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Spending Bitcoin in Europe in 2026
You can now pay with Bitcoin at Swiss supermarkets, Paris department stores, a Latvian airline and thousands of independent shops across Europe. And for every place that still doesn't accept it, there's a simple workaround.
BTC Map, the community-run directory of Bitcoin-accepting businesses, listed about 26,900 merchants worldwide in August 2026, up from roughly 21,800 locations at the end of 2025. A large share of them sit in Europe, especially in Switzerland, Italy, Czechia and Germany.
This guide covers the best places to spend Bitcoin in Europe, online and in person. At the end, we'll show how Bringin turns your Bitcoin into euros in seconds, so you can pay anywhere a Visa debit card or IBAN works, while your sats stay in self-custody until you convert them.
1. Where to spend Bitcoin online in Europe
Bitrefill. Bitrefill sells gift cards, mobile top-ups and eSIMs for thousands of brands, including Amazon and many European retailers, food apps and airlines. It supports Lightning, so checkout takes seconds. It's the easiest indirect way to spend Bitcoin on Amazon.
CoinsBee. A Bitrefill alternative with strong coverage of European retailers and mobile top-ups. Handy when a brand you want isn't on Bitrefill.
Alza. The Czech electronics giant Alza has accepted Bitcoin for years. It ships laptops, phones, appliances and even hardware wallets across Central Europe.
Proton. Swiss privacy company Proton lets you pay for Proton Mail, VPN, Drive and Pass with Bitcoin. Your payment converts to account credit you can use for upgrades and renewals. Proton turned to Bitcoin after PayPal froze its early crowdfunding in 2014.
Mullvad VPN. Sweden-based Mullvad accepts on-chain Bitcoin and Lightning, runs its own Lightning node, and gives a discount for paying in Bitcoin. No email or personal details needed to sign up.
Hardware wallet makers. Swiss BitBox and Czech Trezor both let you pay for their devices in Bitcoin. Buying your cold storage with sats is a nice full circle.
Independent shops on BTCPay Server and Shopify. Thousands of European e-shops, from coffee roasters to clothing brands, accept Bitcoin through BTCPay Server or Lightning plugins on Shopify and WooCommerce. Look for a Bitcoin or Lightning logo at checkout.
Amazon, eBay and Europe's biggest online stores
Almost none of Europe's big marketplaces take Bitcoin at checkout. Switzerland's Galaxus, often called the "Amazon of Switzerland", switched its crypto option off in December 2023. The main Bitcoin route into these stores is a gift card bought with sats.
Amazon (.de, .fr, .it, .es, .nl). Buy Amazon gift cards on Bitrefill with Lightning, then redeem them in your Amazon account. Make sure the card matches your country's Amazon store.
Zalando. Bitrefill sells Zalando gift cards for most European countries. Each card is issued for one country and capped at €200.
MediaMarkt, Aldi, Lidl, Rewe and Kaufland (Germany). These German chains are available as gift cards on CoinGate, which you can pay for in Bitcoin. In Austria, MediaMarkt gift cards are on Bitrefill.
IKEA, H&M, POWER and NetOnNet (Nordics). Bitrefill's Nordic catalogue includes these brands, so you can furnish a flat or shop for clothes with sats.
Amazon.co.uk, ASOS, Currys, John Lewis, M&S and Just Eat (UK). UK shoppers can buy gift cards for all of these on Bitrefill.
Alza (Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary). The one big marketplace on this list that takes Bitcoin directly at checkout, with no gift card needed.
Gift cards come with caps and country locks, and stores like eBay, bol.com (Netherlands), Allegro (Poland), Cdiscount and Fnac (France), El Corte Inglés (Spain) and Galaxus (Switzerland) have no Bitcoin route at all. For those, convert your sats to euros in the Bringin app and pay with the Bringin Visa debit card. It spends euros, not Bitcoin, so it works like any normal debit card at almost every store that accepts Visa.
2. Groceries, food and drink
SPAR supermarkets (Switzerland). In April 2025, SPAR's store in Zug started taking Bitcoin over Lightning, using DFX Swiss's OpenCryptoPay. A second store in Kreuzlingen followed, with more Swiss locations announced. At the till you scan a static QR code and send sats from any Lightning wallet; each checkout has its own reusable LNURL code.
McDonald's (Lugano). McDonald's in Lugano accepts Bitcoin through the city's Plan ₿ programme. Order at the kiosk, then pay with a Lightning wallet at the counter.
Fitness Park gyms (France). The French gym chain is among the retailers where Lyzi says you can pay in Bitcoin over Lightning. Ask at the front desk before signing up.
Local Bitcoin cafés, bars and restaurants. Most European cities now have at least a few cafés, bakeries, burger joints and bars that take Lightning. Prague, Lugano, Zurich, Berlin, Vienna, Madrid and Lisbon have the densest clusters. Use BTC Map to find the closest one and check when it was last verified.
Restaurants, bars and food delivery
No big European restaurant chain takes Bitcoin across all its branches yet, so McDonald's in Lugano is the standout. These independents are well-known Bitcoin stops:
The Pembury Tavern (London). The UK's first Bitcoin pub has taken BTC since 2013 and still does.
Bitcoin Coffee (Prague). A café and coworking space that accepts Bitcoin only, in one of Europe's most Bitcoin-friendly capitals.
Buchmann Bakery (Zurich). A cashless student bakery on Universitätsstrasse that takes Bitcoin or Apple Pay, and nothing else.
Bitcoin Rock Cafe (Vigo, Spain). A bar with its own Bitcoin ATM and monthly meetups for newcomers.
Coinbar (Rome). A bistro and small market where you can pay for breakfast, an aperitivo or groceries in Bitcoin.
Food delivery. Big delivery apps don't take Bitcoin directly, but in the UK you can buy their gift cards on Bitrefill with sats, including Just Eat. Check Bitrefill's page for your country.
One caveat: listings change. In 2026, BTC Map removed 642 Czech merchants that had used the Qerko payment app after it stopped supporting Bitcoin. Always check a merchant's verification date before you go.
3. Europe's Bitcoin cities
If you want to live on Bitcoin for a few days, these are the places to go.
Lugano, Switzerland. About 350 shops and restaurants take Bitcoin, from McDonald's to luxury boutiques, along with some city services. The director of the Plan ₿ hub once lived for 11 days paying only in Bitcoin.
Zug, Switzerland. Switzerland's "Crypto Valley" has SPAR groceries, cafés that take Lightning, and local taxes payable in Bitcoin since 2020.
Madeira, Portugal. The Free Madeira project has signed up close to 160 merchants, from supermarkets and pharmacies to restaurants, most of them in Funchal.
Prague, Czechia. Dozens of BTCPay merchants, Bitcoin-friendly coworking spaces, and BTC Prague, Europe's largest Bitcoin conference.
Arnhem, Netherlands. The original "Bitcoin City" still has about 40 businesses that accept and hold Bitcoin, down from a 2019 peak of 145.
Across all of Switzerland, BTC Map counted more than 1,000 Bitcoin-accepting businesses in 2025.
How to find merchants near you: open btcmap.org or its app, zoom into your city, and filter for recently verified places. Some wallets, such as Blink and Bull Bitcoin, now show BTC Map merchants inside the app.
4. Travel and accommodation
airBaltic. The Latvian carrier became the world's first airline to accept Bitcoin in 2014. Prices show in euros and BitPay converts your BTC at checkout. Note that the Bitcoin option applies to Basic fares booked at least five days ahead.
Destinia. This Spanish online travel agency has accepted Bitcoin since 2014 for flights, hotels and holiday packages.
Travala. Travala lets you book hotels, flights and activities worldwide and pay in Bitcoin.
Bitcoin.Travel. A directory of hotels, hostels, tours and restaurants that accept Bitcoin, useful for planning a trip around Bitcoin-friendly stays.
Alternative Airlines. Lets you book flights on hundreds of airlines with Bitcoin through partner payment processors, even when the airline itself doesn't accept it.
Hotels
The Dolder Grand (Zurich). This five-star hotel lets guests pay in Bitcoin for rooms, dining and spa treatments.
Postresidenz am See (Arosa, Switzerland). A mountain hotel that started taking Bitcoin over Lightning in 2025.
Hotel Auróra (Miskolctapolca, Hungary). Hungary's first Bitcoin hotel, a four-star spa hotel that takes Lightning payments at reception.
English Lakes Hotels (Lake District, UK). A hotel group that added Bitcoin payments in October 2025 across its properties.
Taxis and private jets
Taxis in Italy. You can pay for taxis in Milan, Rome and Naples in Bitcoin through Chainside, and with eTaxi (RadioTaxi 02 5353) by scanning a QR code.
Fast Private Jet (Italy). This Verona-based charter firm accepts Bitcoin for private flights across Europe through BitPay.
For everything else on a trip, such as trains, taxis, museums and restaurant bills, convert sats to euros and pay with a regular debit card such as Bringin's (see section 7).
5. Luxury and big-ticket purchases
Printemps (France). Since late 2024, all 20 Printemps department stores accept Bitcoin, including the flagship on Boulevard Haussmann in Paris. Payments run through the French fintech Lyzi, launched with Binance Pay; Lyzi says standard Lightning wallets work at its merchants too. Don't want an exchange account? Convert sats to euros in Bringin and pay with the Bringin debit card like any other card.
Ferrari dealerships. Ferrari extended Bitcoin payments to its European dealers in July 2024, after launching in the US. Payments convert to euros instantly, and Ferrari charges no surcharge for paying this way.
Porsche and Lamborghini (France). Lyzi lists Porsche and Lamborghini among its live luxury and automotive merchants. Check with your local dealer that it's set up.
Hugo Cars (Dublin). One of Ireland's first car dealers to accept Bitcoin for vehicle purchases, processed through Estonia-based Swapin.
Guess (Lugano). The fashion brand's Lugano store joined the city's Plan ₿ payment network, alongside many of the city's high-street boutiques.
Casinos and resorts: Groupe Barrière, SBM Monaco, JOA. France's Barrière hotels and casinos, Monaco's Société des Bains de Mer and the JOA casino group accept Bitcoin through Lyzi. Useful for a Riviera weekend paid in sats.
Property, cars and other large purchases. Most sellers of homes, boats or cars won't take Bitcoin directly, and moving a large BTC sale into a bank account can trigger freezes or questions. Bringin Private is a concierge service for exactly this: a dedicated contact handles large Bitcoin-to-euro conversions and settles the euros to your account, so you can pay the seller by bank transfer.
6. Education, donations, public services and bills
University tuition. The University of Nicosia in Cyprus was the first accredited university to accept Bitcoin for tuition, back in 2013. In Switzerland, the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts takes tuition in Bitcoin through Bitcoin Suisse, with a 1% fee.
Charity. Save the Children accepts Bitcoin donations and, with your permission, can hold them in its Bitcoin fund for up to four years.
Local taxes and fees. Residents of Zug can pay taxes in Bitcoin, and Zermatt accepts Bitcoin for taxes and fees such as work permits.
City services. In Lugano, some municipal services, including childcare, can be paid in Bitcoin.
Phone credit and eSIMs. Bitrefill sells mobile top-ups for most European carriers and travel eSIMs, all payable over Lightning.
Rent, utilities and other bills. Few landlords or energy companies accept Bitcoin. Instead, sell sats in Bringin and pay from your euro vIBAN by SEPA Instant (see section 7).
7. What if a store doesn't accept Bitcoin? How Bringin lets you pay anywhere
Even with tens of thousands of Bitcoin merchants, most shops, landlords and utilities in Europe still want euros by card or bank transfer. The usual fix is to sell on an exchange and wire the money to your bank. That's slow, and it's how many Bitcoiners end up with frozen accounts or closed bank relationships.
Bringin removes that step. You keep your Bitcoin in self-custody, convert only what you need at the moment you need it, and spend euros anywhere. Here's how each part works.
A self-custodial Lightning wallet
The Bringin app includes a Lightning and on-chain wallet. Your keys are stored on your device and Bringin has no access to your funds. You can use the wallet without KYC.
Use it to pay Lightning merchants directly, like SPAR in Zug or the cafés of Lugano: scan the QR code, confirm, done.
A euro Visa debit card you top up with Bitcoin
For everywhere else, there's the Bringin Visa card, virtual and physical. It's a regular euro debit card, not a Bitcoin card: the merchant receives euros, so it works online and in store at more than 140 million merchants worldwide.
The card holds and spends euros. When you send sats over Lightning or on-chain, Bringin converts them to euros and loads the card; you can also top up by SEPA. Convert right before you spend, and your sats stay in your own wallet until you need euros for coffee, groceries or a train ticket.
- Pro plan: €3.49 a month, billed annually
- No fee per card payment and no FX fee
- One free virtual and one free physical card
- Free local ATM withdrawals with the physical card
A personal euro vIBAN with SEPA Instant
Every verified user gets a virtual IBAN in their own name. Sell Bitcoin in the app, and euros land in your Bringin account within minutes. From there you can pay rent, settle invoices or move money to your main bank via SEPA Instant.
Because the transfer comes from an IBAN in your name, your bank sees it as a transfer between your own accounts. That is what keeps Bitcoiners from getting flagged or debanked.
Bringin Connect: wallet to bank in one send
Bringin Connect links any Bitcoin wallet, including a hardware wallet, to any bank account in your name. Set it up once and you get a dedicated Bitcoin or Lightning address. Send sats to it and euros arrive in your bank via SEPA Instant, with no app to open in between. It works the other way too: send euros, receive Bitcoin. The minimum is €30.
Bringin Private for large amounts
Selling a large amount of Bitcoin to buy a home, a car or pay a big bill? Bringin Private gives you a dedicated concierge who handles the conversion and settlement, without the delays and account blocks that large exchange withdrawals often trigger.
Bringin Business: help your favourite shop accept Bitcoin
If a local shop you love doesn't take Bitcoin yet, point them to Bringin Business. Launched in October 2026 as an invite-only beta across 30 European countries, it lets businesses accept Bitcoin, Lightning or stablecoin payments, convert to euros instantly, and run SEPA payments from a vIBAN in the company's own name, alongside their existing bank. Every shop that switches makes Europe's Bitcoin map a little denser.
Fees and regulation
Buying or selling Bitcoin costs a flat 1% fee plus a spread of up to 0.5%. Bringin runs on infrastructure from Lightspark Payments Europe AS, a MiCA-authorised crypto-asset service provider. Residents of EEA countries can sign up.
Spend Bitcoin anywhere in four steps
- Download the app and complete verification KYC (about 2 minutes).
- Activate the Pro plan, order your virtual Visa card and add it to your phone.
- Send sats from any wallet over Lightning; Bringin converts them to euros on your card.
- Tap to pay in euros anywhere Visa is accepted, like any normal debit card.
Final thoughts
Bitcoin spending in Europe has moved past novelty. You can buy groceries at SPAR in Switzerland, shop at Printemps in Paris, fly airBaltic and live for days on Bitcoin in Lugano. For everywhere else, Bringin turns your sats into euros at the moment you pay, without handing over your keys or risking your bank account.
Start spending Bitcoin today. Sign up for Bringin in about two minutes and live on the Bitcoin standard in Europe.
