Airlines That Accept Cryptocurrency Payments
While many airlines still seem unsure about it, today, you can easily buy plane tickets with crypto from the airline of your choice.
This post highlights some of the commercial and private airlines that accept crypto directly and also explores how you can pay for your air travel using crypto from those that have yet to formally add it as a payment method.
An airline formally accepting crypto means that it has made internal arrangements to receive and process those payments. This can either be that it receives the coins in its own wallets or that it has signed a contract with a crypto payment gateway that accepts the coins on its behalf.
Most airlines that accept cryptocurrency generally prefer working with a payment gateway company that receives and sells the coins immediately and deposits the proceeds in fiat currency into their bank accounts.
So, which airlines accept cryptocurrency?
Airlines That Accept Crypto Payments
There are notable commercial and private airlines that accept crypto directly or through crypto payment gateways.
Let’s start with commercial airlines.
airBaltic
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airBaltic was founded in 1995 as a joint venture between the Latvian state and Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), with the former holding over 90% of the company’s stock.
airBaltic has a huge fleet of commercial aircraft and serves over 70 destinations around the world.
The airline allowed its customers to buy flights with bitcoin in 2014 and was among the first major brands to do so. Today, in addition to bitcoin, it accepts over ten other cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin cash, litecoin, ethereum, tether, and shiba inu.
The airline has partnered with BitPay to help process the crypto payments. That means it most likely does not keep the crypto that travelers pay to it for tickets. BitPay most likely takes those digital coins, sells them, and deposits fiat cash into airBaltic’s bank accounts.
Private Jets That Accept Crypto
There are a lot more private aviation companies that accept crypto than commercial airlines. The following are the most notable private airlines that accept crypto directly:
Cielo Aviation
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This company is headquartered in Bologna, Italy, but serves many regions of the world, including North America. The company was founded in 2012 and has access to a fleet that exceeds 3000 aircraft, primarily light jets, heavy jets, VIP airliners, and helicopters.
Its primary clientele is corporate and high-net-worth individuals planning business and leisure group travels.
Cielo Aviation started accepting crypto in early 2021. Today, it accepts a long list of cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin, bitcoin cash, ethereum, dogecoin, and several stablecoins.
Cielo Aviation has an arrangement with BitPay to process the crypto payments.
Candy Jets
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This is a company that was incorporated in early 2023. While headquartered in the UK, it provides its services to the rest of the world, including the United States.
The services Candy Jets offers include private jet charter, travel concierge, golf flights, business travel, and helicopter services. Besides leisure and business travel, Candy Jets also provides cargo services.
The company started accepting bitcoin in May 2024. As of the time of writing this post, bitcoin is the only crypto that Candy Jets accepts. And it accepts it through a partnership with CoinCorner, a crypto payment gateway.
Global Charter
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Global Charter was founded in 2019 and headquartered in London and Miami, US. It makes available a wide range of private jets that can be chartered for short- and long-distance luxury travel, especially for groups.
Global Charter accepts nearly twenty cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin, bitcoin cash, ethereum, litecoin, and shiba inu.
Global Air Charters (GAC)
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This is a different private aviation service provider from Global Charter. Global Air Charters was founded in 2016 and is headquartered in Roseville, Minnesota.
Besides charter services for travelers, the company also offers private jet management and flight operations. This includes crew training, flight scheduling, and maintenance. These are services targeted at private jet owners.
Global Air Charters accepts only bitcoin through a crypto payment processor. The company has expressed an intention to add more coins to its list with time.
GlobeAir
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GlobeAir was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Hörsching, Austria. The company offers its services, mostly on-demand charter flights, primarily in Europe, and covers more than 1200 airports and 984 exclusive destinations on the continent, as well as other parts of the world.
GlobeAir started accepting crypto in 2020. Today, the company accepts a long list of cryptocurrencies, which includes bitcoin, ethereum, bitcoin cash, and dogecoin. These crypto payments are processed through BitPay.
Travel Agencies Accepting Crypto for Airfare
Since not many airlines yet accept crypto directly or even through crypto payment gateways, the easiest way you can buy a ticket from the airline of your choice using crypto is to go through a travel agency that can take your coins.
While not many travel agencies accept crypto, the few that do offer enough options when it comes to the lists of airlines you can choose from.
The following are the most notable travel or booking agencies that accept crypto for payment of air tickets.
Alternative Airlines
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Alternative Airlines is a global flight search and booking online platform that has been in business since 2006. It processes tickets for over 600 airlines from around the globe and accepts over 40 different payment methods, of which crypto is one of them.
The platform made it possible to book with crypto in 2018, and today, it accepts close to 100 different coins. The company has partnered with crypto payment gateways to process crypto payments on its behalf.
Travala
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Travala.com was founded in 2017. It is the first travel booking platform that was launched with the primary goal of helping travelers buy flight tickets and book accommodation using crypto.
The platform lists over 600 airlines globally and over 2 million properties in 230 countries you can book with crypto. It accepts over 100 different cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin, ethereum, tether, and litecoin.
Using Crypto Debit Cards to Air Tickets
There are other ways you can use your crypto to buy air tickets, even from airlines that do not accept crypto. One such option is to use a crypto debit card. This is a card that you can load using funds from your crypto wallet.
These cards are supported by the mainstream payment rails, in particular Visa and Mastercard, and that means you can shop with them where these two are accepted. Most airlines and travel agencies around the world accept Visa and MasterCard.
The most notable crypto debit card brands that you can easily apply for in the US include Crypto.com, Coinbase, Wirex, and BitPay. These cards have different requirements, limits, fees, and rewards.
Using Gift Cards Bought With Crypto
If the airline you want to use doesn’t accept crypto directly, you cannot buy a ticket from a travel agency, and you can’t get a crypto debit card, you have the option of buying airline gift cards using crypto and then turn around to use the gift cards to get air tickets.
The most notable gift card marketplaces that accept crypto payments include Gyft, eGifter, and Bitrefill. Some American airlines whose gift cards you can buy from these marketplaces include American Airlines, Delta Airlines, and Southwest Airlines.
Bottom Line
Today, it is possible to buy air tickets from any airline around the world using crypto. You can do that by using airlines that accept crypto directly, such as airBaltic, buying tickets from a travel agency that accepts crypto, such as Alternative Airline and Travala, using a crypto debit card, or buying gift cards from a marketplace that accepts crypto.
FAQs
Is Travala Legit?
Yes, Travala.com is a legit travel booking platform that was founded in 2017. It accepts over 100 cryptocurrencies as payment for flight tickets from over 600 airlines. It also lists over 2 million accommodation properties in 230 countries.
The company is verified on Trustpilot and has a star rating of about 4.7, with thousands of mostly positive reviews.
How to pay with crypto on Travala?
Follow these steps:
-Search for available flights in the time you want to travel
-Select one that fits your requirements
-Fill out your details like you do with other online booking services
-At the payment stage, cryptocurrencies will be displayed as one of the payment methods you can use
-Select cryptocurrencies, and select the particular coin you want to pay with
-Then select the network (for bitcoin, that would be mainnet or Lightning network; for USDT, it will be Tron, Ethereum, Solana, Polygon, etc)
-Click to complete the reservation, and a wallet address will be displayed
-Scan the wallet address and pay the amount required
-Wait for the payment confirmation and the generation of your ticket.
Can I pay my flight ticket with bitcoin?
Yes, you can buy an air ticket with bitcoin and many other cryptocurrencies. You can buy air tickets directly from airlines that accept crypto, such as airBaltic, use travel agencies that accept crypto, such as Alternative Airlines and Travala, use a crypto debit card, or buy airline gift cards from gift card marketplaces like Gyft and eGifter. Essentially, you can travel with bitcoin anywhere around the globe.
Is it safe to book flights on Alternative Airlines?
Alternative Airline has been a reputable travel agency since 2006. The company has a 4.8-star rating on Trustpilot, with over 20,000 positive reviews from people who have used it.