You can buy almost anything with cryptocurrency in the United States, from a cup of coffee to a luxury car to a house. Some retailers accept crypto directly at checkout, while others work through payment processors or gift card platforms that convert your coins into purchasing power at thousands of brands. The options have expanded well beyond the early days of novelty purchases, though the method you use to spend crypto matters for both convenience and taxes.
Retailers That Accept Crypto Directly
A growing number of well-known brands let you pay with Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies at checkout, either through their own systems or through integrated payment processors like BitPay and Coinbase Commerce. The Home Depot, Whole Foods, and Chipotle all accept crypto purchases. AMC movie theaters, Newegg (a major electronics retailer), and the Dallas Mavericks accept it as well. Dozens of smaller merchants in categories like VPN services, jewelry, and precious metals also take crypto directly.
In most of these cases, a payment processor handles the conversion behind the scenes. You send crypto from your wallet, the processor converts it to dollars, and the merchant gets paid in USD. The experience feels similar to paying with a debit card, though you’ll typically scan a QR code or confirm a transaction in your crypto wallet app instead of swiping.
Cars, Real Estate, and Big-Ticket Purchases
Cryptocurrency works for large purchases too. Several car dealerships accept crypto through payment processors. Jeff Wyler Automotive Family and O’Gara Coach, a luxury dealer group, both support BitPay transactions. Ferrari has publicly supported crypto payments through certain processors in the U.S. Dedicated marketplaces like Car for Coin and BitCars list vehicles priced directly in crypto.
If you’re buying from a dealer that uses a processor, expect fees of roughly 1% to 2% plus a small fixed amount per transaction, along with network fees and possible conversion spreads. Those costs are modest relative to a vehicle purchase, but worth factoring into the total price.
Real estate is another area where crypto transactions happen, though they’re less standardized. Some title companies and real estate platforms facilitate crypto closings, typically by converting the cryptocurrency to dollars before the funds hit the seller’s account. Cornerstone Title, for example, has handled crypto-funded real estate transactions. For high-value purchases like these, the conversion process usually involves coordinating with a payment processor and the closing agent ahead of time rather than paying at the last minute.
Gift Cards: The Biggest Workaround
Gift card platforms are the easiest way to spend crypto at stores that don’t accept it directly. Platforms like CoinsBee offer gift cards for over 5,000 brands, and they integrate with crypto payment tools including Binance Pay and Crypto.com Pay. You buy a gift card with your crypto, receive a digital code, and redeem it at the retailer like any other gift card.
This approach opens up nearly every major brand in the country:
- Shopping: Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Nike, Macy’s, H&M, T.J.Maxx
- Food and delivery: Uber Eats, DoorDash
- Streaming and entertainment: Netflix, Spotify, Twitch
- Gaming: PlayStation, Steam, Roblox
- Travel: Airbnb, Hotels.com
- Phone and utilities: T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon
The trade-off is a small markup on some gift cards and the extra step of purchasing the card before you can shop. But for practical purposes, gift card platforms make crypto spendable at virtually any retailer in the U.S.
Crypto Debit Cards
Another option is a crypto-linked debit card from providers like Coinbase, Crypto.com, or BitPay. These cards connect to your crypto holdings and automatically convert your cryptocurrency to dollars at the point of sale. You can swipe or tap the card anywhere that accepts Visa or Mastercard, which means grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants, and online shops all become crypto-friendly.
Some of these cards offer cashback rewards in crypto, typically ranging from 1% to 4% depending on the card and your spending tier. The conversion happens instantly, so the merchant never touches cryptocurrency. From their perspective, it’s a normal card transaction.
Services and Subscriptions
Beyond physical goods, you can use crypto to pay for a range of services. Several VPN providers, including ExpressVPN and CyberGhost, accept crypto directly. Chess.com takes it for premium memberships. Web hosting companies like AltusHost accept Bitcoin. Private aviation services such as Monarch Air and JetFinder let you book flights with crypto.
Travel is a growing category. BitPay’s travel platform and various third-party booking sites let you pay for flights, hotels, and rental cars using cryptocurrency. Some of these platforms offer discounts for crypto payments since they avoid credit card processing fees on their end.
The Tax Side of Spending Crypto
Here’s something many people overlook: every time you use cryptocurrency to buy something, the IRS treats it as a taxable event. You’re essentially selling your crypto and using the proceeds to make a purchase. If the value of your crypto increased between when you acquired it and when you spent it, you owe capital gains tax on the difference.
For example, if you bought $500 worth of Bitcoin and it grew to $800 by the time you used it to buy a TV, you’d have a $300 capital gain to report. The gain is the difference between the fair market value of what you received and your adjusted basis (what you originally paid for the crypto). This applies regardless of the transaction size. A $5 coffee and a $50,000 car follow the same rule.
You report these transactions on Form 8949 and summarize them on Schedule D of your tax return. You must report every taxable crypto transaction on your federal return for the year it occurs, even if you don’t receive any tax forms from the platform or merchant. If your crypto lost value between purchase and spending, you can claim a capital loss, which can offset other gains.
Keeping records matters. Track the date you acquired each batch of crypto, what you paid, and what it was worth when you spent it. Most major wallets and exchanges provide transaction histories that make this easier, but the responsibility to report accurately is yours.
What You Still Can’t Easily Buy
Despite the expanding options, some categories remain difficult. Most utility companies, insurance providers, and government agencies don’t accept crypto for bills, taxes, or fees. Mortgage payments, student loan payments, and most rent payments still require dollars. You can work around some of these by converting crypto to cash first, but the direct payment infrastructure isn’t there yet for most recurring obligations.
Peer-to-peer transactions fill some gaps. You can send crypto to a landlord who’s willing to accept it, or pay a freelancer in Bitcoin. But these arrangements depend on the other party being set up to receive and convert crypto on their own.