When Will Amazon (AMZN) Accept Bitcoin?

More than a decade since the creation of prominent cryptocurrency Bitcoin, Amazon (AMZN) still does not give online shoppers the option to purchase products with it. Despite its status as the world’s most famous digital currency, Amazon has yet to accept Bitcoin as a payment method, even as companies including PayPal, Overstock, and Etsy do.

Why Amazon Does Not Accept Bitcoin

Amazon has not provided explicit reasons why it does not accept Bitcoin, but there has been plenty of speculation as to what they might be.

Volatility, regulation

The price of Bitcoin is more volatile than the price of many other government currencies accepted by Amazon, so there could be some challenges in terms of pricing products. The uncertainty about future cryptocurrency regulation might also be keeping Amazon at bay, as might the difficulty of processing returns considering Bitcoin’s wild price fluctuations.

Current agreements

It is possible that Amazon already has great deals in place with major credit card companies, such as Visa (V) and other payment processors. Smaller online retailers don’t usually operate amid such favorable conditions, which creates a competitive advantage for Amazon.

Bezos

One speculative theory is that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is not a fan of Bitcoin, possibly because he is opposed to its unregulated and anonymous nature. This theory gained some traction after The Washington Post, which Bezos owns, published a particularly critical article in January 2016 titled “R.I.P., Bitcoin. It’s time to move on.” However, this too is purely speculative. Additionally, Andy Jassy took over as CEO of Amazon in July 2021, and Bezos’ personal opinion of Bitcoin may hold less sway for Amazon going forward.

Digital currency rival

Another theory is that Amazon would like to eventually roll out its own digital currency. If that were the case, Amazon would likely avoid lending credibility to Bitcoin or open up its huge market to a competitor. Amazon already launched Amazon Coins in 2013 for games, apps, and in-app purchases.

Will Amazon Ever Accept Bitcoin?

In April 2014, Amazon indicated that it would not accept Bitcoin because it wasn’t what customers wanted. Much has changed since then, and now Bitcoin is a bit more accepted across the world.

For example, as of the start of 2020, roughly 36% of small to medium-size businesses in the U.S. accepted bitcoin. In addition, many major companies have also started accepting Bitcoin, including AT&T.

Thus, now that Bitcoin is a bit more mainstream, does that mean Amazon will consider accepting it? In 2017 and 2018, Amazon fueled speculation that it was about to accept Bitcoin when it purchased several cryptocurrency-related domain names.

More recently, in early 2021, Amazon posted on its job board about hiring employees to work on a digital currency project in Mexico. The project is meant to allow customers in emerging economies to convert their cash into digital currency.

As of July 2021, it does look like Amazon is at least entertaining a foray into crypto, though whether that entails accepting it or creating their own remains to be seen. In July 2021, Amazon posted a job listing for a “Digital Currency and Blockchain Product Lead.” This position will “involve working on payments and lead the vision for Amazon’s digital currency and blockchain roadmap,” said the listing. This lends itself to Amazon’s possible consideration of the cryptocurrency as payment or building of its own digital currency.

This job post piggybacks on the early 2021 job posts entertaining the idea of building a digital currency. Another alternative is that Amazon might be building out a blockchain for its supply business that would integrate with Amazon Web Services. Nonetheless, this most recent speculation remains just that, with some analysts suggesting that Amazon may be no closer to accepting Bitcoin than at any time since the founding of the digital currency.

How to Make Amazon Purchases Using Bitcoin

Even though Amazon does not accept Bitcoin, it does accept gift cards. Amazon digital gift cards act just like U.S. dollars and can be applied to all product purchases. Some gift card hubs, such as Gyft and BitPay, let you pay for their digital cards with Bitcoin. This process adds a small step and expense, but it is the quickest workaround to a direct Amazon option.