NOWPayments helps you accept cryptocurrency – anywhere, anytime. But then, the question arises – where to spend it? (Somewhere with NOWPayments as a payment provider, naturally, but where?). Here we are, with some answers.
Before you can find ways to spend Bitcoin or any other cryptocurrency online and offline, let’s first quickly discuss how to get a hold of Bitcoin. Finding a Bitcoin store to purchase some crypto is as easy as finding your favourite cat memes on the Internet. The easiest way to get Bitcoin online is to get it as payment. NOWPayments is a great way to do that.
To help you get started on your journey, why don’t you check out this helpful article on Why to Accept Payments in Crypto?
Now that you have some Bitcoin in your wallet, let’s find out where you can spend Bitcoin. Despite it being the currency powered by the Internet, there are a handful of places that accept Bitcoin in the offline world. How many of you have searched for ‘Bitcoin stores near me’ on Google Maps and have found places to buy and spend Bitcoin offline? Throughout this article, we will focus on finding places to spend Bitcoin both online and offline.
Bitcoin ATM, Exchanges to convert crypto to fiat money and vice-versa
Even if you are not able to find places that accept Bitcoin as a valid currency, fret not. You can always convert your Bitcoin to cash. Some of the easy ways you can convert Bitcoin to fiat money is via Bitcoin ATM (Offline) and Exchanges (Online). Similar to regular ATMs, a Bitcoin ATM allows you to buy Bitcoin using cash or debit card. Some Bitcoin ATMs also allow people to sell Bitcoin for cash. A Bitcoin exchange, on the other hand, is more like digital marketplaces where you can buy or trade Bitcoin online.
How to spend Bitcoin online
Check all the awesome partners of NOWPayments here – these are the best places to spend your crypto! Whether you want to buy plane tickets or book hotels, or buy some merch or vitamins, they got you.
Many other websites accept Bitcoin, too. Some of the well-known sites that do that are as follows:
1. Overstock
First up on the list is Overstock, an American retailer that sells furniture, rugs, kitchen appliances, and bathroom accessories. Not only does it accept Bitcoin but it also accepts other cryptocurrencies as well. If you are already a crypto enthusiast and would like to place an order on Overstock using Bitcoin as a form of payment, select the Pay with Bitcoin under the Payment Information section of its checkout page.
2. Rakuten
Another website where you can shop using Bitcoin is Rakuten, a Japanese online retailer. Rakuten, perhaps the largest e-commerce website in Japan (also known as Amazon of Japan) not just accepts Bitcoin but it also has its proprietary Bitcoin wallet for crypto exchanges. E-commerce websites will continue to drive Bitcoin transactions, in turn increasing the trust and engagement of the cryptocurrency space.
3. Microsoft (Xbox Store)
Microsoft’s association with cryptocurrency is not new. The software giant has been accepting Bitcoin since at least 2014. Sometime in the past, you could even pay for your Microsoft licenses using Bitcoin. The company later put it on hold for a while due to market volatility, however, Microsoft has since reinstated Bitcoin as a form of payment in the Xbox Store.
4. PayPal
A global online payments company PayPal recently announced its debut in the cryptocurrency space. PayPal will enable buying, holding, and selling cryptocurrency including Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), and Litecoin (LTC) directly from PayPal. PayPal account handling Bitcoin payments and transactions will give a huge boost to the entire cryptocurrency space. You will be able to spend Bitcoin on websites that accept PayPal as a payment method.
5. Shopify
A proprietary e-commerce platform Shopify enables businesses to accept payments in Bitcoin. As a result, if you are shopping on a Shopify-powered website that accepts crypto, you can pay with cryptocurrency. Shopify enables e-commerce websites to integrate third-party Bitcoin payment gateway for faster crypto transactions.
How to spend Bitcoin on Amazon
A lot of people often wonder: Can we shop on Amazon using Bitcoin? The answer is both yes and no. Even though Amazon does not allow users to directly shop using Bitcoin (for now), there are some third-party platforms available that process Amazon orders via Bitcoin.
1. Purse.io
A crypto marketplace purse.io allows users to shop on Amazon using Bitcoin. Besides, it provides buyers with a discount of up to 20 percent. Here is how it works: Purse offers its crypto wallet where you have to load your BTC for seamless, e-commerce transactions on Amazon. All you have to do is sign up for a Purse account and import your Amazon wishlist.
New Purse accounts are usually eligible for a discount of up to 20 percent. The best part, you can set and customize your discounts. For instance, you can choose how much of a discount you want for each transaction. If you are eligible for a 20 percent discount, you can make 4 transactions with a 5 percent discount each or receive a full discount on a single transaction.
Once you are ready to make the payment in BTC, you will need to confirm your shipping address registered with Amazon. In a nutshell, Purse fulfills your Amazon orders on your behalf and incentivizes Bitcoin payments with discounts. This way, you can not only spend Bitcoin on Amazon but also avail discounts.
If you are looking to buy electronics with Bitcoin, the Purse marketplace is the ideal solution.
2. Shop Amazon Gift Cards using Bitcoin
Another way to shop on Amazon using crypto is to spend Bitcoin on Amazon Gift Cards. Some Exchange platforms allow users to order Amazon Gift Cards using Bitcoin. You can use these Gift Cards to shop directly on Amazon since there is potential for an effective discount due to higher ROIs.
3. Moon
Moon, a Crypto payment processing startup, enables Lightning-enabled wallets to process Amazon orders and payments through its browser extension. Moon has also integrated with the Visa and Mastercard networks for faster transactions.
A friendly reminder: Some crypto wallets usually charge transaction fees to process your payments. Hence, it is best to be careful and cautious about third-party services that you are dealing with.
Similar to the e-commerce industry, there are many areas in the offline world where Bitcoin and various other Blockchain-based cryptocurrencies have started to gain momentum. For now, there are a limited number of brick and mortar stores where you can spend Bitcoin.
Finding places to spend Bitcoin offline
Most importantly, the obvious challenge is finding places to pay with Bitcoin. On Google Maps, you can search for Bitcoin ATMs. But finding offline stores that accept Bitcoin requires a different approach. Local businesses have not been able to find appropriate channels to market their Bitcoin model. Although they do that quite easily, using the NOWPayments Invoices system.
We have come across an online utility that allows users to find places to shop offline using Bitcoin – Coinmap.org. You can easily find places that accept Bitcoin by category including ATM, cafe, food, grocery, lodging, nightlife, transport, among others.
Places to spend Bitcoin across industries
Many buyers and sellers across industries continue to recognize the potential of Bitcoin transactions these days.
1. Automobile
Many car dealers these days are accepting Bitcoin as legal tender. Nowadays, many Bitcoin holders are looking to buy a BMW using cryptocurrencies. Not all BMW dealers accept Bitcoin but there are a handful of merchants in the U.S and the UK that accept Bitcoin. BMW is also working on a trial run of a Blockchain-powered rewards program in Korea.
2. Food
KFC Canada is one of the early adopters in the food industry that is accepting Bitcoin. Also, there are other food companies such as Pex Peppers and Bees Bros that eventually joined the cryptocurrency bandwagon. Suffice to say, it remains to be seen if these food companies are in the crypto space for the long haul.
3. Sports
Some sports teams such as Dallas Mavericks and Miami Dolphins have taken the Bitcoin engagement to a whole new level. People attending a game at the Dallas Mavericks stadium can spend Bitcoin on anything they want to purchase, including tickets to future games. Folks at the Miami Dolphins allow attendees to purchase food and tickets using Litecoin.
4. Non-profit organizations
Non-profit organizations including Wikipedia and Wikileaks, which rely on your support for their efforts, are now open to accepting Bitcoin donations. You can contribute by providing these organizations with some Bitcoin from your crypto wallets.
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Why use NOWPayments.io?
NOWPayments is the easiest way to accept online payments in a wide variety of cryptocurrencies. This service is custody-free, has competitive fees and is available worldwide.
- Over 50 cryptocurrencies are accepted on the platform with an in-built exchange feature;
- API, widgets, plugins and a donation button are all easy to integrate;
- It is a non-custodial service ensuring the security of your funds;
- A very simple setup