Here it's the point.
I want to buy in Amazon or Alibaba something and pay in BTC.
Do you ever think this is gonna happen or not?
I mean, little and local e-shop are supporting nowadays the Criptocurrency Gateway; why instead do they seem to be late adopters?
And if yes, when do you think it will happen?
A member already spoken about Purse so I will not talk about it. But there are some challenges for bitcoin to be accepted as a payment option in giant retail shops and e-commerce websites. Let me list down a few for you,
1. Fluctuating value: Bitcoin's value is dynamic and keeps fluctuating from one end to another within a very short period of time. So if you see a product price is 0.015 bitcoin now, it may change to 0.017 while checking out. E-commerce companies need a way to fight such fluctuations. Because it posses a huge risk on their profitability.
2. Transaction confirmation time: Currently bitcoin transactions usually take around 30 minutes if you pay suitable network fees. SO if you order something, your trade request won't get confirmed before the payment comes to their wallet. The system will have to keep checking for the transaction confirmation and then they can release the product for further processing and shipping. That isn't convenient.
3. Legal status of bitcoin: That is one of major challenges for bitcoin to be accepted as a payment gateway. The legal status of bitcoin is still not clear in majority of the countries. So e-commerce stores will not want to burn their hands on to something like this. They need transparency around their business.
I think these are the three major roadblocks for bitcoin to be accepted as a real payment gateway. It looks good now as an investment asset but not as a currency, at least for now. We need a faster and more stable crypto currency to become mainstream. Sad reality!
While you do make some valid points you dont need to be the flash to pay using bitcoin. I have bought stuff online from tigerdirect.com, booked vacation from expedia.com and i even paid my satellite tv service bill one time using bitcoin. Normally when you check out you will be given a bitcoin address to send payment to. Normally it is good for up to 1 hour before you have to redo it. If those options not to your liking the get coinbase account and get a shift card to link it to use as instant purchase.