Bitcoin is the world’s highest profile cryptocurrency, and while many are using it as an investment opportunity, it is also entirely possible to buy and sell goods and services with it as well.
If you are interested in exploring this option and leveraging the benefits that Bitcoin brings to the table in comparison with traditional types of transaction, such as improved security and privacy, keep reading to get the lowdown on how to actually buy things with it.
Spend Bitcoin Online
This is the most obvious way to splash out with Bitcoin, as a wide variety of entities and organizations now accept payments in this medium via their websites. This includes:
Online Retailers
E-commerce is a huge industry and while only a small minority of web-based retailers accept Bitcoin at the checkout, there are still a host of sites that will be eager to take payment from your wallet.
In terms of the major brands that support this solution, amongst the best known at the moment is technology retailer NewEgg. Customers can use a locally installed wallet to make a purchase, or scan a QR code using their smartphone to complete the transaction if their coins are kept elsewhere.
Furthermore since popular e-commerce platforms like Shopify allow their sellers to accept Bitcoin, you can find plenty of far smaller online outlets that are up to date with this recent development.
Casinos
Online casino operators have always innovated when it comes to improving security and enabling new ways for customers to carry out deposits and withdrawals. This includes the integration of Bitcoin compatibility in a number of browser and mobile-powered gambling services.
If you want to learn more about where you play, check out this ultimate guide to Bitcoin gambling for up to the minute information about which casinos are currently courting the Bitcoin crowd and how you can pay to make wagers, enjoy slots and much more besides.
Video Games
Buying video games digitally has never been easier, with wildly successful platforms like Steam giving PC owners in particular access to an almost endless library of classic and modern titles.
Again there are several ways to go about spending your coins to expand your gaming library, the first of which is to use a site like Joltfun, which lets you buy keys for games which can then be redeemed on other platforms.
The alternative to this is to use a service like Bitrefill, which lets you snap up gift cards which are accepted on everything from the PlayStation Store to the Apple App Store.
Gift Cards
Having spoken about buying video games through gift cards purchased with Bitcoin, it is worth exploring this idea further, as it is one of the most flexible ways to spend your cryptocurrency of choice if you want to shop with a retailer you know and trust which does not yet natively support Bitcoin transactions.
One of the most prominent providers of digital gift cards is eGifter. You can buy cards from it with Bitcoin and then use these at stores including Amazon, Walmart, Macy’s and more. With no fees to worry about, it is just one of a number of increasingly common ways to spend Bitcoin without having to jump through too many hoops.
Services
As with e-commerce, video gaming and online casinos, there are companies which provide services for sale over the internet which will gladly take Bitcoin off your hands in return for whatever it is they have to offer.
One of the most high profile examples is probably Virgin Galactic, the company run by billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson which promises to take passengers on trips out of the Earth’s atmosphere. While this is more of a marketing gimmick than anything else, it is an example of one of the many ways in which you can simply spend Bitcoin much as you would any other currency.
Spend Bitcoin Offline
The internet does not have the monopoly on accepting Bitcoin payments, as there are bricks and mortar businesses which have also embraced it, including:
Food
Thousands of restaurants around the world, including hundreds in the US and across Europe, have welcomed Bitcoin with open arms, although often this requires the use of a separate app.
For example, fast food platform Just Eat facilitated this in France, and it is also possible to use gift cards from Bitrefill to buy via Uber Eats, for example.
Transportation
Once again if you want to get around using Bitcoin, your best bet is to either search for a transport provider that accepts it natively, or use a gift card purchased with Bitcoin to facilitate this smoothly.
In short, as soon as you start looking for ways to spend Bitcoin, you will soon realize just how easy it is in the current era.
