Cryptocurrency Cards Pay for Groceries and Fuel... USDT and USDC Enter Everyday Life

▲ Stablecoin, cryptocurrency payment / AI generated image

Cryptocurrency cards are rapidly penetrating as a means of payment for daily consumption such as groceries, dining out, and fuel, rather than for luxury cars and luxury goods. As European users increasingly use OKX cards at supermarkets, restaurants, and gas stations, analysis suggests that cryptocurrency payments are moving beyond speculative assets to become a financial infrastructure for daily life.

According to CCN on May 7 (local time), a report on card usage in the European Economic Area released by OKX in May 2026 showed that European consumers primarily used cryptocurrencies for daily consumption. OKX analyzed card payment data within the European Economic Area from January 28 to February 26, stating that 26% of all transactions occurred at grocery stores and supermarkets. Restaurant payments accounted for 12%, and online marketplace payments for 13%. Including fast food and convenience stores, food-related expenditure accounted for 44%.

Consumption patterns also differed significantly by country. In France, bakery payments accounted for 5% of all transactions, more than double the European average of 2%. In Germany, online marketplace payments reached 30%, double the European average, followed by grocery and dining out payments. In the Netherlands, supermarket payments were the largest at 37%, and travel booking and accommodation payments accounted for nearly 20%. In Poland, convenience store payments accounted for 16%, and fuel payments for approximately 10%.

CCN reported that the increase in cryptocurrency card consumption is not limited to Europe. The global monthly payment volume for cryptocurrency cards grew from approximately $100 million in early 2023 to over $1.5 billion by the end of 2025, reaching an annual equivalent of $18 billion. This represents an approximately 15-fold growth in less than three years. Stablecoins like USDT and USDC are considered key foundations for the spread of cryptocurrency cards, enabling near-instant conversion of cryptocurrencies to fiat currency at payment terminals.

Visa and Mastercard are also accelerating the expansion of their cryptocurrency payment infrastructure. Visa supports over 130 stablecoin-linked card programs in more than 40 countries and has introduced USDC payments on multiple blockchains, including Solana and Ethereum.

Through the Visa network, users can use cryptocurrencies at over 100 million merchants worldwide, and stablecoin-linked spending in Q4 2025 reached $3.5 billion on an annualized basis.

Mastercard also supports real-time conversion-based payments through its cryptocurrency card program and launched a Crypto Partner Program in March 2026, involving over 85 companies, including Binance and Ripple.

The key change in cryptocurrency payments lies not in the scale of use but in the manner of use. Users are no longer using cryptocurrency cards solely for one-off consumption or to realize investment profits but are using them in areas traditionally handled by conventional bank cards, such as groceries, travel, fuel, coffee, and online shopping. With improvements in payment infrastructure and the expanded use of stablecoins, the boundary between cryptocurrency balances and traditional currencies is increasingly narrowing in the consumer market.

*Disclaimer: This article is for investment reference only, and we are not responsible for investment losses based on it. The content should be interpreted for informational purposes only.*