Bitcoin payment implementing at the Bitcoin Island(BORACAY)

[gunhell16]

The acceptance of bitcoin as a means of payment in the well-known Philippine island of Boracay can't be stopped anymore,
I just can't imagine that even in a simple store this will happen even when buying loads or prepaid cards, it's already started.



This is the funny thing, even in a sari-sari store you can buy soda or soft drinks, whatever chips, bottled water and candy,
and so on you can buy with bitcoin.



Even in haircuts, bitcoin is accepted as payment, it's interesting to think that even the barber knows
the process of paying bitcoin or accepting it in his small salon or barbershop.

Final thoughts and Summary:

Based on and in agreement with this article Bitcoin Island(Boracay) has shown that digital payment recognizes Bitcoin in the following:

1. Hotel
2. Bars
3. Restaurants
3. Variety Store
4. Barbershop/Small Salon
5. Telco (prepaid credits)
6. Coffee shops
7. Some tricycle drivers accept bitcoin

This is a good start on this island, because the one who will benefit from it is not only the foreign tourists but also the residents of this area who will gradually become aware of the benefits of bitcoin. I just hope that this style will spread more and more throughout the Philippines.
Reference : https://bitpinas.com/op-ed/i-got-a-haircut-in-boracay-and-paid-with-bitcoin/?fbclid=IwAR219tLXBXPhmR2GNp3V7NpRY-lIwmkhjuwtydvdiyL0HwO5MSaCJTJyUwk

[mk4]

Interestingly enough, the company/app (Pouch.ph) that sort of like sponsored this implementation is pretty unknown probably outside that island. Great move by them though, I don't know why the biggest Philippine exchange (Coins.ph) hasn't made such a move.

[Lucius]

This is definitely good news, not only for island residents but also for tourists who want to pay in Bitcoin. However, the question arises whether tourists can pay with Bitcoin in any other way or exclusively using the app of the company behind this project?

I hope that some other popular tourist destinations will follow this example, because they definitely have nothing to lose, and considering that the popularity of Bitcoin is growing year by year, I hope that there will be more and more people who will start using it as a currency. I will definitely put this island on my wish list when it comes to traveling🏝

[DaveF]

Cool thing to see. I am starting to think more and more things like this will push BTC acceptance faster then some other methods.
People coming in for vacations and seeing that some smallish place can do it then why can't some larger ones.
This would make more people look into BTC as a viable option for their business and so on. Don't know if it will really happen that way but it's a thought.

Side note, is that you in the pictures?

-Dave

[Lucius]

On their website, they say people can use different LN wallet[1] and they even state 5 example of LN wallet.

That is even better news, and I hope that even more shops, restaurants and private renters will accept Bitcoin, and that we will see good results in the time to come. I know that there are very conflicting views when it comes to LN, but for those who want to pay quickly and cheaply with BTC, it is the only logical way.

However, I would like to see classic on-chain payments supported, because if you sit down in a restaurant or cafe and pay the appropriate fee, the transaction will certainly be confirmed until you finish.

[Daltonik]

An interesting initiative to create a location for using bitcoin for recreation and entertainment. Their website about the Pouch company says that it was founded in August 2021 by Ethan Rose, who left his job as a software engineer in Silicon Valley to help the Philippines reduce the cost of sending money back home. https://pouch.ph/about
Actually, the same goal is pursued by Chivo Wallet in El Salvador.

[Z-tight]

I just hope that this style will spread more and more throughout the Philippines.

Lovely thing to see, and to hope that it not only spreads throughout the Philippines, but for this sort of idea to be sponsored in popular locations in other countries too, i feel it will drive massive adoption. It is interesting when tourists can pay for a little thing as a haircut with BTC, people would want to try it out, and many people will follow, in the end people will get to use BTC more often. Some people don't also like the idea of BTC being held only, so if this idea becomes a popular thing in many places, it helps for BTC to be spent duly as a currency.

[cheezcarls]

My sister is currently in Boracay Island now with her husband and friends and I've asked her to find that Pouch.ph store if she has the time.

Well she said yes.

This is the photo she took earlier.



This photo was originally taken from my sister's iPhone.

So it's a big signage along with the iconic Bitcoin logo. Due to her limited time, she didn't have a chance to go to the store and ask for the prices (especially the barber shop).

I'm having plans to go there maybe next month or January 2023 to feature this on my Youtube channel and interview the owner as well as recording while I get a haircut and pay via Bitcoin lightning.

[buwaytress]

Interestingly enough, the company/app (Pouch.ph) that sort of like sponsored this implementation is pretty unknown probably outside that island. Great move by them though, I don't know why the biggest Philippine exchange (Coins.ph) hasn't made such a move.

Yeah, and I think this is at least the second mention from Pouch already in this forum that I've come across -- pretty cool of them, and much like the Bitcoin (and LN) initiatives in my resident country, little love from the media, but steadily plodding along doing actual circular economies like these.

Coins.ph? Last I used (fellow freelancers in PH), last year, they were still using legacy wallets =D

[BitcoinGirl.Club]

Absolutely amazed to see the movement for bitcoin in there. That's what we need for bitcoin adoption. Those mobile currency apps in the countries can be easily replaced if projects like Pouch.ph give access it for root level people. It will obviously avoid the transaction confirmation delay.

This photo was originally taken from my sister's iPhone.

It looks like one of those credit shops. Whatever it is, it looks nice to see the logo in local areas. We need more of them all over the world.

[isaac_clarke22]

I had read a poster about that recently and I just cannot recall it where I saw it.

Great move by them though, I don't know why the biggest Philippine exchange (Coins.ph) hasn't made such a move.

I must have not been paying attention to crypto news lately since I have not heard of Pouch just yet until you mentioned it.
I am a little bit surprised that Coins did not implement this as well though considering how popular their app is along with other apps like GCash. I would love to use Bitcoin as a payment method once I hopped back into Boracay in my vacation, lol.

[mk4]

little love from the media,

Surprising indeed. For some reason, this has almost zero media coverage from Philippine local media as far as I know (besides Philippine Daily Inquirer) despite this being totally newsworthy.

[ajiz138]

Wanting to feel like going there as a tourist enjoying the beautiful island I saw as a reference on Youtube about Boracay.

It's amazing how Boracay Island has now become a tourist attraction especially for bitcoin lovers who can enjoy their vacation there with all payments including buying small things, this is really good great implementation done on Boracay island honestly I want to go there.

I'm having plans to go there maybe next month or January 2023 to feature this on my Youtube channel and interview the owner as well as recording while I get a haircut and pay via Bitcoin lightning.

Please share your channel here after doing your activities on the island of Boracay and want to know more about life there using bitcoin lightning as payment, even though I already know in several twitter video sources I think I want to be full of curiosity about it.

[Baofeng]

Yeah, we have this in our local board: Pulsuhan niyo naman ito: Boracay, binabalak na gawing Crypto-Island!.

And just like what I said there, yes, this is really good at Boracay is amongst the top ten as far as tourist destination, not just in the Philippines but around the world.

https://time.com/collection/worlds-greatest-places-2022/6194604/boracay-philippines/

I just do hope that it won't turn out to be like this, https://www.newsbtc.com/news/bank-indonesia-team-police-clampdown-bali-bitcoin-transactions/

And I do agree with @mk4, pouch is pretty unknown, but it's a bold move to spearhead this one in Boracay.

@buwaytress - yeah coins.ph still used legacy, fortunately for us Filipinos, we have a lot of options now for a P2P like Binance. And talking about Binance,

Former Binance Chief Financial Officer Wei Zhou bought Coins.ph, a mobile wallet and digital currency exchange, from Gojek, according to a report in India-based publication The Ken on Monday.

https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/04/04/former-binance-cfo-wei-zhou-buys-coinsph-exchange-report/

[dothebeats]

Interestingly enough, the company/app (Pouch.ph) that sort of like sponsored this implementation is pretty unknown probably outside that island. Great move by them though, I don't know why the biggest Philippine exchange (Coins.ph) hasn't made such a move.

Coins.ph kinda did some of the things that this new company is doing, except that it focused mostly on bars and other such establishments in the Metros. Would be nice if coins.ph did one again however this time focusing more on scenic tourist spots just like what pouch.ph did. It promotes tourism, promotes bitcoin, and it's a win-win for everyone.

[DapanasFruit]

Tourism is a huge industry that can benefit a lot with mainstream implementation and acceptance of Bitcoin. And since tourist attractions are hub of people from all over the world, the kind of impact is really there. I am happy to see that Boracay which is now a world-class tourist offering of the Philippines is now on the Bitcoin map. In the coming years, am sure that more and more popular locations will be adopting Bitcoin as it is one of the best way to be bringing the money without doing it physically. Welcome to Boracay and enjoy the place with our Bitcoin in there...

[Oasisman]

~snip~

Thanks for bringing this one up, I though the implementation would take at least a year or more before merchants accepts Bitcoin or any other crypto. I've heard this before, like a few months ago and I immediately thought the process would literally takes a while.
Good job to the PH local crypto wallet called Pouch.ph for their effort in turning this into reality. I know they've made enough effort as they need to educate these merchants on how Bitcoin transaction works. Not everyone knew about it anyways.
I guess online wallets in PH are now in a tight competition. Pretty good for the users though lol.

[mk4]

I guess online wallets in PH are now in a tight competition. Pretty good for the users though lol.

Coins.ph is still miles and miles ahead that it's not even funny. And I haven't even really heard of Pouch.ph if not because of this news lol.

[Flexystar]

Wow, I am not judging but considering that local shop accepting the bitcoin as payment makes me think what is wrong with the rest of the world? Just see the vibes that are coming out of those stickers. Being involved in the crypto I am pretty much aware that how bitcoin is important for me and if I ever see sticker like this in my city then dam, I am pulling out my smart phone right away and be paying for my orders in the bitcoin itself with proud!

This is what needs to be normalised everywhere. That orange sticker should be the normal thing everywhere so that people can get more engaged with it.

That store must be popular locally and if not then tourist must be surprised by them for sure. 

[Lucius]

Wow, I am not judging but considering that local shop accepting the bitcoin as payment makes me think what is wrong with the rest of the world?

Don't think that it doesn't exist in other countries, maybe you're just not aware of it because you didn't get that information. There are thousands of online stores that accept Bitcoin as a means of payment, and some have their own physical branches, and I think that the problem is not that there are no more physical stores, but that most people do not want to pay with Bitcoin for the reason that they consider it exclusively an investment.

If you want changes in this matter, then I would advise you to contact some of the shops where you would be happy to pay with Bitcoin and to activate your local community to do the same. Nothing will change by itself, no matter how long you wait for it.