Major Companies That Accept Crypto Payments

Key Takeaways

• Major retailers now accept some cryptocurrencies as payment.
• You can use a Visa or Mastercard crypto debit card to spend your crypto at any retailer, even if they don’t usually accept crypto.
• Spending your crypto has risks, which we’ll cover in the article below.

Retailers and corporations are quickly adopting cryptocurrencies as a form of payment for their goods and services. According to a 2022 survey conducted by Deloitte, 75% of retailers have plans to start accepting cryptocurrencies over the next two years.

Here’s a list of major companies that accept crypto directly or through partnerships with third-party services.

14 Companies That Accept Crypto Directly

Dozens of major companies allow you to buy goods and services and pay your bills using crypto. You can also use the SPEDN app to pay with crypto at many retailers that don’t otherwise accept crypto payments.

Companies accept crypto in several different ways:

• Directly.
• Through a third-party app, such as SPEDN.
• Via a Visa or Mastercard crypto card.

The table below features companies that accept crypto directly.

1. AMC

As of November 2021, AMC movie theaters have been accepting crypto payments for movie tickets. When buying tickets online, customers can select to pay with cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, and Litecoin. AMC CEO Adam Aron announced in a tweet that AMC would support “Dogecoin next.”

2. AT&T

In 2019, AT&T became the first major American telecommunications company to accept cryptocurrency payments. AT&T customers can now pay their bills online using Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin, and a number of other cryptocurrencies. Like many other merchants, AT&T uses BitPay (a Bitcoin payment service provider) to facilitate their crypto payments.

3. CheapAir

The budget travel agency, CheapAir has been an early adopter of cryptocurrencies, accepting Bitcoin as far back as 2013. You can use cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin and stablecoins like USDC, DAI, and GUSD to purchase flight tickets. Hotels can also be booked with Bitcoin.

4. Dish

You can pay your cable and internet bill with crypto at Dish Network. The TV and internet provider supports Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash payments for monthly cable services, internet services, and pay-per-view movies and events.

5. ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is a provider of “virtual private network” services that allow users to mask their IP address when online. VPN services are popular among the privacy-conscious crowd, so it’s no surprise that ExpressVPN has been accepting crypto since 2014. You can pay with crypto directly on their website, and they support cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, USDC, BUSD, PAX, and GUSD.

6. Microsoft

Microsoft accepts crypto payments on products purchased through its Microsoft Store. This can include games for Xbox, music, desktop applications, and much more. Microsoft has partnered with BitPay and accepts cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin, GUSD, and more.

7. Newegg.com

Newegg is a popular store that sells electronics and computer parts. Its appeal to computer enthusiasts has made it crypto-friendly. The website supports crypto payments for all products through its partnership with BitPay. Newegg allows you to make purchases using Bitcoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, Dogecoin, and more.

8. Overstock.com

The furniture and home decor website has become an unlikely champion of cryptocurrencies. They first started accepting crypto for website purchases back in 2014. In 2017 they doubled down on their crypto commitment through a partnership with ShapeShift (a crypto exchange.) Customers can select crypto as a payment method during checkout and pay in Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Ripple, and more.

Overstock CEO and founder Patrick M. Byrne commented on the company’s pro-crypto position by saying, “Overstock is pro-freedom, including the freedom of individuals to communicate information about value and scarcity without relying on a medium created through the fiat of unaccountable government mandarins.”

9. PayPal

Online payment software PayPal has been wading into the crypto world for the last few years. PayPal facilitates the buying and selling of crypto directly. The app also allows customers to pay with crypto at checkout on merchant websites that accept PayPal. The cryptocurrencies supported on the platform are Bitcoin, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, and Ethereum.

10. Rakuten

The Japanese e-commerce company, Rakuten, has accepted cryptocurrency payments since 2019. Rakuten accepts Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, and Ethereum for its online brands and for payments made at retailers through Rakuten Pay.

11. Starbucks

The coffee giant started accepting crypto as payment in 2021. Customers can use Bitcoin and Ethereum to load their Starbucks digital cards with cash to spend at the coffee shop. In 2022, Starbucks took another step into the crypto world when they opened up their “Odyssey” NFT loyalty program to select customers.

12. Tesla

Tesla’s infamous co-founder and CEO, Elon Musk, is a cryptocurrency aficionado. In 2021, Tesla began accepting Bitcoin as payment for cars but halted the program shortly after. Now, Tesla accepts Dogecoin — it’s not for car purchases but rather for select items in their online shop.

13. Time Magazine

The long-running Time Magazine publication is stepping into the 21st century by accepting crypto payments for its magazine subscriptions. To facilitate payments, Time has partnered with the Crypto.com exchange. Users of the Crypto.com Pay service can use their crypto to make payments on Time Magazine’s website.

14. Twitch

The Amazon-owned online streaming service, Twitch, has been ahead of the curve when it comes to crypto adoption. They first started accepting crypto back in 2014. Despite briefly suspending crypto payments in 2019, they currently support over a dozen cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin. To pay for Twitch services using crypto, you will need to sign up for a BitPay account.

Companies That Accept Crypto Through SPEDN

SPEDN is an app from the crypto payments service Flexa. The app allows you to spend crypto at a variety of merchants who normally do not take crypto payments. Flexa has partnered with crypto exchange Gemini to facilitate crypto payments in 99 different cryptocurrencies across 40,000 merchant locations.

When you pay with SPEDN, the service converts cryptocurrency to dollars in real-time. The store does not see that you are using cryptocurrency to pay for the transaction.

This makes SPEDN a perfect option for those looking to use crypto discreetly. To get started, download the SPEDN app from Flexa and sign up for an account. Once you add funds to your account, you can use the phone app to display a scannable QR code for payment.

Retail Stores

• Barnes & Noble
• GameStop
• Lowe’s
• Office Depot
• Petco
• Ulta Beauty

Fast Food & Restaurants

• Baskin Robbins
• Caribou Coffee
• Chipotle
• Jamba Juice

Grocery Stores

• Whole Foods Market

Entertainment Companies

• Regal Cinemas

Cryptocurrencies Supported By SPEDN:

• Bitcoin
• Ethereum
• USDC
• GUSD
• DAI
• + more (full list here)

How To Pay With Crypto Anywhere

Crypto debit cards from companies like Coinbase, Crypto.com, Binance, and many more are accepted anywhere Visa and Mastercard are accepted. You can also use your crypto to buy gift cards and spend them at any retailer.
Merchants can choose to either accept crypto directly or to work with a third party to convert crypto payments into fiat cash (such as US dollars) before processing the purchase.

The companies we list above all accept crypto natively or through an application like SPEDN. There are ways to pay with crypto at even more merchants. However, by using a third-party service that converts your crypto to fiat to complete the transaction.

Crypto cards that convert cryptocurrencies into fiat in order to complete a purchase may incur a taxable event. Since you are technically selling your crypto and buying fiat, you could be subject to capital gains tax if your crypto has appreciated since you initially purchased it. Converting stablecoins such as USDC or USDT into fiat does not incur this tax liability because these stablecoins are equal to a dollar in value.

Crypto Debit Cards

Visa and Mastercard, the two largest payment processors, have partnered with several of the most popular crypto companies to provide crypto debit cards. These cards are accepted anywhere that regular Visa and Mastercard cards are accepted — meaning you can use your crypto debit card just like a traditional debit card.

Visa Crypto Cards

• Coinbase Visa Card: The Visa card from Coinbase lets you spend your Coinbase crypto balance anywhere Visa is accepted. There are no payment fees or annual fees, and you can even earn cashback rewards.
• Crypto.com Visa Card: The Crypto.com card allows you to spend your Crypto.com crypto balance and earn rewards in the process. There are five different card tiers, each with different benefits, including cashback rewards, free ATM withdrawals, and free streaming service subscriptions.
• Binance Visa Card: The Binance Visa card nets you up to 8% cashback in BNB tokens every time you spend. Enjoy free ATM withdrawals and no foreign exchange fees or annual fees. The Binance card is currently available for most European countries, Argentina, Bahrain, Brazil, Colombia, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, the UAE, and Peru.

Mastercard Crypto Cards

• BitPay Mastercard: BitPay is one of the largest crypto payment processing companies. They’ve teamed up with Mastercard to bring you the BitPay crypto Mastercard which allows you to spend your balance anywhere Mastercard is accepted and earn rewards as you spend.
• Gemini Mastercard: Unlike the other cards on this list so far, the Gemini Mastercard is a credit card. Spend anywhere that Mastercard is accepted and pay your balance off at the end of the month. The card features rewards in 60+ cryptocurrencies and has no annual fee.
• Nexo Mastercard: The Nexo Mastercard is also a credit card that takes advantage of Nexo’s innovative lending model. To use the card, you need to deposit collateral, and Nexo then takes out a loan against your collateral. This means the card’s annual percentage rates (APRs) are very low, starting at just 0%.

Gift Cards

You can spend your crypto balance at retailers, restaurants, and online stores without using a crypto debit or credit card. Instead, you can use your crypto to purchase gift cards to your favorite stores.

Purchase gift cards from thousands of retailers using crypto here:

• Coingate Gift Cards
• Bitrefill
• BitPay Gift Cards

Should You Pay With Crypto?

Whether merchants support crypto or not, you can use crypto debit cards, credit cards, and gift cards to spend crypto almost anywhere. It’s important, however, to weigh the benefits and downsides of spending your crypto on everyday purchases and decide if it’s for you.

Crypto allows for anonymous transacting, but keep in mind that many companies are required by law to verify your identity. So while crypto payments are well-supported in general, spending your crypto anonymously may be harder.

Paying with crypto can be a good idea when you have a large crypto balance that you want to put to work or if you need a transaction to clear quickly.

Crypto payments can incur tax bills, however, and you might miss out on future price pumps.

Pros And Cons Of Paying With Crypto

Pros Explained

• Spend in a currency of your choice: Whether you hold lots of Bitcoin, Dogecoin, or Ethereum, it’s nice to spend your crypto without converting it first. Today, you can take your crypto tokens directly to the store and walk out with tangible purchases.
• Earn rewards: Many crypto debit and credit card providers have a rewards program to incentivize spending. Traditional banks don’t typically offer debit card incentives, so taking advantage of cashback offers from crypto companies can be useful.
• Enjoy instant payment settlement: Blockchains are financial systems that settle transactions much quicker than traditional banks. While fiat payments may take days to clear, blockchain payments clear in just a few minutes.

Cons Explained

• You might have to pay taxes on converted crypto: Crypto debit cards and applications like SPEDN make crypto payments possible by converting your crypto to fiat. This may incur a tax liability, however, since you are technically selling your crypto assets. To avoid this, spend stablecoins, or spend at merchants who accept crypto natively (without requiring you to first convert it to fiat).
• Extra fees: Some merchants charge extra fees for crypto transactions. Additionally, some crypto card providers will also charge conversion fees when converting your crypto to fiat.
• You can miss out on gains: Many people who hold crypto hope for future price appreciation. History has taught us that paying for goods with crypto could be a bad trade in the long run. Famously, the first Bitcoin transaction was used to purchase two pizzas for 10,000 Bitcoins. Those Bitcoins would now be worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

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George Hristov

Contributor

George is a tech writer interested in web3 startups and communities. In the dynamic world of crypto, he stays plugged into the day-to-day headlines, deep dives, and industry commentary.

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Shannon Ullman

Managing Editor

Managing editor working to make crypto easier to understand. Pairing editorial integrity with crypto curiosity for content that makes readers feel like they finally “get it.”

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