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Stake to Take

Stake USDC to take dispute-protected Venmo and PayPal orders on Peer. Every 1 USDC of available stake gives you 1 USDC of protected buying power. Cash App and other payment methods do not require stake.

Staking is collateral for chargeback risk, not a yield product. Your USDC stays in the protocol's StakeVault on Base until you withdraw it or it is used to resolve an upheld chargeback.

Add stake​

  1. Open Staking in the Peer app and connect the wallet you use to buy.
  2. Select Add stake and enter the amount of USDC you want to add.
  3. Confirm the USDC approval if the app asks for it, then confirm the stake transaction in your wallet.
  4. Wait for Add stake confirmed. The Protected buying power balance updates when the transaction is confirmed on Base.

If you start a protected order without enough available stake, Peer shows the exact shortfall. Add at least that amount and the order resumes after the new stake is confirmed.

What happens during an order​

  • A protected order locks the same amount of stake as the order amount.
  • The lock remains through the payment method's dispute window after the payment settles.
  • When the window ends without an upheld chargeback, the stake becomes available again.
  • If a chargeback is upheld, the seller is paid from the locked stake.

You can see your total, available, and locked stake under Staking, along with active locks and recent staking activity.

warning

Only use Venmo or PayPal accounts and payments you control. A successful chargeback against your order can consume the stake locked behind that order.

Withdraw stake​

Select Withdraw on the Staking page and enter an amount up to your available balance. Available stake withdraws immediately; there is no exit request or cooldown. Stake locked behind an active order cannot be withdrawn until that lock is released.

Reducing your available stake also reduces the protected order volume you can take.

Use stake shared by another account​

Peer supports a two-account flow for teams, Safes, and other shared-capital setups:

  1. The stake owner opens Staking, selects Authorize an address, and authorizes the buyer's Base address.
  2. The buyer opens Staking, selects Use another account, and chooses or enters the stake owner's address.
  3. After both transactions are confirmed, new protected orders use the owner's available stake instead of the buyer's own stake.

Authorization does not move funds. The owner can remove access at any time, and the buyer can select Use my own stake to switch back. Removing access only affects new orders; existing locks remain until their orders settle and their dispute windows end.

warning

When you share your stake, an upheld chargeback on an authorized buyer's order is paid from your stake. Authorize only addresses you trust.

Troubleshooting​

The app says more stake is required​

Your available stake is below the amount needed for that protected order. Add the displayed shortfall, choose a smaller order, or switch to another payment method.

I have stake, but it is not available​

Check Active stake locks. Stake already backing an order remains locked until that order's dispute window ends.

Another account shared stake with me, but I cannot use it​

Both steps must be complete on Base: the owner authorizes your address, then you select that owner from your own Staking page. Ask the owner to confirm the address they authorized, then refresh and try again.

Protected buys are paused​

New dispute-protected orders are temporarily unavailable. Existing stake and locks remain safe, and any stake that is not locked remains withdrawable.

For contract flow, risk-window behavior, and Base addresses, see Stake to Take Protocol. For broader safety guidance, see Risks and Safety.