You create secure deals in the web version of Mellow at mellow.io.
In the main menu of your account, open the Invoicing section, go to the Secure Deals tab, and select Create new.
Step 0. Choose a commercial proposal (if you have one)
If you and your client have already agreed on the terms through a commercial proposal in Project Radar, you can build the deal straight from it.
A commercial proposal is a non-binding way to settle the details with a potential client before any work begins. You create one in Project Radar, and once both sides are happy with it, it becomes the starting point for your secure deal.
Once your client has accepted it, select the proposal in the Commercial Proposal field and the deal fields fill in automatically. Just review them and adjust anything that needs it.
If you don’t have a proposal – because you don’t use Project Radar, or you settled the terms with your client directly – skip this step and fill in the deal manually, as described below.
Step 1. Choose a client
Pick the client from the list if you’ve worked with them through Mellow before. If this is their first payment to you, select Add client.
For a new client, enter the country where the company is registered, company’s name and the email address for the deal. The link and all verification codes go to that address, so check with your client in advance that it’s the right one.
Select client’s currency – you won’t be able to change this once the client is added
Then select Save.
Step 2. Set the price and choose who pays the fee
Enter the price of the deal, then choose who covers the Mellow fee.
The fee is 5% of the deal price for a bank transfer and 8% for a card payment. Either side can cover it: select the option you’ve agreed on, and the total updates automatically.
If you cover the fee, it comes out of your payout. Your client then pays the deal price, VAT where their country charges it, and the bank’s commission on the transfer to Mellow’s account. For a card payment, you only cover 5% of the 8% fee — the remaining 3%, a card processing charge, is always paid by your client, regardless of who's covering the Mellow fee.
If your client covers the fee, you receive exactly the amount you entered in the Price field.
Important! When your client sends the money, they need to choose the option where the sender pays the full transfer commission. If they split the commission with the recipient, the amount that reaches Mellow will fall short of the deal price.
Card payment isn't available for every deal. If the amount is over 3000 EUR or USD, it has to go through bank transfer instead. The same applies to any deal created before September 8, 2026 — card payment isn't an option there. And right now, clients based in Cyprus, Turkey or Indonesia can only pay by bank transfer, not by card.
Mellow reserves the right to restrict card payments for specific freelancers or secure deals at its own discretion.
Step 3. Choose the service category and set a deadline
Pick the service category from the alphabetical list, or search for it by keyword. If nothing matches exactly, go with the closest option. If nothing comes close, message our support chat and we’ll help you pick one.
Then set a deadline for delivering the service, preferably leaving yourself some buffer. If you miss it, your client can either set a new date or decline the deal and get their money back.
Select Save deal.
Step 4. Review the secure deal and send it to the client
Open the preview and check the details one last time. If everything’s right, select Send to client, and your client gets an email with the link.
You can also copy the link and send it directly, through whichever messenger you and your client use.
From there, your client opens the link, signs in to their account or completes verification on the preview page, and accepts the secure deal. Then they pay using whichever method is available for that deal: downloading the bill for a bank transfer, or paying directly by card.
You can follow up at any time: select Remind client, and we’ll email them a reminder to take a look at the deal.
After sending the secure deal
From acceptance to payment, a deal moves through several stages, and its status changes at each one, so you always know where things stand.
1. Wait for your client to top up their balance and accept the deal. The status changes to In progress, and Mellow holds the funds until the work is accepted.
2. When the work is finished, open the deal and select Finish. You can attach your files here if your client needs them.
3. The deal moves to the Client review status.
4. Once your client accepts the work, the status changes to Processing payment.
5. Mellow releases the money to your balance, and the status becomes Paid. All that’s left is to withdraw the funds to whichever payment method suits you.
If you still have questions, message us through the chat in your Mellow account or at [email protected].