For decades, small business owners have quietly lost up to 3% of every sale to credit card processors. That’s money that could have gone toward growth, staff, or family.
The Bitcoin Merchant Community is changing that.
This global network of small business owners is helping one another reclaim those lost profits by accepting bitcoin—a digital form of cash that cuts out the middleman.
The Problem: Melting Profits from Credit Card Fees
Credit cards were never meant to take such a big slice of the pie. In the cash era, merchants kept every dollar they earned. But now, with nearly all transactions routed through banks and card companies, a typical small business can see 50% or more of its profits vanish into processing fees.
Bitcoin offers an escape. It’s digital cash—secure, instant, and borderless. When customers pay with bitcoin, the transaction settles peer-to-peer, without banks or card networks charging a toll.
The Solution: A Community Built for Small Business
The Bitcoin Merchant Community helps merchants connect, learn, and thrive together by:
Showing how to accept bitcoin payments with tools like Square, IBEX Pay, BTCPay Server, Manna, and Blink
Connecting with other merchants already accepting bitcoin through the official Facebook Group
Listing businesses on BTC Map so bitcoin spenders can find and support them locally
Providing free onboarding resources like a printable Bitcoin Merchant Kit to help educate staff and customers
How to Start Accepting Bitcoin
If you already use Square, you can start taking bitcoin payments today with just a few taps.
Here’s how:
Go to Banking > Bitcoin in your Square dashboard.
Activate your wallet and complete two-step verification.
Choose whether to receive bitcoin directly or auto-convert to dollars for zero accounting changes.
Until 2027, Square’s bitcoin transaction fees are 0%, then rise to only 1%—a fraction of what you’d pay in card fees.
If you don’t use Square, there are several proven alternatives:
IBEX Pay – Web-based POS that runs on any browser
BTCPay Server – Open-source, self-hosted solution for privacy-focused merchants
Manna Pay – Mobile wallet and POS with no personal info required
Blink – Merchant-friendly wallet with optional stable-dollar account
Each option works differently depending on your setup and region. The Bitcoin Merchant Community’s Facebook group is an excellent place to learn what works best for your business type.
Why Customers Love Paying in Bitcoin
Bitcoin buyers often want to support local businesses directly. Paying in bitcoin feels like using cash—it’s fast, transparent, and fair.
Many customers see it as a way to support local merchants and promote financial freedom. You can even offer small discounts to encourage bitcoin payments, reinforcing loyalty while keeping more of your own profits.
Join the Movement
The Bitcoin Merchant Community is supported by Block’s Spiral division, which funds open-source bitcoin tools and education.
If you’re a business owner ready to keep more of what you earn, here’s how to get started:
➡️ Download the Free Merchant Kit: Includes printable materials and a simple onboarding guide ➡️ Add your business to BTC Map:
Every merchant that starts accepting bitcoin strengthens the entire ecosystem.
Together, we can make peer-to-peer money the standard for small business payments again.
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