• Measuring Bitcoin payments is tough due to intermediaries, crypto cards, instant conversions. • Surveys show a minority of holders used crypto for purchases, rarely distinguishing Bitcoin. • El Salvador’s legal‑tender experiment didn’t spark everyday retail use amid convenient legacy systems. • Processor data highlights crypto spending in online travel, electronics, digital services, high‑value categories. • Stablecoins increasingly dominate crypto payments, pushing Bitcoin’s share lower in everyday transactions. • Bitcoin remains niche, useful where it solves problems better than traditional methods.
Article Summaries:
- Bitcoin’s use as a payment method remains limited and hard to quantify. Analysts rely on indirect data-consumer surveys, processor‑level merchant volumes, and country experiments-because most transactions are routed through intermediaries that convert BTC to fiat or use stablecoins. Surveys show a minority of crypto holders have bought goods or services at least once, but they rarely differentiate Bitcoin from other tokens. El Salvador’s legal‑tender push did not spur widespread retail use, as existing payment systems stayed more convenient. Processor data indicates Bitcoin is most common in online, high‑value categories (travel, electronics, digital services) and in Lightning‑based micro‑payments.
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