethereum | Between 5 and 15 dollars depending on congestion | Two to five minutes |
Polygon | Low costs (similar to Tron) | Less than a minute |
Choosing the correct network before sharing your information avoids unnecessary fees or, worse, the payer sending to a network that your wallet does not support.
How to confirm that the payment arrived
Once the person paying you confirms the shipment, they should share the transaction hash with you, which is a unique identifier of that movement on the blockchain.
With that hash, you can verify the payment status on a public explorer like Tronscan (for TRC-20) or Etherscan (for Ethereum), without depending on the other person telling you they already sent it.
Simply paste the hash into the explorer's search bar to see the sent amount, destination address, number of confirmations, and if the transaction was successful.
Settlement times vary by network. On Tron, most transactions are confirmed in less than a minute, while on Ethereum the typical range is two to five minutes and can extend during times of high congestion.
If more than 15 minutes have passed and your wallet does not reflect the balance, there are three things to check.
What to verify if the payment does not appear after 15 minutes
That the destination address in the explorer matches yours exactly
That the network used by the sender is the same one your wallet accepts for that token
That the transaction has a "Success" or "Confirmed" status in the explorer, because if it appears as "Pending" it is still processing
The most common mistake when receiving USDT in Colombia for the first time is confusing networks. If your wallet only accepts USDT via Tron and the payer sends it via Ethereum, those funds will not appear in your balance even if the transaction is listed as successful on Etherscan.
Recovery depends on the wallet you use and in some cases may be impossible. Sharing a receiving address for a different cryptocurrency, such as a Bitcoin address to receive USDT, results in an irreversible loss.
How much to convert to Colombian pesos
Receiving the payment is only half the process. The other half is deciding how much of that balance to convert to Colombian pesos and how much to keep in digital dollars. That decision depends on your fixed expenses in pesos and your payment horizon.
If your fixed expenses in pesos do not consume your entire income, it is advisable to convert only what is necessary to cover them and leave the rest in stablecoins.
Keeping a portion of the balance in USDT or USDC works as a reserve in hard currency that does not depreciate at the rate of the peso.
On the other hand, if your expenses consume almost your entire income, leaving funds in digital dollars when you need pesos for rent and services creates more friction than benefit.
The conversion can be done within the same wallet or exchange where you received the funds.
Wallets like belo allow you to receive money from abroad as USDT and USDC and convert them to local currency from the same app, without having to move funds between platforms.
This simplicity matters especially when you are starting out and every extra step is an opportunity to make a mistake. A practical rule used by many freelancers is the 60-40 rule in the first few months.
Converting 60% to pesos to cover immediate expenses and keeping 40% in stablecoins is a reasonable starting point.
As your payment flow stabilizes and you better understand your spending cycles, you can adjust that ratio based on how often you get paid and the volume of your fixed commitments.
What changes after the first payment
Getting paid in digital dollars the first time generates doubts that disappear with repetition, but there are two things that are good to be clear about from the start.
The first is that the transaction hash is your definitive proof, more reliable than any screenshot sent to you by the payer, because it is independently verifiable on the blockchain.
The second is that choosing the wrong network has real consequences, and the responsibility to specify it falls on the recipient, not the sender.
Once the process is working, with clear information, hash verification, and partial conversion to pesos, receiving the second payment takes less than a minute of your attention. Everything that seemed technical during the first payment becomes a routine of copying, pasting, and confirming.
Download the belo app and check the current conditions according to your account.
Frequently asked questions about how to receive your first payment in digital dollars living in Colombia
What happens if I am sent USDT through the wrong network?
The funds will not appear in your balance, even if the transaction is listed as successful in the explorer of the network used. The possibility of recovering them depends on the wallet you use, and in some cases there is no way to do so, so it is always advisable to specify the network before sharing your address.
Is it mandatory to ask for the transaction hash?
It is not mandatory, but it is the most reliable way to verify the payment independently, without depending on screenshots. With the hash, you can check the real status of the transaction on public explorers like Tronscan or Etherscan.
How long do I have to wait for the payment to appear in my wallet?
On the Tron network, most transactions are confirmed in less than a minute. On Ethereum, the typical time ranges from two to five minutes, although it can extend during times of high congestion. If after 15 minutes the balance does not appear, it is advisable to check the destination address, the network, and the status of the transaction in the explorer.
What proportion of the payment is best to convert to Colombian pesos?
Many freelancers convert around 60% to pesos to cover immediate expenses and keep the remaining 40% in stablecoins as a reserve. That proportion can be adjusted based on the frequency of your payments and the volume of your fixed expenses in local currency.
Do I need the memo or tag every time I share my wallet address?
It depends on the platform you use to receive the funds. Some wallets and exchanges require this field to identify the recipient within a shared address. If your platform does not require it, simply indicating "not applicable" is enough to avoid confusion for the payer.
