CRYPTO PAYMENTS: BIG BRANDS THAT ACCEPT CRYPTOCURRENCY
“We accept Bitcoin as payment here”, is a sentence that most Bitcoin aficionados looked forward to hearing for a long time. We have come a long way since Bitcoin first became mainstream in 2009. Now, 11 years later, we have over 5,000 cryptocurrencies in existence and over 20,000 different types of markets. A popular question posed by detractors used to be about how you could not spend bitcoin buying anything. Times have changed, and we now have a lot of big brands not only getting heavily involved in cryptocurrency but accepting them as payment methods too.
Although Bitcoin is still mostly held than spent, you can use it to pay for services/goods online.
We have compiled a list of five merchants that currently accept Bitcoin/altcoins as payments.
- Microsoft
In 2014, five years after bitcoin first emerged, the news that Microsoft was starting to accept Bitcoin as payment in its Xbox online store was a huge one. Due to its volatility, the company halted its acceptance of cryptocurrency but have resumed the service.
2. Shopify
Shopify allows merchants to set up their online shops and sell goods and services without incurring a lot of costs. In 2013, all Shopify merchants received the option to start accepting Bitcoin payments.
In theory, you can’t buy anything from Shopify’s site itself using Bitcoin, since their SaaS platform does not accept cryptocurrencies. This option is only available for merchants using the Shopify platform using services like Coinbase Commerce. -https://usethebitcoin.com
3. AT&T
AT&T is the first mobile carrier in the U.S. to provide a cryptocurrency payment option to their customers. The telecommunication giant AT&T started accepting Bitcoin payments for bills in 2019 using BitPay.
4. Overstock
Overstock is an American online retailer that sells big-ticket items at low price points. They started accepting Bitcoins as payment for their products way back in 2014. They support altcoins including Ethereum, Litecoin, Dash, Monero, and Bitcoin Cash.
5. NewEgg
NewEgg is one of the biggest consumer electronic retail companies and online retailer of items including computer hardware. The company was one of the first to accept Bitcoin as payment. They use BitPay as their official payment processing partner.
This list is not exhaustive in any way. There are more stores and services that accept Bitcoin as payment which adds to its usefulness. At the moment, you can spend your Bitcoin anywhere; either through a third party gift card purchaser or directly with the merchant.