Expedia Now Accepts Bitcoin For Your Hotel Reservations

Flickr/davidjlee

Expedia has become the first major travel website to accept Bitcoin for hotel reservations. The company suggested its large internet footprint was responsible for the decision to accept the the digital currency.

Expedia partnered with Coinbase, a third-party payment processor, to allow customers to select bitcoin as a payment method alongside options like Visa, American Express, and PayPal.

Despite Expedia's commitment to providing its customers an array of payment options, executives are unclear as to how many people will take advantage of the new service.

"I'd be lying if I said I had a good prediction for you," Gulmann told The Washington Post. "The minute I give you any number, I know I'm going to be wrong."

For its part, Coinbase seems to think allowing customers to pay in bitcoin will open Expedia up to a whole new swath of consumers.

Expedia may be the first travel website to accept bitcoin, but it's hardly the first e-commerce site to do so. Overstock.com, Reddit, OKCupid, and other mainstream sites and services already accept the digital currency.