After an original flurry of interest among retailers in accepting bitcoin in their retail or online shops, interest has mainly fallen as rising bitcoin transaction charges and unstable price movements have rendered it less appealing as a means of return
That doesn’t imply, however, that there are no places to spend your bitcoin far from it. It’s just that bitcoin volumes at these stores have usually not met expectations, and by the time you read this, some may have discontinued that option.
However, you can still purchase a broad variety of products and services with the cryptocurrency at the moment of writing. One of the benefits of doing so is the ease of cross-border operations and anonymity (unless you want physical delivery, of course). By accepting bitcoin, merchants gain access to a wider market and don’t have to care so much about chargebacks (where the customer cancels the payment after obtaining the item).
If you want to purchase gifts with bitcoin, the most evident alternative is gift cards, via Gyft or eGifter. The recipient will then be able to spend the gift card on one of a broad spectrum of distributors.
With Bitcoin, you can pay for flights and hotels through Expedia, CheapAir, and Surf Air. If your aspirations are loftier, you can pay for space travel through Virgin Galactic with some of your huge holdings.
In its app shops, Microsoft accepts bitcoin, where you can download films, games, and app-based services.
Some artists (Bjork, Imogen Heep) will allow you to download their music in return for cryptocurrency.
Need to furnish your house or purchase somebody a unique present? Overstock was one of the first huge sellers to start accepting bitcoin back in 2014, and its founder – Patrick Byrne – is still one of the most active proponents of the technology.
Do you fancy some gold? Sharps Pixley, APMEX, and JM Bullion will remove bitcoin from your fingers in return for bullion.
And if you’re craving some food and live in the US, PizzaforCoins will get a pizza delivered to your door (depending on where you live) in exchange for bitcoin.
If you’re hungry for information, several private and public universities, as well as a few New York pre-schools, will accept bitcoin.
Some legal and accounting companies also accept payment in cryptocurrency for their services.
Of course, by donating to one of the bitcoin-accepting charities or crowdfunding sites like BitHope, BitGive, or Fidelity Charitable, you could always buy yourself some happiness.
For a list of nearby offline shops that accept bitcoin, visit an aggregator such as SpendBitcoins or CoinMap.
(Note: the particular companies listed here are not the only alternatives accessible and should not be considered as a recommendation.)
