What can I buy with Bitcoin?
All cryptocurrency enthusiasts know that Bitcoin is one of the safest and easiest ways of payment. But a lot of people don’t know that it is possible to buy their favorite things and pay for them with Bitcoin.
For a large part of its existence, the Bitcoin (BTC) community placed a lot of faith in the cryptocurrency becoming a viable alternative to many centralized payment systems existing in the market. However, BTC currently is mostly used as a long-term investment — an asset much like gold or stocks.
Nowadays, the list of marketplaces and retailers accepting Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies is significantly larger, providing crypto enthusiasts with more options for making real-world purchases.
Here are some of the leading retailers, merchants and companies that will let you book flights and hotels, buy coffee or pizza, or even go to space with crypto.
Burger King
The German branch of fast-food restaurant chain Burger King now claims to accept Bitcoin as payment for its online orders and deliveries, but this is not the first time Burger King has warmed up to Bitcoin as a form of payment.
The company, headquartered in Florida in the United States, had its Russian branch announce in 2017 that it would start accepting Bitcoin payments, but it ultimately did not take off.
Starbucks
For crypto payments to gain traction, merchants need to implement systems that enable swift and easy cryptocurrency spending. Starbucks is one of the companies taking advantage of this concept through Flexa, a U.S.-based payment startup that is helping the cafe giant, as well as dozens of other companies, accept cryptocurrency payments.
The company developed an app called Spedn that enables crypto holders to make purchases with merchants like Starbucks. The company’s CEO believes that by making cryptocurrencies spendable in the mainstream, commerce will realize the full benefit of blockchain technology all over the world.
Coupa Cafe
Crypto enthusiasts in Silicon Valley’s Palo Alto (U.S.) might already be familiar with Coupa Cafe for other reasons apart from its coffee and food. Through its partnership with a Facebook software developer, Coupa Cafe has been accepting Bitcoin as payment since 2013.
Shuttledelivery
You can use Bitcoin Cash to buy your food, and get it delivered. A Korean platform Shuttledelivery is the first food delivery company in Korea to accept Bitcoin as a payment. Shuttle charges no additional fee to pay via Bitcoin Cash.
You can use any wallet you have on your phone. All prices are instantly converted from Korean won to Bitcoin Cash with almost no transaction fees!
Lieferando
Germany’s largest food delivery web portal, Lieferando.de, which boasts over 11,000 partner restaurants, accept bitcoin for payments since 2017. The company is owned by one of the largest online food ordering websites in the world, Takeaway.com. Lieferando claims to have 3.9 million users and 17.3 million orders with an average order value of €19.68.
TravelbyBit
If a traveler only has Bitcoin at their disposal, this merchant will gladly offer services in exchange for it. TravelbyBit, a flight and hotel booking service, accepts cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Binance Coin and Litecoin (LTC) as payment. With a network of over 300 crypto-friendly merchants, the platform is one of the biggest supporters of crypto adoption.
Other platforms to book flights with crypto include Destinia, CheapBizClass, CheapAir, AirBaltic, Bitcoin.Travel and ABitSky, among others.
Gyft
Gyft, a digital platform that allows users to buy, send and redeem gift cards, was one of the first merchants enabling cryptocurrency adoption to gain traction in the real world. The mobile gift card app allows Bitcoin to be used to purchase gift cards from several retailers, some of which include Burger King, Subway, Amazon and Starbucks.
Five-star hotel and spa Dodler Grand
If ever one finds themselves traveling to Zurich Switzerland, either BTC or Ether (ETH) can be used to pay for a stay in a five-star hotel in Zurich. In May 2019, five-star hotel and spa Dodler Grand announced that it will start accepting Bitcoin and Ether as payment.
Newegg
For all the gadget lovers, there are a bunch of platforms that allow electronic purchases with cryptocurrency. Newegg, for instance, is an electronic retail giant which accepts payments made with digital currencies. Even though one cannot get refunds for Bitcoin purchases, Newegg has a good reputation for quality items. Other platforms for gadget junkies include Eyeboot (a platform that sells crypto mining rigs in exchange for crypto), Microsoft, FastTech and Alza (a U.K.-based online store that sells phones and beauty products).
It seems clear that more retailers are warming up to the idea of accepting cryptocurrencies, but there is still a long way to go before full adoption can be achieved.
