How many bitcoiners on here have actually used bitcoin/crypto for commerce?

[zidanw]

In 2017 I can still pay bills and also buy goods using bitcoin, in an already available market or online shop. but since 2018 All transactions are prohibited from using bitcoin as payment. but by exchanging bitcoin to Fiat first before shopping. a little complicated but indeed we have to do this process.I hope there will be freedom rules regarding this matter

[toast]

In 2017 I can still pay bills and also buy goods using bitcoin, in an already available market or online shop. but since 2018 All transactions are prohibited from using bitcoin as payment. but by exchanging bitcoin to Fiat first before shopping. a little complicated but indeed we have to do this process.I hope there will be freedom rules regarding this matter

whatever you say the same with you the government still prohibits direct transactions using bitcoin and through exchanging into fiat currencies how many people who use and use bitcoin no one can know can be used anywhere and anyone without anyone can prohibit

[blckhawk]

In my country, we have one popular and secure provider of an e-wallet that includes some of the top altcoins alongside with bitcoin and out local currency here. You can convert your local currency to either of these cryptocurrencies, and also use to send to other BTC address for payment. And this provider, has partnered up with other payment companies to power online shopping websites and be an option to pay for online-bought items. For example, I could pay for a product in an online reseller found in their website through BTC to an address they have provided, in exact amount that when converted to my local fiat is equal with the value of the product.

[ecnalubma]

I bought a domain at namecheap and bought prepaid load using bitcoins. The only downside of using Bitcoin as payment is scalability, extreme volatility and  you can only access it with internet. However if It can be develop as fast as using fiat (not online transfer) we could see an influx of retailers accepting it gradually.

[riso2015]

This is because some government regulations still prohibit using Bitcoin or Cryptocurrency in daily life. Limited access like this only makes Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency just being a digital asset. So I think we need time to look Bitcoin /Crypto can be used as a daily transaction tool.

[Mike Mayor]

I spend bitcoin several times a week, both in person and online.

I've spoken about my in person spending on the forum before. I spend bitcoin predominantly at my local farmers' market, which runs every Sunday, and I usually visit 2-3 times per month. None of the stalls there accepted bitcoin when I first started going. I talked to my favorite stall repeatedly, stating I wanted to pay in bitcoin, and eventually they hopped on board. Now there are 4 or 5 different stalls there who all accept bitcoin and some other cryptocurrencies, and I am definitely not the only one paying in bitcoin. If you want to spend bitcoin, then you have to create demand for retailers to accept it. Any small or independent merchants or retailers you frequent are easy to talk to and raise the idea of them accepting bitcoin. Large retailers are companies are much harder - I've sent emails to many a customer support asking for bitcoin integration, but no success on this front yet. But nothing ventured, nothing gained, as they say. The more people who starting putting pressure on retailers to accept bitcoin, the better.

Online I have spent bitcoin on Newegg to buy electronics, on Overstock to buy various home goods, and on Bitrefill to buy fiat vouchers for a number of other retailers I use online and in person who don't yet accept bitcoin themselves. I've also moved the small amount of sports betting I do from a fiat site over to a bitcoin site.

If you include methods like bitcoin credit cards which will convert to fiat on the fly, then you can literally spend bitcoin anywhere. Widespread adoption and people using bitcoin for what it was intended - a currency - is the only way we will see sustainable, long-term growth of both the price and of bitcoin itself. The wild price movements up and down are based on speculation only. I can sympathize with people who don't want to spend their bitcoin as they think the price will increase, but it won't increase unless people are using it. Replace it if you want, buy more, earn more, talk to your employer about switching some of your salary from fiat to bitcoin or accept it in your own business, but go out and spend it.

In-person? Now that is cool! I have never paid bitcoin in person though I usually buy online so I wouldn't anyway. I love local markets and always support the local events and the hand made items. I like plants and nature and gardening so a farmers market sounds awesome. Those other 4 stores accepted bitcoin without being talked into it? I don't know why people here at the local stores accept bitcoin. Perhaps when I start my cannabis business we will be there first and offer 10% off on all crypto payments.

Do you know if those credit card things work in south africa? I have heard long ago about xapo but I think they were a scam? (not sure on that one) There must have been some reason I didn't use it. It must have to be connected to my bank? I don't even use credit cards.

I don't need to worry about spending your bitcoin. You'll spend fiat anyway so convert it to bitcoin first. I work online so at the 3 websites I work on 2 pay me in bitcoin. The other either bank deposit or paypal which I use my brothers paypal since I am not on a bank that supports it and don't want to change banks. (they all suck)

[o_e_l_e_o]

I love local markets and always support the local events and the hand made items. I like plants and nature and gardening so a farmers market sounds awesome.

Try speaking to the vendors about bitcoin. Independent retailers are the easiest to get to adopt bitcoin, because there isn't all the red tape and paperwork which would be involved with a large corporation doing so. They can use a payment processor if they want, but it can be as simple as opening a wallet and providing a QR code of their address to scan. As I say, they want your business, and if something as simple as opening a bitcoin wallet will help them get it, then most will at least consider it.

Those other 4 stores accepted bitcoin without being talked into it?

Certainly not by me. But I know that once the stall I usually buy from started accepting bitcoin, a couple of other customers started paying in bitcoin, and I guess word spread from there.

You'll spend fiat anyway so convert it to bitcoin first.

Exactly. In addition to a modest amount of bitcoin earnings, whenever I'm buying or trading for some more bitcoin to add to my long-term holdings, I generally also acquire extra to be used in my day-to-day spending.

[asus09]

now I only use bitcoin to pay bills ,before that I often buy clothing accessories but since the trade shopping is closed so now I only exchange it for fiat or pay bills like everything else ,and the rest of the bitcoin I trade on altcoin ,I don't know about other shopping cryptocurrencies places in my country yet

I use bitcoin for paying bill and electric cost with my friend because he accepted using bitcoin, but my bitcoin transaction still limited with my friend and not use for companies and transaction in daily with market. I want one day my country have legal bitcoin where almost transaction using bitcoin and altcoin, we can pay everything with bitcoin or altcoin. Transaction using bitcoin very easy than using cash money or fiat other currency.

[silversurfer1958]

Bitcoin and cryptocurrency in general will only advance if people actually use it for more than speculation.

In the past we've seen lots of retailers enabling bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in their checkouts, and then been disappointed that hardly anyone has used the function. And we have had some orgs like Steam disabling bitcoin and giving up on it.

So how many people on here have actually used cryptocurrency in real life?

For me, I never thought I would use bitcoin in my payments. because I don't want to hold it, because it's volatile and that usually makes the value always fluctuate.
I think bitcoin should only be a tool for trading in cryptocurrency, not a common currency for payment.

[o_e_l_e_o]

I think bitcoin should only be a tool for trading in cryptocurrency, not a common currency for payment.

The first line of the bitcoin whitepaper states (emphasis mine):

A purely peer-to-peer version of electronic cash would allow online payments to be sent directly from one party to another without going through a financial institution.

If you only want to use bitcoin for trading, that's fine, but to say you don't think it should be a currency is to deny why it was even created in the first place. It is first and foremost a currency, and if it wasn't being used a currency at all, then there would be no trading because it would have no value and therefore there would be no demand and no associated fiat price.

[Faxmate]

Only to pay electricity bill because there are site in my country that can help people to buy digital product like pay electricity bill, telephone, water, and etc with crypto. But since my government make regulation that only fiat which  can be used as payment, they closed it. But if the question if i used crypto for real life use, i will say yes. Because in past it really help me who don't have bank account yet.

I am strongly convinced that in the near future crypto currencies will be used everywhere and for paying any sort of bills. If there were websites helping people to pay bills in cryptos, this means it is not impossible or difficult at all to use crypto in daily life like we use fiat. We simply need to spread education related to benefits of dealing in bitcoin so that government make it legal.

[yoseph]

The real and only nuisance with using crypto to make payment is that most retailers or the person that who may want to purchase from doesn't accept payment via cryptocurrency and that puts the whole thing to a grinding halt thus you will have to either you use cash or convert your crypto to cash before you can buy their products or pay for their services.

[NavI_027]

So how many people on here have actually used cryptocurrency in real life?

The dominating digital wallet here in our country not only stores top cryptos like bitcoin (xrp, eth and bch are also included) but also got extra feature like Bills and Payment and Buying Prepaid Load. I haven't experienced paying bills just yet but I already done it when buying prepaid load for my phone. Actually I always buy load every week. I no longer go to store for doing such thing because I can already do it anytime and anywhere using this wallet .

[smyslov]

Bitcoin and cryptocurrency in general will only advance if people actually use it for more than speculation.

In the past we've seen lots of retailers enabling bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in their checkouts, and then been disappointed that hardly anyone has used the function. And we have had some orgs like Steam disabling bitcoin and giving up on it.

So how many people on here have actually used cryptocurrency in real life?

I'll start: I haven't used bitcoin (because I consider that savings), but I have used dogecoin to buy gift cards and bitcoincash (BCH) to deposit to a betting website via BitPay.

Anyone else want to share their experiences?

I stopped using Paypal and my only option to buy anything online is Bitcoin and I'm glad that Namecheap still using Bitcoin I bought 5 domains from Namecheap I just hope they will never disable Bitcoin, I used to hire freelancer on Fiverr but stopped after they dropped Bitcoin, I really like to use Bitcoin to buy online as I have horrible experiences using a credit card and Paypal, here locally it's easy to convert Cryptocurrency to fiat, I consider Cryptocurrency now as an investment tool more than a payment processor,
there's hardly any store here that accepts Bitcoin, maybe in the future things will change.

[darkangel11]

Do you really think that it helps when you buy gift cards or things of that sort? You know that they are going to instantly sell your coins on exchanges for fiat. Is that really the use of Bitcoin we've been waiting for?

I have used bitcoin to shop. I bought some steam games, ordered food online, bought a VPN subscription, bought amazon gift cards. I don't consider that real use of Bitcoin because they all use payment processors. The real use will begin when these people are able to pay their employees in Bitcoin and cover the bills and when exchanges lose on importance.

[shield132]

I spend bitcoin several times a week, both in person and online.

I've spoken about my in person spending on the forum before. I spend bitcoin predominantly at my local farmers' market, which runs every Sunday, and I usually visit 2-3 times per month. None of the stalls there accepted bitcoin when I first started going. I talked to my favorite stall repeatedly, stating I wanted to pay in bitcoin, and eventually they hopped on board. Now there are 4 or 5 different stalls there who all accept bitcoin and some other cryptocurrencies, and I am definitely not the only one paying in bitcoin. If you want to spend bitcoin, then you have to create demand for retailers to accept it. Any small or independent merchants or retailers you frequent are easy to talk to and raise the idea of them accepting bitcoin. Large retailers are companies are much harder - I've sent emails to many a customer support asking for bitcoin integration, but no success on this front yet. But nothing ventured, nothing gained, as they say. The more people who starting putting pressure on retailers to accept bitcoin, the better.

Online I have spent bitcoin on Newegg to buy electronics, on Overstock to buy various home goods, and on Bitrefill to buy fiat vouchers for a number of other retailers I use online and in person who don't yet accept bitcoin themselves. I've also moved the small amount of sports betting I do from a fiat site over to a bitcoin site.

If you include methods like bitcoin credit cards which will convert to fiat on the fly, then you can literally spend bitcoin anywhere. Widespread adoption and people using bitcoin for what it was intended - a currency - is the only way we will see sustainable, long-term growth of both the price and of bitcoin itself. The wild price movements up and down are based on speculation only. I can sympathize with people who don't want to spend their bitcoin as they think the price will increase, but it won't increase unless people are using it. Replace it if you want, buy more, earn more, talk to your employer about switching some of your salary from fiat to bitcoin or accept it in your own business, but go out and spend it.

I bold one proposal from your post which I liked the most and also I repeat that to almost everyone who just blindly says HODL bitcoins for long term cause money has to be in circulation, both for our development, more researches and etc and also for bitcoin too in this situation. They want high price but do nothing for that.
Well, not let's turn on subject. To be fair that depends on country where you live too, in some countries people can't even accept credit cards, not because they can't, no, because they just don't care about that. And when you say bitcoin with such people, they'll call you silly and tell you to pay cash or go away. Somehow there is such situation in some countries while in some people do their best to promote business and attract new people, consider their advice like they did in your case.

[Pearls Before Swine]

I have used bitcoin for some things since I got into it, but I just like holding it rather than spending it. 

There aren't too many businesses that I'm interested in that accept it such that I would be enticed into spending bitcoin.  Overstock.com might be an exception to this, but why use bitcoin there when I can use my debit card?  The cash in my checking account isn't going to be appreciating in value, and just the opposite.  Inflation will eat it all up eventually, whereas that *probably* won't happen if I keep my bitcoin.

I still support people spending bitcoin, tho.  I get excited when I hear news like starbucks getting into crypto or even facebook.  When I hear announcements like that I get the strong sense that crypto is hurtling toward the mainstream. 

[bitgolden]

I have not used bitcoin or any cryptocurrency to pay anything because there is no much merchant in my country that have accepted the payment of these coins, but if I had the opportunity, I would definitely take advantage of it.

Most of the ecommerce sites that I have been seeing using this coins are not where I can actually buy something for, but I hope that one day, I will be able to make use of these cryptocurrency on some of these sites and even if I can , I may eventually be among the first people that will start introducing it on a platform that I am really working towards in the future, where people can make payment for my product using the most favorite cryptocurrency in the market, which will enable me to be among people that would create awareness for bitcoin.

[BChydro]

I am using bitcoin for commerce for a very long time as majority of the merchants are accepting bitcoin here in my country and i am not sure about the rest of the world but i am using bitcoin to purchase products for a very long time and some of the retail outlets are also accepting bitcoin and Newegg is a major player that accepts bitcoin and i have purchased a lot of products from them with ease.

[teosanru]

Bitcoin and cryptocurrency in general will only advance if people actually use it for more than speculation.

In the past we've seen lots of retailers enabling bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in their checkouts, and then been disappointed that hardly anyone has used the function. And we have had some orgs like Steam disabling bitcoin and giving up on it.

So how many people on here have actually used cryptocurrency in real life?

I'll start: I haven't used bitcoin (because I consider that savings), but I have used dogecoin to buy gift cards and bitcoincash (BCH) to deposit to a betting website via BitPay.

Anyone else want to share their experiences?

I think most of us have used bitcoins for online e-commerce. It wasn't a much viable option until there for no transaction gateways but with advent of gateways like Bitpay and coinpayments I think the e-commerce sector over cryptocurrencies is pretty much decentralized. I think there is someone who has made crypto transaction over a website easier that definitely is Bitpay. It's just fantastic, generates new gateway address for every payment. The fees is too nominal and any kid can set it up on their website. I think what Authorize.net & Paypal did around in the fiat world same has been done remarkably by Bitpay and coinpayments. I have made a lot of transactions using various cryptos. Domains & Hostings from Name cheap is just one among all the things on the list.