# Quick start

This page takes you from nothing to a working Cheqi receipt in Odoo. Plan about
30 minutes, plus the time your Odoo partner or developer needs to install the
connector.

## Before you start

Check these first. They decide whether, and by whom, Cheqi can be set up.

| Check | Why it matters |
|  --- | --- |
| **Your Odoo runs on Odoo.sh or your own server** | Cheqi for Odoo is a set of custom modules. **Odoo Online (SaaS) does not allow custom modules**, so Cheqi cannot be installed there. If you use Odoo Online, ask your Odoo partner about moving to Odoo.sh. |
| **Your Odoo version is 19 or 20** | Download the connector version that matches your Odoo version. Earlier versions are not supported. |
| **Someone can install modules and Python packages** | On Odoo.sh this is whoever manages your repository, usually your Odoo partner. On your own server it is your system administrator. |
| **You know which parts you need** | See the table below. Each part is installed and switched on separately. |


| You want to… | Use | Odoo apps needed |
|  --- | --- | --- |
| Give shop customers a digital receipt at the till | **Cheqi POS Receipts** | Point of Sale |
| Give webshop customers a digital receipt after checkout | **Cheqi eCommerce Receipts** | eCommerce |
| Receive your employees' and company's receipts as draft expenses | **Cheqi Expenses** | Expenses |


## Step 1: Create a Cheqi company

1. Go to the [sandbox merchant portal](https://sandbox.portal.cheqi.io) and
create an account. Start in the sandbox: nothing you do there reaches real
customers.
2. Register your company. Use the legal name and VAT number of the company that
issues the receipts; Cheqi prints them on every receipt.
3. Create an [API key](/authentication/api-keys) for the company with
these permissions, and copy it right away. It is shown only once and starts
with `sk_`.
| Permission in the Cheqi app | Scope |
|  --- | --- |
| Issue Receipts | `receipt:issue` |
| View Stores | `store:read` |
| Manage Stores | `store:manage` |
| View Company | `company:read` |


For **Cheqi Expenses** you need a second, separate API key with other
permissions. See [Cheqi Expenses](/odoo/expenses#step-1-create-an-expenses-api-key).

## Step 2: Install the connector

Your Odoo partner or administrator installs the connector and the Cheqi Python
SDK. The [installation guide](/odoo/installation) has the steps for Odoo.sh and
for your own server. When they are done, the Cheqi apps appear under **Apps**
in Odoo.

## Step 3: Switch Cheqi on

**Point of Sale**

1. Open **Point of Sale → Configuration → Settings** and select your Point of
Sale at the top.
2. In **Cheqi Digital Receipts**, turn on **Cheqi receipts**.
3. Choose **Sandbox**, paste the API key and click **Test Connection**.
4. Click **Save**.


![The Cheqi Digital Receipts section in the Point of Sale settings](/assets/pos-settings.2dc66a5c4f85930bc447f7b11f6466f4989999e131cdd199b0239539443942a7.bdd50da4.png)

**Webshop**

1. Open **Website → Configuration → Settings** and select your website.
2. Turn on **Cheqi Digital Receipts**.
3. The environment and API key are shared with Point of Sale for the same
company. If you have not entered them yet, do it here and click **Test
Connection**.
4. Click **Save**.


All settings are explained in [Configuration](/odoo/configuration).

## Step 4: Make a test sale

**Point of Sale**: open the register and sell any product for cash. After the
payment, a blue Cheqi panel appears below the paid amount.

- Because a cash payment does not identify the customer, the panel asks **How
would the customer like their receipt?** Click **Show QR fallback**. A QR code
appears.
- Scan it with your phone's camera. Without the Cheqi app, the link opens your
receipt wallet in the browser; with the app, it can collect the receipt into
Cheqi.


![The Cheqi panel with a QR receipt after a POS payment (Odoo 19)](/assets/pos-qr-receipt.043beee7c5b2d04f020d07c3a1f02f350124a18ca952999ad72b963b93488838.bdd50da4.png)

**Webshop**: place an order and pay with a test payment method. The order
confirmation page shows a Cheqi section with a QR code and an **Open digital
receipt** button.

You're done when the receipt opens on your phone. Your cashiers can now use the
[cashier guide](/odoo/cashier-guide).

## Step 5: Let receipts find customers by themselves

This is where Cheqi gets good. When a customer who uses Cheqi pays by card or
bank, the receipt lands in their Cheqi app on its own: no QR code, no email
address, nothing for the cashier to do. From there their app passes it on to
their employer's expense system or their bookkeeping, if they set that up.

For that, Cheqi needs the card or bank reference from your payment provider.
Check what your provider supplies, and the one setting some providers need, in
[Payment providers](/odoo/payment-providers).

## Step 6: Go live

1. Create a company and API key in production, the same way as in the sandbox.
2. In the Odoo settings, choose **Production**, paste the production API key
and click **Test Connection**.
3. Make one real sale and check that the receipt arrives.


A sandbox key does not work in production, and the other way around.