I have spent a good amount of time gawking at Nostr and the posts going on there - with all the zapping and whatnot. Think they just hit a millionth zap or something?

Anyway. Whenever I hear people talk about crypto, I just walk away. Because so far, whenever I read an article about the usecases of Bitcoin or anyothercoin, it is filled with “[could] be used for”. But “could” is not “can”.

So, I would like to ask here: How do I buy a Cola with bitcoin?

Imagine that all I have is an Android phone, a few Euros in my bank and an absolute thirst - right now. What do I do to pay with Bitcoin to buy me that Cola?

(I know the described situation is a little extreme. Basically, I want to know the fastest, most “convenient” way it is done. Not could - but can.)

  • hanni@lemmy.oneEnglish
    2·
    1 year ago

    It’s not a technical limitation, but more a question of adoption. Stores need to support it, and for that, more people need to carry bitcoin. You’d use the lightning network, so you need a lightning wallet, and then you find a kiosk or a store that supports lightning. I saw a taco truck in the US that supported it. But it’s not very widespread in Europe at the moment. So technically it you can buy a can (not just a could-can but a can-can), but bitcoin doesn’t have the adoption of VISA and Mastercard at this point :)

      • 18uljnrk@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        1 year ago

        Oh, thanks to God, You live in the Germany of Europe, the other one did horrendous things.

        Jokes aside, the scenario you’re presenting is quite abstract.

        Assuming that there is a business nearby that accepts Bitcoin, it’s as easy as arranging the payment.

        Assuming that no nearby business accepts Bitcoin, you have several options, but you’ll need to go through intermediaries. Which makes sense, right?

        You can buy gift cards with your Bitcoin and redeem their balance to purchase your drink (bitrefill.com).
You can exchange the equivalent amount of the soda for euros on an exchange (Coinbase, Bitstamp, Kraken, Swissborg, all of these operate in Europe, including Germany).
Some banks (at least in my country) allow you to have a balance in BTC, and the bank card deducts the equivalent of the drink or each purchase at the time of payment (it sells from my positive BTC balance and pays the equivalent in euros). Some even allow you to use mobile NFC (Google Pay).
You can use a Bitcoin ATM: https://coinatmradar.com/country/80/bitcoin-atm-germany/
You can exchange it in advance through Bisq or another decentralized method of exchanging Bitcoin for fiat.

        In short, there are many more options, but I don’t think you’ll die of thirst, especially in Europe where buying and selling cryptocurrencies is very easy.