[2015-08-29] ToI: Buying with bitcoins

Buying with bitcoins

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/Buying-with-bitcoins/articleshow/48726301.cms

It's still too early to throw away your credit card, but bitcoins are making inroads in India as a mode of payment. India currently has around 50,000 bitcoin enthusiasts, with 30,000 of them actually owning the currency. With increasing ease of using them for purchases through mobile apps, bitcoins are quickly transitioning from being trading units to shopping currency.

Sellers like Sapna Book House, bus ticket booking portal eTravelSmart, Dharwad International School, fashion portal Fashiondiva.me, and internet platform service provider Indsoft.net are among those who have signed up and are now accepting bitcoins from their customers. Coinsecure, another Indian bitcoin exchange, is likely to introduce a merchant gateway in the coming months.

Zebpay, an app-enabled bitcoin mobile wallet, earlier provided for just trading of the currency. This June it entered the payment sphere; its users can now buy vouchers of Amazon, Flipkart, Freecharge, Bookmyshow and Makemytrip. In July, Zebpay also enabled its bitcoin-app users to recharge their prepaid or pay for their postpaid plans with telecom operators such as Vodafone, Airtel, Uninor, Tata Docomo, Reliance, BSNL and MTNL.