Are stablecoin hotel prices the same as paying with a card?
Yes. trip1 displays the same hotel price for every payment method. With USDC you skip foreign transaction fees and FX markups that often come with cards.
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One price, multiple payment methods
trip1 shows a single hotel price at checkout. That price doesn't change based on which crypto you pick or whether you choose a different supported method. The room rate stays exactly as quoted.
Where stablecoins can come out cheaper
When you book a hotel abroad with a card, you can run into:
- Foreign transaction fees of 1-3%
- Dynamic currency conversion charges if the merchant offers to bill you in your home currency
- Wider exchange rate spreads on the card network
USDC payments avoid all three. The dollar price is the dollar price - no foreign transaction surcharge.
Network fees are separate
Stablecoin payments do come with one small extra cost: the network gas fee charged by the blockchain. On Polygon, Arbitrum, Base, or Optimism, this is typically under 10 cents per transaction. On Ethereum mainnet it can be a few dollars during busy periods.
trip1 doesn't collect any of these network fees - they go directly to blockchain validators.
Stablecoin Hotel Prices vs Card Prices - FAQ
No. trip1 doesn't add a surcharge for stablecoin payments. The only extra cost is the small network gas fee charged by the blockchain, which goes to network validators and not to trip1.
There are no hidden conversion costs on trip1's side. The USDC amount you send equals the dollar price displayed at checkout. Your wallet may charge a small network fee, but the booking total stays the same.
You can - especially when you'd otherwise pay foreign transaction fees, dynamic currency conversion costs, or higher exchange rate spreads on a card abroad. The hotel rate itself is identical.
No. The hotel always receives fiat currency through CoinGate, so they treat your booking exactly like any other prepaid reservation. The room rate is the same.
