If only everything were available for purchase in Bitcoin.
Oh, wait, it is.
Anything from plane tickets to houses, sex toys to groceries, can be purchased just by using CheapAir or BitPremier, Purse or Magic (respectively). But you can also just buy good ol'-fashioned gift cards.
The companies Gyft, eGifter, and newly-rebranded Gift Off stand out in the crypto-for-gift card space:
1. Gyft
Founded in 2012 with the aim to eliminate the use of physical gift cards, Gyft began accepting Bitcoin relatively early on. They offer cards for over 200 retailers, including:
- Amazon
- Whole Foods
- Home Depot
- Starbucks
- Target
- Best Buy
New users are rewarded with a free US$5 card for signing up, and all purchases made in Bitcoin are rewarded with 3 % discounts via a points system.
2. eGifter
Seeking to cater to social shoppers, eGifter offers to track your friends' birthdays, make present recommendations, and connect to your friends via Facebook to prompt “crowdfunding” of the gift.
eGifter covers over 215 retailers, including:
- eBay
- CVS
- Groupon
- Jiffy Lube
- REI
- Burger King
Dogecoin and Litecoin are also accepted in addition to Bitcoin, and eGifter offers discount reward points (similar to Gyft) for Bitcoin shoppers.
3. Gift Off
Recently rebranded from their former name, Pockio, Gift Off accepts the most cryptocurrencies by far: 24! They support the most popular, but have also recently added obscure currencies like Bits of Bullion, BitcoinDark, Darkcoin, HyperStake, DigiByte, Earthcoin, StartCoin, and Unobtanium.
Gift Off covers part of the digital goods niche, offering cards for 165 retailers including:
- Apple Store
- Google Play store
- Steam
- Skype
- Spotify
There isn't currently a reward points program, but Gift Off purchases are commission-free.
The Phone is the New Wallet
These services all store the gift cards you purchase in your account, retrievable at any time. In-person use of the cards (versus online shopping) is facilitated by downloading the corresponding apps.
The apps load the gift cards with bar codes, which are then scanned by cashiers. (Bonus: watch your cashier's face when you tell her you bought your card with Bitcoin.)
Do you know of other crypto-accepting gift card services not mentioned here? Share below.
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