It’s Now So Simple to Spend Your Crypto
There’s no doubt that cryptocurrencies, especially Bitcoin, have seen tremendous growth over the last few years. In Australia alone there are over 300 digital asset exchanges registered and somewhere beyond 1 million crypto users. It’s safe to say that us Aussies are pretty open to owning digital money!
Unfortunately, the number of merchants who accept cryptocurrency as a form of payment is still quite small here, making it difficult for those who own crypto to actually spend it. Herein lies an opportunity for a product/service that can connect traditional retail stores with owners of cryptocurrency.
Solution 1: Bitrefill
Bitrefill provides a wide range of gift cards, prepaid mobile credits, and lightning network utilities that can be purchased using Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. This means you can shop at your favourite stores or reload your phone credit without needing to use an exchange or bank account! Simply purchase a service from their website using your cryptocurrency, and within minutes have your digital gift card or mobile credit emailed to you ready for use.
Here are some of the ways you can start using Bitrefill to spend your cryptocurrency in Australia!
Living on Crypto
Car/Travel
With Bitrefill, you can purchase a Caltex StarCash card to top up your fuel. You can select anywhere between $10 — $250 dollars worth of StarCash which can be used in over 1500 Caltex stores Australia wide.
If you ever find yourself in need of some new car parts, Bitrefill has you covered! Supercheap Auto is one of many retail outlets listed on their website, making it simple to exchange your digital assets for car-related products.
Time for a holiday? With a Jetstar and Hotels.com gift card, you could be jetting off to practically anywhere in the world using your cryptocurrency!
Groceries
Using Bitrefill, you can do your weekly grocery shop with cryptocurrency! Simply purchase a Coles gift card up to $100 that can be scanned at the register or online.
Thirsty? Bitrefill also has gift cards from Dan Murphy’s, BWS and Cellarmasters!
Fashion
Shopping for new clothes with cryptocurrency just got a whole lot easier thanks to Bitrefill! Gift cards are available for major retailers such as Iconic, City Beach, Kathmandu, Ettitude, David Jones, and Myer.
Home
Need to make a trip to Bunnings to purchase something for the home? You now can do it with your cryptocurrency, when you purchase a Bunnings gift card from Bitrefill. Upgrading your home doesn’t stop there though! You can get yourself a new mattress from OMF, or level up your Netflix and chill vibes with a gift card from Plush or Freedom.
Entertainment
Looking to treat yourself to some fun? Bitrefill looks after you with gift cards from the likes of Hoyts, Endota Spa, Red Balloon, and Ticketmaster!
More perks!
It’s never been so simple to start spending your digital coins on products and services. With over 50 partners listed and more to come, there’s bound to be a gift card to suit your needs!
There are also a few other perks of using Bitrefill that you should know about too;
- they offer a “sats back” (satoshis back) on particular gift cards, meaning you earn crypto as you spend crypto!
- their entire service is KYC free, meaning you don’t have to provide your ID or address in the verification process. All you need is an email address!
If you want to check out all of the available gift cards, head to Bitrefill’s website to browse the catalogue.
And if there are any products or services you’d love to see offered, you can email Bitrefill your suggestions at hello@bitrefill.com
To join the community and stay up to date with the latest news head over to the Telegram group or follow them on Twitter.
Solution 2: PayBTC & Living Room Of Satoshi
You might be asking yourself at this point, ‘what if Bitrefill doesn’t have the retailer I’m interested in listed?’. PayBTC & Living Room Of Satoshi (LROS) are two similar Australian services that allow you to use your cryptocurrency to pay bills (through BPAY), pay off credit cards, or bank transfers.
Pay Bills/Credit Cards
With PayBTC & LROS you can pay any BPAY bill in Australia. More than 45,000 businesses in Australia accept BPAY payments so as long as the bill has the BPAY logo and biller code you’re in business.
The same process is available to pay off credit cards.
PayBTC BPAY/Credit Card Payments Speed -
“Payment is sent after 1 block confirmation (~10 minutes), the biller typically then receives funds within 2 business days.”
Living Room Of Satoshi BPAY/Credit Card Payments Speed -
“You’ll see a confirmation usually within a few seconds of making your bitcoin payment. We process the payment after it confirms on the blockchain, on the same business day that the bitcoin transaction is done (though cut-off times must be taken into account — see the next question). We carry the burden of risk on any rate movements”
Bank Transfer
If you are looking to trade your crypto into AUD deposited into your bank account, you can through PayBTC & Living Room Of Satoshi. Simply head to either website and enter the amount and your bank details to process the cryptocurrency transaction. The process is a lot quicker than dealing with a cryptocurrency exchange.
You can also pay for an invoice with your cryptocurrency using PayBTC & Living Room Of Satoshi bank transfer payment option. It’s the same process as above, but instead of putting your own bank details down, you enter the retailers.
PayBTC Bank Transfer Speed -
Instant Bank Payments:
“Funds are cleared and available instantly after 1 block (about 10 minutes), 24 hours per day 7 days per week.”
Regular Bank Payments:
“If your bank doesn’t support NPP typically the money will be in your account next-day.”
Living Room Of Satoshi Bank Transfer Speed -
“Payments to Bank Accounts are processed through the NPP (New Payments Platform), and will usually clear within minutes of your transaction being confirmed on the Blockchain.
Transactions which are not able to be processed through the NPP will be processed as a regular Bank transfer and will generally clear in 1–2 business days.”
Using PayBTC or LROS is super simple, fast, and convenient. In a matter of minutes, you can purchase a good or service using your cryptocurrency, so long as they accept BPAY or Bank Transfer as payment options.
For further information or support, head to the following respective links:
Price Comparison
Here’s a price comparison between Bitrefill, PayBTC & LROS. Please note, the prices may differ depending on the price of Bitcoin (or other cryptocurrencies) at the time of your transaction. If you want to ensure you are getting the best value for your coins, just head to each of the sites and enter a dummy order to compare the price differences.
Conclusion
Living on crypto in Australia is now simple thanks to Bitrefill, PayBTC & Living Room Of Satoshi. These services offer a hassle-free and user-friendly way to start spending your cryptocurrency. What are you going to buy first? Drop a comment below and let me know what you’ll be buying with your crypto.
By Christopher Pavlesic.
