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Amsterdam’s Airport Helps Travelers Swap Leftover Euros for Bitcoin, Ethereum

Last Updated March 4, 2021 5:09 PM
Samburaj Das
Last Updated March 4, 2021 5:09 PM

Amsterdam’s international airport, Schipol, has installed a cryptocurrency ATM that lets passengers convert their euros into bitcoin or ethereum.

In an announcement  on Wednesday, the airport revealed it is assessing demand for the two most prominent cryptocurrencies among passengers over a six-month trial in an initiative that is the first of its kind in any European airport.

The ATM is strategically located near the airport’s departures terminal, enabling outbound travelers to convert the remainder of their euros into the two largest cryptocurrencies by market cap. Specifically, the crypto ATM is installed in Arrival Hall 2 which is also accessible by the corridor to Departure Halls 1 and 2 where departing passengers frequent.

Tanja Dik, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol’s director of consumer products and services, said in statements:

With the Bitcoin ATM, we hope to provide a useful service to passengers by allowing them to easily exchange ‘local’ euros for the ‘global’ cryptocurrencies Bitcoin and Ethereum. That can be beneficial if, for instance, it’s not possible to spend euros in their home country.

The 2-way ATM accepts euro bills and has been installed through a partnership with ByeleX, a Dutch software services firm that offers crypto ATMs through its subsidiary ‘Byecoin’.

Amsterdam Airport Schipol’s bitcoin ATM.

The novel concept of allowing travelers to use cryptocurrencies like bitcoin at international airports to negate the hassle of heightened conversion fees during currency conversion is catching on among airport operators globally.

In a more comprehensive embrace of cryptocurrencies, Australia’s Brisbane airport – the country’s third-busiest airport by passenger traffic – introduced crypto payments at a number of retail establishments across the airport’s two terminals earlier this year. The terminals are accessible by travelers both arriving and departing the airport, enabling them to make payments in bitcoin, ethereum, dash and other cryptocurrencies.

Images from Schipol Airport.