As crypto adoption gains momentum, Ether (ETH) is no longer just an investment but also a means of paying for everyday goods and services. Early support from exchanges like Binance, Kraken, and Bybit familiarized users with trading ETH. That groundwork now allows shoppers to settle purchases directly, no currency conversion required. Payment gateways such as BitPay, CoinGate, and NOWPayments have transformed ETH from a smart contract token into practical spending power, so thousands of online and brick-and-mortar stores now treat it almost like cash.
Curious about where and how you can spend your Ethereum? In this article, we’ll highlight some of the things you can buy with ETH and other real-world applications.
Trading Ethereum for Other Cryptocurrencies
One of Ethereum’s key advantages is how effortlessly you can trade it for other digital assets. This flexibility lets investors diversify across blockchains and tap into new features, whether that means parking funds in stablecoins, voting with governance tokens, or chasing upside in blue-chip altcoins.
The process is quick on both centralized exchanges, such as Coinbase, and decentralized exchanges (DEXs), like Uniswap. The general process involves connecting your wallet, selecting the ETH trading pair (e.g., ETH → BTC or SOL), choosing a market or limit order, and then confirming. In seconds, your Ether is swapped for the cryptocurrency of your choice.
Purchasing Digital Assets
Swap ETH for ERC-20 tokens
Ethereum’s vibrant crypto ecosystem includes a diverse collection of coins and tokens that power everything from governance votes to staking rewards and in-app utilities. Savvy investors rely on these ETH-based assets to broaden their portfolios, as each token targets its own niche, market, and growth trajectory.
All of them follow the ERC-20 standard, which streamlines trading across wallets and exchanges. Standouts like Tether (USDT) and Chainlink (LINK) demonstrate the range of possibilities, such as stable payments, decentralized data feeds, and innovative ad-tech models.
Mint or Buy NFTs
NFTs (non-fungible tokens) represent ownership of unique digital items. People primarily use Ethereum to buy and sell NFTs because ETH remains the native currency on major NFT marketplaces. From digital art to in-game assets, NFTs are minted under the ERC-721 or ERC-1155 standards that originated on Ethereum. NFT marketplaces, including OpenSea, Blur, and Rarible, still default to ETH for gas and settlement.
Online Services and Gift Cards
Curious which merchants will accept Ethereum as payment? The roster continues to expand, particularly across online services and digital goods. Below, we’ll spotlight the notable platforms that support ETH:
Purchase Gift Cards and Vouchers
You can turn Ethereum into spending power almost anywhere by buying brand-name gift cards. On peer-to-peer marketplaces such as Paxful, users can swap ETH for e-gift codes of Amazon, Apple, Steam, Airbnb, and hundreds more. Dedicated sites like Bitrefill, eGifter, and Coinsbee also go a step further, letting customers buy gift cards from various retailers and pay with ETH.
Crypto Gambling & Sportsbooks
ETH deposits are becoming standard at leading crypto casinos and sportsbooks, offering provably fair games and near-instant withdrawals. Our research shows CoinCasino as one of the best all-around casinos that accept Ethereum, along with BetPanda and BC.Game, while Bets.io supports multi-language play with full ETH support across thousands of games on their platform.
Pay for VPN Subscriptions
More and more software vendors now accept Ethereum, whether you’re buying an antivirus suite, a creative-design tool, or a productivity app. Online privacy services have followed suit: leading VPN providers let you pick a plan and pay in ETH, giving you instant, high-speed protection without ever reaching for a credit card.
Travel and Accommodations
Ready for a getaway? You can now cover flights, hotels, and other travel costs with Ethereum. Booking portals like Travala and CheapAir let you pay for millions of flights, rooms, and activities in ETH, no fiat swap needed. Ground transport is catching up, too: luxury car-rental services such as DS Luxury, along with select ride-sharing apps in certain areas, now accept crypto, letting you navigate your destination without converting your crypto into fiat currency.
Buying Physical Items
Ethereum isn’t just for digital assets, you can now spend Ethereum on an array of tangible goods. A growing number of online retailers accept direct ETH payments, giving crypto holders fresh shopping options for physical products.
Shopping for Jewelry & Luxury Apparel
Style-conscious ETH holders can refresh their wardrobes without cash. Luxury apparel brands such as Gucci now accept Ethereum payments at checkout, allowing you to pay for couture directly from your wallet. For statement accessories, BitDials also takes ETH, offering prestige timepieces from Rolex, Patek Philippe, and other luxury brands.
Furnishing Your Home
Home improvement stores are also beginning to accept Ethereum. E-commerce pioneers such as Overstock and a growing roster of online stores now accept ETH, letting you buy everything from sofas to smart light bulbs without converting ETH into fiat.
Grabbing the Latest Gadgets
Newegg continues to set the pace by accepting Ethereum for everything from GPUs and laptops to monitors and smart-home gear. The practice is catching on, with many independent electronics stores that use BitPay now welcoming ETH as well. Gamers have flexible options: you can get Xbox, PlayStation, or Steam gift cards on P2P marketplaces or buy consoles, VR headsets, and full gaming PCs outright at crypto-friendly shops that price their hardware directly in Ethereum.
