Expedia Adds Crypto Currency To Payment Options

Shares of Expedia EXPE are trending higher after the company announced it would accept bitcoin as a payment method.

Expedia will be working with Coinbase to integrate the crypto currency into its platform. Bitcoin is expected to be built into the checkout system so that customers can select it from a list of payment options. Co-founder of Coinbase, Fred Ehrsam, stated, “By accepting bitcoin as a form of payment, Expedia is giving a wider community of users the opportunity to book hotels from their site's inventory of properties all around the world quickly and easily."

Related: What Companies Accept Bitcoin?

Expedia joins of long list of retailers that accept the crypto currency, however it is the first online travel agency to do so. The addition of bitcoin may give Expedia a small edge above its competitors with tech savvy consumers who prefer the payment advantages bitcoin provides. Similar companies that accept bitcoin include MGM and HomeAway.

Expedia Vice President of Global Procuct, Michael Gulmann, commented on the update, “bitcoin is a great example of how Expedia is investing early in an array of payment options to give our customers and partners more choice in the ways they interact with us."

Shares of Expedia are up 1.17 percent to $75.97.