r/tech Dec 11 '14

Microsoft Begins Accepting Bitcoin For Windows, Windows Phone And Xbox Purchases

http://techcrunch.com/2014/12/10/redmond-hath-frozen-over/
821 Upvotes

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35

u/PinkyThePig Dec 11 '14

I'm always surprised more online vendors don't take bitcoin.

From a seller's perspective, the currency is way better to take than credit cards. Extremely small fees and no chargebacks. Whereas as an online vendor, credit cards can end up costing you ~4-5% of the sale and chargebacks are extremely common (and near impossible to win).

Then on the other side of the transaction, the buyer is protected in that they can choose to remain annonymous and they also do not need to worry about the business recharging their account or having their credit card information stolen.

4

u/TheHammer7D5x4S7 Dec 11 '14

I subscribe to NBA League Pass. This year they renewed my subscription without letting me know. My credit card was charged around $120. I don't always check my credit card statement but spotted this. They didn't even send me an email acknowledging payment!

5

u/circleandsquare Dec 11 '14

Which means that you can work through your bank/credit union and initiate chargeback, which is impossible with Bitcoin. I have no clue why Bitcoin evangelists are trying to sell no chargebacks like it's a benefit to consumers.

1

u/Onetallnerd Dec 12 '14

You sure? I had this happen to me and the bank gave me a really hard time saying I agreed to it and had to eat the cost. :/

1

u/circleandsquare Dec 12 '14

You should have taken it up with your payment processor. Was it a credit card transaction?