Even fifteen years later, it is not common to see Bitcoin (BTC) used in everyday transactions, although this was its original purpose. It does not mean that you can’t live off BTC: with our list of diverse businesses which accept Bitcoin as payment, you too can try unbanking yourself.
Introduction to Bitcoin and Its Benefits
What is Bitcoin and how does it work?
Most commonly, Bitcoin refers to a decentralized digital currency that allows for peer-to-peer transactions without intermediaries. However, it is also the name of a protocol that powers a distributed ledger called blockchain that secures it. The blockchain technology is cryptographically secured, hence the name “cryptocurrency”.
Bitcoin can work without a central authority because it has thousands of nodes worldwide. These nodes communicate and reach a consensus on the state of the network. To compare, your bank singlehandedly makes sure you can’t spend the funds you don’t have or use them twice. In Bitcoin and crypto, this job is relegated to nodes which each keep a copy of the ledger.
The ChangeHero team has quite a few guides about Bitcoin (BTC). You can start here without any prior knowledge or learn about Bitcoin in more depth with our Beginner’s Guide.
Benefits of using Bitcoin
Bitcoin payments have dynamic fees that go to miners who secure the network. They can range from a few cents to dozens of dollars but most of the time, transaction fees in Bitcoin are low compared to traditional payment methods. Especially, if you have to make an international payment or a remittance: BTC is completely border-agnostic.
Bitcoin users also believe it to have better security due to its decentralized and tamper-proof nature. Because blockchain is add-only, a chargeback is practically impossible.
For a deeper dive into cryptocurrency payments, read our guide with more details and instructions. Once you are more familiar with Bitcoin payments, buckle up and dive into our list of the best places to spend Bitcoin in 2024.
Online Retailers That Accept Bitcoin
Most shops that accept Bitcoin payments and other cryptocurrencies do it online. Over 2,600 online merchants accepting Bitcoin are listed in the Cryptwerk directory alone.
Major Brands: AT&T, Rakuten
AT&T is the first major mobile operator in the United States to provide customers with the opportunity to pay for services with digital coins. This operator works in the Americas, Europe, and Asia Pacific.
Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten accepts Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, and Ether to top up the Rakuten Wallet. These credits can later be spent online in Rakuten services, such as Travel and Kobo, or in physical stores: 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, McDonalds, and many more.
Online Stores: NewEgg, Namecheap, and Gyft
NewEgg is an online retailer that has begun accepting Bitcoin as payment since 2019 in 20 countries. The option to pay through BitPay is not enabled for marketplace items but you can spend Bitcoin on their e-commerce services.
Namecheap.com technically accepts digital currencies but only for account top-ups. This platform sells the most popular top-level domains so customers can spend their Bitcoin (BTC) on a domain purchase.
On the other hand, Gyft, a gift card service, accepts Bitcoin as payment without additional fees. Gyft.com allows users to purchase gift cards from almost 200 online stores and other service providers. However, they reportedly require the user to use a Coinbase crypto wallet.
Luxury Brands Embracing Cryptocurrency Payments
In the original whitepaper, Bitcoin was envisioned as digital peer-to-peer cash for daily use. However, as years went by and Bitcoin landed in the niche of valuable assets, luxury brands became very open to digital gold.
Famous fashion brand Gucci has been accepting Bitcoin payments since 2022 in US stores. Most interestingly, they do not stick to BTC alone and accept some exotic options, such as ApeCoin (APE).
Select dealerships, such as Lamborghini of Austin, allow willing customers to spend Bitcoin on their cars. When Lambo?
The last in this section but certainly not in this category is Virgin Galactic. This company allows you to pay for space travel with Bitcoin. Hopefully, one day this selection can move from luxury to travel!
Food and Beverage Brands That Accept Bitcoin
If you get the impression that cryptocurrency payments are for luxuries and the rich, it is not true! Many HoReCa stores accept Bitcoin, although the catch is usually that only select branches accept cryptocurrency.
Burger King, KFC, Pizza Hut, and Subway
Burger King outlets in Venezuela accept cryptocurrencies as a mode of payment, including Bitcoin, Dash, Litecoin, Ethereum, and Tether. The location is significant because Venezuelans have been known to turn to crypto to cope with extreme inflation.
KFC Canada accepted Bitcoin for a limited time in exchange for the “Bitcoin Bucket” through BitPay. Although the promotion never made a return, it set a precedent that the fast food chain might consider introducing ways to spend cryptocurrency.
Pizza Hut in Venezuela and El Salvador accepts Bitcoin as payment for its services. While the reason for Venezuela is the same as with Burger King, in El Salvador, every restaurant has to because of the legal tender status of Bitcoin.
Several Subway branches in Berlin and Moscow accept Bitcoin as payment for their sandwiches. Subway works as franchising, so it all depends on the restaurant. Interestingly enough, the Berlin shop started accepting Bitcoin exclusively through Lightning Network, the Bitcoin layer-two solution for low fees and fast processing.
Travel and Hospitality Services That Accept Bitcoin
AirBaltic, Pavilions Hotels & Resorts, and Travala
The first airline in the world to start accepting Bitcoin payments in 2014 was airBaltic. Today, you can book flights with dozens of airlines directly or use services like Alternative Airlines to buy airplane tickets from hundreds of providers.
Pavilions Hotels & Resorts accepts Bitcoin as payment for hotel bookings. Not only Bitcoin: dozens of digital currencies are on their list.
But this is not the only destination to book with cryptocurrencies. Many other hotels accept Bitcoin and altcoins and even those that don’t, can be booked with Travala, a travel booking platform. It accepts Bitcoin and dozens of other cryptocurrencies as payment. Travala is also known for its own cryptocurrency AVA.
Sports Teams and Entertainment Companies That Accept Bitcoin
Sports and crypto are another famously powerful mix. Cryptocurrency payments allow clubs and teams to connect in ways traditional payment methods do not quite allow.
Dallas Mavericks, Benfica, AMC Theatres, and Twitch
The Dallas Mavericks, a team owned by crypto evangelist Marc Cuban, accept Bitcoin as a method of payment for both game tickets and merchandise through BitPay. Dogecoin, another favorite crypto currency of Cuban, is also a highlighted payment method.
SL Benfica, a Portugal sports club, accepts Bitcoin for game tickets and merchandise and was the first in Europe to introduce it.
If you’re not a sports person and enjoy cinema, AMC Theatres lets you spend Bitcoin and ten more digital assets on movie tickets, food, and drinks.
Twitch, a game streaming platform owned by Amazon, accepts Bitcoin as payment for subscriptions. Some streamers enable donations in cryptocurrencies, too, so be on the lookout for this method to support your favorite creators directly.
Education and Non-Profit Organizations That Accept Bitcoin
And speaking of donations, spending cryptocurrency is not always limited to purchases. You can use it to send thanks to platforms that provide valuable services for free.
Wikileaks, The Pirate Bay, The Internet Archive
Wikimedia, the company that operates Wikipedia, used to accept donations in Bitcoin, BCH, and ETH until 2022. The community voted in favor of ceasing the campaign due to environmental and public image concerns. However, WikiLeaks, an international non-profit organization, accepts cryptocurrency donations in BTC, BCH, ETH, LTC, and privacy coins: XMR and ZEC. Due to its focus on classified information, it has been sanctioned worldwide, and cryptocurrency payments provided them with a lifeline.
Similarly, The Pirate Bay, an online index of digital content, accepts Bitcoin and cryptocurrency donations. Reportedly, their audience is less willing to support the tracker but it still gained a few million worth of dollars over the years.
The Internet Archive, while much more legal than The Pirate Bay, also gives access to myriad digital media for free. Unsurprisingly, they also need donations to support their work, and you can send them five digital currencies directly or swap any altcoin to have it sent to their address.
How to Pay with Bitcoin Anywhere
The list of businesses and stores that accept Bitcoin payments is long but it is certainly far from ubiquitous anywhere but El Salvador. Luckily, there are a couple of methods that allow for spending Bitcoin almost anywhere.
One of them is a crypto card. This is a debit card that can be topped up with Bitcoin or any supported cryptocurrency payment option. Owners of these cards can spend cryptocurrency anywhere where their card, usually Visa, is accepted. Mind that it just converts your cryptocurrency holdings at the market rate with a commission, so the merchant gets paid in a local fiat currency.
If you already have a store in mind to buy something with crypto, see if you can use their gift cards. Many online retailers that sell those have crypto as a payment method. Use it yourself or send gift cards online to anyone.
Gift Card Services That Accept Bitcoin: Zeroth, Home Depot, Coincards
Does Amazon accept Bitcoin? Not directly but with providers like Zeroth.shop, you can buy enough Amazon cards to buy anything you want. Other major retailer cards that this online store offers are Tesco, Walmart, Target, Apple, and thousands more.
For instance, Home Depot is the largest hardware store chain in the United States. With its gift cards, paid for in cryptocurrency, customers can essentially build an entire house.
CoinCards is a platform that facilitates buying gift cards from more than 140 merchants using Bitcoin as payment. Their offering is as close as you can get to using only crypto because they aim to cover all essential services with their card, voucher, and mobile top-up selection.
Places That Will Accept Bitcoin Cash
As the first one, Bitcoin is the default option to accept cryptocurrency payments. Its hard fork, Bitcoin Cash, may not be as popular or highly ranked by market cap but it can boast a wide degree of adoption with crypto merchants. From PayPal to Flexa, Bitcoin Cash can be spent in many places, as intended.
Spedn, Fold App, and Unstoppable Domains
The SPEDN app is a notable example, allowing cryptocurrency use in various retail stores. Similarly, Fold App allows customers to get some crypto coins as cashback for making purchases at their favorite retailers.
Unstoppable Domains sells Web3-ready domains, such as .crypto, for a one-time fee. The wide selection of accepted altcoins includes BCH as well.
Conclusion
Bitcoin payments make their way into more and more brick-and-mortar and online stores. More often than not, they are not peer-to-peer as Satoshi Nakamoto intended but it is still a step toward wider crypto adoption.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use Bitcoin to buy from Amazon?
No, Amazon does not accept Bitcoin directly. You can use services like Purse.io to shop for anything on the site and pay with Bitcoin.
Does eBay accept Bitcoin?
No, eBay does not allow Bitcoin as a payment method. However, you can top up your eBay balance with a gift card that can be bought with Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
Does Starbucks accept Bitcoin?
No, Starbucks does not accept Bitcoin. You can always use a digital wallet app or a crypto debit card to convert BTC and pay for purchases there.
Does Tesla accept Bitcoin payments?
No, Tesla initially accepted Bitcoin but later reversed this decision due to environmental concerns about Bitcoin mining.
