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How Digital Receipts Work in Practice

See how DRP turns an everyday coffee purchase into a secure, verifiable digital receipt that you truly own.

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A Real Transaction

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Meet Sarah

Sarah is grabbing coffee before work. She’s about to experience DRP without even realizing it—the entire process happens automatically in seconds.
1

Sarah Orders Coffee

Sarah orders her usual latte at Coffee Shop downtown. Total: $4.20What happens:
  • She taps her credit card to pay
  • The payment processes normally through her bank (Chase)
  • She doesn’t need to do anything special
2

Receipt Gets Created

The coffee shop’s point-of-sale system automatically creates a detailed receiptWhat’s included:
  • Coffee Shop name and address
  • Date and time: December 15, 2025 at 8:47 AM
  • Items: 1 Latte ($4.20)
  • Payment method: Visa ending in 1234
The magic: This receipt gets cryptographically signed by Coffee Shop, like a tamper-proof seal that proves it’s authentic and hasn’t been altered.
3

Receipt Gets Encrypted

Before sending the receipt anywhere, it gets encrypted specifically for SarahHow it works:
  • When Sarah first got her Chase banking app, it created a special “lock” (public key) just for her
  • Coffee Shop uses Sarah’s lock to encrypt the receipt
  • Only Sarah has the “key” (private key) to unlock and read it
  • Even Coffee Shop can’t read the encrypted version
  • Her bank can’t read it either
  • Nobody can—except Sarah
4

Receipt Travels Securely

The encrypted receipt gets sent to Chase through secure channelsThe journey:
  • Coffee Shop → DRP Network → Chase Bank → Sarah’s Banking App
  • The receipt stays encrypted the entire journey
  • Chase adds their own signature confirming the transaction happened
  • This dual signature (Coffee Shop + Chase) prevents fraud
5

Sarah Sees Her Receipt

Sarah opens her Chase banking app during her commuteWhat she sees:
  • “Coffee Shop - $4.20” in her recent transactions
  • She taps to view details
  • Her phone automatically decrypts the receipt using her private key (stored securely in her iPhone’s secure chip)
  • She sees the full itemized receipt: 1 Latte, $4.20
  • The receipt is verified authentic by both Coffee Shop and Chase signatures

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What Makes This Special?

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True Ownership

Sarah’s receipt isn’t stored on Coffee Shop’s server or Chase’s database where they control it. The encrypted receipt lives in her banking app, and only she has the key to read it.
Think of it like a safety deposit box. The bank holds the box, but only you have the key. Without your key, the contents are useless to anyone else.

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Forever Accessible

  • If Sarah switches banks: She can export her encrypted receipts and import them into her new banking app
  • If Coffee Shop closes: She still has the verified, signed receipt
  • For expense reports: She can share specific receipts with her employer without giving them access to everything
  • For returns: She has undeniable proof of purchase

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Fraud Protection

Because both Coffee Shop and Chase cryptographically signed the receipt:
  • Can’t be forged: Any tampering breaks the signatures
  • Can’t be disputed: Both parties verified the transaction
  • Can’t be altered: The encryption is tamper-proof

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Behind the Scenes (Simple Version)

Here’s what happens technically, explained without jargon:
When Sarah’s banking app was first installed, it generated two keys:Private key (the “unlock key”):
  • Stays on Sarah’s phone forever
  • Stored in her iPhone’s secure chip (Secure Enclave) or Android’s secure storage (KeyStore)
  • Never transmitted anywhere
  • Only Sarah’s phone can use it
Public key (the “lock”):
  • Shared with merchants and her bank
  • Used to encrypt receipts specifically for Sarah
  • Useless without Sarah’s private key
It’s like Sarah gave everyone a special lock that only her personal key can unlock. They can lock boxes for her, but only she can open them.
Two scenarios:If she backs up her banking app:
  • Her new phone restores the private key from secure backup
  • All her old receipts are accessible again
If she doesn’t have backup:
  • Old receipts can’t be decrypted (by design—this is the security tradeoff)
  • Her bank generates a new key pair for future receipts
  • She starts fresh with new receipts going forward
Most banking apps handle this automatically with secure cloud backup.
Real-time. The entire process—from payment to encrypted receipt in Sarah’s app—takes less than 2 seconds. She doesn’t wait. She doesn’t do anything special. It just works.
No. DRP is open-source infrastructure, like HTTP (the technology that powers websites). There are no fees, no subscriptions, no charges. Her bank includes it as part of their normal banking app features.
Because receipts are signed by both parties:
  • If the amounts don’t match, Sarah sees a warning
  • If Coffee Shop’s signature is invalid, her app flags it
  • If Chase’s confirmation doesn’t match, it shows as unverified
This dual-signature system catches errors and prevents fraud automatically.

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Common Use Cases

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Expense Reports (Corporate Users)

Before DRP:
  1. Save paper receipt
  2. Photograph it later
  3. Manually enter details into expense system
  4. Attach photo
  5. Wait for approval
  6. Re-submit if receipt is unclear
With DRP:
  1. Transaction happens
  2. Encrypted receipt appears in banking app
  3. One tap shares receipt with expense system
  4. All details pre-filled (merchant, amount, items, date)
  5. Approved automatically if within policy
  6. Done in seconds

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Returns & Warranties

Before DRP:
  • “Do you have your receipt?”
  • Sarah searches through emails, crumpled papers, or tries to remember which card she used
  • Often can’t find it
  • Store gives store credit instead of refund
With DRP:
  • Opens banking app
  • Searches “Coffee Shop December”
  • Shows encrypted, verified receipt on her phone
  • Instant refund because receipt can’t be forged

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Budgeting & Financial Planning

Before DRP:
  • Bank shows: “Coffee Shop - $4.20”
  • Sarah doesn’t remember what she bought
With DRP:
  • Bank shows: “Coffee Shop - $4.20”
  • Tap for details: 1 Latte
  • Sarah realizes she’s spending $21/week on coffee
  • Automatic categorization: “Food & Drink → Coffee”
  • Budget tracking with actual items purchased

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Privacy Protections

Merchants Can't See Other Receipts

Coffee Shop can only send Sarah receipts for transactions she made with them. They can’t see her receipts from other merchants.

Banks Can't Read Content

Chase can see she spent $4.20 at Coffee Shop (they already know this from the payment). But they can’t decrypt and read the itemized receipt without Sarah’s private key.

No Third-Party Storage

Receipts aren’t stored on external servers. They’re in Sarah’s banking app, encrypted. No company database has readable copies.

Selective Sharing

Sarah can share specific receipts (like for expense reports) without giving access to her entire transaction history.

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What Sarah Experiences

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Day-to-Day

  • Nothing changes in how she pays for things
  • No extra steps at checkout
  • No apps to manage beyond her normal banking app
  • Receipts just appear automatically, encrypted and verified

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When She Needs a Receipt

  • Opens banking app instead of digging through email or paper
  • Finds it instantly with search
  • Shares easily for returns, expenses, or disputes
  • 100% confident it’s authentic because of cryptographic signatures

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Peace of Mind

  • Her transaction history is truly hers
  • Portable between banks if she switches
  • Private by default with encryption
  • Verified by both merchant and bank signatures

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Next Steps

For Consumers

Learn how to use DRP-enabled banking apps and manage your receipts

For Banks

See how to integrate DRP into your banking app

For Merchants

Discover how DRP reduces chargebacks and builds customer loyalty

Try the Demo

Experience DRP in action with our interactive demo