Gift cards have become a popular payment tool for cryptocurrency users. Plenty of platforms now offer a wide variety of cards which can be purchased with your digital coins. You can use them to buy just about any product or service from major and small retailers, order food and drinks, or book a flight. And with the Christmas holidays approaching, don’t forget their main purpose is to make someone else happy.
Also read: These Debit Cards Will Help You Spend Your BCH Anywhere
Why It Works
For various reasons, crypto enthusiasts in many countries find it hard to obtain a crypto debit card these days. They used to be a sought after payment instrument that expanded the use of decentralized digital currencies in a fiat-dominated world. However, many early offerings have disappeared and while there are new products in the niche, these now often come with more and more strings attached. Although limited to a specific retailer, crypto gift cards are much easier to acquire in comparison to debit cards.
Bridging the gap between the crypto space and the traditional payments universe is undoubtedly an attractive business opportunity for many companies in the digital asset industry. At the same time, retailers that are still uneasy about adding cryptocurrencies to their payment options get additional revenue that would otherwise go somewhere else. Many people who run businesses or are employed in the crypto sector would prefer to spend the cryptocurrency they earned rather than convert it to fiat first.
Buy Gift Cards With Bitcoin
Sending some satoshis to someone you like or love is of course a great gift for any occasion. But money is such a common present that it betrays you might not have a clear idea of what the person you’d like to surprise really likes or wants. If you do know that, however, sending a gift card is a better option. Being able to buy it with cryptocurrency is great too.
The Bitcoin.com store offers you a wide choice of gift cards for major retailers and service providers, from the Home Depot and Macy’s, to Domino’s and Dunkin Donuts, even Uber. These and dozens of other options are sorted in multiple categories, from Electronics, Clothing and Restaurants, to Holiday Gift Ideas. You can buy a card for yourself or send it to a friend. At checkout you’ll be prompted to pay with either bitcoin cash (BCH) or bitcoin core (BTC).
Another platform that lets you buy gift cards with bitcoin is Egifter. You can order cards from over 250 retailers. Both BCH and BTC are supported, along with several other cryptocurrencies like ethereum (ETH), litecoin (LTC) and dash, as well as numerous fiat options like major bank cards and popular payment processors such as Paypal, Skrill, Apple Pay, and Amazon Pay. Those who have an account with Egifter can earn points on most purchases and later claim them for free gift cards.
A website called Ipayyou.io not only sells but also buys gift cards with cryptocurrency. It accepts and pays in BCH, BTC and BSV. The cards you can order are issued by Amazon, Ebay, Best Buy, Starbucks, Uber, and iTunes. They are fully returnable until the recipient logs in to claim them. If you receive a gift card that you don’t really need, you can sell it back to the platform for crypto but a restocking fee may apply.
Swych, a mobile gifting platform in the U.S., entered the crypto market earlier this year. In February, Swych announced it’s starting to accept cryptocurrencies for the virtual gift cards it issues for more than 600 retailers, including Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and many more. In the app, which is available for Android and iOS devices, you can pay with BCH, BTC, LTC, ETH, and ETC, as news.Bitcoin.com reported. If you receive one of Swych’s virtual cards but you don’t want to spend the money in that particular store, a nice feature allows you to swap it for a card you can use with a different retailer.
If you need another mobile service accepting cryptocurrencies for a variety gift cards, you can check out Gyft. The app can be downloaded from Google Play and Apple’s App Store. “Use Bitcoin to shop for hundreds of gift cards. Instant delivery. No fees,” the platform promises. You can use it to buy, send and redeem gift cards from any mobile device. Gyft also lets you keep track of your gift card balances and currently accepts bitcoin core. Walmart, Lowe’s, Cabelas, and CVS are among the supported retailers.
You can also purchase gift cards using dozens of decentralized cryptocurrencies and stablecoins from the payments provider Bidali which is based in Canada. According to the dedicated page on its website, bitcoin cash and bitcoin core are among the supported cryptos. It also lists many well-known places where you can spend your digital money via gift card. The platform accepts coins for mobile top-ups as well.
Bitrefill sells gift cards from around the world for crypto. Its website detects your location and tailors its suggestions to your region. You can, for instance, list the most popular gift cards in the Eurozone countries. If users in the U.S. often buy cards for Google Play and the App Store, those in Europe’s single currency area would purchase cards for Skype, Viber, and Amazon.de. Bitrefill offers prepaid mobile phone refills too, for which it accepts bitcoin core, ethereum, litecoin, dash, and dogecoin.
If you are planning to travel for the upcoming Christmas holidays, several gift card platforms like Gyft, Egifter and Giftoff will offer you the opportunity to pay for services provided by airlines like Delta, Southwest, American Airlines, and Virgin. Using gift cards purchased with bitcoin to cover accommodations is not a problem either. Websites such as Flightgiftcard, Jet2Holidays, and Lastminute sell cards you can use to book flights and make hotel reservations.
Have you bought a gift card with cryptocurrency? Let us know and share your experience in the comments section below.
Images courtesy of Shutterstock, EZ Blockchain.
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