[Editor’s note: As cryptocurrencies gain in popularity, keeping up with each new business accepting Bitcoin is becoming an arduous task. To make life easier for us and our readers, we will be dedicated a weekly article that will include a condensed list of some of the latest merchants, businesses and organizations accepting Bitcoin worldwide.]
Provident Metals Accepts Dogecoin, Litecoin & Bitcoin for all Purchases
Well-known Gold & Silver Bullion Dealer, Provident Metals, has recently announced that they will accept cryptocurrencies as payment for survival supplies, coins, and bars starting August 25. The precious metals dealer will be accepting Litecoin, Bitcoin and Dogecoin as payment for gold and silver bullion, but also for some other products available on ProvidentMetals.com.
Dogecoin, Bitcoin and Litecoin are digital currencies used as exchange mediums through peer-to-peer transactions. The currency's balance is tracked from a digital wallet that permits users to spend and access their holdings. These are decentralizes, open-source currencies and their security is strictly based on cryptography. CEO of Provident Metals, Joe Merrick, mentions:
"The value of crypto currencies and precious metals are market driven, and they both appeal to forward-thinking investors," [...] "This integration was logical because many of our customers are proponents of alternative currency, and it's our job to respond to their needs."
The company decided to accept cryptocurrencies because of high customer demand, particularly after Provident Metals started sponsoring Josh Wise, NASCAR driver. Based on the claims of Jake Haugen, COO for Provident Metals, when Dogecoin started requesting the option to buy precious metals in their favorite digital currency, they finally understood that it was about time for them recognize the great power, influence and effect of cryptocurrencies on the marketplace. Haugen added:
"Our goal is to provide our customers with new and progressive payment options that work to their advantage."
He further explained that the integration of Litecoin, Bitcoin and Dogecoin to their already existent settlement options will help the company expand faster.
Provident Metals is a main dealer of gold and silver bullion, and a proud co-sponsor for NASCAR with Dogecoin. Located in Lavon, TX, the company has been in business since 2008. They're offerings have competitive prices, as well as reasonable insurance and shipping rates.
Local business in St. Louis joins the Bitcoin madness
Some people call the Bitcoin the "wave of the future", and in St. Louis one particular business owner is confident that the crypto currency is a game changer. Owner of Riley's Flowers in Soulard, Riley Goodwin, began accepting bitcoins a couple of months ago.
At first, it was just an experiment meant to draw in more clients, and he soon realized that accepting Bitcoin was a win-win for his business and for the people who wanted to buy flowers online. Goodwin pays about 3% processing fee for debit and credit card payments says everything's cheaper with Bitcoin where the fees are about 1%. He adds:
"And customers can use Bitcoins to purchase almost anything," [...]. "People have used Bitcoins to buy houses and cars. So we figured, why not try it with a flower shop?"
Goodwin partnered with BoomNation and now that his business is accepting Bitcoin, he hopes to garner more clients from across the country. He strongly believes that the digital currency is the currency of the future. He concluded:
"In the last couple of years there's been a spike in interest. So yeah, I think it's going to be around for a long, long time."
RingPlus, low-cost wireless carrier accepts Bitcoin
A US low-cost wireless carrier is willing to accept Litecoin, Bitcoin, and even Dogecoin for cellular services. The company is brand-new and it's called RingPlus. Based in Los Angeles, their wireless plans are ranging from US$1.99 to US$33.00 per month. The company claims they're not looking to sell mobile phones because they want to focus on providing coverage. Karl Seelig, CEO for RingPlus says:
“We listened to our members who are asking for alternative ways to pay their bill, and are extremely satisfied to be leading the charge – so to speak.”
RingPlus is looking at a partnership with GoCoin and all members of the services will be able to use their digital money to replenish their wireless allowance. Seeling added:
“We’re excited to be partnering with GoCoin, as we can now accept not one but three of the major new virtual currencies. This kind of diversity of choice is great for RingPlus’ members as well as the wireless industry in general."
Inuit QuickBooks accepts Bitcoin
Although Bitcoin's headlines are dominated by important merchants such as Overstock, Dell and DISH, broader business acceptance of cryptocurrencies as a payment mode could be influenced by the numerous platform providers populating the space. E-commerce enabler Shopify and now Inuit, financial software specialist, now permit thousands of merchants to start accepting Bitcoin.
Back in June, Inuit launched its PayByCoin feature. It integrated Bitcoin into its QuickBooks Online payment processing service, and thus small companies could send invoices to customers in Bitcoin. Clinton Nielsen, Inuit engineer, confirmed that PayByCoin is winning ground and that in spite of the currency's notoriety, customer response was positive. He added:
“The only thing I heard was one customer said they’d rather have us focus on things that are right now rather than things that are far-reaching, but the overwhelmingly positive attitude from the media in general and our customers have drowned that out.”
PayByCoin is a project that belongs to Manish Shah, Group Product Manager for Inuit, and Clinton Nielsen, Inuit engineer. Shah mentioned that the people responded very well to their new project because many are excited to try out new technologies. He concluded:
“The majority of businesses that have heard about bitcoin are sitting on the sidelines because they are worried about currency fluctuation, who will pay them in bitcoin. [...] A lot of small businesses are skeptical about adoption, just like any new technology.”
Alienware Accepting Bitcoin Payments
Hot on the heels of its parent company Dell, which recently made their big announcement, high-performance PC manufacturer Alienware recently announced that they're now accepting Bitcoin payments. The official announcement was made on Twitter, and apart from a Bitcoin integration, the company is also offering a promotional discount of up to $150 for purchases in bitcoins.
Alienware's decision to adopt the digital currency, is yet another indicative that cryptocurrencies are conquering the market with their low fees and insane publicity. Founded in 1996, Alienware was bought in 2006 by Dell. The popular gaming computer maker said on Twitter:
"Alienware now accepts Bitcoin! For a limited time, get up to $150 off when using this payment method!"
A couple of weeks ago, Dell became the world's largest company to accept crypto currency as payment mode; just like Alienware, Dell aims to boost its new integration with a 10% discount on payments made by Bitcoin. Adding the digital currency as a payment mode is part of Dell's commitment to offer a positive response to customer demand. They mentioned:
“The first thing to provide a payment method for our business and bitcoin is a great example of how we can show some innovation. We’re always going to be looking for new, innovative ways to ensure we’re driving the right experience.”
Bonus: CEO of Hailo Taxi mulling Bitcoin adoption
CEO of London-based taxi Hailo, Jay Bregman, is thinking of allowing clients to use bitcoins to pay for their rides. Founded in 2011, Hailo permits customers to call cabs via an app.
Bregman says:
"We have [always] sought to find ways to provide benefit to our drivers and our passengers. I believe strongly that Bitcoin is one of these ways. Absolutely, like many other things, we are actively looking into it."
It was also mentioned that there's great potential in using Bitcoin to assist Hailo drivers and help them send money home a lot faster and without forcing them to pay enormous remittance fees.