At BitBox, we made it our goal to give you everything you need on your Bitcoin journey. One typical step in this journey has been missing from the BitBoxApp so far: Spending it. Many people remember their first time paying for something with Bitcoin. We are fortunate to have already witnessed a lot of first times when people spent their valuable Satoshis to buy a BitBox at one of our conference booths!

Now, we partnered up with Bitrefill to make it possible for all of our users to have this experience.

What is Bitrefill?

Bitrefill is a service that lets you “live on Bitcoin” by purchasing digital gift cards, phone refills, and even eSIM data packs with your Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. It offers over 6,500 gift card options across 180+ countries – from e-commerce giants to local grocery stores. You can buy vouchers for everyday shopping (even Amazon groceries or Rewe supermarket runs) as well as entertainment, travel, gaming, and more. Importantly, Bitrefill is designed with privacy in mind: no account is required for most purchases, making it a hassle-free way to spend your coins.

Some key features of Bitrefill include:

  • Huge catalog: Gift cards for thousands of brands (Amazon, Google Play, Apple, Steam, Walmart, MediaMarkt, Rewe, and many more). If a store doesn’t accept Bitcoin directly, chances are you can still shop there by buying a gift card on Bitrefill.
  • Global availability: Supported in over 180 countries, so you can use Bitcoin for everyday needs – whether you’re at home or traveling.
  • Multiple coins accepted: Pay with Bitcoin on-chain, or even other coins and token like Ethereum, Litecoin, USDT, and more – Bitrefill converts them into the gift card you need. It’s a great way to spend (and get rid of) altcoins too.
  • Instant delivery, no account needed: You typically receive the gift card code within seconds of your transaction being confirmed. You don’t even need to sign up – you can check out as a guest for quick, small purchases.
  • Privacy: Bitrefill won’t ask for ID documents for normal usage. As long as you stay within their generous limits, you can shop in a very privacy-friendly way with Bitcoin and receive gift codes instantly.

In short, Bitrefill acts as a bridge between your Bitcoin and the things you want to buy in daily life. It’s one of the smoothest ways to turn bitcoin into a spendable asset without going through banks or exchanges.

Why Bitrefill in the BitBoxApp?

Integrating Bitrefill directly into the BitBoxApp brings new freedom and convenience to BitBox users. 

Spend from self-custody 

Now you can spend directly from your hardware wallet without moving coins to an exchange or hot wallet. The BitBoxApp integration uses the funds in your wallet to pay Bitrefill directly, after you authorized the transaction on your BitBox. Your Bitcoin never leave your control until the moment you’re spending them for something you need. It’s your keys, your coins, your purchase. 🔒

All-in-one convenience

No more juggling between apps or scanning addresses manually. The Bitrefill widget is embedded in the BitBoxApp, so you can browse gift cards and make a purchase in one seamless flow within the app interface. Need to top up your Amazon balance or buy an electronics store voucher (hello, MediaMarkt deals)? Just open the BitBoxApp, choose the gift card and amount, and follow the prompts. The entire Bitrefill catalog is at your fingertips inside our app.

Fast and user-friendly

Bitrefill purchases are quick – often completed in just a couple of minutes. The BitBoxApp takes care of creating the transaction and presenting it for you to confirm on your device. There’s no need to copy-paste addresses or switch to a browser; it’s a guided process built into your existing wallet app. In testing, we’ve found it extremely smooth – you can go from deciding to buy a gift card to having the code ready to spend in a matter of moments.

How it works in the BitBoxApp

Using Bitrefill inside the BitBoxApp is designed to be straightforward. Here’s a quick rundown of how to make a purchase:

  1. Update & connect: First, make sure you’ve updated to the latest BitBoxApp (the Bitrefill integration is available from the newest release – download it if you haven’t already).
  2. Access Bitrefill: In the BitBoxApp, we renamed the Buy & Sell section in the lower left corner to “Marketplace”. Click on it and choose “Spend”. Next, choose Bitrefill. This is where you can browse all the gift card categories and offers powered by Bitrefill, directly within the app interface.
  3. Browse & select: Browse the list of retailers or use the search function to find what you need. You’ll find everything from Online Marketplaces, Groceries, Electronics, Travel, Gaming, and more. Choose the gift card or voucher you want.
  4. Choose amount: Select the denomination or enter the amount of the gift card you wish to purchase. Bitrefill offers flexible amounts (common presets like €10, €20, €50, €100, up to the retailer’s maximum). You can usually buy up to around €100–€150 in one card for many retailers, and you can add multiple cards to your cart if needed.
  5. Pay with Bitcoin: Proceed to checkout. Enter the email address that you would like to receive the voucher to. After clicking “Pay”, the BitBoxApp will generate the payment details for you. Simply confirm the transaction to Bitrefill on your BitBox – just as you would confirm sending Bitcoin to any other recipient. You’ll see the amount in BTC (including Bitrefill’s small service fee if any) and the destination address. Verify the details on your BitBox02 and approve the payment. 🎉 No registration, no extra steps – just confirm and send.
  6. Receive your gift card: Within minutes of the transaction confirmation, Bitrefill will deliver the gift card code and details right inside the BitBoxApp interface. You should see the voucher code on screen. If you don’t feel like waiting on this screen, it’s also sent to the email address you provided on checkout. Now you can redeem the code online or show the barcode in store to spend it immediately.

That’s it – you’ve just paid for a real-world purchase using Bitcoin from your hardware wallet! The entire process happens in-app, which keeps it simple and secure. 

Tip: Keep in mind that it can take several minutes for on-chain Bitcoin transactions to be confirmed. In most cases, Bitrefill will send the gift card after one confirmation. Small gift card buys are typically confirmed within 10 minutes. Plan accordingly if you’re at the checkout line – e.g., perhaps buy a supermarket voucher a bit in advance or during a quiet network period to avoid delays.

In case there are any issues with your order, the transaction in the BitBoxApp will always include an invoice ID as a transaction note, which you can use to identify the order with Bitrefill’s support team.

Stay private

One of the biggest advantages of using Bitrefill (especially through the BitBoxApp) is that you maintain financial privacy. What does this mean for you? When you buy a gift card via BitBoxApp’s Bitrefill integration, you’re not handing over personal details or exposing your identity. The bitcoin transaction from your BitBox is the only data on the chain. Bitrefill itself doesn’t know who you are – only that an address paid X amount for Y gift card. 

Note that large one-time purchases might sometimes trigger a manual check. (For instance, if you try to buy a very high-value Amazon card, Amazon’s own systems might ask for verification upon redemption in rare cases.) But generally, if you stay within the everyday-use limits, you can enjoy a smooth, private shopping experience using your Bitcoin.

Conclusion

Our mission has always been to empower you to hold your own keys and be your own bank. Now we’re helping you spend your Bitcoin too – enabling you to put your sats to use for everyday life whenever you choose, without relying on exchanges or banks.

We’re excited to see how you use this new feature. Be sure to update the BitBoxApp, give it a try, and let us know your feedback.

Don’t own a BitBox yet?

Keeping your crypto secure doesn't have to be hard. The BitBox hardware wallets store the private keys for your cryptocurrencies offline. So you can manage your coins safely.

Both the BitBox02 Nova and the BitBox02 also come in a Bitcoin-only edition, featuring a radically focused firmware: less code means less attack surface, which further improves your security when only storing bitcoin.

Buy the BitBox02 Nova or grab a BitBox02 in our shop!

Shift Crypto is a privately-held company based in Zurich, Switzerland. Our team of Bitcoin contributors, crypto experts, and security engineers builds products that enable customers to enjoy a stress-free journey from novice to mastery level of cryptocurrency management. The BitBox02, our second generation hardware wallet, lets users store, protect, and transact Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies with ease — along with its software companion, the BitBoxApp!