Bitcoin just arrived on Apple Pay — here's how to use it

Apple Pay Bitcoin
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

If you’re an Apple Pay user looking to cash out of your Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies after the recent surge, then BitPay just made it a whole lot easier. 

The firm, which claims to be the world’s biggest cryptocurrency payment service provider, has just announced that its PrePaid Mastercard can now be added to your Apple Wallet for easy spending in stores and online via Apple Pay. 

With the card and its new Apple Pay integration, customers can instantly convert their cryptocurrency into dollars, which can then be used to pay for anything anywhere that Mastercard debit cards are accepted, which is most places. Users with the latest version of the BitPay app (12.1.0) should be able to add their card to their Apple Wallet right away.

Although by far the most prominent, Bitcoin isn’t the only currency supported by BitPay, and customers can use Apple Pay to cash in their Ether, Bitcoin Cash, USD Coin, Gemini Dollar, Paxos Standard and Binance USD.

If you’re not in the Apple ecosystem, you haven’t been forgotten. The company says that it has plans to add the BitPay card to both Google Pay and Samsung Pay by the end of next month.

“We have thousands of BitPay Wallet app customers using the BitPay Card,” said BitPay CEO Stephen Pair. “Adding Apple Pay and soon Google and Samsung Pay makes it easy and convenient to use the BitPay Card in more places from day-to-day items to luxury purchases.”

It’s certainly appealing to people with plenty of cryptocurrency in their wallets, though with Bitcoin rising to a record high of over $48,000 yesterday, plenty of investors will be looking to hold on to their funds to see just how high it can go. 

And while the idea of being able to pay for everyday goods using cryptocurrency is appealing, even with the added convenience of Apple Pay it’s still not as simple as using USD. The dollar, after all, is nowhere near as volatile as Bitcoin, where timing is everything: the value you’re cashing out can change so dramatically in a matter of minutes, that it could be the difference between paying over the odds, or potentially getting your item for next to nothing.

Still, it’s more good news for cryptocurrency, which is enjoying a new surge in interest thanks to Tesla’s big investment and CEO Elon Musk’s talking up of Dogecoin. Amazon could soon be getting in on the act, too, with the company seeking talent to launch a digital currency project.  

Alan Martin

Freelance contributor Alan has been writing about tech for over a decade, covering phones, drones and everything in between. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are found all over the web and in the occasional magazine too. When not weighing up the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, you'll probably find him tackling his ever-growing games backlog. Or, more likely, playing Spelunky for the millionth time.