CheapAir.com accept Bitcoins to book hotels
It may soon become easier for travelers to book entire vacations using Bitcoin, the digital currency.
Online travel agency CheapAir.com has started accepting Bitcoins to make reservations at the more than 200,000 hotels in its worldwide network.
In November, the website began taking Bitcoins for flight purchases, and CEO Jeff Klee said the website gained new customers after that.
"We've been really pleasantly surprised by the response," he says. "We're making a lot more Bitcoin sales than we expected to make."
More mainstream merchants are starting to accept the digital currency, which is as easy to use as Paypal, Visa or MasterCard.
Users buy Bitcoins through online exchanges and store them in a virtual wallet. They can then make online transactions or make purchases in person at places that have the technology to transfer Bitcoins out of virtual wallets.
Merchants like Bitcoins because the transaction fees can be lower than they are for credit cards. Consumers like them because the transactions are immediate, much like cash.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/2014/02/03/cheapair-accepting-bitcoins-flights-hotels/5184399/
