Topic: Bitcoin tourism - a question (Read 2109 times)
It'd be good to have some sort of fast payment system for Bitcoin. Like a chip with our wallet address on that we can just swipe at a terminal to initiate a transaction.
I'm not sure if pingit uses smartphones or regular phones also. Mpesa works using USSD (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unstructured_Supplementary_Service_Data) and SMS. AFAIK USSD basically works on any GSM phone.
Ah, think you might need a smartphone for PingIt, so that's one draw-back.
Yeah, you do. I have the pingit app as I originally got it to buy my first Bitcoins but backed out and used PP instead. Can people chargeback on Pingit or is it safe?
Not entirely sure, but I found this:
Quote
I've sent a payment to the wrong mobile phone number – what should I do?
Let us know straightaway on 0333 200 1012*. If the money has been paid to someone with a Barclays current account, we’ll try to take the payment out their account and return it to you. If the payment was to someone who holds an account with another bank, we’ll do our best to recall the payment but we can’t guarantee that you’ll get your money back.
Be very careful when entering the details of people you want to send money to ‒ we aren’t responsible if you send it to the wrong person. Each time you make a payment with Barclays Pingit, you’ll see a confirmation page before your payment is sent, so there’s a chance to double-check the details before you confirm.
*Lines are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To maintain a quality service, we may monitor or record phone calls. Barclays.co.uk/callcharges
Let us know straightaway on 0333 200 1012*. If the money has been paid to someone with a Barclays current account, we’ll try to take the payment out their account and return it to you. If the payment was to someone who holds an account with another bank, we’ll do our best to recall the payment but we can’t guarantee that you’ll get your money back.
Be very careful when entering the details of people you want to send money to ‒ we aren’t responsible if you send it to the wrong person. Each time you make a payment with Barclays Pingit, you’ll see a confirmation page before your payment is sent, so there’s a chance to double-check the details before you confirm.
*Lines are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To maintain a quality service, we may monitor or record phone calls. Barclays.co.uk/callcharges
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I'm not sure if pingit uses smartphones or regular phones also. Mpesa works using USSD (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unstructured_Supplementary_Service_Data) and SMS. AFAIK USSD basically works on any GSM phone.
Ah, think you might need a smartphone for PingIt, so that's one draw-back.
Yeah, you do. I have the pingit app as I originally got it to buy my first Bitcoins but backed out and used PP instead. Can people chargeback on Pingit or is it safe?
I'm not sure if pingit uses smartphones or regular phones also. Mpesa works using USSD (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unstructured_Supplementary_Service_Data) and SMS. AFAIK USSD basically works on any GSM phone.
Ah, think you might need a smartphone for PingIt, so that's one draw-back.
I'm not sure if pingit uses smartphones or regular phones also. Mpesa works using USSD (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unstructured_Supplementary_Service_Data) and SMS. AFAIK USSD basically works on any GSM phone.
Like Barclays Pingit, you might say...
Actually, pingit is like mpesa. Mpesa came first...
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/feb/16/pingit-mobile-phone-payment
Got ya, I never heard of Mpesa before. I have my business bank account with Barclay's and use the PingIt thing sometimes. Good for sending/receiving quick payments.
Like Barclays Pingit, you might say...
Actually, pingit is like mpesa. Mpesa came first...
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/feb/16/pingit-mobile-phone-payment
I just came back from Africa, where I used bitcoin to buy part of my trip. A friend did his and his gf's entire trip in bitcoin. We kept running out of cash, and the ATMs kept blocking our cards, and using money in general was a giant pain in the ass. When we switched countries, our existing cash was semi-useless and we had to use the other country's currency, or be screwed on the exchange rates.
However, everyone had phones. We kept wishing we could just use bitcoin instead. Especially since we were mostly using the cash to buy tickets to national parks and gift shops. If you could get a government to accept bitcoin for their nation attractions, it would take some of the "do I have enough cash for this trip" pressure off tourists.
However, everyone had phones. We kept wishing we could just use bitcoin instead. Especially since we were mostly using the cash to buy tickets to national parks and gift shops. If you could get a government to accept bitcoin for their nation attractions, it would take some of the "do I have enough cash for this trip" pressure off tourists.
I've travelled in Mozambique recently. I was roughing it (a little). As soon as you do so you are stuck wiht the issue of cash. ATMs are often broken when you get to them and/or need refilling. Or there are horrible queues. Few places accept credit cards as the banks are terrible at supporting them.
You also have the security issue assoicated with carrying cash on you.
I was stuck on one island where the only ATM was out of order and the place I was staying in didn't accept credit cards. They applied to get it but had been waiting for a machine for years. Had to pay him with paypal for my accomodation and some extra cash.
Despite that I did a similar trip in the late 1990s and it was way easier now than then...
Bitcoin would have been useful. But you have to properly think in terms of USSD rather than mobile data. From my experience most guys have Nokia 1100s or similar feature phones (not smartphones). For this kind of country in Africa to accept bitcoin you need ot get USSD based wallets. And you need the address to be a mobile number, not a funny string of characters.
Think mpesa or similar.
Like Barclays Pingit, you might say...
I just came back from Africa, where I used bitcoin to buy part of my trip. A friend did his and his gf's entire trip in bitcoin. We kept running out of cash, and the ATMs kept blocking our cards, and using money in general was a giant pain in the ass. When we switched countries, our existing cash was semi-useless and we had to use the other country's currency, or be screwed on the exchange rates.
However, everyone had phones. We kept wishing we could just use bitcoin instead. Especially since we were mostly using the cash to buy tickets to national parks and gift shops. If you could get a government to accept bitcoin for their nation attractions, it would take some of the "do I have enough cash for this trip" pressure off tourists.
However, everyone had phones. We kept wishing we could just use bitcoin instead. Especially since we were mostly using the cash to buy tickets to national parks and gift shops. If you could get a government to accept bitcoin for their nation attractions, it would take some of the "do I have enough cash for this trip" pressure off tourists.
I've travelled in Mozambique recently. I was roughing it (a little). As soon as you do so you are stuck wiht the issue of cash. ATMs are often broken when you get to them and/or need refilling. Or there are horrible queues. Few places accept credit cards as the banks are terrible at supporting them.
You also have the security issue assoicated with carrying cash on you.
I was stuck on one island where the only ATM was out of order and the place I was staying in didn't accept credit cards. They applied to get it but had been waiting for a machine for years. Had to pay him with paypal for my accomodation and some extra cash.
Despite that I did a similar trip in the late 1990s and it was way easier now than then...
Bitcoin would have been useful. But you have to properly think in terms of USSD rather than mobile data. From my experience most guys have Nokia 1100s or similar feature phones (not smartphones). For this kind of country in Africa to accept bitcoin you need ot get USSD based wallets. And you need the address to be a mobile number, not a funny string of characters.
Think mpesa or similar.
I just came back from Africa, where I used bitcoin to buy part of my trip. A friend did his and his gf's entire trip in bitcoin. We kept running out of cash, and the ATMs kept blocking our cards, and using money in general was a giant pain in the ass. When we switched countries, our existing cash was semi-useless and we had to use the other country's currency, or be screwed on the exchange rates.
However, everyone had phones. We kept wishing we could just use bitcoin instead. Especially since we were mostly using the cash to buy tickets to national parks and gift shops. If you could get a government to accept bitcoin for their nation attractions, it would take some of the "do I have enough cash for this trip" pressure off tourists.
However, everyone had phones. We kept wishing we could just use bitcoin instead. Especially since we were mostly using the cash to buy tickets to national parks and gift shops. If you could get a government to accept bitcoin for their nation attractions, it would take some of the "do I have enough cash for this trip" pressure off tourists.
How did your friend manage to do the whole trip using Bitcoin?
I just came back from Africa, where I used bitcoin to buy part of my trip. A friend did his and his gf's entire trip in bitcoin. We kept running out of cash, and the ATMs kept blocking our cards, and using money in general was a giant pain in the ass. When we switched countries, our existing cash was semi-useless and we had to use the other country's currency, or be screwed on the exchange rates.
However, everyone had phones. We kept wishing we could just use bitcoin instead. Especially since we were mostly using the cash to buy tickets to national parks and gift shops. If you could get a government to accept bitcoin for their nation attractions, it would take some of the "do I have enough cash for this trip" pressure off tourists.
However, everyone had phones. We kept wishing we could just use bitcoin instead. Especially since we were mostly using the cash to buy tickets to national parks and gift shops. If you could get a government to accept bitcoin for their nation attractions, it would take some of the "do I have enough cash for this trip" pressure off tourists.
What about counters in airports like the forex ones that accept bitcoin?
This is where the wait for confirmations might be a problem though?
I'd run it like this:
1. Arrive at bitcoin desk. You get a printed voucher with a new deposit address QR and a simple reference/order number.
2. You transfer bitcoin to this address and hang around waiting for the transaction to get confirmed.
3. Once the transfer is confirmed you get a call out that order/ref number is ready.
4. You approach counter and provide your printed voucher and QR is scanned to act as confirmation that it is you who made the deposit to that deposit address.
5. You get foreign currency = bitcoin deposite - fees.
Any payments that are recieved that are too small, too large or not collected within 30 minutes get returned to originating address?
Obviously while you wait you need to keep the voucher safe.
From writing this out there seems to be no reason for this not to be like an atm machine.
(you may need to provide a free wifi password on the voucher as well as many times mobile data plans do not work or are too expensive to use when travelling).
This is where the wait for confirmations might be a problem though?
I'd run it like this:
1. Arrive at bitcoin desk. You get a printed voucher with a new deposit address QR and a simple reference/order number.
2. You transfer bitcoin to this address and hang around waiting for the transaction to get confirmed.
3. Once the transfer is confirmed you get a call out that order/ref number is ready.
4. You approach counter and provide your printed voucher and QR is scanned to act as confirmation that it is you who made the deposit to that deposit address.
5. You get foreign currency = bitcoin deposite - fees.
Any payments that are recieved that are too small, too large or not collected within 30 minutes get returned to originating address?
Obviously while you wait you need to keep the voucher safe.
From writing this out there seems to be no reason for this not to be like an atm machine.
(you may need to provide a free wifi password on the voucher as well as many times mobile data plans do not work or are too expensive to use when travelling).
Admittedly the porn payments are going to raise awareness for those who want a certain level of anonymity.
But real mainstream acceptance, in my opinion is going to be with more mundane and everyday things. Avoiding currency conversion costs could be a major incentive.
But real mainstream acceptance, in my opinion is going to be with more mundane and everyday things. Avoiding currency conversion costs could be a major incentive.
I flee to warmer climes, and transaction costs across borders in fiat kill me. I try to get everyone to accept bitcoin for major purchases and if they did, it would make my wintering abroad so much better. Tourism is exactly 'the mundane way to reduce transaction costs' because a foreign currency zone is exactly where bitcoin can shine most in reducting transaction costs.
Maybe like "hoarding" stocks on the market. But eventually you have to cash them in to enjoy the fruits of your wise investment - otherwise what's the point, unless you want to hand them down to someone you love or donate them to charity.
If you never spend your bitcoins, then that guy who bought a pizza with hundreds of bitcoins several years ago is way ahead of you!
If you never spend your bitcoins, then that guy who bought a pizza with hundreds of bitcoins several years ago is way ahead of you!
I don't have the stats to back this, but it seems as though the people who would like to see this happen, me included, are not that into spending BTC at the moment. Everyone seems to be hoarding in the hope that the value will increase (like me). Maybe this is just me and my mentality, but seeing a sign at a store giving me the option to pay in BTC or fiat, knowinf the volatility of BTC, i'm choosing fiat everytime.
Paying for a coffee with 0.0005 BTC could be a LOT of money one day (here's hoping).
Feel free to rip this apart as it's just my $0.02
Paying for a coffee with 0.0005 BTC could be a LOT of money one day (here's hoping).
Feel free to rip this apart as it's just my $0.02
Admittedly the porn payments are going to raise awareness for those who want a certain level of anonymity.
But real mainstream acceptance, in my opinion is going to be with more mundane and everyday things. Avoiding currency conversion costs could be a major incentive.
When you mentioned "missionary positions" in the first post I knew we will eventually end up mentioning porn But real mainstream acceptance, in my opinion is going to be with more mundane and everyday things. Avoiding currency conversion costs could be a major incentive.
As for tourism, more and more people rent their guest rooms. If you want to visit a country and really get to know it, you have to spend some time with the people, preferably in their own home, eat some homemade food and allow them to show you places. With bitcoin you don't have to worry about the prices or exchange rates, you just take your phone and have fun.
I have a very rustic 24 acre goat farm in the mountains of Costa Rica, 45 min. from the Surf mecca of Dominical. Located at 1100 meters, 24 degrees C, year round. Great views, toucans, howler monkeys, and primary forest, hiking to incredible waterfalls. Micro-hydro, off grid 120VAC, all the goatmilk and feta you can drink/eat. Will rent for bitcoin. PM me if interested. :-)
Here in the north country, during our cold winters the tourists from the warmer south visit by the thousands to get in on the great skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, and other winter sports.
Sounds like a great opportunity to market to the youthful bitcoiners
Sounds like a great opportunity to market to the youthful bitcoiners
Well, for traveling people a global currency as Bitcoin can be a positive development. It could be a good idea for Danish people to own some Bitcoins for the times they are traveling to Euro zone...
Unfortunately I think denmark will be in the euro soon.
Well, for traveling people a global currency as Bitcoin can be a positive development. It could be a good idea for Danish people to own some Bitcoins for the times they are traveling to Euro zone...
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