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Even fifteen years later, it is not common to see Bitcoin (BTC) used in everyday transactions, although this was its original purpose. Can you even use Bitcoin to buy things? Of course! With our list of diverse businesses which accept it as payment, you too can buy stuff with Bitcoin.
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.
But what are bitcoins actually used for? These days, due to the fluctuating value, BTC is more commonly used as an investment, not for daily purchases. However, it is entirely possible, and even has a host of unique benefits that might make you consider spending sats.
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.
How to use Bitcoin and cryptocurrency to buy things? For a deeper dive into cryptocurrency payments and how they work, read our guide with more details and instructions.
Getting it (in all senses of the word) is one thing but what do you do with Bitcoin? The list of what you can buy with bitcoins might surprise you: it covers all the bases you might possibly need!
Shopping with Bitcoin Online
What can I buy with Bitcoin online? Lots of things, in fact. Most shops that accept Bitcoin payments and other cryptocurrencies do it online. Over 5,600 online merchants accepting Bitcoin are listed in the Cryptwerk directory alone.
Where Can You Spend Bitcoin? Major Brands: AT&T, Rakuten
Where can you use Bitcoin to pay for your phone bills? 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.
How to buy stuff with Bitcoin from a major retailer? Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten answers this question. They accept 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.
What Online Stores Accept Bitcoin?
What companies let you use Bitcoin to buy virtually anything? 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.
Where to spend Bitcoin on online 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. What can you purchase with Bitcoin there? 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 Businesses that Accept Bitcoin
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 and offer some of the cool things to buy with Bitcoin.
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).
How do you spend cryptocurrency on more substantial purchases, like cars? Select dealerships, such as Lamborghini of Austin, allow willing customers to cash out Bitcoin for their cars.
What else can Bitcoin be used for? How about space travel?! The last in this section but certainly not in this category is Virgin Galactic. This company allows you to pay for a space trip with BTC. Hopefully, one day this selection can move from luxury to travel!
Where Can I Spend Bitcoin For Food And Beverages?
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.
Can You Spend Cryptocurrency On Travel And Hospitality?
Spend Crypto To Travel: 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.
What else that covers your traveling needs can you use Bitcoin for? 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.
How To Spend Crypto On Sports And Entertainment
Sports and crypto are another famously powerful mix. How to use crypto to buy things to support your favorite team? Cryptocurrency payments allow clubs and teams to connect in ways traditional payment methods do not quite allow.
What Sport Clubs And Companies Accept Bitcoin?
Who uses Bitcoin to this end? For instance, 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.
Where can you spend cryptocurrency in Europe, as a sports fan? SL Benfica, a Portugal sports club, accepts Bitcoin for game tickets and merchandise and was the first in Europe to introduce it.
How do you use Bitcoin to buy things other than memberships and goodies if you’re not a sports person? If cinema is a mode of entertainment you can enjoy, 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.
Where Can I Use Bitcoin For Education And Non-Profit Organizations?
What else can I do with Bitcoin? Spending cryptocurrency is not always limited to purchases. You can use it to send thanks to platforms that provide valuable services for free.
What Can You Do With Bitcoin? Donate To 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 Spend Bitcoin Anywhere In Real Life
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 on more than strictly crypto products.
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 Cards You Can Purchase With Bitcoins
Can I use Bitcoin on Amazon, you wonder? Not directly but with providers like Zeroth.shop, you can buy enough Amazon cards to buy anything you want. Does Walmart accept Bitcoin? It’s a great question because 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.
Who Accepts 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 that accept altcoins or BCH exclusively.
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.
What to buy with Bitcoin Cash online? 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
How do I use Bitcoin? If you’re willing to part with your digital currency, 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.
Feel free to share more ideas about merchants who accept Bitcoin payments with other crypto enthusiasts in the comments! Subscribe to ChangeHero on Telegram, X, and Facebook. Learn more about what you can do with cryptocurrency in the articles by the ChangeHero team.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use Bitcoin to buy from Amazon?
Can you buy things off Amazon with Bitcoin or other cryptocurrency? 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. How to buy things with Bitcoin off eBay? 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. How to buy something with Bitcoin at Starbucks if you absolutely have to? 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. How to spend cryptocurrency on a Tesla or Cybertruck, then? You might need to find a retailer or individual seller who is willing to accept payment in cryptocurrency and effect a deal.
What Can I Buy With Bitcoin And Cryptocurrency In The USA?
What can you buy with Bitcoin in the USA? Basically, all of the products and services described in the guide. Many merchants that accept Bitcoin we mentioned work exclusively in the US.
Can you use Bitcoin to buy a house?
The short answer is yes, real estate is among things you can buy with Bitcoin. For the longer answer, read our guide!
What gift cards can I buy with Bitcoin and cryptocurrency?
What can I buy with bitcoins and crypto, you ask? There are many companies that accept Bitcoin in exchange for gift cards. Anything off Amazon, Microsoft, Steam, Google Play, Apple Store and iTunes can be yours if you buy their gift cards with services like Bitrefill and Coinsbee.
How do you spend Bitcoins on food or restaurants?
Luxury items and online services are one thing but how do I spend Bitcoin on the most basic stuff you can imagine? Your options are get it anywhere and pay with a crypto debit card or find stores that accept crypto.
