What Can You Buy with Bitcoin? A Practical Guide

Bitcoin started as a digital alternative to cash. While it’s often seen as an investment, its original purpose was as a medium of exchange. So the real question is—can you actually use it to buy stuff? The answer is yes. Today, more businesses and platforms accept Bitcoin than ever before. Whether you’re shopping online, booking travel, or even ordering food, Bitcoin is slowly becoming a usable currency.

1. Online Shopping

Several online retailers and tech-savvy stores accept Bitcoin directly or through payment processors like BitPay or CoinPayments.

• Overstock: One of the first major retailers to accept Bitcoin for a wide range of products—furniture, electronics, home goods, etc.
• Newegg: Tech products, computer parts, gaming gear—all payable with Bitcoin.
• Namecheap: Buy domains, web hosting, and SSL certificates using BTC.
• Shopify merchants: Many individual stores on Shopify accept Bitcoin through third-party plugins.

If you’re shopping from Nigeria or other parts of Africa, you may need to use freight-forwarding services to ship goods internationally.

2. Gift Cards (Buy Almost Anything)

This is one of the easiest ways to turn Bitcoin into everyday purchases.

• Bitrefill: Buy gift cards for Amazon, Netflix, Uber, Airbnb, Apple, and more—instantly with Bitcoin.
• CoinGate: Offers gift cards in multiple currencies, great for non-US users.
• CryptoRefills: Global gift card service with BTC and other coins.

You can also top up your mobile airtime or pay for Spotify/PlayStation using these services.

3. Travel and Accommodation

Planning a trip? You can now book flights and hotels using Bitcoin:

• Travala: Book over 3 million hotels, flights, and experiences worldwide with BTC.
• CheapAir: A US-based flight aggregator that accepts Bitcoin for airline tickets.
• AirBaltic: The first airline to accept Bitcoin directly.
• Alternative Airlines: UK-based travel site offering BTC payments via Utrust.

These services are especially useful if you want to travel without using a credit card or if you’re dealing with currency restrictions in your home country.

4. Food and Groceries

Yes, you can order food with Bitcoin too—depending on where you live.

• Takeaway.com: In select countries, they allow crypto payments for food delivery.