What can I actually do with crypto?

With all the news and growing interest about crypto, it’s fair to ask… besides investing and trading, what can I actually do if I have cryptocurrency? Well, many big -and small- companies have noticed the public interest too, and have implemented their own ways to use crypto.

Here is a short and non comprehensive list, with big names you probably recognise:

• Beauty: the handmade cosmetics brand Lush accepts payments with Bitcoin (on their UK website at least). They also have some interesting posts about crypto, to help their clients understand this announcement.

• Cars: it is possible to buy a Tesla car using Bitcoin, in the US… if you have enough money to get one.

• Donations: the Wikimedia Foundation -host of Wikipedia- accepts donations in cryptocurrency on their website.

• Payments: PayPal announced this year a new feature that would enable costumers pay with cryptocurrency at checkout.

• Sports: the NBA team Dallas Mavericks also announced this year they will be accepting Dogecoin (in addition to Bitcoin) as method of payment for tickets. The team’s owner said at the time that accepting Dogecoin could generate PR. He was right, making headlines after the announcement.

This list is just a sample with widely known brands, and the aim was to show how widely different products can be bought using cryptocurrency. The companies start slowly, usually restricted to one country, but this is a sign of change that soon could be reaching a store near you. If you want to check local acceptance of crypto, the site Coinmap might be of your interest.

---

Regardless of their motivation (more business, accessibility or just PR), these brands are embracing cryptocurrency and leading the way for others to follow.