How to Book Flights With Crypto: Top Three Methods
The crypto industry has come a long way since Bitcoin launched in 2009, or indeed, since the famous “pizza day” event of May 22, 2010. Pizza day is now celebrated as the first instance of a real-world purchase being made with cryptocurrency when a pizza was bought with 10,000 bitcoins!
Of course, as time has passed, it has become easier to buy certain things with crypto. Today, we’ll have a look at how to buy flights with Bitcoin or other digital currencies.
Grineo – Recommended
If you’re an Australian resident, we recommend that you try out Grineo by simply downloading the app and ordering a crypto card that allows you to spend crypto like cash worldwide.
Unlike other options on this list, Grineo imposes no restrictions on which flights are available for purchase with cryptocurrencies. Issued by Visa, the Grineo card allows you to pay for anything you like with crypto. Flights, travel, food, concert tickets, clothing, and anything else you can think of – all of it is the swipe of a card away with Grineo.
To book a flight with crypto using Grineo, simply log on to the airplane ticket website of your choice and proceed with the transaction like you would any other, entering your Grineo card details to make the payment. You can use stablecoins to make your payment, meaning no price slippage or fluctuation occurs, and transactions are confirmed instantly, deducted from the crypto held in your Grineo wallet.
Grineo is arguably the easiest and most user-friendly way of paying for goods and services with crypto, boasting high levels of security and unparalleled adoption for any product available for purchase in stores or online.
As of Q1 2024, the Grineo card is in the pre-launch phase and will be available for use in Q2.
Join the waitlist to be the first to try it out!
Alternative Airlines
Alternative Airlines is a flight ticket service that allows for a wide range of payment options, including Bitcoin.
Users can browse available flights on the site and make a BTC purchase from the third-party wallet of their choosing. Once the transaction is confirmed, which may take about half an hour, the flight will be booked.
There are some downsides to this. Bitcoin’s price will fluctuate regularly, perhaps making it difficult to find an optimal price point with which to buy a ticket. The website offers a limited selection of flights only, and there is a waiting time due to the requirement that BTC transactions are validated by the blockchain before being confirmed.
Despite this, the service has positive reviews and is used by many people to book flights using crypto worldwide.
Binance Crypto Air Tickets
Binance launched a feature allowing users to buy plane tickets from Binance Marketplace section of its app.
Binance’s flight booking feature offers a user-friendly way of booking a flight with crypto. Binance partnered with the Crypto Air Tickets company to offer flights from 1,000 airlines and 9,000 destinations.
To book a flight in this manner, there are a number of steps to follow. First, log in to BInance and navigate to Binance Pro. Then drag down on the homepage to access the Binance marketplace.
From there, navigate to the mini app section of the marketplace and tap on Crypto Air Tickets to browse plane tickets and destinations.
Binance offers compatibility with a wide range of cryptocurrencies, a plus for altcoin holders with diverse portfolios. A downside is that again, while there are many flight options to choose from, the service is still restricted to the flights curated by Crypto Air Tickets, and users cannot simply book any flight they want from any air travel service with crypto using Binance Crypto Air Tickets.
Pros and Cons of Booking a Flight With Crypto
There are a number of things to consider when booking a flight with crypto. Most services do not allow a user to buy any flight they want with crypto, but rather let them choose from a limited selection of flights.
Crypto prices can fluctuate while the booking process is in progress, potentially making it difficult to find the right entry point for purchase. Crypto payments can take a long time to be processed, and finally, most air travel services simply do not accept crypto as a means of payment.
With Grineo, none of these issues are a problem. You can pay for any flight you find online with stablecoins that do not fluctuate in value, and your transaction will be confirmed instantly, just like paying with cash.
The Grineo card is available from Q2 2024 onwards.
Sign up to Grineo to try it out, and have a good flight!
