Bitcoin card for purchases at international online stores

Posted at 20 Jul 09:54h in Bitsa, Finance

You have Bitcoin in your wallet and you want to buy something at an online store, it is a completely normal situation. The problem comes when that store, like practically the majority, does not accept crypto as a payment method.

Until a few years ago, this meant selling your Bitcoin on an exchange, waiting for the euros to reach your bank and then paying with your traditional card. Let us not kid ourselves, it was a slow process, with several steps and that left you exposed to market fluctuations for days.

Now there is a more direct option and that is Bitcoin cards. These cards allow you to recharge with Bitcoin from your wallet, convert that balance to euros and pay in any online store that accepts Visa or Mastercard. The store does not know that the money comes from crypto. For them, you are just another customer paying by card.

Why online stores do not accept Bitcoin directly

The reality is that the vast majority of e-commerce operate in fiat currency because for them it is the simplest thing. Amazon, AliExpress, ASOS, eBay, or any store with a standard payment gateway like Stripe or PayPal does not accept Bitcoin as a payment method.

The reasons are obvious. For a merchant, price volatility, the technical complexity of integrating blockchain payments and the fact that consumers still prefer to pay by card or traditional methods make the adoption of cryptocurrencies very difficult.

Of course, that for those who have Bitcoin is a problem. Either they sell their crypto on an exchange and wait to receive the euros in their bank account, or they look for an intermediate solution that does that conversion for them.

How to use a Bitcoin card for online purchases

The good news is that now the process is much simpler than it seems. The only thing you have to do is first recharge the card with Bitcoin from your wallet. At that moment, the Bitcoin is converted to euros according to the exchange rate. From there, the balance is already in euros and the card works like any Visa in online shops. The store will not even know that payment came from cryptocurrencies.

The interesting thing about all this is that the conversion happens only once, which is when you recharge. Not on every purchase. This way you avoid constantly exchanging Bitcoin to euro and you get rid of volatility for the moment of payment.

What you can buy in international online stores

The answer to what you can buy in international online stores is quite broad. The reason is that basically, you can buy any product or service as long as Visa payments are accepted:

  • Electronics at Amazon.

  • Clothing at ASOS or Zalando.

  • Software and licenses at international marketplaces.

  • Subscriptions to work tools, cloud storage, domains and hosting.

  • Even online training platforms or digital services you need for your day to day.

Keep in mind that the balance is in euros, so you pay in euros even if the store is in another country and charges in another currency.

Purchases in stores that charge in another currency

An important nuance is those stores that charge in another currency. If the store charges in dollars, pounds or another currency, the conversion is managed by the Visa network, not your card.

The balance on your card is in euros. When you pay in another currency, Visa applies its exchange rate at that moment and converts the amount. It is the same process that any bank card follows when you buy abroad.

The difference between selling Bitcoin on an exchange and recharging a card

Selling Bitcoin on an exchange to pay in euros is undoubtedly a much more tedious process than recharging your card. If you wanted to use the exchange route, you have to follow several steps:

  • You send your Bitcoin to the exchange

  • You wait for the confirmations of the blockchain network (it can take from minutes to more than an hour, depending on congestion)

  • You sell the Bitcoin for euros

  • You request the withdrawal to your bank account

  • You wait one or two business days for the euros to arrive (this in case it is not the weekend)

  • You pay with your bank card

All these steps can take hours or days, and in the middle of all that process the price of Bitcoin can move against you.

However, if you use a Bitcoin card, the process is reduced to:

  • Recharge from your wallet and pay.

  • The balance is available almost instantly and you do not need to go through your bank at any time.

Bitsa as a Bitcoin card for online purchases

In all this system it is clear that Bitsa is a very interesting option. We are talking about a prepaid Visa card that accepts recharge with Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

The virtual card is available instantly when you complete identity verification, so you can buy online the same day you register. The physical one arrives in a few days with ordinary or express shipping, you decide.

In Bitsa you recharge from your Bitcoin wallet, the balance is converted to euros and is reflected on the card immediately. Everything is managed from the app. You can see the balance, check transactions, block the card if you lose it, download statements, among a thousand other things.

For purchases in international stores, it is a direct option that saves you from going through an exchange and waiting days to have the money in your bank.

Things to keep in mind when converting bitcoins to euros

You already know that we like to say things clearly and there are a couple of technical details that you should know before recharging.

The first thing is that the blockchain address for recharging changes with each transaction. You always have to copy the updated address from the app before sending crypto. If you use an old address, the money may not arrive, and this is no one else’s responsibility but yours.

The second point is that if you send the wrong crypto or to an incorrect address, the recovery has a minimum cost of 500 euros and a 10% penalty. That is why, checking twice before sending is really necessary.

Finally, the final balance in euros depends on the exchange rate at the time of recharge, not at the time of purchase. If Bitcoin goes up or down after recharging, that no longer affects what you can spend.

In short, if you have Bitcoin and want to use it to buy at international online stores, a prepaid card saves you from going through an exchange and waiting days to have the money in your bank. And what better option than Bitsa, which allows you to recharge from your wallet, have the balance in euros and pay with Visa in any online store. Without intermediate steps, without bureaucracy, without depending on your bank.

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FAQs

Can I use Bitcoin to buy at Amazon or other stores that do not accept crypto?
Yes. With a Bitcoin card like Bitsa, you recharge with Bitcoin from your wallet, the balance is converted to euros and you can pay in any store that accepts Visa or Mastercard, even if they do not accept crypto directly.

When does my Bitcoin convert to euros?
The conversion happens only when you recharge the card from your wallet, not on every purchase. Once the balance is in euros, you pay normally without further conversions.

Can I buy at stores that charge in dollars or pounds?
Yes. If the store charges in another currency, the Visa network applies its exchange rate at that moment and converts the amount. The balance on your card is in euros, but you can pay in any currency like with a traditional bank card.

What can I buy with a Bitcoin card?
Practically any product or service in stores that accept Visa: electronics at Amazon, clothing at ASOS or Zalando, software, subscriptions, work tools, cloud storage, domains, hosting, online training platforms and digital services.

Is the virtual card available immediately?
Yes. At Bitsa, the virtual card is activated almost instantly after completing identity verification, so you can buy online the same day you register.

Does Bitsa have a physical card in addition to the virtual one?
Yes. The physical card arrives in a few days with ordinary or express shipping. Meanwhile, you can use the virtual card for online purchases from the first day.