Payment Streaming Guide

Name: LinQup Widget
Brand: LinQup

LinQup uses real-time payment streaming powered by Superfluid Protocol. Money flows continuously, second by second.

What is Payment Streaming?

Traditional Payments

Problem with normal transactions:

Pay $10 once per month
Creator gets nothing for 30 days
Then suddenly gets $10
All-or-nothing

Streaming Payments

How LinQup works:

Set $10/month rate
Money flows every second
Creator sees balance grow in real-time
Can stop anytime
Pay only for time elapsed

Real-Time Streaming

How It Works

Example: $10/month stream

Month breakdown:
- 1 month = $10.00
- 1 day = $0.33
- 1 hour = $0.014
- 1 minute = $0.00023
- 1 second = $0.0000038

What this means:

After 1 day: Creator has $0.33
After 15 days: Creator has $5.00
After 1 month: Creator has $10.00

If you stop after 10 days:

You pay exactly $3.33
No waste, no refunds needed
Fair for both parties

Key Benefits

For Supporters

✅ Pay for what you consume

Stop anytime, only pay for time used
No locked-in subscriptions
No "lost month" if you cancel

✅ Transparent

See exactly how much is streaming
Real-time balance updates
Full control

✅ Flexible

Start/stop instantly
Adjust amounts anytime
Support multiple creators

For Creators

✅ Predictable income

See revenue grow in real-time
Know your monthly rate
No surprise chargebacks

✅ Fair compensation

Get paid for exact time supported
No platform holds payment
Instant access to funds

✅ No platform fees

100% of stream goes to you
Only pay blockchain gas (~$0.01)
No monthly/annual fees

How to Use Streams

As a Supporter

Starting a stream:

Visit creator's page with widget
Connect wallet
Convert USDC → USDCx
Set monthly rate (e.g., $10/month)
Click "Start Stream"

Managing streams:

Increase: Adjust rate upward anytime
Decrease: Lower the rate (stops old, starts new)
Stop: End stream completely
Check balance: See how long funds will last

Detailed supporter guide →

As a Creator

Receiving streams:

Create your widget
Share your page
Supporters start streams
Watch balance grow real-time
Withdraw anytime

Viewing streams:

Dashboard shows all active streams
See total monthly rate
Track individual supporters
Export stream data

Detailed creator guide →

Technical Foundation

Superfluid Protocol

LinQup is built on Superfluid:

Constant Flow Agreements (CFA): Core streaming primitive
Super Tokens: USDCx enables streaming
Gas Efficient: Money flows without transactions
Ethereum Secured: Built on Polygon (L2)

How it works technically →

Smart Contract Architecture

No intermediaries:

Streams are smart contract agreements
Money flows directly wallet-to-wallet
LinQup doesn't custody funds
Non-custodial by design

Stream States

Active Stream

What it means:

Money flowing right now
Balance decreasing every second (supporter)
Balance increasing every second (creator)

Requirements:

Sufficient USDCx balance
Active Superfluid CFA
Both wallets operational

Paused/Stopped Stream

What happens:

No more money flows
Final balance settled
Can restart later (new stream)

Why it stops:

Supporter manually stopped
Supporter ran out of USDCx
Network issues (rare)

Running Out of Funds

When balance hits zero:

Stream automatically stops
Supporter notified (if watching)
No debt created
Can restart by adding USDCx

Prevention:

Widget shows "time remaining"
Add USDCx before it runs out
Set up notifications

Stream Calculations

Monthly Rate to Time

$10/month = How long?

USDCx Balance	Duration
$10	1 month
$5	15 days
$20	2 months
$100	10 months

Formula:

Duration = Balance ÷ Monthly Rate
Example: $50 ÷ $10/month = 5 months

Multiple Streams

Supporting 3 creators at $10/month each:

Total rate: $30/month
$60 balance: Lasts 2 months
$15 balance: Lasts 15 days

Your total outflow = Sum of all stream rates

Common Use Cases

Ongoing Support

Best for:

Favorite content creators
Open source developers
Community projects
Regular content consumption

Pattern:

Set comfortable monthly rate
Maintain USDCx balance
Long-term relationship

Trial/Testing

Best for:

Trying new creators
Testing premium content
Short-term access

Pattern:

Start small ($1-5/month)
Add just enough for trial period
Easy to stop if not satisfied

Seasonal Support

Best for:

Project-based creators
Seasonal content
Campaign support

Pattern:

Higher rate for active periods
Lower/stop during breaks
Flexible engagement

Safety & Transparency

What You See

✅ Always visible:

Current flow rate ($/month)
Time until funds run out
Total amount streamed
Active stream duration

What You Control

✅ Full control:

Start/stop instantly
Adjust rate anytime
Withdraw creator funds anytime
No permissions needed after setup

What's Guaranteed

✅ Smart contract guarantees:

Can't be charged more than rate
Can't create debt
Can always stop
Funds flow atomically

Gas Costs

Streaming operations:

Action	Gas Cost	When Needed
Start stream	~$0.01	Once per creator
Streaming itself	$0	Continuous (no gas!)
Update rate	~$0.01	Each time you adjust
Stop stream	~$0.01	When ending

One-time setup:

Wrap USDC → USDCx: ~$0.01
Approve USDCx: ~$0.01
First stream: ~$0.01

Total to start: ~$0.03 (3 cents)

Troubleshooting

Stream won't start

Common causes:

Insufficient USDCx balance
Haven't approved USDCx spending
Network congestion
Wrong network (check Polygon)

Troubleshooting guide →

Balance not updating

Reasons:

Ran out of USDCx
Stream was stopped
Wallet needs refresh
Network sync delay

Fix:

Refresh page
Check stream status in dashboard
Verify USDCx balance

Rate seems wrong

Check:

Widget shows $/month rate
Actual flow is per second
Small discrepancies due to timing
Blockchain timestamp accuracy

Next Steps

Start Streaming

Get USDC - Acquire funds
Convert to USDCx - Enable streaming
Support Creators - Start streams

Learn More

How Streaming Works - Technical details
Superfluid Docs - Protocol documentation
Dashboard Guide - Managing your streams

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I stream to multiple creators?

Yes! Start separate streams to each creator. Your total outflow = sum of all rates.

What if I run out of USDCx?

Stream automatically stops. No debt created. Add more USDCx to restart.

Can creators withdraw while streaming?

Yes! Creators can withdraw their balance anytime without affecting the stream.

How precise is the streaming?

Extremely precise. Calculations use blockchain timestamps accurate to the second.

What happens if creator's wallet is hacked?

Stream continues to that wallet. Stop the stream immediately if you notice suspicious activity.

Can I schedule streams to start/stop?

Not natively. You must manually start/stop. Consider setting calendar reminders.

Do streams continue if I close my browser?

Yes! Streams are on-chain smart contracts. They run independently of your browser.

Can I stream non-monetary things?

No. Superfluid streams ERC-20 tokens only (like USDCx). For content access, creators must gate separately.