The Payment Paradox for Crypto Holders: 80% Support but 55% Never Use Bitcoin

A new survey reveals an interesting contradiction in the crypto world: most Bitcoin holders believe in BTC’s future as a payment method, yet very few actually spend it. GoMining’s survey of 5,700 respondents shows that behind this contradiction lie practical issues in the payment ecosystem that need urgent resolution.

The Contradiction Between High Awareness and Low Usage

The survey data is quite revealing. Over 55% of crypto holders rarely or never spend Bitcoin, indicating that most see BTC as an asset rather than a payment tool. At the same time, nearly 80% of respondents support broader adoption of Bitcoin and believe in its potential as a payment method.

This reflects a common phenomenon: a clear disconnect between holders’ ideals and their actual behavior. People are optimistic about Bitcoin payments in theory but are reluctant to use it for consumption in practice.

The Three Major Challenges to Bitcoin Payment Adoption

Respondents identified three main issues limiting Bitcoin payments:

These obstacles point to core issues in the payment infrastructure. Mark Zalan, CEO of GoMining, hits the nail on the head: “Users want frictionless crypto spending and to earn rewards when they spend.” In other words, users don’t just want to spend—they want some form of incentive or convenience during the process.

Positive Signals: Infrastructure Is Improving

On the other hand, the story is encouraging. According to Artemis data, the monthly transaction volume of crypto cards is growing rapidly:

This figure is significant. The crypto card monthly transaction volume increased from $100 million to $1.5 billion, indicating that payment infrastructure is indeed improving. More people are using crypto cards for daily spending, representing a real breakthrough for Bitcoin payment applications.

Why the Growth of Crypto Cards Matters

Crypto cards address several core issues in Bitcoin payments:

• Lowering the usage barrier (users don’t need to directly operate the blockchain)
• Expanding merchant acceptance (usable anywhere traditional cards are accepted)
• Simplifying the payment process (experience close to traditional payments)
• Providing incentives (cashback, points, etc.)

This aligns with Mark Zalan’s concept of “frictionless consumption.”

Future Outlook

Based on current data, several trends are worth noting:

Payment Application Space Still Has Great Potential

The low usage rate of 55% indicates significant growth potential. As payment tools like crypto cards mature, this ratio is expected to increase substantially.

Cost Issues May Be Alleviated

Bitcoin network scaling solutions (like the Lightning Network) and other Layer 2 solutions are being deployed, which could reduce transaction costs in the long run.

Merchant Acceptance Will Gradually Increase

As payment infrastructure improves, more merchants will be willing to accept crypto payments. The proliferation of crypto cards will accelerate this process.

Summary

The core insight from this survey is that Bitcoin’s payment potential is far from fully realized. Although user adoption is low, support remains high, indicating that the issue lies not in demand but in infrastructure. The rapid growth in crypto card transaction volume suggests this problem is being addressed.

In the coming years, as payment tools improve, costs decrease, and merchant acceptance grows, the actual usage of Bitcoin for payments is likely to approach the 80% theoretical support. This process may unfold faster than expected.