When Dogecoin (DOGE) took off as a light-hearted memecoin, who could have thought so many retail outlets and businesses would be accepting it for payment? For anyone who isn’t too much into crypto, transfering a cryptocurrency looks like a complex task, like a sci-fi process, so a memecoin becoming a payment option was simply unimaginable.
Some well-known companies that have been accepting DOGE payments include The Dallas Mavericks, BOTS, Inc., AirBaltic, Newegg and Post Oak Motor Cars, among others. This reflects how companies are now willing to explore crypto payments outside of Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) to improve sales and make it simpler for their customers.
This article will explain why the memecoin has gained traction with businesses. Moreover, we will discuss prominent enterprises that accept payments in DOGE.
Why Dogecoin is finding favor with businesses
Businesses of all sizes have been open to accepting DOGE as payments for a variety of reasons. Here are the most prominent:
The recent surge in Dogecoin can be partially attributed to the utterances of Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, and the head of SpaceX and Tesla. His tweets have been a factor behind the surge in DOGE prices. The inclusion of Buterin and Birchall in advisory roles brought credibility to the meme coin as did the news of the cryptocurrency’s adoption of proof-of-stake (PoS).
Who accepts Dogecoin
Dogecoin has been gaining popularity steadily and now the world around,some companies accept Dogecoin payments. Look around and you will find several stores where you can pay with Dogecoin. Let us have a look at major retailers accepting Dogecoin:
Tesla
Tesla has been accepting Dogecoin for its merchandise. Founded by Elon Musk, Tesla lists all eligible products with a Dogecoin price. All Tesla products available for purchase with DOGE carry the coin’s logo next to the Order button. The company's supercharging station at Santa Monica was the first in the company’s network to accept Dogecoin as payment.
Popular Tesla merchandise including the “Cyberwhistle” and “Cyberquad for Kids” is available for purchase using Dogecoin. Even before the crypto payment option appeared on the website, the source code on the company’s website included an option for Dogecoin payments.
Musk has been stressing that the low cost per transaction made Dogecoin more suitable for regular market dealings, even though the dog-themed cryptocurrency was created as a joke. Musk viewed Bitcoin as more suitable as a store of value. Its high transaction cost lessened its efficacy as a transactional currency.
Newegg
Newegg, counted among the top tech-focused e-retailers in North America, allows shoppers to pay with Dogecoin. Quick to embrace digital coins, Newegg was the first major e-retailer to accept Bitcoin for purchases. The company believes that adding DOGE will make it easier for customers to shop as they will be able to complete transactions with the most suitable payment method.
Going whole hog for crypto payments, Newegg supports DOGE, BTC, ETH, Shiba Inu (SHIB), Litecoin (LTC) and several other digital coins. Keep in mind, though, that crypto payments for Newegg are not accepted for return labels, subscription orders, gift cards and a few other buying options.
Twitch
Twitch, a popular live streaming service, now allows subscribers to spend Dogecoin for their “Turbo subscription” plan that adds new chat features, removes ads and enhances video storage for broadcasts. When paying for a subscription, you need to use the “More Methods” option. Twitch is owned by the colossal online retailer, Amazon.
Twitch stands out for hosting major gaming events, often attended by more than 500,000 people at a given time. It allows users to interact with the streamers in real time. Anyone can stream live video on Twitch and make a living off the site. The lighthearted Dogecoin community gels in perfectly with the users of the streaming service.
Keys4Coins
If you are looking to buy game keys and gift cards with your DOGE, Keys4Coins is a site to visit. On Keys4Coins, one of the first PC games stores, you can get game keys from Origin, Steam, PSN, and several other providers. Whatever your gaming preferences might be, you will find plenty of options.
Keys4Coins makes you feel spoiled with all the crypto options at hand. Along with DOGE, you may also choose to pay with BTC, ETH, LTC or any other digital coin supported by Keys4Coins. The fact that their store is simple to use and shopping is quick provides you with yet another reason to visit the site.
GameStop
GameStop, a prominent video game retailer, has also cozied up to cryptocurrencies, realizing these could bring in a stream of new users. You can pay for GameStop stuff with blockchain assets, including DOGE, via payment network Flexa, an app that interlinks brick-and-mortar enterprises with the crypto ecosystem. Using the SPEDN app of Flexa, gaming enthusiasts will be able to pre-order games of their choice.
Along with using meme coins for payments, you can also pay with cryptocurrencies like BTC, ETH, LTC, Decentraland (MANA), Axie Infinity Shards (AXS) and Smooth Love Potion. DOGE and SHIB fans had been pressing the company to allow payments in these cryptos and eventually, the company relented.
AMC Theaters
Those who regarded Dogecoin as a joke were surprised when AMC Theaters, the largest theater chain in the United States, began accepting the meme coin as payment for movie tickets. You can use the AMC mobile app for their U.S. theaters to buy tickets in Dogecoin, Shiba Inu and some other cryptocurrencies. They accept crypto payments via integration with Bitpay.
Operating in more than 1000 locations across the globe, they revved up Dogecoin fans when they announced in Feb 2022 that BitPay will be live for AMC online payments on the website by March 19 and on the mobile apps by April 16. Apart from Dogecoin, you will also be able to use BTC, ETH, LTC and Bitcoin Cash (BCH) to buy tickets.
Bitrefill
To buy gift cards with crypto, you can go visit Bitrefill and select your pack. Thanks to the options at hand, you could shop gift cards for genres as diverse as gaming, travel, groceries or clothing with supported cryptocurrencies. Using Bitrefill, you can buy an Amazon gift card to earn a 1% reward.
For purchasing the card, Bitrefill supports BTC, DOGE, ETH, LTC, Tether (USDT) and Dash (DASH). You may use the address entry for your wallet or the standard QR scanning. You may copy the gift code with a click and then move to Amazon to use it.
airBaltic
With Latvian airline airBaltic accepting DOGE, you can use the crypto for air travel as well. Crypto may not be a regular form of payment for air travel but the fact that an airline is accepting payments in crypto is encouraging. Down the line, it will encourage other airlines to follow suit.
airBaltic operations occur primarily in Baltic countries, i.e., Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania as well as Finland and Scandinavia. Next time, when looking for affordable flights, you could book your air travel with Dogecoin. Along with DOGE, airBaltic also accepts ETH, USD Coin (USDC), Pax Standard Token (PAX), Gemini Dollar (GUSD) and Binance USD (BUSD).
The airline displays the ticket prices on the website in euros. When a passenger pays for their travel, their crypto is converted into euros at the current exchange rate. airBaltic has collaborated with Bitpay, a third-party payment processor, to receive payments in Dogecoin and other cryptos.
Dallas Mavericks
The first NBA team to accept DOGE payments for tickets and merchandise, the Dallas Mavericks offered special prices to anyone using Dogecoin for their purchase during its summer sale. Marc Cuban, the owner of the team, has been an advocate of Dogecoin for regular transactions.
The Dallas Mavericks became the second NBA team to receive payments in digital coins after the Sacramento Kings began doing so in 2014. The success of NBA Top Shot, the blockchain-backed digital collectibles marketplace that got past $230 million in sales in March 2021, has been a factor in crypto becoming an accepted option in payments.
Sheetz
Sheetz, the convenience store chain, allows customers to pay for their food and gas with crypto, including Dogecoin. To enable crypto payments, they have partnered with digital payment company Flexa. With the users of digital currencies steadily increasing, this step has brought Sheetz a new stream of users and allowed it to create a better customer experience.
Customers use Flexa-enabled apps to connect to their Sheetz loyalty account. The Pennsylvania-based company, currently operating more than 600 stores, has worked with Flexa to accept certain digital payments even before they are processed on the blockchain.
Notable recent integrations of Dogecoin
Taking a cue from the likes mentioned above, several enterprises have added Dogecoin to their payment options of late. The continuous social endorsement from Tesla’s Elon Musk and the attention received from celebrities such as rapper Snoop Dogg had a reverberating effect among individuals and enterprises. Soon, Dogecoin found itself being wooed.
Recent adapters include the luxury department store chain Nordstrom Inc., education solutions provider Barnes and Noble Education Inc., American beauty store chain Ulta Beauty Inc., pet health and wellness company Petco Health and Wellness Company Inc., domestic merchandise retail store chain Bed Bath & Beyond Inc., and home improvement retailer Lowe’s Companies Inc., among others.
Dogecoin acceptance steadily growing
Thanks to an unending supply and low transaction rate, Dogecoin makes a better fit for regular transactions than do frontline cryptos like Bitcoin, Ethereum and many others. The currency can be used with ease for the acquisition of goods and services. The Dogecoin community is also strong and always there to provide the support required.
The growing usage of DOGE has led to the cryptocurrency going strong and becoming a critical component of the financial ecosystem. Musk’s recent filings in the Securities and Exchange Commission are likely to boost the industry’s acceptance of the meme coin.
Musk disclosed in the filings that he had purchased a 9.2% stake in Twitter and would join the board of directors on the social media platform. Analysts expect him to push crypto initiatives on the social media giant and Dogecoin may have some sort of integration on the platform.
Whatever happens on Twitter — or for that matter, in companies like AMC Theaters or airBaltic — is bound to snowball in the rest of the industry sooner or later. At this pace, it won’t be too long before the coin emerges as a widely accepted solution for everyday payments and becomes part and parcel of the mainstream economy.