Today, about 46 million Americans own bitcoin. This massive cryptocurrency quickly became the most valuable, with a single cryptocurrency currently worth around $60,000. And although many buy bitcoin as an investment, the overall goal is for it to replace traditional currencies. But for this to become possible, businesses need to start accepting Bitcoin as a valid payment.
So, which major companies are accepting Bitcoin today? Where can you spend your bitcoin?
1. Home Depot
Need to do some DIY with a bitcoin budget? Home Depot has you covered. The company announced its decision to accept Bitcoin in 2019, and is likely to see its suitability and increased use in the United States. This huge hardware and gadget store accepts Bitcoin as a payment using a payment system called Flexa, a payments startup that was founded in 2019. So head over to Home Depot if you’re looking to buy your next load of hardware and DIY products with Bitcoin.
2. Starbucks
You are really living in the modern era where you can buy morning latte with cryptocurrency. Well, that’s roughly the case here, but not straightforwardly. Starbucks decided to start testing crypto payments at certain locations in March of 2020.
You can use the Bakkt crypto exchange app to convert your Bitcoin into US dollars, which are then transferred to your Starbucks app balance. So, with these two apps, you can pay for your products at Starbucks, although you may want to do so in advance.
3. Paypal
Just last year, the popular payment system PayPal announced its acceptance of cryptocurrencies to support the continued integration of cryptocurrencies in our modern world. Essentially, PayPal will accept your Bitcoin payments, and then convert them into the local currency to pay the company you’re buying a product or service from.
But PayPal doesn’t stop there. The company also aims to educate customers about cryptocurrency by providing educational content to help more people fully understand how it works. Beautiful forward thinking!
4. Etsy
Etsy is a great online marketplace for unique homemade items. Although it does not accept Bitcoin payments directly, it does allow its sellers to accept payments via Bitcoin, which gives the seller the option of traditional fiat currency or cryptocurrency. So, if a buyer offers such a payment, sellers can contact them using their Bitcoin payment address and go from there.
5. AT&T
In 2019, telecom giant AT&T announced that it would accept cryptocurrency payments in the form of Bitcoin. However, this must be done via a third-party service called BitPay. BitPay primarily verifies and accepts your Bitcoin payments on behalf of AT&T. But BitPay, like many third-party payment providers, takes a small portion of those payments, so AT&T may move onward from external payment verification in the future.
6. Subway
Yes, Subway accepts Bitcoin payments! But this is not true for each individual store. You can exchange Bitcoin for Subway meal items, but be sure to research the exact store you want to go to in advance to check if they accept cryptocurrency.
7. ExpressVPN
Back in 2014, the popular VPN service ExpressVPN He started accepting bitcoin. Like AT&T, ExpressVPN accepts Bitcoin payments via BitPay and many other Bitcoin wallets, including Copay, Coinbase, Blockchain Wallet, and Electrum Wallet. This allows you to pay for the service securely and anonymously.
8. Whole Foods
Whole Foods accepts Bitcoin payments using a Flexa payment system, such as Home Depot. Flexa is already used on about 30,000 sites, and that number is growing as Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies grow in popularity. Instead of directly awarding companies that spend money using it, the system converts the cryptocurrency into the desired currency. So, on your next grocery trip, give cryptocurrency a boost if you’re in the market for it!
9. Twitch
Twitch has become a huge streaming service over the past few years, hosting tens of thousands of streamers around the clock. In fact, Twitch has gone so far as to encourage users to purchase services on the site using cryptocurrency, offering a 10% discount if this payment method is used. You can use Bitcoin, Ether, XRP, Bitcoin Cash and more to pay with cryptocurrency on Twitch.
Like Home Depot and Whole Foods, Twitch uses BitPay to process all crypto-based payments. So keep that in mind if you want to switch to cryptocurrency when buying services on Twitch.
10. Wikipedia
Although you might think that Wikipedia has no reason to accept payments, it does accept donations to keep the website running (since all the content provided is free to access). Wikipedia has been paired with Coinbase, the US cryptocurrency exchange, to facilitate this change. You can probably read about it on Wikipedia…
11. Burger King
In 2016, Burger King stores in the Netherlands began accepting Bitcoin as payment. Since then, American Burger King locations have also moved to accept cryptocurrency along with traditional payment methods. To do this, Burger King has formed a partnership with Cryptobuyer, a startup that deals with cryptocurrency exchanges.
However, not all Burger King sites accept bitcoins yet, so check if your local store accepts them before trying it.
12. Microsoft
Microsoft has been accepting Bitcoin for quite some time now, since 2014. This payment option was removed for a few years amid the Bitcoin scandal in 2014, as the largest cryptocurrency exchange collapsed after a massive hack. However, in January 2021, Microsoft decided to bring back this payment option. You can use Bitcoin to pay for services on Xbox, Windows Phone, Microsoft App Store, and more.
13. Shopify
Shopify is a well-known online marketplace that allows anyone to start an e-commerce store. Furthermore, Shopify allows sellers to accept payments in Bitcoin, just like Etsy. The site also allows acceptance of Ethereum, Litecoin, and hundreds of other cryptocurrencies. So, if you’re a Shopify seller looking to accumulate more crypto money, this could be a great option for you.
14. Namecheap
If you are looking to grab the domain of your website, then Namecheap is a great option to try. And you guessed it, they accept Bitcoin payments! Furthermore, there is no third party involved, allowing you to purchase your domain names directly via Bitcoin.
Who knows where Bitcoin will appear next?
With more and more companies adding Bitcoin to their accepted payment methods, there is no telling how mainstream Bitcoin payments might become over the next few years, along with many other cryptocurrencies now being accepted by many companies. Crypto may really be the currency of the future!
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