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Spending Bitcoin and other digital assets such as Dogecoin is not difficult. Still, many people need help answering questions about how a blockchain transaction and crypto currency payments work, where they can spend Bitcoins, and what types of merchants or service providers accept digital coin payments. This article is designed to teach even the least crypto-aware, newbie user how to spend Bitcoin and alternative cryptos. It'll cover how and where you can pay with digital currencies in ways that are as easy and user-friendly as paying with traditional money.

Products & services you can buy with Bitcoin

The mechanisms involved with understanding how to gain, hold, exchange, or buy anything with digital currencies require some degree of financial literacy. To explain the elements of this that are key to the buying process in an easy-to-follow way we'll need to explore each of the aspects involved:

Table of Contents

  1. What products or services can you pay for with Bitcoin?
  2. Where to make Bitcoin purchases
  3. How to spend virtual currencies
  4. Benefits and negatives of spending with Bitcoin
  5. What to consider before spending your virtual assets
  6. How do you get Bitcoin?
  7. Problems that might prevent spending
  8. Risks to consider
  9. Alternatives to buying with Bitcoin
  10. Summary
  11. FAQ

Firstly, you may already be aware of all the intricate details around spending Bitcoin and just want to know where to go to spend your virtual coins. You already have coins. You know how to get them, you can protect them, and you know that rate fluctuations and taxation might affect their value in any spending transaction and how any fees might impact your costs.

So, we'll start off with the core subject of our page and cover the key question of where can you spend Bitcoin. We'll also cover what types of products and services present spending options.

First up is a quick hit table showing some of the buying options open to you, and we'll explore both questions in more detail afterwards.

Where to Spend BitcoinExample SuppliersComments
Online Store ShoppingAmazon, Overstock, Newegg, WalmartWhile Walmart and Amazon do not accept Bitcoin payments directly, you can use cryptocurrency gift cards to make purchases. Other major online retailers such as Overstock and Newegg accept direct Bitcoin payments.
Online ServicesPaypal, Expedia, AT & T, MicrosoftMoney transfer services like Paypal have opened up to support Crypto transactions. You can pay travel costs, phone subscriptions, and other technology-related costs, too.
Withdrawing FIAT cashAnyYou can withdraw paper cash at Bitcoin ATMs and then spend the money in any establishments that take cash payments.
Making Further InvestmentsAny alternative cryptocurrencyOne potential way to increase your virtual assets is to take Bitcoin profits and use them to invest in alternative coins.
Donations/Charitable givingWikipedia, Reddit, Red Cross'Free' online services like Wikipedia rely on donations to continue running, hence they've made it easy for donors to give cryptocurrencies. Similarly, the online discussion platform Reddit allows the use of crypto for tipping high-value contributors. Various charities also accept Bitcoin donations.
Buying expensive items with BitcoinTesla, Ferrari, RealtorsIt's no surprise that Bitcoin can be used in transactions that involve expensive items. Cars, yachts, and real estate are all on the list.
This table explores some of the products and services that Bitcoin can buy
Bitcoin Accepted here

What types of products or services can you buy with Bitcoin?

You may be surprised to learn that there are now thousands of online shops, product sellers or service providers that list cryptocurrencies among their payment systems in the same way they would if you were making credit or debit card payments. The industry has come a long way since the early days when buying pizza with Bitcoin was the only option. Indeed, there are growing numbers of online retailers now that will only accept Bitcoin or another crypto. 

So, finding a merchant that accepts Bitcoin is unlikely to present a serious challenge and - with the numbers offering this type of payment - it's not practical to list them all individually here. What we can do, though, is effectively break down the types of product or service you'll be able to pay for. We'll look at some of those ways of spending Bitcoin here:

Shopping with Online Stores

Shopping online is, of course, firmly entrenched as the preferred way for many of us to obtain goods and products. It would be a surprise to learn of anyone living in a country with a developed online shopping infrastructure that hasn't ordered a gift or personal supplies through an online store such as Amazon.

These types of stores are rapidly increasing their ability to handle cryptocurrency purchases and it may not be long before Bitcoin and other cryptos become one of the most popular payment processing systems. Online stores offer a wide range of products so the choices are going to be pretty much endless.

Bitcoin payments for online services

The types of services that you can pay one-off fees or subscriptions for online are too numerous to mention. Gambling definitely springs to mind, where making a Bitcoin payment to an online gambling account is now commonplace. Indeed, players of online gambling games are offered many great value incentives to deposit Bitcoin into their accounts instead of fiat currencies. For playing poker specifically, there are a number of online poker sites that accept Bitcoin deposits and withdrawals.

Making those deposits or withdrawals is fairly straightforward but if you want to know more you can read these instructions for setting up Bitcoin for online gambling.

Gambling is just one example, though. The list is growing daily with firms like AT&T offering their mobile phone services with crypto-based subscription payments and huge operators like Microsoft also getting in on the act. Even Twitter is making headlines with a potential intention to accept Crypto payments to cover subscription costs for their much vaunted Twitter Blue subscription service.

             

Withdrawing FIAT cash

Just the same way as you can withdraw cash from a 'normal' bank account via an ATM machine, you can use a Bitcoin ATM to withdraw FIAT cash. Once you have cash in your hand, finding ways to spend it is never a problem, right!?

Making Further Investments

Once you have built up a Bitcoin balance, you can 'spend' it by making further investments in other coins without making a further bank transfer of fiat currency or identifying an alternative source of investment cash.

You can also use Crypto holdings for staking. This staking involves committing your assets in support of a blockchain network and to confirm transactions, for which you get a financial reward. Staking crypto is not exactly spending it - it's still yours, and this falls into the area of investment spending hence it's definitely one of the ways of using Bitcoin that appeals to investors.

Donations/Charitable giving

There is no shortage of ways to give money away on the internet. Often this can be in the form of donations to charitable causes and even support something like resistance to a country invasion as we saw in Ukraine in early 2022. With charitable donations, there can be additional positives from not needing to pay capital gains taxes. It's a good way of making anonymous individual payments where you don't want anyone to know you're making a donation.

One useful website to know if you're considering making donations is Bitope - a Bitcoin crowdfunding platform for charities. Many organizations are listed and give you plenty of choices as to where you'd like to send any virtual cash.

On a slightly lesser scale, there are a number of online services that encourage or at least allow the tipping of contributors. Reddit is a good example of this where Reddit users can buy Reddit Gold with Bitcoin and use it for tipping posters that contribute useful or interesting stuff to the community. Equally, Wikipedia accepts donations in crypto, too. 

Buying expensive items with Bitcoin

Since many Bitcoin owners might be fairly wealthy if they acquired their coins at the right time, it'll be no surprise that buying big-ticket items is possible. Yachts or boats will go on this type of list, as will expensive cars such as Lamborghini's or Ferrari's. Houses and real estate are other high-cost items that can now be bought with cryptocurrencies.

Obviously, there are heightened risks with these types of high-value purchases but as long as you follow all sensible precautions during the buying process there should be no reason to completely avoid them.

 

Where to spend Bitcoin

It's easy to list out some high-profile retailers offering services and products where you'll be able to pay with virtual coins.

First, we should mention Amazon. You'll find that Amazon currently doesn’t directly accept any form of crypto payment. That shouldn't stop you though, since you can buy Amazon gift cards with Crypto or use a BitPay card at the point of checkout.

Tesla, PayPal, AT&T, Microsoft, Overstock and Expedia are all other big brand businesses already associated with the acceptance of Bitcoin as payment. In the fast-food field, you'll be able to get your burgers and chicken from Burger King or KFC. Subway and Pizza Hut make sure you can get your sandwiches and pizza.

When you get down into the detail, though, it will probably pay to use a service that lists different merchants:

Online directory sites listing Bitcoin merchants

One of the easier ways to find where to spend your Bitcoin with an online retailer is to use one of the websites now springing up that lists multiple merchants. Using these websites is a great way to identify opportunities to purchase products or services. Some of these hold searchable databases and act as directories. Here are a few that look set to battle it out as being the best place to go for lists:

  • Bitcoinwide
  • Spendabit
  • Coinmap.org
  • Cryptwerk
  • Spendbitcoins

These types of sites will get you comprehensive listings of different places or services that have all made the step forward to handling their inbound payments in digital currencies.

Products & services you can buy with Bitcoin

Here's a list of examples designed to illustrate the widening choices available:

  • Apple iPhones, iPads & Macbooks
  • Airline Tickets 
  • Books & Literature
  • Cell Phones
  • Clothes & Fashion Accessories
  • Computers, Laptops & PC Parts
  • Coffee
  • Diamonds & Jewelry
  •  
  • Domain Names, Web Hosting, VPNs & Servers
  • Drones
  • Electronics & TVs
  • Flowers & Gift Baskets
  • Food Delivery & Restaurants
  • Furniture & Home Improvement
  • Groceries
  • Guitars & Musical Instruments
  • Hotels & Stays
  • Movies & TV Shows
  • Sneakers & Shoes
  • Vacation & Travel
  • Video Games, In-Game Purchases & Accessories
  • Watches

How to spend virtual currencies

Assuming you're clued up in sending emails or any other form of digital message, getting your head around how a Bitcoin transaction works is going to be fairly straightforward. With a cryptocurrency transfer, you're sending digital currency from one address to another.

This use of virtual addresses is one of the ways that allows Bitcoin owners to maintain anonymity in a similar way to that which you get when physically paying for a product with cold hard cash. That's a level of anonymity that you don't get when paying with a credit card, for example.

When you make a Bitcoin payment, you obviously need your own source of funds. That source will be a wallet or an exchange address. You'll need to know the virtual address to where you're sending the payment, and probably the most important aspect to be aware of is to be absolutely sure you know the receiving address, it's correct, and you haven't made any error when typing it in. An alternative to actually typing in an address would be to use a QR code provided by the seller of the product or the supplier of the service.

What is a crypto exchange?

Before we proceed to explore the different ways you can complete a Bitcoin purchase, it's worth understanding in a little more depth what an exchange is. A Cryptocurrency exchange is an online platform where you can buy or sell cryptocurrencies. After you buy or invest in a cryptocurrency, you can leave it in the exchange you've used for the transaction, but it will not be as secure as you'd really need. This is where wallets come into the picture as both being a secure method of storing cryptocurrencies and being a tool for actually spending.

Major cryptocurrency exchanges

What are wallets?

Think of a wallet like a wallet you've always known in the past. Just like a purse, it carries hard cash and/or banking cards. Crypto wallets are essentially similar but are either virtual software wallets or physical hardware wallets like a USB device.

 

There are multiple types of wallets. Hot wallets are those that are connected to the internet. Cold wallets are those that are kept unconnected to the internet and will be the most secure. Physical wallets can be either hot or cold, and the same applies to any form of a mobile wallet.

Note that some exchanges supply a wallet in addition to their ability to exchange currencies, while some wallets are totally unassociated with any exchanges.

Coinomi cryptocurrency wallet

How do you pay from a wallet?

If you want to make a payment for a product or service directly from your wallet, that payment will be sent from your wallet address. As we'll see below, using a QR code is one way to complete a payment. The other is to manually enter the bitcoin address of the vendor using your wallet software. To complete this manual process you'll need two pieces of crucial information:

  • The bitcoin address for the receiver of the payment
  • The amount of bitcoin to send

You'll enter this info into the 'send' section of your wallet, after which you'll receive a confirmation that the transaction is complete.

Spending with Cryptocurrency credit cards, debit cards,and gift cards

Although some of the largest online retailers don't accept Bitcoin yet, there's a workaround where you can still buy from them. This workaround comes in the form of Cryptocurrency debit cards or gift cards. A number of exchanges and other Crypto-related operators present account-holders with Cryptocurrency debit card or credit card options. In fact, the use of prepaid debit cards is perhaps destined to be the most used way of spending Bitcoin in the future. We'd best have a look at how crypto debit cards and gift cards work:

Using Cryptocurrency Debit Cards

These debit cards are cards that are loaded up with a Bitcoin balance resulting in the potential to use them anywhere that debit cards are accepted, and irrelevant of whether Bitcoin or any other crypto is accepted or not. There's no hassle with the conversion of virtual currency into a local currency.

Good examples of providers of these types of cards include Bitpay and Coinbase, with Amazon being a good example of the type of retailer where the cards can be used.

Using Gift Cards for Crypto transactions

There's also a way to spend your Bitcoin by using gift cards. Just as with standard gift cards, you buy the card itself for the value that's held in the card. There'll be no shortage of places to use a Crypto gift card, but do note that there are normally service fees associated with using them. These fees could amount to four or five per cent of the card's value.

Some useful names to note in the field of virtual asset gift cards include:

  • Bitrefill - a website that sells gift cards designed to cover the cost of popular services, where the gift cards can be bought with Bitcoin. 

  • BitPay - At Bitpay you can buy gift cards with crypto for spending with major online retailers such as  Amazon and Walmart. BitPay also offer a crypto debit card that will allow you to instantly spend crypto like it was cash in your hand. Purchases can be completed with popular brands and well-known merchants.

    How do you pay with a QR code

    Most bitcoin payment processors will show a QR code at the point of completing a transaction. This code represents a bitcoin address and the payment amount. In particular, QR codes make it easy to pay from a mobile wallet app on your smartphone. You'll just need to scan the code and it will enter the receiving bitcoin address and the appropriate payment amount. After sending the transaction, the payment will be complete.

    The Benefits and Negatives of Spending with Bitcoin

    The online gambling industry has always been positioned as one of the prime industries to welcome the use of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as a form of online payment. Understanding why that's the case can be key to getting to appreciate the reasons.

    In the case of online gambling, those reasons are multiple, with the most important being the aspects of anonymous transactions and the ease of making them. These are two aspects that are almost always universally welcomed - and actively sought out - by online gamblers. Satoshi Nakamoto probably knew that gambling was a perfect target to act as a key enabler in the early acceptance of Bitcoin as a form of payment.

    It was only a matter of time before the early narrow use of virtual currencies changed. Many online retailers and shops quickly recognized that customers with crypto assets would want to spend their digital funds. The situation with digital currencies has been - and still is - changing rapidly. As Bitcoin becomes more widely recognized as a mainstream method of making financial transactions, payment options have become more widespread and have touched other areas of everyday spending. It's not just Dark Web stuff or gambling anymore, and Bitcoin is beginning to come of age as a payment method.

    More of us now have access to crypto-based funds and coins and consider them a valid form of currency alongside their use as an investment vehicle. It's getting easier to realize that access through crypto exchange platforms, and we're either creating, buying, winning, or earning Bitcoin or one of its close cousins like Bitcoin Cash, ETH, USD Coin, or a raft of alternatives. Some of the lucky ones among us may even be getting small amounts of cryptocurrency for free or as a digital coin reward.

    So, as more of us hold Bitcoin and alternative digital assets as a fallout of the cryptocurrency revolution and the ongoing transition away from central bank financial control, we begin to encounter some problems outside of the efforts needed to gain them. Many would say these potential issues are almost exclusively lovely to have, although one or two can inflict some pain.

    We'll explore some of those potential problems in a minute, but first, let's see some of the benefits of making purchases with Bitcoin.

     

    The Benefits of Spending with Bitcoin and other virtual currencies

    Aside from the potential of making some worthwhile financial investments in cryptocurrencies, they do bestow a number of other benefits on holders. Some of these benefits are particularly useful in any buying process.

    For anyone that doesn't have access to traditional banking methods, crypto transactions either via wallets, exchanges, or debit and gift cards can all be suitable solutions.

    Transaction speed can be a prime requirement in some situations and virtual asset transactions are well known for being speedy, particularly when compared to transfers of finances where the use of traditional methods is often slow and cumbersome. It can take some blockchain transactions seconds to effect a transfer of digital tokens whereas one through a traditional alternative transaction method might take a week. This ability to make instant payments can't be undervalued.

    For potential spenders in regions where the national currency is unstable, using cryptocurrencies can provide some form of stability to underpin any financial transactions. Notably, the average American crypto investor may not fall into this bracket given the inherent stability of the US dollar, but there are plenty of countries across the world that don't have a stable national currency.

    Lastly, we come to the anonymity factor. With no banks involved, transactions using any form of digital coin are relatively anonymous. The downside to this anonymity of cryptocurrency is that coins have been used in the past for nefarious or illegal purposes, but for the law-abiding individuals among us that want to pay for something or transfer assets without anyone knowing, they are hugely valuable.

    What are the five main considerations when spending your digital coins and assets?

    Having extra cash is hardly ever a problem that needs real consideration as being problematical. But Bitcoin and other cryptos are nothing if not hugely removed from the traditional currencies we know inside out. These new assets require a markedly different approach and present some issues that need to be thought through before you'll get to the point of spending. 

    One issue is the 'always there' recognition that we're talking about an investment vehicle. Not one of us would say that we're aware that Bitcoin's value (compared as an exchange rate to FIAT currencies) fluctuates wildly. We hope that crypto market value fluctuations are positive, at least over time. Indeed, a wild market crash is probably the most considerable risk. We'd also all recognize that getting hold of currencies at an attractive rate of exchange is highly desirable but not critical due to the historical propensity of Bitcoin, in particular, to increase in value.

    The second is storing and protecting what we hold and avoiding scams and thefts that may deplete our coin stash and deprive us of financial rewards. 

    The third is perhaps the most pleasant problem - how to spend the Bitcoin we've created, earned, won, been awarded, or bought as an investment on services, actual stores, or an online platform that will welcome our alternative cash.

    The fourth - and one that's unarguably the least welcome - is the questions around taxation, tax liabilities, and the tax consequences for individual holders of alternative currencies.

    We need to consider the impact of transaction fees involved in the exchange or transfer of many forms of crypto. These costs are similar to those you'll very likely have encountered in the past when exchanging traditional currency from your own country's legal tender into another. They work along the same lines as many of the daily banking transactions' fees. It'll be worth paying attention to transaction fees involved in any crypto transfers, or the fallout may be that you're losing cash unnecessarily. 

    Lastly, there's the potential problem of the value exchange rate value of Bitcoin changing while at or near the point of making a purchase.

    Before we get to the ways to overcome or negate these potential problems, another high-level issue needs some addressing: how to get Bitcoin in the first place. After all, Bitcoin is a currency. Currency has a monetary or an associated economic value. Currency is money - it's irrelevant whether this is cold, hard traditional cash or a digital version of it. And to spend money - in a vast number of cases - you need to have it to spend it.

    How do you get Bitcoin?

     

    With a bit of instructional help, investing by buying is straightforward. You'll need to understand the types of cryptocurrency and how exchanges and wallets work, but plenty of online info covers those subjects. Indeed, understanding wallets and exchanges is a prerequisite for virtually every form of interaction, purchase, receipt, or award you'll ever be involved in concerning Bitcoin or other coins. Read the ProfessionalRakeback guide to Bitcoin transactions and cryptocurrency payments for more detailed info.

    Another way of increasing your holdings is through crypto staking accounts. Essentially, this is a way of investing further to build up your balance over a period of time. Bitcoin trading can also result in significantly increased virtual coin holdings if you know what you're doing.

    For the gamblers among us, the answer is easy once you've got a funded Bitcoin account. Hopefully, you'll be winning tokens over time and building up a digital coin bankroll. Plus, while you have crypto funds in a casino or poker account, those account funds will be subjected to variations in exchange values.

    As an employee, you may already be getting paid in Bitcoin. Major companies are beginning to show an increasing interest in rewarding employees with digital tokens. In addition, there are many rewards programs or play-to-earn games where players get an allocation of tokens or earn awards of small Bitcoin amounts that can build up over time.

    Lastly, it may be the underpinning activity of bitcoin mining that gets you a stash of coins, although that avenue is only open to a very select few. 

    Before The Spending - Breaking Down The Bitcoin Problems

    Prior to getting to any point where you're considering how to spend Bitcoin, you'll need to have tackled and overcome or negated the other problems we already covered. But a key consideration first will be whether to spend it in the first place or 'hold on for dear life'.

    Hodl or spend?

    This aspect of whether to hold or spend can be a tough one and will depend on multiple variables - almost too many to document. We may well make this the subject of an in-depth page solely dedicated to the concept of holding crypto balances without fear. Still, it will depend on your situation, involving multiple factors. These factors can include financial exposures, the value of Bitcoin or others in the cryptocurrency ecosystem with less market share that you own, and personal levels of risk aversion.

    The bottom line is that there are valid reasons for spending Bitcoin and some equally great reasons for holding on to what you have. Many cryptocurrency investors see Bitcoin as a store of value and never spend it but hold it to see how Bitcoin prices move. But there are use cases for spending.

    Let's assume that you've decided that spending all or some of the bitcoin you've acquired is the right thing to do; in that case, the following items are all worth consideration:

    How to protect your Bitcoin holding so you can get to spend it - Secure storage and the role of wallets

    Since our core focus here is on how and where you can spend Bitcoin, we'll keep this section short. But brevity does not lessen the importance of this aspect of the Bitcoin puzzle.  Learning how crypto wallets work, appreciating the inherent security built into specific types and their security limitations and strengths, and knowing what to avoid when buying or transferring funds are all critical items.

    Hot wallets and cold wallets are crucial terms to be aware of when considering wallet types, with both presenting positive or negative aspects that need to come under consideration. Custodial and 'non-custodial' wallet are two further terms that you'll encounter. Out of these, perhaps the most important to be aware of is the cold wallet - offering the safest way to store and secure your coins.

    Tax Considerations

    While bitcoin acts like a currency in many ways, it’s subject to the kinds of taxation you'll see in other financial investments such as those you may make in stocks or bonds. Any increase in the value of crypto assets means you're making a profit and hence increasing your financial worth. And we all know that profits generally spell taxes, taxation, and the need to understand capital gains tax rates.

    Before you spend crypto or buy any services or products with cryptocurrency, it'll be wise to understand the tax implications surrounding ownership and, at a minimum, have an appreciation of your potential liabilities.

    Fortunately, the details around the taxable aspects of digital funds are well documented. This section should be taken as a general summary of Bitcoin taxation. Be sure to carry out your own checks to fully ensure you understand any liabilities.

    Remember that tax laws differ from country to country. We'll focus here on the situation for US residents, but check your own country's tax requirements if you're visiting from outside the US.

    The tax you'll need to be aware of is that which is associated with capital gains. Essentially, the amount you’ll pay in capital gains taxes depends on how long you hold your coins and their increase in value over that period. So, when you spend Bitcoin or any other crypto, the tax liability will be based on the increase in value since the day you acquired the coins.

    Now, clearly, you won't have any tax to pay on capital losses - if your holding has reduced in value there's nothing to take into account. The positive here is that if you suffered losses in value,  you can also use those losses to offset any other gains you've made and potentially reduce your taxable income.

    Here's an example : You spend $300 worth of Bitcoin that you originally purchased for $200, so $100 of that is profit from the investment. That $100 is the sum on which you'll need to pay capital gains tax. If you'd spent $300 of Bitcoin that you'd acquired for $600, then you'd have incurred a loss of $300. That $300 could be counted as a capital loss and used to offset any liability. 

    What tax rate do you need to pay?

    If you held the digital assets for less than a year, the tax rate would be the same as if it was ordinary income. If you held the coins for more than a year, the long-term capital gains tax rate is lower with the exact amount depending on your annual income.  In the longer-term case, you'd be looking at somewhere between zero and 20 per cent.

    The impact of Crypto transaction fees

    While there are no banking fees involved with Bitcoin transactions, there are often associated costs for the transactions themselves. The fees for making crypto-related transactions vary across different currencies and can also vary at different times as the transaction capacity of blockchain networks varies.

    Although they may not be a major consideration, fees involved in spending coins work in a similar way to those you'd encounter when you make payments in a fiat currency that's not your own national currency. As such, depending on the amount involved, it'll at least be worth knowing the extra cost involved even if not a major consideration in the purchase itself.

     

    Fluctuations in Bitcoin value

    You'll likely have been on holiday or travelling in another country and bought goods in a local currency. If you've paid with a credit or debit card, there will be a cost associated with the exchange of your own currency into the local one. And it can fluctuate. Bitcoin is similar, it'll have a current exchange rate at the time you're making a spending decision. In the time it takes to complete a payment, that rate may have changed.

    Of course, that fluctuation in the exchange rate could be positive or negative, so it could work for you or against you. There are not too many ways around this other than to make your decision at what feels like the right time and accept any risks. As it is - if you're a Bitcoin holder or have any involvement with blockchains - you'll already be aware of the risks and prepared to accept them.

    Are there any other risks in spending Bitcoin?

    We already covered some of the problems to watch out for such as fluctuations in exchange value, but there are a few additional elements involved with coin transfers that you should at least be aware of.

    The first is that if you overpay, you might not be able to get an amount refunded. Just be sure to pay very careful attention to details when making any transfers.

    You should be aware that some transactions can take hours to complete. Again, some caution applied will ensure you don't get caught out by any problems that may arise from an unanticipated delay.

    Perhaps the most important risk to note that we haven't already covered in our analysis is that of Double Spending. 

     

    What is Double Spending in Bitcoin?

    Double spending refers to the chance of a blockchain exploit, technical issue, or deliberate manipulation occurring which allows the transfer of a Bitcoin amount twice or more while appearing to only be registered once. Most exploits of this type involve the copying of a transaction's details and the resubmission of it twice or maybe even multiple times simultaneously.

    Needless to say, if you're on the beneficiary end of a double spend, you're making extra cash. If you're on the receiving end - or should we say the deceived end - you're going to end up out of pocket. 

    Most forms of Crypto have been developed so that double spending cannot occur, but still, it's something to be aware of and watch out for. With Bitcoin specifically, it's prevented by the use of a consensus mechanism known as proof-of-work (PoW). This Proof-of-work system acts to determine - via a network of decentralized parties - which transactions are valid or invalid and allows only the one that has the agreed consensus to complete. Hence, there's no chance of encountering a Bitcoin double spending problem.

     

    Alternatives to buying with Bitcoin

    While Bitcoin is the most popular coin, there are many others that you could label as more suitable for buying things or paying for services. Other well--known coins that are arguable better suited for making your payments include those such as Dash, Manero, and XRP. It's also worth considering stablecoins like Tether or USD.

    All of these alternative options come with fast processing speeds and lower transactional fees than giants like Bitcoin, although some will be subject to similar volatility in their exchange values.

     

    Summary

    It'll be obvious by this point that options for spending Bitcoin or other forms of Cryptocurrency are increasing almost daily. For anyone that's holding virtual assets in some form, the decision to hold on to them or spend all or some of their holding may be a debatable one.

    While there are now plenty of merchants where buyers can spend bitcoin, not all of them accept coin payments directly. Fortunately, until they do, there are options. Bitcoin debit cards and gift cards are easily obtainable, and these can be used to make purchases indirectly.

    Either way, your choices are endless. Major retailers have jumped on the bandwagon, resulting in many possibilities for buying a wide range of products or services with Bitcoin or any other valid digital currency.

    Options for playing casino games and online poker to try and fill up your wallet with more assets abound, with many of those available at poker rooms accepting Bitcoin that we list here on ProfessionalRakeback. But fast-food, household and technology products, clothing, flights and travel fees, and just about everything else can be paid for with a Cryptocurrency.

    There are some risks and it's wise to make any decision to spend your Bitcoin a considered one, but all the indications are that this is just the start, with the use of Bitcoin and Crypto set to grow in the coming years until it's as widely accepted in buying processes as the fiat money we've grown up with. 

    FAQ

    We've put together a suitably comprehensive article here that explores the key aspects involved in spending Bitcoin or other types of a digital asset. So, very likely, you've already read the answer to the main questions of 'How do you spend Bitcoin' or 'where can you spend Bitcoin?'

    But in case you have additional questions or have jumped here for some quick-hit answers to queries, here are some of the most frequently asked questions we've seen in search engines and forums around spending cryptocurrencies.

    Yes, Bitcoin can be converted into cash either by withdrawing using a Bitcoin ATM or by using an exchange such as Coinbase.

    You can spend Bitcoin either at online service providers or on products via online stores in a number of ways. Some merchants will accept payment directly in Bitcoin while some will accept payments by gift cards paid for with a cryptocurrency, or by debit card transactions using cards specifically designed to be funded by virtual currencies. You can also convert digital currencies into cash.

    The methods of making Bitcoin payments for obtaining products or services vary, but include the use of a hardware or software-based wallet, a cryptocurrency exchange, QR codes, debit or credit cards, or gift cards.

    You can use Bitcoin to pay for products or services, make donations to charities or other worthy causes, make investments, exchange for cash, or even pay for expensive items like BMW or Tesla cars, yachts, or real estate.

    You can't spend Bitcoin exactly like cash because it's a virtual or digital currency. But for all intents and purposes, the transfer of Bitcoin from your own holding to a merchant or another person acts precisely like a cash payment.

    The places accepting Bitcoin payments are too numerous to list here individually but include major brands such as Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Tesla, Walmart, and hundreds more. You'll find a detailed list higher up on this page.

    This really depends on where you are! First, you'll need to identify merchants or stores that do accept crypto payments. Then confirm if they are located in your vicinity. Probably the easiest or quickest way to do this is to use a directory of businesses that accept virtual currencies.

    The price of Bitcoin and all other virtual coins fluctuates constantly. So, you can never state the price as a constant. The best way to confirm the current price of any cryptocurrency - either if you intend to buy something or to invest - is to check the exchange rate at an exchange like Coinbase.

    Using Bitcoin as a payment method is completely safe, as long as you keep your private key secure and you're sure that all details of the purchase are correct. Your private key is a long number that serves as your digital signature and should never be revealed or shared. The key point is that Bitcoin is not a physical currency. As such, thieves have no way to physically remove it from the holder. The danger is that hackers could steal your cryptocurrency if they knew the private keys to your wallet.

    Bitcoin transactions are irreversible due to the immutability of the blockchain. Any transfer you make cannot be tampered with by a third party. The only way to reverse a transfer is for the receiving party to send back coins to the originator's address.

    If the merchant you are buying from applies tax to sales then this will apply irrelevant of which currency you use. For personal taxation, you are liable for tax based on the increase in value of your virtual assets from the point at which you acquired them.

    If you've made the decision to spend, the best places to make a purchase or transfer Bitcoin to are those that meet your needs. Cryptocurrencies are especially well-suited to making deposits for various forms of online gambling, however, if you're getting a good deal on any product or service then paying with Bitcoin or any alternative will be a good course of action.

    You can't pay for anything with Bitcoin where the seller of the product or service you require does not have the ability to accept Bitcoin payments.

    Yes, some real estate vendors will facilitate Crypto-based payments. In the unlikely event you were involved in buying a house direct from a seller, then as long as you both have exchange accounts then a transfer could be executed and a sale completed.

    Amazon doesn't accept direct Bitcoin payments at this time, however, you can use a Bitcoin gift card or debit card to make payments in your Amazon account.

    We are unaware of any banks that currently allow mortgage payments with Bitcoin, although the situation surrounding which organization will or won't accept payments with digital assets is changing all the time.