Coinbase has struck a deal with payments platform RewardsPay that enables online shoppers to use bitcoin for purchases at the likes of iTunes and Facebook.
RewardsPay's service lets people use the cash rewards they get from credit card companies, hotels, airlines and retailers to make online purchases. Coinbase is taking advantage of the firm's integration with major merchants to expand the pool of sites where people can use bitcoin.
To pay with the cryptocurrency, shoppers select the RewardsPay payment button on the checkout page of a merchant’s site. They can then decide how much of the payment to make with bitcoin, combining it with a credit card if they choose, and RewardsPay facilitates a real-time split-tender transaction that draws from the customer's Coinbase account.
The deal opens up sites including iTunes, Facebook, Overstock, Heels.com, World Golf Tour, Club Penguin and Grooveshark to bitcoin users.
Roger Gu, business development manager, Coinbase, says: "This integration is just another step toward a reality in which consumers can purchase anything and everything using the digital currency."