Programmer spends 69 nights in 'Bitcoin Cash City' using only BCH: Here's how it went
When programmer Jonathan Silverblood flew to Townsville, Australia from his Finland residence for a two-and-a-half-month vacation in August, he had one important activity — pay for all the pieces he may utilizing Bitcoin Money (BCH).
The coastal metropolis of Townsville is called the Bitcoin Money Metropolis, a reputation derived from a convention of the identical title that first launched in 2019. It’s understood to have a powerful variety of retailers that settle for the Bitcoin-forked token.
Silverblood mentioned whereas attending the convention in 2019, he was intrigued by the variety of retailers and distributors providing BCH as a cost choice in Townsville and had deliberate a return to town as soon as COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted.
I’ve now been in #Townsville, the #BitcoinCashCity for for 59 days and I’ve made 97 bitcoin money transactions to pay for dwelling. That doesn’t embody the transactions that the remainder of my household have accomplished, and the transactions after I’ve been a visitor and another person paid…
— Jonathan Silverblood (@monsterbitar) October 8, 2022
“Going to this vacation spot was completely about utilizing BCH and was additionally sort of an excuse to spend greater than I often do, whereas concurrently getting extra work accomplished by letting household and children have a trip with their grandma,” he advised Cointelegraph after he returned residence from the journey.
“Utilizing it to pay for issues whereas I used to be there simply made sense, partially as a result of I have already got my earnings paid in BCH, and partially as a result of it is simply a lot much less effort than a number of the different types of cost I exploit.”
Silverblood is a Bitcoin Money fanatic and programmer. He has been working at Normal Protocols for the final three years, the place his wage is paid in BCH.
He famous that within the 69 nights he spent within the metropolis, he was in the end in a position to conduct 130 transactions utilizing Bitcoin Money. These included items and providers at cafes, eating places, and resorts, getting a tooth pulled at a dentist, a haircut and getting a Steam Deck gaming console repaired:
“Some days have been fairly busy; we’d purchase breakfast, lunch, ice cream, bread and dinner, however typically my household wished to go elsewhere moderately than eat on the particular BCH accepting retailers.”
Silverblood additionally made a number of funds utilizing BCH that weren’t with companies in Townsville, together with Steam and Netflix present playing cards, “plus a couple of payments again residence.”
Nonetheless, his Bitcoin Money-funded vacation was not with out its hiccups.
Silverblood says his expertise utilizing BCH as a cost methodology was profitable however not “wildly profitable” due to points with cost terminals working out of energy, WiFi entry and a few retailers being unable to supply crypto as an choice on the time of cost.
“Once I obtained to the airport in Townsville I additionally wished to pay for a cab journey to the resort, however a competing cab firm purchased up the cab firm that took BCH, in order that was now not an choice.”
He additionally discovered that not all retailers have been open to the concept of utilizing BCH as a result of they didn’t wish to “complicate bookkeeping” and “couldn’t abdomen the volatility.”
“For many retailers I spoke with throughout my journey, it appears to simply be that the variety of clients paying with crypto is simply too small to inspire further workers schooling prices, further {hardware} like WiFi and cost terminals,” Silverblood mentioned.
“Cryptocurrencies are right here, and so they work, however service provider adoption is gradual and unfold out, which makes it onerous to reside completely off,” he added.
Silverblood mentioned he additionally did not find yourself shopping for his aircraft tickets with BCH, as his household wished to fly Qatar Airways particularly, which does not at present settle for crypto as a cost methodology.
That is regardless of the airline launching their very own metaverse in July.
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Silverblood and his household have since returned residence to Finland, however the programmer is assured this received’t be the final time he’ll use crypto to pay for items and providers.
“Cannot bitcoin the dentist, cannot bitcoin my breakfast, cannot even use bitcoin at bitcoin conventions”
… I’ve now accomplished all of these within the #BitcoinCashCity #Townsville. I’m so going to overlook this place after I fly residence tomorrow.https://t.co/dj2l8TopEp
— Jonathan Silverblood (@monsterbitar) October 18, 2022
“I’ll completely attempt to do one thing like this once more, in only a few weeks, I’m flying over to a different Bitcoin Money hotspot, St Kitts, for the BCH 2022 convention,” he mentioned.
“I don’t know what to anticipate there although, I’ve heard all the pieces from 100% all retailers settle for it, solely half do and retailers will settle for it, however you want a particular pockets.”
