"We saw it with our own eyes and actually bought coffee there with Bitcoin!" Parker Lewis, Head of Business Development at Bitcoin and fiat payment platform Zaprite, shared his experience on social media of paying with Bitcoin via the Square system.
This scene took place at Medici, a coffee roaster in Texas, marking the official rollout of Square’s Bitcoin payment feature.
On November 10, payment company Square, owned by Block, officially launched Bitcoin payment capabilities for its merchants. This move enables more than 4 million sellers worldwide to accept Bitcoin transactions through Square’s point-of-sale system.
01 Payment Giant Breaks New Ground
Square’s Bitcoin payment feature opens up a new possibility: merchants can now accept Bitcoin as a payment method without incurring extra integration costs or technical hurdles.
Block co-founder Jack Dorsey announced the news on social media, noting that merchants can now process four payment configurations: Bitcoin-to-Bitcoin, Bitcoin-to-fiat, fiat-to-Bitcoin, or fiat-to-fiat.
This diversity offers both merchants and customers the flexibility to use Bitcoin seamlessly.
Currently, Bitcoin payments are supported only for in-person purchases and point-of-sale terminals. However, according to Square account manager Jacob Szymik, online and invoice options are "in development," with updates expected soon.
02 Zero-Fee Strategy
To encourage early adoption, Square has rolled out an attractive fee policy: no fees will be charged for Bitcoin payments until 2027.
After that, Block says fees will start at 1%. This is a clear advantage compared to typical credit card processing fees, which usually range from 1.5% to 4%.
Katie Ananina, Chief Marketing Officer at tech platform CitizenX, reported being the first customer to use the Bitcoin payment feature and emphasized the significance of this development.
"Many of us have tried to get merchants to accept BTC. It’s been tough for years," she posted on social media. "You actually had to ‘orange pill’ the people behind the business, get them to become Bitcoin holders themselves and join in. Today’s move by Square is absolutely legendary and dramatically lowers the barrier to entry."
03 Serving Merchants in Eight Countries
Square currently has over 4 million sellers using its system across eight countries, including the United States, France, the United Kingdom, and Japan.
This broad reach lays a strong foundation for the global adoption of Bitcoin payments.
Multiple social media users have already reported testing this new Bitcoin payment system.
Parker Lewis shared his experience: "It’s a great day for Medici, Square, all the Square merchants going live, and for Bitcoin as a whole. Bitcoin holders, support your local Square merchants."
04 Lightning Network Powering Payments
The system uses the Bitcoin Lightning Network to process transactions, which is known for fast settlement and low fees.
Merchants can reduce typical payment processing costs while maintaining rapid cash flow.
Miles Suter, Head of Bitcoin Product at Block, stated, "We’re making Bitcoin payments as seamless as card payments, while giving small businesses access to financial management tools that, until now, only large enterprises could use."
For small businesses, Square Bitcoin could mean lower costs and faster settlement compared to card networks, which often take days and charge processing fees.
05 Expanding the Bitcoin Map
Beyond payment functionality, Dorsey also shared a post from the Head of Product Design for Block’s peer-to-peer payment service Cash App, announcing the launch of a map displaying all merchants worldwide that accept Bitcoin.
"Convince your local Square seller to turn on Bitcoin acceptance—zero sales fees. Encourage them to hold it as Bitcoin to help them better hedge against dollar devaluation," Dorsey added.
A YouGov survey in July found that, among 1,000 respondents in the U.S. and U.K., 37% viewed payments as the main use case for cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence. This data suggests that crypto is steadily entering the realm of everyday commerce.
06 Accelerated Timeline
Square originally planned to launch this service by 2026, but strong demand has accelerated the timeline.
The company first previewed its Bitcoin payment feature in October, when it introduced a conversion tool allowing sellers to convert a specified percentage of their daily card sales into Bitcoin.
Both features are part of its payment and wallet solution, Square Bitcoin.
Block recently also launched a feature enabling Cash App users to find merchants worldwide who accept Bitcoin, including those using Square Bitcoin.
This comprehensive ecosystem approach may further drive Bitcoin’s adoption in mainstream commerce.
Looking Ahead
With more and more merchants joining under the zero-fee incentive, Bitcoin is gradually shifting from its role as "digital gold" to becoming a medium of exchange for everyday transactions—at local coffee shops, barbershops, and bookstores.
When merchants start posting "We accept Bitcoin" signs alongside "Visa and Mastercard accepted," the tipping point for cryptocurrency adoption may truly have arrived.
