Bitcoin is quickly becoming an accepted means of conducting transactions.
For many businesses, accepting bitcoin payments means reducing wait times for transactions, reducing chargeback fraud, and paying lower processing fees. For buyers, Bitcoin offers a secure, private, fast, and simple way to pay for products and services. Growing adoption of bitcoin however pits the leading cryptocurrency against credit cards which are very popular for retail transactions in countries like South Africa.
However, bitcoin has several benefits that make it a better means of payments.
Here are 5 of the leading advantages Bitcoin has over credit cards:
Security
The downside of relying on multiple parties, as credit card payments do, is that it increases the risks of a malicious attack. When you enter your credit card details on an e-commerce site, you’re authorizing it to deduct money from your account. This isn’t a problem if the business is trustworthy, but what happens when an unscrupulous hacker steals that information?
Large businesses, including Equifax, Neiman Marcus, Target, and Marriott Hotels, have been victims of targeted attacks designed to steal customers’ credit card information. These thefts often expose customers to risk since hackers can use stolen card details to complete unauthorized purchases.
The security risks of credit card details also extend to physical purchases. Card skimmers are notorious for stealing credit card information from point-of-sale devices, like self-serve gas pumps or checkouts at retail stores. They can drain your accounts in minutes with that information.
Save for the amount and the recipient’s address, Bitcoin doesn’t require any other information to process a payment. You only need to authorize the transaction with a private key – stored safely in your wallet – and that’s it.
A hacker would need to compromise your device or use social engineering techniques, such as phishing, to steal your keys and initiate a Bitcoin payment. However, these problems can be easily avoided by noticing fake websites, storing keys safely, or using a multisig wallet.
Business owners can also benefit from Bitcoin’s secure network. The irreversible nature of Bitcoin payments prevents chargeback fraud, where buyers receive goods and cancel the payment later. Businesses won’t be tasked with safeguarding sensitive credit card information, eliminating the need for costly payment card industry compliance measures.
Speed
When comparing Bitcoin to credit cards, critics often highlight disparities in the processing speeds of both systems. For example, Visa handles 24,000 transactions per second (TPS), compared to Bitcoin’s 5 to 7 TPS.
However, such comparisons leave out many crucial details. Swiping your credit card doesn’t automatically deposit the money in the merchant’s account. Instead, credit card companies take several days to authorize and clear the payment.
Bitcoin is designed as a self-contained bank and payments network. You only have to move coins from one address on the blockchain to another if you’re paying with bitcoin. This process completes in 10 minutes or less and provides transaction finality, unlike your credit card payment.
Also, Layer 2 solutions like the Lightning Network can scale Bitcoin to speeds that rival the fastest payments systems. Lightning Network offloads transactions from the main chain, reducing transaction confirmation times, and boosting network throughput.
Although the Lightning Network adoption is still growing, it could potentially disrupt the ViSAs and MasterCards of this world in the future.
Lower Transaction Fees
Credit card providers charge fees for processing payments, which can be as high as 3% of the original purchase. Since some merchants have low profit margins, they are often left with no option but to pass these costs onto shoppers.
Bitcoin isn’t cheap, either. Transaction fees can spike, but Layer 2 solutions like the Lightning Network can solve this problem.
The median fee for processing a transaction on the Lightning Network is one satoshi, equivalent to 0.00000001 BTC or $0.0004.
With such low charges, it’s easy to understand why businesses are keen on integrating Lightning-powered Bitcoin payments into their revenue model.
Cheap transaction fees benefit both businesses and shoppers. Business owners wouldn’t have charges eating into their profit margins, while customers can pay for products without taking on extra costs. If that sounds like a win-win solution, then you’re starting to see the true value of Bitcoin.
Reduced Paperwork
You can’t just waltz into a bank, say “Hey, can I get a credit card?” and expect one to magically appear.
Nope.
Every bank you visit will have you complete a lengthy registration process before issuing a card. The process is the same, if not longer, for merchants looking to set up point-of-sale systems with a credit card provider.
With Bitcoin, all you need to do is set up a wallet and generate your keys to start receiving and sending payments. There are many free Bitcoin wallets you can use, either as mobile applications, desktop software, or web applications. And the sign-up process is usually simple enough for even the most non-technical people.
The benefits of Bitcoin’s simplicity may not seem obvious, especially if you live in a Western country with well-ordered banking systems. In developing countries, where things like creating a bank account or getting a credit card are nearly impossible for most individuals, Bitcoin’s peer-to-peer cash system is a godsend.
Bitcoin can improve commerce by allowing unbanked individuals to pay for products provided they have an internet-connected mobile device. It could also make it easier for small businesses to set up payment channels sans the usual paperwork.
Privacy and Anonymity
By design, Bitcoin transactions are pseudonymous – the blockchain only records the public addresses of parties and the amount exchanged.
No one can know who you are or what you paid for by looking up a transaction on the blockchain.
Many people associate Bitcoin’s anonymous transactions with right-wing extremists, terrorists or other criminals who need to sidestep traditional banks. However, even regular people buying legal goods may not want their identities linked to purchases for different reasons.
For example, a person purchasing an adult toy online would prefer a more discreet method of purchase than a credit card. Besides, payment providers have been known to block purchases of products like marijuana despite them being legal.
Even if you’re not making transactions that need to be kept private, you should think twice about buying goods online. It’s an open secret that credit card companies sell user data to advertisers and fuel ad-targeting campaigns.
Every time you pay online with your credit card, someone is using that data to target you with ads. Ordered a Dyson vacuum last night? You can expect some “Best vacuum cleaner for your home!” ads to start popping up every time you open a page.
Businesses don’t store your information when you pay with bitcoin, so you can make purchases in peace.
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