 "'Bitcoin Black Friday' offers sales and discounts for digital currency users")
Bitcoin, the virtual currency gaining ground around the world, recently crossed $1000 for the first time in history. With the total Bitcoin market estimated to be around $11 billion at the current value, a new site has now popped up to help you spend your digital currency during this hectic shopping week. Called Bitcoin Black Friday, the site serves as a hub from November 29 for a growing number of online retailers who are offering special deals just for Bitcoin users. The site comes with payment support for a host of countries. India also features on the list.
While the idea seems novel, some of the offers up for grabs seem a bit pointless. You can, for example, get a discount on Bitcoin art or that latest Moroccan carpet from the Beni Quarain tribe. These offers obviously won’t be featured prominently, if at all, on your holiday shopping list. There are a few decent deals, though, that you could look at. Reddit is offering discounts on Reddit Gold for Black Friday, and Humble Bundle also has deals for users. Software, electronics, domain names and hosting deals also pepper the extensive list. One of the better deals we came across was from mobile gift card app Gyft, which is giving Bitcoin shoppers back 4 percent points when you pick up gift cards from its supported retail partners. And the partners seem good, with names like Target, Gamestop, Gap, Zappos, Nike and hundreds of others popping up.
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Overall, though, the lack of big-name retailers seem indicative that the digital currency still has a ways to go before becoming universally accepted. Big names like Google, Amazon and eBay won’t be playing along either, given that these companies already have their own payment mechanisms: Google Wallet, Amazon’s one-click checkout experience and PayPal respectively. A big plus point for the site is the backing of a large number of Bitcoin supporters, though, including digital wallet Coinbase, which is waving off all fees on Friday so that Bitcoin users can buy, sell, send and receive the digital currency all day. And other Bitcoin backers have also been mentioned, who have either contributed funds or assisted in reaching out to the Bitcoin community, including Bitcoin Investment Trust, Bitypay, PrivateInternetAccess, BitGive and BitDazzle among others.
Internet activists Fight for the Future are also involved in trying to spread the word for Bitcoin Black Friday. According to its official post, “Bitcoin is an amazing new technology, but because it challenges established industries, it will face serious political opposition–especially in the US where those industries are strongest. Bitcoin will only be safe once millions of people rely on it every day.” While it may take time for the Internet activist’s estimations to take place, the fact that Bitcoin does have potential as a money transfer platform. And the Bitcoin Black Friday movement is still growing. Reports claimed that the site had boasted 250 retailers earlier this week, and today there are 200 more. Evan Greer of Fight for the Future was reported saying that the site has seen over 30,000 unique visitors this week, and over 4,000 people have signed up to get emails updates about deals.
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