Jeff Bezos’ company Blue Origin accepts crypto payments

Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos’ space travel company, now accepts cryptocurrencies and stablecoins for customer payments.

The space exploration company will accept Bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptocurrencies as well as stablecoins via Shift4 Payments, a crypto payments firm listed on the New York Stock Exchange, the companies said in a press release.

As well as Bitcoin, customers aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard will have the opportunity to pay for space trips with Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), Tether (USDT), and USDC (USDC). The partnership also allows Blue Origin customers to tap into crypto payments by connecting to popular wallets, including Coinbase and MetaMask. 

Shift4’s integration allows Blue Origin to expand its customer base within the crypto community, offering benefits such as instant international transactions, faster settlements, and 24/7 availability.

The crypto payments feature is now live for all upcoming commercial trips on New Shepard. The suborbital vehicle launches to an altitude of over 100 km, allowing travelers to view Earth from above the Kármán Line — the internationally recognized boundary of space.

Shift4 eyes global expansion

The partnership comes just over a month after Shift4 announced its acquisition of Global Blue Holding AG, an NYSE-listed specialty payments and technology platform that offers tax-free shopping and currency conversion solutions. Global Blue also provides payment services for leading retail brands worldwide.

Shift4’s Q2 earnings showed payment volumes grew 25%, gross revenue rose 29%, and adjusted EBITDA increased 26%. It was the first quarter in which Shift4 processed more than $50 billion in volume.