Cryptocurrencies have been around for over a decade now, but they are still a big talking point in 2023. The cryptocurrency market is now valued at over $1 trillion, and there are in excess of 12,000 crypto coins currently in circulation.
Despite this, there remains a good deal of uncertainty about cryptocurrencies. Much of this is due to the high levels of volatility shown by Bitcoin over the past 12 months, as well as the high-profile hacks and collapses of major crypto exchanges and the Terra and Luna stablecoins.
However, it looks like 2023 is set to be the year that cryptocurrencies bounce back, and there is a growing demand for being able to make crypto payments online. So here is a handy overview as to where you can now use cryptocurrencies to pay for goods and services in the online domain.
Cryptocurrencies at e-commerce platforms
Cryptocurrencies are starting to appear at more and more e-commerce sites. Microsoft was one of the pioneers in accepting crypto payments as the tech giant has been cryptocurrency-friendly since way back in 2014. While many major e-commerce brands remain reluctant to take crypto payments, there is a growing trend for some familiar names like Gamestop to accept Bitcoin as a way of purchasing goods.
It’s important to note that the e-commerce giant, Amazon, has recently taken steps to make its services more crypto-friendly. The brand now uses the Purse.io technology to let Bitcoin users trade the crypto for Amazon gift cards that can then be used to facilitate the transaction. While it’s not a direct way to purchase goods on Amazon, it shows that the e-commerce brand is taking steps to help customers who prefer to use cryptocurrencies.
Plus, with e-wallet brands like PayPal as well as e-commerce platforms such as Shopify now taking Bitcoin payments, it looks like the future is bright for crypto e-commerce.
Sports and esports betting sites that take crypto payments
More and more people are now turning to cryptocurrencies to bet on sports and esports tournaments. This form of crypto betting, about which you can find even more info on the internet, is now widespread across the internet, and it gives people the opportunity to use those crypto gambling sites regardless of whether the bookmaker is actually based in their country.
As a result, it is now easy to sign up to a crypto betting site with just an email, make deposits via crypto like Bitcoin or Ethereum, and then use these payments as stakes for betting on anything from Champions League football to a major esports tournament such as The International.
Cryptocurrencies also give bettors a major advantage in the fact that withdrawals are much quicker to process than regular payment methods such as cards and bank transfers. Plus, many people now opt to use cryptocurrencies for betting as the transactions won’t show up on their bank statements.
Crypto-friendly online travelling platforms
Cryptocurrencies can be used to make frictionless payments all around the world regardless of the national currency of its user. As such, it’s no major surprise to find that more and more online travel sites are starting to accept crypto payments.
CheapAir was one of the first travel brands to jump on board the cryptocurrency bandwagon. The company started taking Bitcoin payments for flight reservations back in 2013 and have since expanded this service to include hotel reservations.
It’s a theme that has been expanded upon by other brands like Travala. This company now accepts over 50 different crypto coins to book millions of different travel products. All of this shows that it’s not just cryptocurrencies that are using blockchain technology to travel freely across national borders.
