diff --git a/eclair-core/src/main/scala/fr/acinq/eclair/api/JsonSerializers.scala b/eclair-core/src/main/scala/fr/acinq/eclair/api/JsonSerializers.scala
index e2b0d5e7e..97353c824 100644
--- a/eclair-core/src/main/scala/fr/acinq/eclair/api/JsonSerializers.scala
+++ b/eclair-core/src/main/scala/fr/acinq/eclair/api/JsonSerializers.scala
@@ -21,13 +21,13 @@ import java.net.InetSocketAddress
 import com.google.common.net.HostAndPort
 import fr.acinq.bitcoin.Crypto.{Point, PrivateKey, PublicKey, Scalar}
 import fr.acinq.bitcoin.{BinaryData, OutPoint, Transaction}
-import fr.acinq.eclair.{ShortChannelId, UInt64}
 import fr.acinq.eclair.channel.State
 import fr.acinq.eclair.crypto.ShaChain
 import fr.acinq.eclair.router.RouteResponse
 import fr.acinq.eclair.transactions.Transactions.{InputInfo, TransactionWithInputInfo}
-import fr.acinq.eclair.wire.Color
-import org.json4s.JsonAST.{JArray, JInt, JNull, JObject, JString}
+import fr.acinq.eclair.wire.{Color, FailureMessage}
+import fr.acinq.eclair.{ShortChannelId, UInt64}
+import org.json4s.JsonAST._
 import org.json4s.{CustomKeySerializer, CustomSerializer}
 
 /**
@@ -106,3 +106,12 @@ class RouteResponseSerializer extends CustomSerializer[RouteResponse](format =>
     }
     JArray(nodeIds.toList.map(n => JString(n.toString)))
 }))
+
+class ThrowableSerializer extends CustomSerializer[Throwable](format => ({ null }, {
+  case t: Throwable if t.getMessage != null => JString(t.getMessage)
+  case t: Throwable => JString(t.getClass.getSimpleName)
+}))
+
+class FailureMessageSerializer extends CustomSerializer[FailureMessage](format => ({ null }, {
+  case m: FailureMessage => JString(m.message)
+}))
diff --git a/eclair-core/src/main/scala/fr/acinq/eclair/api/Service.scala b/eclair-core/src/main/scala/fr/acinq/eclair/api/Service.scala
index 5d2ddde10..84d926dc0 100644
--- a/eclair-core/src/main/scala/fr/acinq/eclair/api/Service.scala
+++ b/eclair-core/src/main/scala/fr/acinq/eclair/api/Service.scala
@@ -34,9 +34,9 @@ import fr.acinq.bitcoin.{BinaryData, MilliSatoshi, Satoshi}
 import fr.acinq.eclair.channel._
 import fr.acinq.eclair.io.Peer.{GetPeerInfo, PeerInfo}
 import fr.acinq.eclair.io.{NodeURI, Peer}
-import fr.acinq.eclair.payment.PaymentLifecycle.{CheckPayment, PaymentResult, ReceivePayment, SendPayment}
-import fr.acinq.eclair.payment.PaymentRequest
-import fr.acinq.eclair.router.{ChannelDesc,RouteRequest,RouteResponse}
+import fr.acinq.eclair.payment.PaymentLifecycle._
+import fr.acinq.eclair.payment.{PaymentLifecycle, PaymentRequest}
+import fr.acinq.eclair.router.{ChannelDesc, RouteRequest, RouteResponse}
 import fr.acinq.eclair.wire.{ChannelAnnouncement, ChannelUpdate, NodeAnnouncement}
 import fr.acinq.eclair.{Kit, ShortChannelId, feerateByte2Kw}
 import grizzled.slf4j.Logging
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ trait Service extends Logging {
   def scheduler: Scheduler
 
   implicit val serialization = jackson.Serialization
-  implicit val formats = org.json4s.DefaultFormats + new BinaryDataSerializer + new UInt64Serializer + new ShortChannelIdSerializer + new StateSerializer + new ShaChainSerializer + new PublicKeySerializer + new PrivateKeySerializer + new ScalarSerializer + new PointSerializer + new TransactionSerializer + new TransactionWithInputInfoSerializer + new InetSocketAddressSerializer + new OutPointSerializer + new OutPointKeySerializer + new InputInfoSerializer + new ColorSerializer +  new RouteResponseSerializer
+  implicit val formats = org.json4s.DefaultFormats + new BinaryDataSerializer + new UInt64Serializer + new ShortChannelIdSerializer + new StateSerializer + new ShaChainSerializer + new PublicKeySerializer + new PrivateKeySerializer + new ScalarSerializer + new PointSerializer + new TransactionSerializer + new TransactionWithInputInfoSerializer + new InetSocketAddressSerializer + new OutPointSerializer + new OutPointKeySerializer + new InputInfoSerializer + new ColorSerializer +  new RouteResponseSerializer + new ThrowableSerializer + new FailureMessageSerializer
   implicit val timeout = Timeout(60 seconds)
   implicit val shouldWritePretty: ShouldWritePretty = ShouldWritePretty.True
 
@@ -246,7 +246,11 @@ trait Service extends Logging {
                         // user manually sets the payment information
                         case JInt(amountMsat) :: JString(paymentHash) :: JString(nodeId) :: Nil =>
                           (Try(BinaryData(paymentHash)), Try(PublicKey(nodeId))) match {
-                            case (Success(ph), Success(pk)) => completeRpcFuture(req.id, (paymentInitiator ? SendPayment(amountMsat.toLong, ph, pk, maxFeePct = nodeParams.maxPaymentFee)).mapTo[PaymentResult])
+                            case (Success(ph), Success(pk)) => completeRpcFuture(req.id, (paymentInitiator ?
+                              SendPayment(amountMsat.toLong, ph, pk, maxFeePct = nodeParams.maxPaymentFee)).mapTo[PaymentResult].map {
+                              case s: PaymentSucceeded => s
+                              case f: PaymentFailed => f.copy(failures = PaymentLifecycle.transformForUser(f.failures))
+                            })
                             case (Failure(_), _) => reject(RpcValidationRejection(req.id, s"invalid payment hash '$paymentHash'"))
                             case _ => reject(RpcValidationRejection(req.id, s"invalid node id '$nodeId'"))
                           }
@@ -266,7 +270,10 @@ trait Service extends Logging {
                               case None => SendPayment(amount_msat, pr.paymentHash, pr.nodeId, maxFeePct = nodeParams.maxPaymentFee)
                               case Some(minFinalCltvExpiry) => SendPayment(amount_msat, pr.paymentHash, pr.nodeId, assistedRoutes = Nil, minFinalCltvExpiry, maxFeePct = nodeParams.maxPaymentFee)
                             }
-                            completeRpcFuture(req.id, (paymentInitiator ? sendPayment).mapTo[PaymentResult])
+                            completeRpcFuture(req.id, (paymentInitiator ? sendPayment).mapTo[PaymentResult].map {
+                              case s: PaymentSucceeded => s
+                              case f: PaymentFailed => f.copy(failures = PaymentLifecycle.transformForUser(f.failures))
+                            })
                           case _ => reject(RpcValidationRejection(req.id, s"payment request is not valid"))
                         }
                         case _ => reject(UnknownParamsRejection(req.id, "[amountMsat, paymentHash, nodeId or [paymentRequest] or [paymentRequest, amountMsat]"))