It all started in 2010 with the sale of a pair of Papa John’s pizzas for 10,000 bitcoins. Bitcoin has only been around for a year at the time. Bitcoin has been extremely profitable since then, but only for enthusiasts and people who believe in blockchain technology. (There were only a few of them.)
That has altered in recent years as cryptocurrency has gained traction, particularly in emerging nations. Crypto use has increased by over 880 percent in the last year, according to Chainalysis data.
Although Bitcoin was designed to be used as peer-to-peer electronic cash rather than as cash, it is frequently regarded as a speculative asset. It’s bought and saved in the hopes that the euro’s value will rise.
Today, however, there are an increasing number of ways to use bitcoins in the way Satoshi Nakamoto intended. Purchasing airline tickets is one way to spend bitcoins.
Sounds interesting? Let’s take a closer look at it in this article.
Pay for flights with bitcoin – where & how to do it?
Until today, you had to reach for your wallet and credit card anytime you wanted to buy a plane ticket, right? Let’s talk about how we can do something about it.
Bitcoin, like regular currency, can be used to make purchases. The only difference is that instead of reaching for your wallet, you’ll need to reach for your bitcoin wallet. When paying with bitcoin, you’ll either be sent to a site like Crypto.com to execute your transaction, or you’ll be required to transfer the payment to an address specified on the payment page.
Let’s take a look at some of the areas you should keep an eye out for when you’re planning your next trip.
cheapair.com
Jeff, a university student, launched CheapAir in 1989 as a travel and tourist company. In 2013, it was one of the first businesses in the world to accept Bitcoin payments.
You may use Bitcoins to book hotels and buy plane tickets all across the world on CheapAir. On the site, you can also rent automobiles and get trip insurance. To make searching easier, there are distinct sites for flights, hotels, and vehicles.
If you wished to pay using cryptocurrency, CheapAir initially just offered Bitcoin as a payment option, but since 2018, a few other cryptos have been introduced as well. Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Dogecoin, Gemini, Litecoin, USD Coin, Paxos Standard, BUSD, Dai, and Wrapped BTC are now accepted.
travala.com
Travala, which was founded in 2017, is a platform that allows users to search for tickets on more than 600 airlines and over 2,200,200 hotels and accommodations throughout the world. More than 60 cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, are accepted.
Travala is extremely invested in cryptocurrency, and they even have their own coin. AVA. Travala’s core currency is AVA, a utility token. It is a Binance Chain-based BEP-2 token. AVA allows customers to book a variety of travel items and provides a variety of benefits such as discounts, loyalty awards, and more.
Customers with Smart membership can save up to 5% on selected travel products and earn up to 5% loyalty rewards in AVA, depending on their Smart level. Based on the number of AVA tokens in the wallet, there are six smart levels. Users can earn up to a 3% discount on their booking if they pay in whole in AVA. Furthermore, the Smart program grants access to the NFT program as well as voting privileges on the platform.
bitcoin.travel
This is yet another travel firm that prioritizes cryptocurrency; in fact, it only accepts cryptocurrency payments. They began by accepting Bitcoin payments and then grew from there. They now accept a huge number of cryptocurrencies for payment. Customers can use this straightforward and user-friendly interface to look for flights, hotels, and vehicles.
Bitcoin.travel has received positive press coverage from publications such as Forbes, The New York Times, Travel+Leisure, and others, and the platform proudly displays this on its homepage. “Bitcoin.travel has one of the most extensive lists of companies using Bitcoin,” according to Forbes.
tripgift.com via CryptoRefills gift cards
Although cryptocurrency has been around for a long time, bitcoin is currently only accepted in a few businesses. Travel websites are no exception. However, there is a workaround: gift cards, particularly those purchased with cryptocurrency. Users may buy gift cards and vouchers using bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies on websites like CryptoRefills. These gift certificates can then be used on the travel pages to redeem them.
Gift cards can be used on a variety of platforms. TripGift, a digital self-service platform for vacation experiences and eLearning e-commerce, is one of these platforms. It works with 450 airlines, 750,000 hotels, villas, and apartments, 20,000 tours and vacation packages, 500 car rental companies, and 30,000 airport transfer offices to offer redemption in 34 different currencies.
hotels.com via CryptoRefills
Hotels.com is based in Texas, USA, and is one of the world’s largest hotel booking sites. In over a hundred thousand properties globally, the company offers a diverse choice of hotels, including both independent and large hotel chains, as well as self-catering accommodations.
Gift cards from CryptoRefills can be redeemed when booking hotels on hotel.com. Aside from that, the gift cards can be used in conjunction with member-only specials and incentives.
hotelgift.com via CryptoRefills
Another hotel search and booking site is HotelGift. You have a single gift card that may be used at over 270,000 hotels in over 170 countries, with over 140 hotel brands. This is a fantastic present for anyone because the recipient may choose when and where they want to vacation. Alternatively, you can gift it to yourself!
The gift cards are good for two years after purchase, giving you plenty of time to plan your trip.
alternative-fluggesellschaften.de
Alternative Airlines is a flight search platform that allows customers to search and book airline tickets from 600 different airlines and pay in over 160 different currencies. But you’re here for crypto, right? Alternative Airlines also accepts payments in Bitcoins and some other cryptocurrencies like Ethereum , Litecoin , XRP , USDT , etc.Alternative Airlines allows you to buy tickets on many airlines that do not directly accept crypto as payment, opening up a wide range of ways for you to spend these digital coins. Payment is processed through Utrust and Crypto.com . No sign-up is required, simply select Utrust or Crypto.com at checkout, access your digital wallet and select the cryptocurrency you wish to pay with.
Airlines accepting bitcoin
There are a few airlines, in addition to travel firms, where you can buy tickets and pay with bitcoins.
airbaltic.com
In 2014, airBaltic, a Latvian airline, became one of the first commercial airlines to accept Bitcoin as a payment option. When purchasing Green and Green Plus tickets and reserving a flight at least five days before scheduled departure, customers can fly to over 60 countries in Europe, the Middle East, Russia, and the CIS and pay with bitcoins.
The website displays prices in euros, and transactions are completed by BitPay, which converts bitcoins into euros to complete the transaction. Other cryptocurrencies accepted by the airline include Ethereum, Dogecoin, and a few stablecoins, in addition to Bitcoins.
A nice feature at airBaltic is “Freeze my Price”, which allows you to book a flight and defer payment for up to 48 hours – ideal if you need a little more time to do other things.
LOT Polish Airlines
“Many of our customers buy online, including flights. It is only a matter of time before virtual currency payments become as popular as using credit cards nowadays. We saw this potential.” When LOT began accepting bitcoins as payment, Jiri Marek, Executive Director of Sales and Distribution, said something similar.
Lot has also been one of the first airlines to take Bitcoins, having done so in 2015.
The price is calculated in the default currency and translated to bitcoins at the moment of payment, just like most other platforms, before the customer is redirected to the bitcoin wallet.
Why Pay for Flights with Bitcoin – Advantages & Disadvantages
As bitcoin grows in popularity and is increasingly used as a form of digital cash for purchasing services, it’s important to understand the benefits and drawbacks of using it to pay for goods and services.
So, let’s look at the benefits and drawbacks of using bitcoin to pay for flights.
Advantages
- If you’ve ever had to convert your currency for the local currency of another country, you’re familiar with the problem: you have to go to the trouble of finding an exchange, looking for exchanges with the best rates and lowest fees… you get the point. Bitcoin may be of assistance in this situation. It’s a digital currency that can be stored on a smartphone and traded for cash at tens of thousands of locations.
- There are no payments that have been blocked: You may have had this situation before: you try to make a payment, but your bank or credit card provider declines your transaction. You are your own bank with Bitcoin, and no central body can block your payment because it is peer-to-peer.
- Anonymity: While every transaction on the blockchain network may be tracked, the technology is designed in such a way that these transactions can never be linked to a person’s identity.
- Mobile Transactions: Bitcoin may be used from anywhere as long as you have access to the internet. You are not need to carry a physical card. If you are not in your own country, this can be quite useful.
- It has no effect on your credit score: You don’t have to be concerned about making huge payments having a negative influence on your credit score.
Disadvantages
- No refunds, no customer service, and no returns: Unlike credit cards, which allow you to dispute charges if you believe they are incorrect, crypto does not allow you to do so. Furthermore, Bitcoin transactions are irreversible. As a result, if you transfer your valuable digital coins to the wrong address, they are lost forever.
- Although major cryptocurrencies, particularly bitcoin, are less volatile now, I believe everyone can agree that crypto is still associated with extreme volatility. Your cryptocurrency could be worth enough to buy a full plane one day and barely enough to buy an old car the next.
- It’s simple, but for non-technical people it can still be stupefying.
- Not Quite Widespread: While the number of businesses accepting bitcoins is increasing, you’ll still need to put in some effort to find those that do.
- You’ll have to spend time calculating taxes because crypto is viewed as an investment in most jurisdictions, and the issuing of these digital currency is a taxable event. You must assess profit or loss on a cost basis, which might be difficult if you have a large number of transactions.
FAQs
Here you will find answers to frequently asked questions.
Which travel sites accept cryptocurrency?
There are numerous travel websites that accept bitcoins as payment. Travala, CheapAir, Alternative Airlines, Distinia, and a number of other websites are among them.
Keep in mind that the cryptocurrency market is still relatively new, and there are a lot of bad actors out there looking to make a quick buck by defrauding people. So, before sending a potentially big sum of money to a crypto address, make sure you do your homework. Mostly because there’s no going back after you’ve sent.
Where can I use cryptocurrency to pay for flights?
Cryptocurrencies are accepted by some travel agents and flight search platforms. Some airlines also take cryptocurrency. You may even buy gift cards and vouchers with crypto on sites like CryptoRefills, and use them to pay for things that don’t take these modern digital coinage yet.
Can I buy plane tickets with cryptocurrency?
Yes, you certainly can. There are more and more venues where cryptocurrencies may be used to purchase aircraft tickets, and depending on the situation, cryptocurrencies may be a better option than money.
Does Expedia take bitcoin?
Expedia was one of the first large organizations to take Bitcoin payments in 2014, and they were one of the first major companies to do so, however they stopped accepting Bitcoins in 2018.
Can you buy real things with bitcoin?
When a man used Bitcoin to buy pizza, it became popular. So, yes, Bitcoins can be used to purchase real goods. Bitcoin is becoming more widely accepted as a method of payment for goods and services.
Here are a some of the fun items you can buy right now using Bitcoins:
- Automobiles: Several marketplaces sell secondhand or even brand new automobiles for Bitcoins. Do you know what the word “Wen Lambo” means?
- Socks: Of course! There’s an entire website dedicated to selling out-of-this-world bitcoin socks!
- Electronic Devices: Newegg, a prominent electronic equipment retailer, now accepts Bitcoin payments. Bitcoins Burning Holes in Your Digital Wallet?
- Private Jet: Bitcoins Burning Holes in Your Digital Wallet? No longer! Spend your money on a private plane.
- Yacht: Do you have any spare cash after purchasing your private jet? You may also use them to make purchases.
- Commercial Real Estate: You will be exhausted after all of your travels and will require a place to relax.
Travel sites that accept bitcoin
Bitcoin is accepted by many travel sites that sell airline tickets, hotels, automobiles, restaurants, and other services. Travel, CheapAir, Alternative Airlines, and Travala are just a handful of the many sites that offer this service.
