USA: Bitcoin soon at the supermarket

Over 20,000 Coinstar ATM´s worldwide could soon offer the purchase of bitcoins.

In the US, Canada, the UK and Ireland, the Coinstar ATM´s are widely used in grocery stores, drugstores and other retail outlets. They are used to convert small money, residual amounts of vouchers and fuel cards into a usable currency. Soon, these vending machines are also expected to offer bitcoins. Coinstar has teamed up with Coinme, a startup company that operates a network of Bitcoin ATM's in the United States.

"Coinstar is always looking for new ways to add value to its customers. Coinme's innovative ATM and flexible platform allow consumers to easily acquire bitcoin with cash, "said Jim Gaherity, CEO of Coinstar such as GeekWire reported.

With 20,000 ATM's, Coinstar has a fairly large network with the digital currency that can be spent. The company's announcement said, "There are thousands of opportunities in the U.S. market that can offer bitcoin transactions, although we expect it still takes some time to reach those numbers."

Coinme has digital ATMs in 11 states, including several locations in Texas, Washington and California. While at first it is not clear how many vending machines will be bitcoin-ready, Coinme's website states that the partnership will result in "thousands of locations selling bitcoin."

After putting your small money into one of the ATM´s, you´ll get a Bitcoin redemption code, which then leads you to Coinme. The limit is $2500 and you have to link a phone number to the transaction. However, it is not clear whether you can come up with a phone number to get around that requirement. First started at Safeway and Albertson stores in California, Texas and Washington. Many more will follow.

Again, an important step towards the mass adaptation of Bitcoin.

You can find an overview of all Bitcoin ATM and here.