Coinbase is partnered with WeGift and allows you to instantly convert Bitcoin (BTC) into gift cards for popular retailers (e.g. Nike, Tesco, Argos, + many more). It’s a quick and easy way to buy gift cards with Bitcoin (BTC) in the UK.

I think this is awesome… but is it really worth using?

Check out this quick post to find out more about how you can turn your Bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptocurrencies into gift cards for some major retailers.

What Is WeGift?

WeGift (a London-based FinTech startup) are “continually busy” putting together tools which “make buying and selling gift cards simple and seamless at scale”. They’re backed by Ascension Ventures, Fuel Ventures, and GuanQun Investment – in addition to some individual investors (see below).

Buy Gift Cards with Bitcoin

Following Coinbase’s announcement in July 2018, you can now easily and quickly buy gift cards with your cryptocurrency balance on Coinbase.

Some key points:

You can spend any cryptocurrency supported by Coinbase. This includes Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), and more.

Select from over 35 different e-gift cards. This includes popular brands like Nike, New Look, and Google Play.

Receive extra bonuses, depending on which retailer’s gift card you’re converting your cryptocurrency into (it ranges from 2% to 10%).

You won’t pay any fees for turning your cryptocurrency into a gift card via WeGift. You’d normally pay 1.49% when selling cryptocurrency on Coinbase.

BTC to GBP exchange rate is very close to the BPI (+0.5%).

While you can only select from 36 different gift cards, Coinbase is looking to expand the selection over time. Want to see WeGift’s full list of supported gift cards in the UK? Click here.

Availability

Coinbase’s integration with WeGift is currently only available in:

UK

Spain

France

Italy

Netherlands

Australia

Coinbase is looking to support more countries in the near future. We’ll update this list and let you know when they begin supporting other countries.

Getting Started

Setting Up

Before you can get started, you’ll need to have a Coinbase account. Sign up here!

Signed up already?

1) Go to wegift.io/coinbase.

2) Click ‘Get Started’.

3) Authorise WeGift to access your Coinbase account.

I’d recommend lowering the ‘Debit money from your account’ amount (default is 5000 USD).

At the bottom, you can change the cryptocurrency wallet used.

Don’t worry! You can always modify these settings in the future.

4) Boom! You’re ready to go!

Buy Gift Cards with Bitcoin

1) Select from the supported e-gift cards under ‘Cashout Options’.

The min/max value you can buy varies.

2) Confirm your details:

Check you’re using the correct wallet.

Enter email you want the gift card delivered to (defaults to your registered email).

Confirm the country you want to spend in is correct.

Enter the cashout amount (in GBP or crypto).

6) Happy? Select ‘Buy E-Gift’.

You’ll need to verify the purchase through 2FA.

7) Done!

You’ll receive an email with redemption instructions.

You can also click ‘Get Your E-Gift’ (at the bottom of the confirmation page) to access this gift card.

WeGift Alternatives

An obvious alternative to this is GiftOff.

With GiftOff, you can:

Easily buy gift cards with Bitcoin (BTC). They claim to “use competitive exchange rates”.

Receive 2% cashback when you buy selected gift cards.

Select from over 130 gift cards, with popular options like Tesco, Argos, Google Play, and Primark.

The selection on GiftOff is obviously better, but it’s nowhere near as convenient.

With Coinbase’s WeGift integration, they’ve made it simple and easy to spend your cryptocurrency on real things that you want or need. The whole experience with WeGift is smoother than on GiftOff.

Want to try out GiftOff anyway? Signup through this link and you’ll receive 100 FREE GiftOff Points.

Summary: Buy Gift Cards with Crypto

This Reddit user nails it on the head…

Coinbase’s integration with WeGift allows you to easily and instantly buy gift cards with Bitcoin (BTC), Litecoin (LTC), Ethereum (ETH), and any other cryptocurrency supported by Coinbase.

I think WeGift is great.

Here’s why:

You’re buying gifts cards with your Coinbase wallet, so you don’t need to make an on-chain transaction. In other words, you can immediately access and use any gift card you buy. It’s all automated.

You can buy gifts cards with any cryptocurrency supported by Coinbase.

They’ll throw in a bonus between 2% and 10%.

Considering that Bitcoin (BTC) and general cryptocurrency acceptance among major brands is almost non-existent, Coinbase’s partnership with WeGift is likely to be welcomed by the community.

It’s not an ideal situation. We’d prefer to buy everything directly with cryptocurrency. However, it’s a decent temporary workaround which allows Coinbase users to easily cash-out their cryptocurrency without getting ripped off.

What Do You Think?

What do you think about this?

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WeGift Supported UK Gift Cards