Travel Using Bitcoin: Your Guide to Paying for Vacations, Flights, Hotels and more with Cryptocurrency

From ski trips in the alps, relaxing on a white sand beach, or spotting exotic animals on safari, there is no better way to spend your crypto than exploring the world. BitPay makes it easy to use crypto to travel and pay for vacations.

Why Should I Use Cryptocurrency to Travel?

More than ever before, airlines, booking sites, and hotel groups are accepting crypto. Additionally, entire cities and countries are embracing Bitcoin as an accepted form of payment. This means that you are free to spend your crypto any way that you choose. Pick to pay for certain aspects of your trip or fund your entire vacation with cryptocurrency. Keep reading to learn how to travel using Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency.

How to Travel Using Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency

If you’d like to pay for travel with Bitcoin, you can choose from a variety of ways.

• BitPay Card – Best for domestic travel within the USA and using for spur of the moment travel. Travelers tip: Connect your BitPay Card with Apple Pay or Google Pay for extra convenience (Samsung Pay coming soon).
• Pay direct with travel merchants –  Best for niche travel with airlines and hotels that accept crypto payments via BitPay.
• Buy gift cards for travel merchants – Best for paying for travel planned well in advance + partial trip expenses.

Travel Using the BitPay Card

The BitPay Card is the ideal way to pay for vacations with crypto. Instead of being connected to a bank account, our crypto debit card is funded from your preferred crypto wallet. Use it like your other debit cards.

• Buy flights
• Pay for stays and accommodations
• Rent cars and pay for Uber trips/cabs
• Splurge at local restaurants
• Pay for excursions, souvenirs, and gifts
• Get cash out from ATMs

Get started using the BitPay Card by downloading the BitPay Wallet app. Set up your wallet and start spending your crypto immediately after being approved. There are no fees associated with using the card on transactions within the United States. However, a 3% fee applies when using the card outside of the United States to cover the cost of currency conversion.

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Pay Travel Companies Direct with Cryptocurrency

With cryptocurrency going mainstream, more companies than ever accept direct crypto payments via BitPay. We partner with several prominent travel booking companies so you can use your preferred crypto wallet and coin to pay for your next trip.

Visit our curated list of travel companies that accept crypto payments via BitPay.

Want to accept Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies for your travel business? We make it easy.  Integrate direct through our APIs or use BitPay’s travel partner UATP.

Get Started

Buy Gift Cards for Travel

You can buy gift cards with crypto for the most popular travel companies across the world. Use your crypto to buy gift cards for Airbnb, Hotels.com, Royal Caribbean, Delta Airlines, and many more.

Get Travel Gift Cards

Buy Airline Tickets & Book Flights with Crypto

With BitPay you have three easy ways to pay for flights with crypto:

• Pay with crypto directly to the airline or booking agent. Multiple airline companies accept Bitcoin and cryptocurrency payments directly via BitPay. Fly with AirBaltic, Cryptoturismo, FlightCentre, and many others. Looking for a more private flying experience? Charter private jets with crypto. See our curated list of airlines and booking services that accept crypto.
• Use your BitPay Card to purchase airline tickets. The BitPay Card can be used with any airline or booking agent that accepts Mastercard. Simply load up your card with the appropriate funds to cover the cost of the tickets and any extra purchases you want to cover.
• Buy gift cards for popular airlines with crypto. View our selection of airline gift cards you can buy with cryptocurrency. Use the gift cards to book flights to anywhere in the world, whenever you choose.

Book Hotel Stays and Accommodations with Crypto

Reserve the swankiest downtown hotel rooms or a secluded cabin in the woods. Wherever you choose to rest your head, you can pay with crypto. BitPay makes it easy to pay for your hotel rooms and stays with crypto in three ways:

• Pay directly to the hotel or booking agent with your preferred wallet and cryptocurrency. We partner with boutique hotels and booking services to let travelers pay directly with their wallet and cryptocurrency of choice. Book accommodations with crypto for The D Hotel (Las Vegas), Lodgis (Paris), Cryptoturismo (Global), and many others.
• Use the BitPay Card to pay for your stay. The BitPay Card works just like any other prepaid debit card. Instead of loading from a bank account, you can load cash onto the card using most cryptocurrency and wallets.
• Buy gift cards for hotels and lodging groups. BitPay partners with the largest hotel and accommodation groups in the world to let you use your crypto. Buy gift cards for Hotels.com, Airbnb, and others to lock down your dream hotel, home, villa, cabin, or chateau (plus tipis, resorts, yurts, cabanas, and so many more lodging options).  

Pay for Ground Transportation with Crypto

After you’ve landed in your destination city, use crypto to get around to all of the landmarks and must-see spots.

• Book rental cars with crypto. BitPay partners with Qeeq to book your rental car directly with crypto. Alternatively, you may also use the BitPay Card to pay for any rental car where Mastercard is accepted.
• Cover train travel and public transportation with crypto. Traveling by train, bus, trolley, or tram? You can use the BitPay Card for any public transportation system that accepts Mastercard. This includes New York City’s MTA, San Francisco’s BART, Chicago’s CTA, the LA Metro, and plenty others. If you’re traveling a bit further, you can buy Amtrak gift cards within the BitPay App or Extension to be used on any extended train trip.
• Pay for cabs and ride sharing apps with crypto. Hail any cab with BitPay. Connect the BitPay Card in any ride sharing app like Uber or Lyft to catch rides with a tap. The BitPay Card can also be used in any cab that accepts Mastercard. If you don’t have the BitPay Card you can buy Uber gift cards in the BitPay app or Extension. Buy your gift cards and load into your Uber account to be used whenever you want.

Pay for Excursions, Adventures and Experiences with Crypto

Once you’ve arrived at your destination, continue to spend your crypto on exciting excursions and adventures to make the trip memorable.

Choose from thousands of unmissable experiences across the globe with Get Your Guide. We partner with Get Your Guide so you can use crypto to snorkel with turtles, take helicopter tours, see historical sites, and whatever other experience your traveling heart desires.

The World’s Most Bitcoin-friendly Travel Locations

Still not sure where you’ll travel to? We’ve curated a list of the cities and countries where you can spend crypto and use crypto ATMs.

• El Salvador – El Salvador officially embraced Bitcoin in 2021, making it legal tender. Visit the prominent beachtown El Zonte, dubbed “Bitcoin Beach”, to really experience the crypto economy.
• San Francisco, United States – As a tech hub of the United States, it’s not surprising that hundreds of businesses in San Francisco accept crypto payments.
• Malta – Also known as “Blockchain Island”, Malta is home to many fintech companies and businesses that accept cryptocurrency. Use your crypto for beach-side cuisine and island hopping adventures.
• Vancouver, Canada – The first Bitcoin ATM ever was founded in downtown Vancouver. Now, more than 50 businesses in the city accept cryptocurrency payments.
• Prague, Czech Republic – Use crypto to pay at hundreds of businesses, from bars, restaurants, hotels and more.
• Not-so-friendly locations – Algeria, Bolivia, China, Egypt, Nepal and Vietnam don’t allow you to use Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies on purchases.

FAQs about traveling on Bitcoin

What coins can I use to pay for travel?
BitPay accepts Bitcoin, major alt coins, tokens, and stable coins. We are constantly evaluating and adding new coins. Currently we accept, Bitcoin (BTC), Etherium (ETH), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Doge (DOGE), Shiba Inu (SHIB), Litecoin (LTC), XRP (XRP), Dai (DAI), USD Coin (USDC), Binance USD (BUSD), Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC), Pax Dollar (USDP), and Gemini Dollar (GUSD).

What crypto wallets can I use to pay for travel?
BitPay and its partners support the most popular cryptocurrency wallets including the BitPay wallet, Metamask, Trezor, Electrum, Ledger, Coinbase, Exodus, Kraken, Bitcoin Core, Trust Wallet, and many more.  Unlike Coinbase and other popular exchange platforms, the BitPay wallet is a non-custodial wallet. This means that you, and only you, have complete control over your funds.

Does Expedia accept Bitcoin and crypto?
No, Expedia does not accept crypto payments. The company stopped accepting Bitcoin payments in June 2018.

I operate a travel/hospitality organization. How can I accept cryptocurrency payments for my business?

BitPay makes it easy to accept cryptocurrency payments. Integrate direct through our APIs or use BitPay’s travel partner UATP. Contact the BitPay team to get started.