Apple Pay with BitPay now supports Bitcoin

By Chris Burns/Feb. 16, 2021 1:42 pm EST

BitPay announced this week that they've begun functioning with Apple Wallet. The self-professed "world's largest provider of Bitcoin and cryptocurrency payment services" announced that users of the BitPay Prepaid Mastercard can now add their card to their iPhone's Apple Wallet. With the BitPay Prepaid Mastercard in an Apple Wallet, the user can spend with Apple Pay.

The addition of this connection to the Apple Wallet system allows NEW users to access their BitPay "virtual card" while they wait for a new plastic card. Normally the wait time is at least a few days – snail mail! New users can add their virtual BitPay Prepaid Mastercard to their Apple Wallet via the BitPay Wallet "and start spending immediately."

The BitPay Wallet app supports Bitcoin as well as a bunch of other Blockchain-related cryptocurrencies. Four dollar-pegged stablecoins (USDC, BUSD, PAX, and GUSD) are supported in addition to Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, and Ether.

Adding a BitPay card to your Apple Wallet requires that you have the latest version of the BitPay app. That's at least version 12.1.0, in the Apple App Store right now. You'll need the latest version of iOS and Apple Wallet while you're at it. The BitPay card is the part that'll appear in your Apple Wallet when it's all set up.

In addition to the announcement about Apple Pay today, BitPay suggests that they'll be expanding support to other digital payment systems this year. Both Google Pay and Samsung Pay are planned "for later this quarter" for support by BitPay.

On the 22nd of January, 2021, the then-candidate for USA Secretary of the Treasury of the United States suggested "curtailing" cryptocurrency before being sworn in. Janet Yellen was sworn in as the 78th Secretary of the Treasury of the United States on January 26, 2021.

Meanwhile, Tesla converted $1.5-billion USD into Bitcoin. Another major Bitcoin investment came recently with Jay-Z joining Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey in investing 500 bitcoin into an endowment. See more on that on Jack's Twitter.