The list of 25 big companies that accept Bitcoin, Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies consists of retailers, tech giants, fast food chains and many other companies that have jumped on the bandwagon as cryptocurrencies have gone mainstream. And it’s a good thing, because given the popularity that Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have registered in the last couple of years, embracing them early allows these companies to attract more customers with a new payment method and to adjust to the new technology as needed.
There currently are well over 1,000 cryptocurrencies in circulation at the moment, but only a handful have managed to become popular. Bitcoin, stands out as the oldest one, as many large companies started accepting Bitcoins before moving on to other cryptocurrencies. There are currently nearly 16.68 million Bitcoins in circulation with a total value of $103.82 billion. Other big cryptocurrencies include Ethereum, Ripple, Litecoin and Bitcoin Cash.
Cryptocurrencies have been around since 2009, but only since 2014 have they been gaining momentum as their value has surged and businesses and industries around the world started to accept it. Earlier this year, Japan declared Bitcoin a legal tender and several central banks around the world started to look closer at cryptocurrencies in the wake of more businesses accepting them as a form of payment, circumventing the established money system, while investors have poured money into new ventures through Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs).
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There are many reasons why there are big companies that accept Bitcoin, Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies (the common name given to cryptocurrencies other than Bitcoin). One of the main reasons to accept Bitcoin as a form of payment is the security and fraud-prevention that is included in the blockchain technology on which Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are based on. This prevents chargebacks, allowing it to avoid time- and money-consuming work, and doesn’t affect its credit. Moreover, for consumers, Bitcoin offers anonymity, as the transactions cannot be directly linked to the consumer’s information. Given the data breaches at Home Depot Inc (NYSE:HD), Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT), and other retailers, costumers put their privacy very high and accepting Bitcoin allows retailers to satisfy this requirement. Moreover, Bitcoin also carries lower transaction fees compared to debit and credit cards and the money is received much faster than compared to other payment methods.
Given these advantages, it’s not surprising that there are over 80,000 businesses estimated to use Bitcoin and altcoins, from small coffee houses to big corporations. The adoption of cryptocurrencies for businesses doesn’t require large investments, because large cryptocurrency exchanges and payment companies like Coinbase and BitPay are providing the technology through partnerships.
With this in mind, let’s take a closer look at 25 big companies that accept Bitcoin, Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies. Most companies in this list accept only Bitcoin, but if you are interested in 10 Companies and Businesses That Accept Ethereum, take a look at this list.
25. WordPress
The list of big companies that accept Bitcoin, Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies starts with WordPress. The popular blogging platform, which supports tens of millions of websites, including Insider Monkey’s, was one of the first high-profile companies that started to accept Bitcoin as a payment for premium features. The cryptocurrency was included as a method of payment through a partnership with BitPay. Moreover, the platform supports many plugins that allow paying with Bitcoin, Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies on websites based on WordPress.
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24. Wikipedia
Obviously, you don’t have to pay for anything on Wikipedia, since it’s a free resource. However, the company behind the platform, Wikimedia Foundation, happily accepts donations and in 2014 it announced that it would accept donations in Bitcoin. The payments are accepted through a partnership with Coinbase, one of the largest Bitcoin exchanges in the world.
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23. Lamborghini
The notorious brand of supercars has started accepting Bitcoin as a payment method for its vehicles. The announcement was made in September on the official Instagram page of Lamborghini Newport Beach, which is a factory-authorized dealership in California. The introduction of Bitcoin payment was possible due to a partnership with Bitcoin classified site Eggify, which also made a deal with the McLaren Newport Beach dealership earlier this year.
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22. Save the Children
Charities are among the organizations that benefit the most from the introduction of Bitcoin and Save the Children is also among the big companies that accept Bitcoin, Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies. In 2014, global charity Save the Children struck a deal with BitPay and started accepting donations in Bitcoin. The charity recognized the advantages of Bitcoin for nonprofit organizations, since the fees are much lower (BitPay actually waives the fees for Save the Children) and the money is raised much quicker as compared with traditional donations.
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21. Badoo
Badoo, the popular dating networking site, started to accept Bitcoin as a payment for premium features in 2015. The feature was enabled in more than 20 countries and was made accessible through a partnership with Dutch online payment provider Smart2Pay.
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20. OKCupid
Next in line on the list of 25 big companies that accept Bitcoin, Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies is OKCupid. It is another dating site that ventured into Bitcoin, although it did it much sooner than Badoo, in 2013. OKCupid partnered with Coinbase to enable the feature of accepting Bitcoin payments for its premium subscription, called ‘A-list’, which costs $10 per month.
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19. Gyft
Gyft is a major online gift card store where people can buy, send, and redeem gift cards. The site partnered with BitPay in 2013 to start accepting Bitcoin. At one point, Gyft was a workaround that allowed users to spend their Bitcoins on Amazon, as people could buy Amazon gift cards with Bitcoin. However, last year, the ability to buy Amazon gift cards using Bitcoin was disabled.
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18. TigerDirect
California-based online retailer TigerDirect, which deals in electronics, computers and components, went into Bitcoin in 2014. TigerDirect partnered with BitPay to allow the new payment method in its online store. Given that Bitcoin is obtained through mining, which requires a lot of computing power, it makes sense that TigerDirect adopted the cryptocurrency.
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17. 1-800-Flowers.Com Inc (NASDAQ:FLWS)
1-800-Flowers.Com Inc (NASDAQ:FLWS) is another prominent name among big companies that accept Bitcoin, Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies. In 2014, the New York-based flowers and gifts online retailer partnered with Coinbase to start accepting Bitcoin, saying that it was a new way “to engage with our customers.”
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16. eGifter
eGifter is another online gift cards seller that adopted Bitcoin, helping it go mainstream. The feature was enabled through a partnership with Coinbase and allowed customers to spend Bitcoins in many retailers’ stores, as people could buy gift cards for stores like Gap, JC Penney, Home Depot, CVS, and Sears.
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15. Subway
Subway offers its sandwich shops as franchises to independent entrepreneurs, some of which have included Bitcoin as a means of payment in their shops. The stores that adopted Bitcoin received a lot of praise, which might eventually prompt Subway and other fast food chains to enable Bitcoin payments across their entire chains.
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14. Virgin Galactic
Sir Richard Branson, a well-known entrepreneur, was one of the early investors in Bitcoin, so it’s not surprising that one of his most futuristic and exciting projects started to accept Bitcoin in 2013. Virgin Galactic aims to become the first commercial spaceline in the world and several people have already booked their seats paying with Bitcoin.
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13. Zynga Inc (NASDAQ:ZNGA)
In 2014, Zynga Inc (NASDAQ:ZNGA) partnered with BitPay to introduce cryptocurrency as a payment method for tokens that can be used to buy virtual goods in its many online games. At the time, Zynga Inc (NASDAQ:ZNGA) was the first gaming company to start accepting Bitcoin.
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12. Steam
Steam is another gaming company that has adopted Bitcoin. Last year, the distribution platform owned by Valve Corporation approached BitPay in order to enable the Bitcoin payment feature. The move was made in order to allow Steam users to buy games around the globe, particularly in emerging countries, where many people don’t have access to credit cards.
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11. LOT Polish Airlines
In 2015, LOT Polish Airlines started accepting Bitcoin, joining several other airline operators that ventured into the cryptocurrency, including fellow eastern European air carriers airBaltic and Air Lituanica, which started accepting Bitcoin in 2014 and Mexico’s TAR. LOT Polish Airlines did not start accepting Bitcoin directly, but exchanged it into fiat money using a payment service provider.
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10. Overstock.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:OSTK)
Online retailer Overstock.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:OSTK) embraced cryptocurrencies in 2014 when it started accepting Bitcoin as payment and even launched its own subsidiary, Medici Ventures, that is engaged in developing blockchain-related technology. Earlier this year, Overstock.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:OSTK) partnered with ShapeShift and has started accepting more than 60 cryptocurrencies.
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9. NewEgg
NewEgg is an online retailer that specializes in computer hardware and consumer electronics. In 2014, the company started accepting Bitcoin as payment via a partnership with BitPay. However, recently, it has been reported that NewEgg stopped accepting Bitcoin on its Canadian site.
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8. Shopify Inc (US) (NYSE:SHOP)
Next in line among big companies that accept Bitcoin, Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies is Shopify Inc (US) (NYSE:SHOP). Popular eCommerce platform Shopify Inc (US) (NYSE:SHOP), which hosts tens of thousands of merchants, entered into a partnership with BitPay in 2013 to allow its merchants to start accepting Bitcoin.
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7. Square Inc (NYSE:SQ)
In 2014, Square Inc (NYSE:SQ) announced Bitcoin integration for online retailers that use Square market. The integration was made as smooth as possible for retailers, as they didn’t have to make any changes except to accept Bitcoin. However, merchants don’t get to keep the cryptocurrency, as it is instantly converted to dollars.
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6. Expedia Inc (NASDAQ:EXPE)
In early-2014, the popular travel bookings platform Expedia.com announced that it would start accepting Bitcoin as a payment for hotel bookings. The introduction of Bitcoin allowed Expedia to expand its international presence. Expedia was the first bookings giant to allow payments with Bitcoin on its platform.
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5. DISH Network Corp (NASDAQ:DISH)
In 2014, DISH Network Corp (NASDAQ:DISH) partnered with Coinbase to make it possible for its customers to pay their monthly bills. The new payment method was made available to all DISH customers and DISH Network Corp (NASDAQ:DISH) was the largest company and the first pay-TV provider to accept the cryptocurrency.
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4. Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ:INTU)
Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ:INTU) is another one of the big companies that accept Bitcoin, Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies. The provider of financial, accounting, and tax preparation software introduced Bitcoin payments in 2014 through a partnership with BitPay. Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ:INTU)’s PayByCoin Service integrated its QuickBooks Online payment processing service with Coinbase, allowing merchants to accept payments in Bitcoin. Earlier this year, Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ:INTU) took the adoption of blockchain technology further, allowing QuickBooks customers to send international payments via blockchain payment provider Veem.
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3. Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA)
Next in line on our list of big companies that accept Bitcoin, Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies is Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA). While it has not officially announced that it is accepting Bitcoin or that it has partnered with payment processors, there are several vendors that accept Bitcoin payments for Tesla Model S and Model X vehicles. In some instances, customers even could place a deposit for pre-ordering a car using the currency. However, it’s most likely that those transactions were not conducted directly in Bitcoin but went through BitPay or Coinbase, which converted the cryptocurrency into fiat money.
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2. Paypal Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:PYPL)
Paypal Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:PYPL)’s integration of Bitcoin started in 2014, when the company included the cryptocurrency in Braintree’s One Touch app for mobile payments. The same year, PayPal Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:PYPL) partnered with BitPay, Coinbase, and GoCoin to include Bitcoin in the PayPal Payments Hub, a platform used for digital goods (music, in-game tokens, ebooks, etc). In 2016, Paypal Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:PYPL) started allowing Coinbase users to cash the fiat currency obtained from selling Bitcoin into PayPal accounts.
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1. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)
Since 2014, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has been allowing its users to use Bitcoin to pay for stuff in the Windows and Xbox Stores. The payment method was included following a collaboration with BitPay. Moreover, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is working on promoting blockchain technology and has included Blockchain-as-a-Service in its Azure cloud platform.
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These are 25 big companies that accept Bitcoin, Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies. As you may have noticed, most of these companies embraced Bitcoin around 2014, around the time when its price registered its first wave of growth. Moreover, though the majority of these companies have been using only Bitcoin, given that it currently trades north of $6,000 and other cryptocurrencies are catching up quickly, it’s likely that companies that embraced Bitcoin payments will soon start accepting other cryptocurrencies as well.
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