Bitcoin has had a wonderful year in terms of a rise in value but it is not just a digital asset that has given good returns, it is also a digital currency, which can be useful in everyday life.

With Bitcoin, you can go shopping, buy goods and utilize services in your daily life.

In fact, in Japan, where Bitcoin already enjoys a currency status, the Nikkei Asian Review reports that 260,000 retailers will accept Bitcoin by the summer. So it would only be proper that we start exploring where Bitcoin can be used in Japan.

Bic Bic Bic

Bic Camera is a store in Japan that specializes in selling electronics and camera equipment. Many of these stores offer duty-free shopping facilities for foreign tourists on short-term visas in Japan. According to Bic Camera, it is now possible to buy anything with Bitcoin at Bic Camera’s Bicqlo Bic Camera Shinjuku east store and at the Bic Camera Yurakucho store as long as the value does not exceed ¥ 100,000.

Fly away

Coinbase powers Expedia in accepting Bitcoin. You can pay for air travel or book tickets on Expedia. It is only possible to pay with Bitcoin if you are a Coinbase account holder and if you have a valid email address. However, there are hiccups associated with Expedia and Bitcoin payments including possible geographic limitations. We have covered that in detail here.

Compute

Dell, the major purveyor of computers, laptops and peripherals also accepts Bitcoin with a partnership they have with Coinbase. As Dell says on their website: “Bitcoin is a new payment option intended to offer even more flexibility for customers. Bitcoin payments can be made easily from anywhere in the world, and offer reduced payment processing costs.“

Pay for civic services

In the city of Zug, Switzerland, you can pay for civic services for payments up to €200. Zug is touted as the "crypto valley" of Switzerland. The project to accept payments was initially done as a “test” but it has been reported that the city will now permanently accept Bitcoin as a means of payment.

According to FTReporter, Bitcoin payments in Zug can be made for trustee, dentistry and several government services.

Catch a show

You can pay for a dinner and a show by booking tickets with London Theatre Direct. In a press release, they say: “Utilising BitPay’s payment gateway solution, London Theatre Direct are proud to take their small part in promoting the adoption of bitcoin and offer London theatregoers more options to pay for their tickets.”

Grind some beans

It is possible to buy coffee from around the world using Bitcoin here. Interestingly, this store has all prices mentioned and quoted in Bitcoin and they will ship coffee to a number of European countries as well as the United States, Canada and Australia.

It is possible to do a lot of interesting things with Bitcoin and the number of retailers is growing especially in countries where the regulators have been supportive of cryptocurrencies. However, having said that, it should be noted that the mainstream use of Bitcoin as a currency is still a distant dream. We can only hope that as the value of the world’s first digital currency rises, the interest in the currency also increases on both the level of users as well as accepting merchants.