Over the years, travel choices have multiplied for tourists of varying types and technological infusion has empowered the travel agencies and tour operators to offer their clients myriads of options. Nowadays, you can use Smartphone apps to buy flight tickets, book hotels online and plan journeys abroad. You can also pay for travel expenses digitally-using a number of methods. While using netbanking, digital wallets and credit cards for travel payments is not new, a section of travelers are resorting to crypto currency for such expenses. In the last few years, the number of travel entities and operators accepting bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies has shot up-opening new avenues.
Benefits of using crypto currencies for making travel related payments
There are many benefits that you can obtain by using crypto currency for making travel related payments. You can use online crypto exchanges and hardware or paper wallets to make payments on the move. It will not be necessary to carry lots of cash or worry about losing debit/credit card. You can also convert money using BTMs when you travel. If you happen to use a blockchain smartphone- it becomes even easier. You can book hotels, hotel rooms and rent cabs by using crypto currency these days-albeit with a little effort.
Travel agencies and operators that accept crypto currency payments
With time, more travel agencies and tour companies are embracing crypto currency payment- making things easier for the seasoned crypto users. However, you still need to search a bit to find airlines, online travel portals and related entities that accept bitcoin and popular crypto currencies. This of course, will improve in the near future.
Listed below are the top travel companies that already accept crypto currency payment:
- Cheapair- Cheapair is among the first travel portals to accept crypto currencies. It lets you book hotels and flight tickets using crypto currencies like bitcoin core, litecoin, bitcoin cash and ethereum.
- Travelbybit- It is another online platform that lets you book flights and hotels using crypto. You are shown the prices in various fiat currencies like INR, USD, and Euro.
- Travala- Travala is another portal using which you can book hotels using crypto currency. You can book any of the 2,000,000 hotels covered by it. Along with crypto currency, you can pay using other digital payment methods. This blockchain based online booking platform supports ETH, LTC, BCH, and BTC. It has a Best Price Guarantee scheme.
- Destinia- Destinia is an online travel booking portal that supports 30 languages and offers a wide array of services. Using it, you can book hotel accommodation, rent cabs and book airline tickets. You may even rent apartments and buy train tickets using this portal. The Spanish agency supports more than 70 currency options. Crypto currencies that are supported by it include ethereum, dash, litecoin, bitcoin cash and core.
- aBitSky- Are you among those travelers who look for bargain deals and last minute deals on fligts and hotel bookings? You also like paying using crypto currencies? If answers to both the question are yes, your best option is aBitSky. Through this online portal, you can find out some lucrative deals on flight tickets and hotels-including some last minute ones. The agency is Lithunia based but the users can make BTC payments without bothering about their locations.
- airBaltic- This is the Latvia flat carrier and it lets you book flight tickets to over 50 global destinations. The Latvia based company started taking BTC payments back in 2014. It relies on BitPay service.
- Bitcoin.Travel- Another worthy online travel portal that supports crypto currency payments and covers many genres is definitely worth your time. It has support for a lot of crypto currencies. You can utilize this website to book hotels, rentals and flights in a lot of places across the world, including major cities like London, Tokyo and New York. It started functioning back in 2011 and now has a huge customer base.
- Travelbybit- Travelbybit is an online portal accepting crypto payments and you can book hotels and flight tickets using the site. The good thing is in this website, you get the price displayed in top fiat currencies like Euro, INR and USD. It supports crypto currencies like BNB, BTC and LTC. In fact, the portal is run by a top crypto-asset exchange- Binance.
- BTCtrip.com- New York based BTCtrip is an online travel agency that accepts crypto payments from the customers. Set up in 2013, it supports top crypto currencies like Bitcoin, Dogecoin, Dash, Litecoin. The intuitive site covers a wide range of travel destinations as well.
Summing it up
These are the popular and widely used travel portals and companies that presently accept crypto currency payments. It is only a matter of time before more such tour agencies hop onto the bandwagon. Before you choose a new or hitherto unknown travel portal or company that supports crypto currency payment, check its background well. The crypto sector is largely unregulated and scams do take place occasionally. Try to find out information on the crypto exchanges and entities the portal/agency has tie up with, before using its service for travel booking.