CHICAGO — Visiting a convenience store is for everyday tasks such as filling up a car with gas, getting a cup of coffee or trading thousands of dollars’ worth of bitcoin.
Stores across the country, from Nevada to Pennsylvania, are testing bitcoin ATMs at their locations. The companies have done so as bitcoin is experiencing a small resurgence. Bitcoin is one form of cryptocurrency, which is an online form of currency not regulated by any governing body.
Bitcoin topped $11,000 in late June for the first time since March 2018, according to Fox Business. Also, cryptocurrency is being more widely discussed since Facebook announced plans to launch its own cryptocurrency, Libra.
Click through for more information on where bitcoin ATMs are appearing in stores …
Sheetz is adding bitcoin ATMs to five stores in Pennsylvania and a sixth in Winston-Salem, N.C., Fox Business reports. To use the machines, customers must create an account with Coinsource, a bitcoin ATM network. Users can conduct bitcoin transactions of $5 to $5,000 each day from one of the ATMs.
“Sheetz is constantly innovating and pioneering new offerings to give our customers what they want, when they want it, 24/7,” said Ryan Sheetz, assistant vice president of brand strategies for Altoona, Pa.-based Sheetz. “As cryptocurrency increases in popularity and demand, we are excited to add this service in our continual mission to be the ultimate one-stop shop.”
Circle K, the c-store brand of Laval, Quebec-based Alimentation Couche-Tard, is placing bitcoin ATMs in 20 stores in Arizona and Nevada, according to Banking Exchange. The chain is partnering with bitcoin ATM manufacturer DigitalMint.
Bitcoin traders can use the ATMs to trade up to $20,000 in bitcoin a day. Bitcoin can also be purchased with the machine using cash or a $5,000-minimum bank wire.
ATM company LibertyX is adding 90 traditional ATMs to ampm, Arco and Chevron c-stores—and Family Dollar stores—in Arizona and Nevada. These ATMs can allow users to trade bitcoin in conjunction with the LibertyX app.
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