Important takeouts:
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Fast food chains like Coffee Shops, Starbucks and Sheetz, as well as retailers like Microsoft and Home Depot accept crypto payments through apps and third-party processors.
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More and more platforms are gradually enabling the use of Bitcoin, Ether and XRP for large-scale travel and airline bookings.
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Luxury brands, high-end car dealers and real estate developers integrate crypto payments for premium products and real estate.
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Payment processors make it easier for small businesses to accept Crypto by instantly converting them to FIAT currency and reducing compliance costs.
Cryptocurrency is no longer fringing financial ideas. As of 2025, more and more companies are adopting digital assets, particularly Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), and XRP (XRP).
Why these three? Each has strong brand awareness, decent liquidity and different strengths. Value BTC, ETH with smart contract ecosystem, XRP has fast payments and cross-border payments. Together, they cover what the business needs: trust, functionality and speed.
This article explains where BTC, ETH and XRP are used, from simple everyday purchases to large airline integrations.
Daily Crypto Trading: Coffee Shops, Restaurants, Retailers
For many crypto holders, the first real test is whether it can be used like cash, like BTC, ETH, or XRP. Coffee, sandwiches, or groceries. XRP tends to fall behind BTC and ETH when it comes to daily purchases. In cafes, fewer small shops accept XRP directly, as their strength shows with backend or cross-border payments.
Coffee shop and small restaurant
So far, in 2025, paying coffee with Crypto is no longer a sci-fi fantasy. Lots of chains and indie spots have already become part of the daily grind. For example, at Starbucks you can grab a Bitreful gift card and cover your caramel macchiato with ether or bitcoin.
Apps like Flexa’s Spedn Wallet or reloadable digital gift cards allow you to easily exchange tokens for your latte.
It’s even a convenience store. Sheetz accepts Bitcoin, Ether and other coins upon check-out. And if you’re a loyalist on XRP, directories like Cryptwerk point out happy eateries by turning tokens into tacos and burgers.
Restaurants and fast food locations
Choose McDonald’s outlet in Crypto Hot Zone to accept Bitcoin via the payment app and enable fast food payments in digital dollars.
In Europe and the US, major fast food chains such as the subway and Burger King continue to accept cryptographic payments, often through third-party gift card services or payment processors. It’s not a direct internal integration of all locations, but it’s an easy way for consumers to use Bitcoin.
Steak’N Shake joined the party in May 2025, praising its 11% sales increase by rolling out BTC payments nationwide and attracting tech-savvy diners. Chipotle and Baskin – Robin is mounted via BitPay integration, where ETH, BTC, or XRP funds burrito bowls or scoops.
Retail and Online Stores
With AT&T, you can resolve phone charges with ETH or BTC and dodge those annoying deferred charges. Many online and some physical retailers have accepted XRP through gateways like Coingate.
Large tech companies are also supporting them. Microsoft accepts BTC directly or through the processor, but Newegg also supports ETH for purchases in-field, and Overstock also welcomes XRP. AMC Theaters accepts Bitcoin and other digital assets for its products and services, from Xbox content to movie tickets.
Beyond these giants, e-commerce platforms like Shopify have democratized the use of digital currencies by simplifying the inclusion of cryptocurrency checkout options for millions of small businesses.
Major chain retailers such as Home Depot, Lowe’s and Ikea accept cryptocurrency in the form of Bitrefill and BitPay gift cards, allowing ETH to fund home renovations.
Scale-up: Travel and Luxury
As crypto payments mature, many travel services and airlines offer bookings directly or via intermediaries, via BTC, ETH, and sometimes XRP. Regarding flight and hotel booking platforms, sites like Travala.com allow travelers to book with BTC, ETH and many other supported digital assets.
In the near future, Emirates Flyers will be able to get first class seats in digital dollars. UAE’s luxury liners will work with Crypto.com to accept Crypto. In Europe, Air Baltic has been accepting crypto since 2014, processing thousands of crypto transactions.
High-end brands and luxury car dealers are also in the crypto payment space. For example, US Post Oak cars accept Bitcoin to buy super luxurious cars via BitPay. In Europe, platforms like Bitcars are building a crypto-only market for premium and classic vehicles.
High-end brands are also participating. Gucci and Ralph Lauren continue to expand crypto payment options at select flagship stores, particularly for their exclusive collections.
Did you know? Alternate airlines support over 600 airlines worldwide and allow payments using more than 100 cryptocurrencies, including XRP, which is a notable example.
Financial Services, Remittances, and Institutional Adoption
Various strengths of BTC, ETH and XRP stand out more as usage moves beyond consumer transactions to payment infrastructure, institutional use, remittances and finance operations.
Remittances and cross-border payments
XRP is often located here because consensus-based ledgers and Ripple infrastructure designs low cost and faster speeds for cross-border transfers. There are companies such as Mercury FX and Cuallix who have adopted or tested XRP for such applications.
Payment Processors and Gateways
Thanks to platforms like PayPal, Bitpay and Nowpayments, companies are increasingly embracing cryptocurrencies to reduce their exposure to volatility. In particular, PayPal has enabled retailers to use over 100 cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ether and XRP.
Ministry of Finance and Corporate Ownership
Some companies, such as Bitmine, Sharplink Gaming, and Vivopower, have crypto in their financial portfolios for strategic purposes, inflation hedging, or further engagement in the cryptocurrency market.
How can many small businesses accept crypto?
The development of more user-friendly technologies and the larger financial ecosystem holds the answer.
Step 1: Select your payment processor
Payment processors such as BitPay, Coinbase Commerce, and Coingate allow small businesses to easily integrate crypto payments with little technical know-how. By instantly converting cryptocurrencies into Fiat currency, these processors eliminate the risk of price fluctuations.
Step 2: Reduce compliance costs
The financial and legal burdens of small business owners may be reduced by automated tax reporting systems and more open regulatory frameworks.
Step 3: Accepting a wide range of digital assets
With reduced technical barriers and simplified compliance, businesses can confidently embrace a wider range of cryptocurrencies.
This article does not include investment advice or recommendations. All investment and trading movements include risk and readers must do their own research when making decisions.