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I've been using it to buy gift cards since the vendor gives a larger discount for using bitcoin. My exposure to price volatility is limited since I purchase the

• txru 7y ago
  That's just arbitrage, though. You're converting your liquid cash assets into another differently liquid type of cash using a less liquid form of currency, because you have special knowledge about the transfer process. Bitcoin in this is a material asset, like a house to flip in an underappreciated/subsidized market.
  • xur17 7y ago
    That's fair. That said, I have been getting more comfortable with refilling less frequently and just holding a buffer in BTC.
  • mindslight 7y ago
    The seller of the gift cards likely gives a better price because payments cannot be reversed, which is a real benefit.
    • xur17 7y ago
      And fees are significantly lower.
    • papln 7y ago
      Also the gift cards are likely obtained via illegal activity so a harder-to-trace transaction process is beneficial to the seller.