Only a year ago, “living on Bitcoin” meant merely surviving.
When Forbes reporter Kashmir Hill experimented by only buying in Bitcoin for a full week, she struggled to pay her rent and even to find food. Had Hill done her experiment today, however, she likely would have had a much easier time.
See also: A Year In Bitcoin: Why We’ll Still Care About The Cryptocurrency Even If It Fades
Today, you can live a life of luxury spending only your BTC. As of this writing, BTC payment provider Bitpay processes Bitcoin transactions for 35,000 merchants worldwide—up from just 1,000 merchants in September 2012.
It’s not just Bitcoin miners and e-cigarettes anymore, either. You can buy a much larger variety of goods and services with Bitcoin than you could in the cryptocurrency’s early days.
If you’ve got some bitcoins squirreled away from back when the hype was high, here are just a few of the well-known companies that will gladly accept them:
Travel
Take your bitcoins and get out of town.
Book your vacation surreptitiously through Expedia. So far, the travel booking company only accepts Bitcoin payments for hotels, but plans to expand to flights, car rentals and more, a spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal.
Need to book your flight (or Amtrak train, or hotel room) with bitcoins right now? CheapAir already has you covered.
Need to get even farther away? In November 2013, Richard Branson announced that his space travel company, Virgin Galactic, will accept bitcoins.
Shopping
Buy bits and pieces with Bitcoin.
Amazon, Target, CVS and other chain stores don’t accept Bitcoin directly. But with Gyft, you can use bitcoins to buy a gift card to any of these stores and get around that. And in good news for people attempting to live on Bitcoin, Gyft’s cards include chain restaurants like Burger King and grocery stores like Whole Foods.
Looking to buy in bulk? Wholesale site Overstock claimed to be the first major U.S. retailer to accept Bitcoin back in December 2013. By May, the company said that customers had made $1.6 million worth of purchases using Bitcoin.
Technology
Use Bitcoin to build your electronic world.
Working your way through some ReadWrite tutorials? Buy a new Raspberry Pi, Arduino, or any of their components and accessories at Adafruit.
In news surprising nobody, major computer retailer Newegg announced in July that it will accept Bitcoin. Being that you could already buy parts on Newegg to build Bitcoin miners, the move makes sense for its audience.
Media
Pay for access to Bitcoin news with your bitcoins.
This May, satellite TV provider Dish Network claimed to become the largest company yet to accept Bitcoin. Dish doesn’t know how many of its 14 million subscribers desired this payment option, but in July they’ll find out for sure.
The Chicago Sun-Times became the first major newspaper to accept Bitcoin after it tested a BTC paywall in April. Now it receives 11% of new subscriptions in bitcoins.
Entertainment
Have a good time with Bitcoin.
Online gaming site Zynga now accepts payment in Bitcoin for some of its most popular titles, including FarmVille 2.
The Sacramento Kings became the first professional sports franchise to permit fans to pay for professional basketball tickets and merchandise in Bitcoin.
Luxury
Live large with Bitcoin.
Buy your next diamond with Bitcoin. Reeds Jewelers, a national jewelry chain, now accepts Bitcoin in all of its retail locations.
BitPremier, a luxury Bitcoin marketplace, just celebrated its first anniversary. But even though you’ve probably heard of it, the company continues to push the envelope. You can now buy an $11 million yacht there. In March, BitPremier confirmed the largest Bitcoin purchase on record: a $500,000 villa in Bali.
