Topping up means buying LONIDA from another manager with ordinary money — a bank transfer, mobile money, whatever they accept. Lonida holds their coin while you pay, and releases it once they confirm the money arrived. This guide covers the whole thing, including everything that can go wrong.
You are paying a person, not Lonida
The money leaves your bank and goes to the vendor's own account. Lonida never touches it. What Lonida controls is the coin — it is held the moment your order starts, and it cannot be spent by the vendor while your trade is open. That hold is your protection, and it is the only one.
Before you start
You will need
- Your name, phone number and country filled in. A vendor is about to release real value to you and needs to know who they are dealing with — an order will be refused without these.
- A way to pay in the currency the offer is priced in.
- Ten minutes free. Most vendors give you 30 minutes to pay before the order closes itself.
Choosing an offer
Each offer shows the payment method, the currency, the vendor's rate and the limits they accept. The rate already includes the vendor's margin over the market price, so the figure you see is the figure you get — there is nothing added afterwards.
Offers also show the vendor's rating and how many trades they have completed. A vendor with no rating is not a bad vendor, only an unproven one.
One trade at a time
You can only have one order open at once. Finish or cancel it before starting another. Two live orders would mean two vendors holding coin against money you can only send once.
Paying
Once you start an order the countdown begins and the vendor's account details appear. Send the exact amount, and use the reference shown — it is how the vendor matches your payment to your order. A payment without the reference is a payment they have to hunt for.
Pay from an account in your own name
If the name on the transfer does not match the name on your Lonida account, expect the vendor to dispute it. From their side, a payment from a stranger is indistinguishable from no payment at all.
Then upload your receipt and press I have made payment. The vendor is emailed and notified straight away.
Getting your coin
The vendor checks their account and releases. The coin lands in your wallet immediately and you are emailed a receipt. Most releases happen in minutes; a vendor who is asleep may take longer, which is why the trade has a chat inside it.
When things go wrong
Never cancel after you have paid
Cancelling releases the vendor's coin back to them. If you have already sent money, you have paid for nothing and you have given away your only leverage. If you have paid and something is wrong, use the chat, and let the vendor open a dispute — the coin stays frozen while an admin decides.
Cancelling costs you a week
If you cancel after a vendor has committed their coin, you cannot start another top-up for 7 days. Their balance was locked for you and nobody else could trade against it.
If the timer runs out before you pay, the order closes on its own, the vendor's coin is freed, and nothing has been charged. That is not a penalty — but do not let it happen after you have sent money.