Buy With Bitcoin [May 2018]: The Ultimate List.
It’s hard to buy with Bitcoin. Things change.
New companies start taking Bitcoin. Existing companies stop.
Lists on the internet are not updated.
This article will solve all of your bitcoin spending problems.
We’ve got a Bitcoin ATM map, a map of stores that take Bitcoin, a spreadsheet of companies that take the cryptocurrency, a list of companies that used to take it but stopped, and a clever hack to find all the local businesses near you that take Bitcoin.
All updated as of May 2018.
Hold on to your hats… let’s find all the ways you can buy with Bitcoin!
If you are in search of places to spend Bitcoin, zing! You’ve arrived.
You’ll learn where you can spend Bitcoin — both online and offline. Most of the places on our list are actually places that you can visit in-person.
Spend a digital currency in a physical location? Yes please!
We’ll also share how you can buy almost anything Bitcoin (often at a discount).
While large retailers don’t accept Bitcoin (yet), there are many independently-owned places that do.
Support Bitcoin! Read on…
Shop with Bitcoin Online: 8 Top Brands
In 2014, Overstock became one of the first major retailers to allow customers to spend Bitcoin on its website.
Overstock is a large online retailer that offers discounts on clothing and household items.
Overstock’s CEO has publicly expressed his support and confidence for the future of Bitcoin numerous times.
If his hat choice is any indication, Patrick M. Byrne LOVES Bitcoin.
There are a few other major retailers where you can spend Bitcoin.
Microsoft, Newegg, Reeds Jewelers.
And Zappos… pranked everyone in 2014 saying they would do all of their refunds in Bitcoin 🤣.
A useful way to spend Bitcoin online is by paying for travel expenses.
Expedia Travel allows customers to spend Bitcoin on plane tickets, hotel rooms, car rentals, and more.
Cheapair.com, which sells discounted plane tickets, also accepts payments made with Bitcoin. You can plan and fund an entire trip with Bitcoin!
Pizza For Coins offers a unique way for you to spend Bitcoin online.
First, click on Order.
Then, you can search for places to order pizza and pay with Bitcoin in your area.
In my area, chain restaurants like Pizza Hut and Dominos are the only ordering options — but this is a definitely cool way to spend Bitcoin!
Another fun way to spend Bitcoin online (if you like fish + games) is by downloading and playing games.
Big Fish Games allows users to make payments with Bitcoin.
Spreadsheet of Everywhere That Takes Bitcoin [May 2018]:
We went crazy with this spreadsheet.
We looked at every single list on Google. We looked through Yelp. We emailed. We even Binged…
Some were old, some were wrong, some were pretty good…
We think this is the best list on the internet for who takes Bitcoin today.
Oh, and we’ve got a whole team dedicated to updating this list. So, make sure to check back next week for more!
Check it out.
Map of Everywhere That Takes Bitcoin [May 2018]:
Here’s a map of physical places you can go to spend your Bitcoin.
Shop with Bitcoin Online (Everything on Amazon):
You may not know this, but we wrote a huge-ole guide to shopping on Amazon.com with Bitcoin.
There’s a ton of ways from buying gift cards on Paxful to eGifter… etc.
So go checkout that article for more.
If you want to buy anything on Amazon you can use Purse (get $10 for free) to save 5–33% on Amazon when you shop with Bitcoin.
There’s another way to transact in Bitcoin too… you can exchange your cash for Bitcoin or your Bitcoin for cash.
Read on…
Where Can I Find a Bitcoin ATM?
Besides merchants, there are a lot of ATMs worldwide that accept Bitcoin and can convert cash to Bitcoin and vice versa.
These are very helpful when you need to convert between currencies because you are visiting a place where you cannot directly spend Bitcoin. Shoutout to Coin ATM Radar for this amazing embedded map! Thanks Vlad!
In fact, there are over 1,800 Bitcoin ATMs/Tellers in the United States.
It is likely that there is one near you!
Local Places that Take Bitcoin (A Secret Hack👇)
Love Bitcoin, but not a big fan of using it online?
We’ve got you.
Currently, there are very few chain stores where you can visit and spend Bitcoin in-person.
For example, there is a Subway store in Allentown, PA that accepts Bitcoin.
But not all Subway locations accept Bitcoin.
Before attempting to spend Bitcoin at a chain store, you should check to make sure that the location you plan to visit definitely accepts Bitcoin as a form of payment. Our spreadsheet has tons of emails and phone numbers so you can call ahead of time.
Meanwhile, there are many independently-owned restaurants where you can spend Bitcoin.
These tend to be concentrated in large cities.
Read on for our secret hack!
For example, there are numerous independently-owned restaurants where you can spend Bitcoin in New York City. A few of these include: Anchor Grill, Au Za’Atar, BarKogi Korean Fried Chicken, La Sirene, Landmarc, and others.
And there are quite a few small coffee shops that accept Bitcoin.
A few examples include:
- Coupa Cafe (Paolo Alto, CA)
- Eclipse Coffee (Montevallo, AL)
- Macaron Cafe (New York, NY)
- Manila Bay Cafe (Dayton, WA)
- Muggswigz Coffee & Tea Co. (Canton, Ohio)
- Tealet (La Vegas, NV)
How did we find all of these local gems? Yelp!
Watch carefully… there’s a hack to see this filter…
Are you watching?
In addition, some private financial consulting firms have began to accept Bitcoin.
A couple of these include: Back Bay Accounting and Tax (Boston, MA) and Dan Rubin Consulting (San Francisco, CA).
Spend Bitcoin Indirectly: Gift Cards, Bitcoin Credit Card, & Charities
Here are some unique ways to spend Bitcoin.
Not everyone thinks of these weird ways to spend Bitcoin…
1. Buy Gift Cards With Bitcoin
If a store that you want to shop at does not accept Bitcoin, then you can buy a giftcard to use.
The following sites allow you to purchase gift cards with Bitcoin: eGifter, Gyft, and Paxful.
Paxful allows you to both buy and sell Bitcoin in exchange for gift cards. All three of these sites offer hundreds of different gift card options.
This is an easy method that allows you to indirectly spend Bitcoins at any place that you want.
2. Donate Bitcoin
Donating to your favorite cause is a cool way to spend Bitcoin. The following nonprofit organizations accept Bitcoin donations:
- Autism Speaks: this organization conducts research, funds educational opportunities, and raises awareness of Autism Spectrum Discorder.
- Code to Inspire: Code to Inspire provides young Afghan women with the opportunity to learn how to code and earn their own income.
- Heifer International: Heifer provides job training and livestock to impoverished communities in developing nations.
- The Water Project: this organization’s objective is to ensure the accessibility and maintenance of clean water in sub-Saharan African communities.
In addition, Wikileaks began accepting donations in Bitcoin after every major credit card company blocked direct payments to Wikileaks.
For your convenience we also put together a short list of 44 charities that take Bitcoin as a donation.
You can even contact that charity to ask for a Bitcoin address to donate to and to ask questions about their donation policies.
3. Bitcoin Credit Card
With the BitPay Card, you can immediately access your Bitcoin wallet and transfer dollars onto your credit card.
This is helpful if you have Bitcoin to spend, but a business does not accept Bitcoin payments directly.
5 Major Brands That Don’t Do BTC Anymore…
There are actually a few places that began accepting Bitcoin in previous years, but no longer accept Bitcoin payments in 2018.
Many of these companies cite reasons for changes in their Bitcoin policy like the volatile price of Bitcoin and rising transaction fees.
Here are a few places that used to accept Bitcoin, but no longer do:
1. Dell Doesn’t Do Bitcoin
In July 2014, Dell was one of the largest technology companies to begin accepting Bitcoin as a form of payment.
However, in October 2017, Dell released a statement saying that the company would no longer accept Bitcoin payments. The main reason cited by Dell is the low demand from customers.
2. Steam Valve Corporation, Nope No Bitcoin
In December 2017, the gaming platform released a statement saying that users could no longer spend Bitcoin on Steam’s services.
Steam’s main reason for ending Bitcoin payments is the volatility of the price of Bitcoin.
Another major reason cited was the increasing amount of fees being added to Bitcoin transactions — Steam noted that some users were outraged because they were paying close to $20 per transaction for the site’s gaming services.
3. Reddit Killed Bitcoin, But It’s COMING BACK SOON!
Surprisingly, Reddit, which is home to at least two large Bitcoin communities, no longer allows users to spend Bitcoin on its premium services. Previously, users could use Bitcoin to pay for the site’s upgraded service, the Reddit Gold Program.
In March 2018, Reddit stopped accepting Bitcoin as a form of payment. The main reason cited by administrators was Coinbase’s latest platform update.
Currently, Reddit believes that there are too many problems with Coinbase’s payment platform to accept Bitcoin at the moment.
Fortunate for you, Reddit announced in May 2018 that they are working on taking Bitcoin again.
4. Stripe Stripped Bitcoin
Stripe, a digital payment platform, began to support Bitcoin as a form of payment on its platform in 2014.
However, a few months ago, the company announced that it would no longer support Bitcoin usage.
Stripe states that Bitcoin is not a useful form of payment due to its price volatility and high transaction fees.
Stripe believes that Bitcoin works better as an asset than a currency due to its changing value.
5. The Wikimedia Foundation, Buh-Bye Bitcoin
The Wikimedia Foundation is the non-profit organization that maintains Wikipedia.
Recently, the organization announced that it would no longer accept donations made through Bitcoin.
Wikimedia explained that the high transaction fees have devalued donations made in Bitcoin. The organization will not accept Bitcoin until it finds a way to make Bitcoin donations feasible and profitable.
Do You Take Bitcoin? Did We Miss You?
You’re options for spending Bitcoin — both online and offline — are endless!
In our quest for the endless list, did we miss you?
Share your business below so we can add you to our list and map.
Wow, You Read It All…
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