UPDATED 23:54 EDT / NOVEMBER 22 2016

NEWS

iPayYou launches bitcoin-to-Amazon payment service

Bitcoin wallet provider iPayYou Inc. has launched a new service that allows users to purchase goods on Amazon.com Inc. using bitcoin.

Called Amazon Direct, the service allows users to transfer any amount of bitcoin from their iPayYou bitcoin wallet to Amazon. To use it, an iPayYou customer determines the dollar amount to transfer, then chooses a destination account at Amazon.com and clicks a button to make a transfer. Once the transfer is complete, the amount credited to the Amazon account can be used to make any sort of purchase.

Amazon Direct differs from existing bitcoin to Amazon.com services such as Purse.io that acquire unwanted Amazon gift cards and certificates and then sell them to users for Bitcoin. Instead, iPayYou acquires digital gift card balances from ACI, a company that transfers the fiat balances from its own Amazon account to the user’s personal account.

iPayYou, a company which we last wrote about in July when it launched a bitcoin to Twitter payments services, is headed by Chief Executive Gene Kavner, who previously held the position of worldwide leader of the Amazon Associates program, giving him a wealth of experience when it comes to the e-commerce giant.

“During my time as an executive at Amazon, we closely studied the friction points and obstacles faced by shoppers, including and especially with payments,” Kavner said in a statement. “Bitcoin is a solution to so many of those problems. That’s why today – in time for the holiday season – we’re launching the most direct way to spend bitcoin anywhere, starting with the world’s largest retailer.”

Naturally, there are fees involved with using Amazon Direct. iPayYou charges a flat fee of 1 percent per transaction with a minimum purchase of $1, plus the network fee which is currently around 13 cents. While Purse.io does on occasion offer discounts, which are not being offered here, iPayYou may have an advantage in speed and simplicity.

Image courtesy of iPayYou

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