We're in 2025 and most people still wonder how to pay with crypto. The latest statistics indicate that crypto-related payments accounted for less than 0.2% of the global ecommerce transaction value as of 2022.
On the brighter side, however, the adoption trend for crypto payments is bound to change in the near future. There are several avenues that have emerged in recent years to bridge the gap between crypto ownership and everyday spending.
So, how can you really pay with crypto in 2025? This article will focus on the five main ways users can pay using their crypto holdings.
How to Pay with Crypto in 2025
Gone are the days when crypto users were limited to simply holding their digital assets; the following crypto payment solutions are making it seamless for people to pay with crypto. Let's dive in:
1. Crypto Cards
Using crypto cards is one of the easiest ways digital asset owners can spend their funds without converting them into fiat. Several types of crypto cards exist, including credit cards, debit cards, and prepaid cards. So, what are some of the available options in the market?
Most of the crypto cards that currently exist are issued by centralized crypto services providers such as Crypto.com, Coinbase, Bybit, and Nexo. While the onboarding process to access these crypto cards is similar in the sense that prospective users have to provide KYC, they all have different perks, costs, withdrawal limits, and other features.
For example, Crypto.com offers a prepaid card that allows users to spend multiple digital assets directly, including BTC, ETH, and CRO tokens. This card features several tiers with different perks. The lowest tier 'Midnight Blue' is a no-frills crypto card with only basic benefits, while the highest tier 'Prime' requires owners to stake a minimum of 1,000,000 CRO but get to enjoy more exclusive benefits such as private jet service perks and higher rewards on their staked tokens.
Other crypto cards such as the Coinbase Debit card, Bybit card, and Nexo card also have their own unique value proposition. The Coinbase card, for instance, is designed as a visa debit card and supports eight cryptocurrencies (BTC, ETH, DOGE, etc.); this card also features cashback rewards in the form of crypto and is available in the US, UK, and Europe. Nexo, on the other hand, is a dual-functionality crypto card, allowing users to choose between debit and credit options.
2. Tap to Pay Crypto Applications
The contactless payment market has surged in popularity, with more people opting for this payment method, given its simplicity. According to the latest statistics, this market was valued at $41.7 billion in 2023; projections show it could grow into a $213.39 billion industry by 2034. While the tap-to-pay crypto space may not have contributed much to this overall figure, notable progress has been made so far.
Today, it is possible for crypto users in regions like Europe to leverage tap-to-pay crypto mobile applications such as Oobit to make seamless in-store crypto payments on both iOS and Android. This is one of the few tap-to-pay crypto applications that leverage both Visa and Mastercard's existing point-of-sale (POS) systems to enable crypto users to make payments at any store accepting Visa or Mastercard.
Oobit's tap-to-pay crypto payment service supports several blockchain networks and cryptocurrencies; supported networks include Ethereum, Tron, and Binance Smart Chain, while popular crypto assets such as BTC, USDT, ETH, TON, and BNB can all be used to make crypto payments through the Oobit app. As for the perks, there is a 5X reward program where users earn points from every tap to pay for the transaction they make.
It is also worth noting that Oobit raised $25 million in a funding round earlier last year that attracted Tether's investment arm, Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko, 468 Capital and Titan Fund. And more recently, the company applied for a Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) license under the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) framework to bring tap-to-pay crypto payments to the UAE market.
3. Crypto Payment Gateways
With the number of people who own digital assets growing every year, merchants are also making efforts to integrate crypto payment gateways to facilitate a seamless payment process for their clients. This type of infrastructure is designed to handle digital asset payments by converting the crypto that customers use into fiat by the time the funds get into the merchant's wallet or bank account.
As of writing, there are quite a number of popular crypto payment gateways. One of them is NOWPayments, which supports over 300 digital currencies, with services spanning across multiple niche industries such as eCommerce, sports betting, adult, streaming, VPN, hosting, and charity, among others. What further stands out about NOWpayments are multi-currency wallets designed for business and white-label solutions for frequent crypto payments.
There are also other crypto payment gateways with different perks; for instance, the CoinPayments gateway, which is headquartered in Canada, features several unique tools such as comprehensive APIs and SDKs, payment customization, testing environment, and a transaction fee of 0.5%. The list of crypto payment gateway providers also includes BitPay and CoinBank.
4. QR Code Payments
Quick Response (QR) codes are another popular mode of payment in today's digital economy; this payment market is projected to hit a valuation of $35.07 billion by 2030. In crypto, there are several providers that have already launched crypto payment services that leverage QR codes.
A good example in this case is the KuCoin Pay integration, which is specifically built to enable the exchange's users to pay merchants from their accounts directly. All that merchants have to do is integrate the tool into their systems, making it possible for KuCoin users to purchase goods or services by simply scanning a QR code.
Another crypto service provider that features QR payment codes is BitPay. This Atlanta, Georgia-based crypto wallet allows crypto users to send BTC or other cryptocurrencies using a QR code in 5 simple steps in this order: launching the BitPay app, choosing the wallet one wishes to use to send the crypto, tapping the send button, scanning the receiver's QR code and finally inputting the amount one wants to send.
5. Direct Wallet-to-Wallet Payments
For those who would rather self-custody their digital assets, there is always the option to send cryptocurrencies directly to the receiver's wallet without going through a third party. While this payment method may not be as seamless as the rest, given the nuances in operating a self-custody wallet such as Metamask, it sticks to the true ethos of cryptocurrencies whereby digital asset owners ought to have control over their digital assets.
So, how can merchants and customers go about wallet-to-wallet payments? In this payment method, the fundamental concept is that both parties should be willing to pay or receive their dues in crypto. For instance, if one wants to pay a merchant that accepts crypto directly from their Metamask wallet, all that has to be done is for the merchant to share their wallet address so the client can directly deposit the funds.
Conclusion
As we enter the next phase of crypto adoption, it is likely that more people will start transacting with digital assets more frequently. The options mentioned in this article are a few of the reliable avenues so far, with their suitability depending on users' preferences and key factors such as ease of use, cost, and acceptability. That said, this year will definitely be a game changer in the crypto payments utility space!
