Bitcoin just took another major step toward mainstream adoption. Starting today, Square sellers across the United States can officially accept Bitcoin payments directly through their terminals — with no processing fees until 2027.
The launch marks one of the most significant integrations of Bitcoin into everyday commerce to date. Square, the popular payments processor and business platform owned by Block, says roughly 4 million vendors now have access to Bitcoin payments, automatic conversions, and built-in wallets — all inside the same dashboard they already use to manage their sales and banking.
“You can expand your customer base by accepting bitcoin payments and automatically receive them as BTC or USD,” the company said in its launch statement. “Plus, get zero processing fees until 2027, no chargebacks, and instant access.”
“Our sellers can now receive btc to btc, btc to fiat, fiat to btc, or fiat to fiat,” said Jack Dorsey, Chairman of Square.
The feature first debuted last month at Compass Coffee in Washington, D.C., where a customer purchased a latte with Bitcoin during DC Fintech Week.
That pilot — the first-ever Bitcoin payment processed on a Square terminal — demonstrated instant transactions using the Lightning Network. Square says the technology will now roll out nationwide, except in New York, where regulatory hurdles remain.
Simple bitcoin payments with Square
The new system is designed to be simple. Merchants can accept Bitcoin payments via QR code, hold the funds in Bitcoin, or instantly convert them to U.S. dollars. Businesses can also choose to automatically convert up to 50% of their daily sales into Bitcoin — a move Square says will help small businesses diversify savings and hedge against inflation.
According to an internal survey, about 29% of sellers are exploring Bitcoin conversions for business savings, and 89% of interested merchants plan to use Bitcoin as a long-term treasury asset.
“We’re making Bitcoin payments as seamless as card payments,” said Miles Suter, Head of Bitcoin at Block. “Through Square and Cash App, we’re helping Bitcoin become everyday money — not just a store of value.”
Merchants using Square’s free, Plus, or Premium plans can access Bitcoin features starting today. While Bitcoin conversions carry a small fee, payments themselves remain free for the first year.
For small businesses, Square Bitcoin could mean lower costs and faster settlement compared to card networks, which typically take several days and charge processing fees. For Bitcoin, it signals a powerful step toward becoming usable money — not just digital gold.
As the feature goes live, millions of small businesses — from barbershops to breweries — could soon be adding a new sign next to “Visa” and “Mastercard.”
Now, it will read: “Bitcoin Accepted Here.”
Source: https://bitcoinmagazine.com/business/square-bitcoin-payments-go-live-today
