Joining the Crypto (r)evolution: How Can You Use Crypto in your Everyday Life?
With blockchain adoption growing worldwide, cryptocurrencies are starting to make their way into our everyday lives. We can use them to pay for items in games, travel tickets, and in certain countries even taxes. The Crypto revolution is changing the way we approach trading too, as an increasing number of companies began to accept payments in cryptocurrencies. With that being said, this article will demonstrate some of the ways that we can use cryptocurrencies in our everyday life.
Disclaimer: This article is created for educational purposes only.
With cryptocurrency adoption on the rise, month by month more people begin to warm up to the idea of digital currencies. In late 2021, almost 80 million people owned a crypto wallet — with this number growing rapidly. Only in March 2021, there were almost 6,000 businesses in the USA that either held a cryptocurrency ATM, or offered crypto as an in-store payment method. Additionally, Bitcoin ATMs can be found in 58 countries around the world, mostly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Austria.
When it comes to industries, prepaid/gift cards take 26.3% of all BitPay payments, making it by far the most popular crypto-friendly industry. Away from industries, how can we as individuals use crypto in our everyday lives? Is it possible to pay for our travel tickets with crypto? Could we use it to pay for a meal at a restaurant? Let’s go through everyday use cases of cryptocurrencies, case by case.
In this article, you will read about…
- Different uses for cryptocurrencies
- Famous companies that accept cryptocurrency payments
- Places where you can pay your taxes with cryptocurrencies
- Cities that have created their own citycoins
Cryptocurrencies can have many different uses. After all, they were designed to be a universal payment method that transcended geographical borders. They are a medium of exchange, but they also store value and provide an alternative to centralized, national financial systems. Many people across the globe do not have a bank account, but they may well have access to a mobile phone thanks to the accelerating pace of digitalization, and this opens the doors to financial freedom via cryptocurrencies.
Moreover, cryptocurrencies help to truly democratize finances, for example, by giving people digital loans in cryptocurrencies. Decentralized financial platforms give people access to digital resources regardless of the place they live, which is important given that nationals of many countries have restricted access to traditional banking systems.
The emergence of cryptocurrencies has also popularized asset tokenization, which allows for improving the liquidity of traditionally illiquid assets — for example, luxurious real estate properties, making fractional ownership possible with such assets. What does this mean for the everyday crypto user? Well, investing in assets becomes easier, more transparent, cheaper, and faster, and more people can enter the market than ever before. This is exactly why blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies democratize finances and investing: the threshold for entering the market is lowered to include different social groups.
Famous companies that accept cryptocurrency payments
- Microsoft
One of the world’s biggest companies started to accept Bitcoin payments back in 2014 but then decided to put them on hold for a few years. Following cryptocurrencies’ dynamic growth in the last two years, Microsoft decided to reintroduce Bitcoin payments in its Microsoft Store in January 2021.
2. AT&T
The US mobile carrier allows customers to pay for their services with Bitcoin through BitPay.
3. PayPal
Customers with personal accounts in the US (except Hawaii) can hold, buy, and sell cryptocurrencies on their personal PayPal account. Unfortunately, you can only store cryptocurrencies bought on PayPal, and you cannot transfer them to any other account on or off PayPal.
4. Starbucks
Any Starbucks fan here? Thanks to the integration of the Starbucks app with the Bakkt app, it is possible to pay for your Frappuccino with bitcoins. Customers just need to add Bakkt as a payment method in their Starbucks app to enjoy their crypto coffee.
5. Coca-Cola
Amatil, the company that distributes Coca-Cola in the Asia-Pacific, decided to introduce cryptocurrency payments across more than 2,000 vending machines in Australia and New Zealand. They partnered up with Centrapay to make crypto purchases possible.
Although private companies embrace cryptocurrencies with greater enthusiasm than governments, there are countries, which are very open to the idea of cryptocurrencies. Switzerland is one of them. Ever since the beginning of 2021, private individuals and companies in Zug can pay their taxes with Bitcoin or Ethereum up to an amount of 100,000 Swiss francs.
Various cities around the world have also begun to warm up to the idea of cryptocurrencies and even issued their own crypto coins. MiamiCoin is the first city coin in the USA, but many others are likely to follow suit in the future. It is powered by the Stacks Protocol, enabling smart contracts on Bitcoin. Citycoins are designed to support digital urban infrastructure and boost cities’ crypto potential for businesses and investors. Austin and New York City coins are also coming out soon and more US cities are likely to follow their example.
Short summary
- 80 million people have digital blockchain wallets
- Bitcoin ATMs can be found in 58 countries all around the world
- The pre-paid/gift card industry accounts for 26% of all BitPay payments
- Cryptocurrencies democratize finances, giving people without bank accounts access to digital payment systems
- Thanks to the tokenization of assets, more people can enter the investment market and own shares of properties and artworks
- Microsoft, AT&T, PayPal, Starbucks, and Coca-Cola all accept cryptocurrency payments in one form or another
- The Swiss canton of Zug accepts tax payments in Bitcoin and Ether
- Certain cities like Miami, New York, and Austin will have their own citycoins
Join the crypto revolution and start trading with ZB.com!
Sources:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/647374/worldwide-blockchain-wallet-users/
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1222684/firms-with-crypto-payment-solution-country/
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1142527/bitpay-payments-global-by-industry/
https://www.statista.com/statistics/343147/number-of-bitcoin-atms-countries/
https://www.bitpanda.com/academy/en/lessons/five-use-cases-of-cryptocurrencies/
https://www.ledger.com/blog/cryptocurrency-use-cases-whats-in-it-for-you
https://99bitcoins.com/bitcoin/who-accepts/
https://www.fool.com/the-ascent/cryptocurrency/articles/7-companies-where-you-can-pay-with-crypto/
