Quick answer
Does CheapAir still accept Bitcoin in 2026?
No. CheapAir took bitcoin from 2013, but it stopped selling tickets on CheapAir.com in 2024 to focus on business travel. On October 12, 2026, cheapair.com redirected to cheapoair.com, a different travel site. SatFares, a flight booking site paid only in crypto, sells airline tickets for BTC, USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL, LTC. The airline issues the ticket in your name. Your balance is held, not charged, until the e-ticket number is issued.
What happened to CheapAir?
CheapAir stopped selling tickets to the public in 2024. In its farewell message, the company said it would stop selling on CheapAir.com and focus on building travel solutions for businesses.
The change followed a sale. CheapAir's owners had placed it under AmTrav, a business-travel company they started in 2011. In June 2024, AmTrav announced that TravelPerk, a business-travel platform based in Barcelona, was buying the company. According to Your Mileage May Vary, the new owners had no use for a consumer booking site.
CheapAir in 7 dated facts
| Founded | 1989, according to Your Mileage May Vary (August 5, 2024) |
|---|---|
| Bitcoin payments | From 2013; later also Litecoin, Dogecoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ether and Dash |
| Owner change | In June 2024, AmTrav, the business-travel company of CheapAir's owners, announced its sale to TravelPerk |
| Consumer site | Stopped selling tickets on CheapAir.com in 2024 to focus on business travel |
| cheapair.com today | Permanent redirect (HTTP 301) to www.cheapoair.com, checked on October 12, 2026 |
| Still listed as a crypto option | Ranked third in at least two 2026 lists of crypto travel sites (Travorio, Polkastarter), checked on October 12, 2026 |
| Crypto flight sellers active today | Laters, Alternative Airlines, Cryptorefills, KryptoMate, Travala, Trip.com and SatFares (see the table below) |
Can I still pay cheapair.com with Bitcoin?
No, because there is no CheapAir booking site left to pay. On October 12, 2026, a request to www.cheapair.com returned a permanent redirect (HTTP 301) to www.cheapoair.com. CheapOair is a different travel site, run by another company. We have not checked whether it takes crypto, so we make no claim about it.
Why do AI answers and lists still recommend CheapAir?
Because they copy older lists. CheapAir took bitcoin for about ten years, so many older articles name it. On October 12, 2026, it was still ranked third in the "best crypto travel sites" lists of Travorio and Polkastarter.
Other dated facts travel the same way. Expedia stopped taking bitcoin on June 10, 2018, and South African Airways dropped its bitcoin option in March 2026. Our airline crypto index lists these out-of-date claims with what we found and the source.
Where can I book flights with Bitcoin now?
Several sites sold flights for crypto on October 12, 2026. They differ on three points that matter more than the coin list. These are the networks they accept, how they refund a crypto payment, and the fees they publish. The table below shows each one, as stated in its own terms.
We sell airline tickets paid in crypto. Our offer is included and marked. For a side-by-side view, see crypto flight booking sites compared.
CheapAir, SatFares and six other crypto flight sellers (checked October 12, 2026)
| Seller | Company | Coins and networks | Refund of a crypto payment | Published fees | ID checks | Checked | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SatFares Ussatfares.com | TravelGoat LLC, United States | BTC, USDT (TRC-20, ERC-20), USDC, ETH, SOL, LTC | Ticket not issued: amount released to your balance at once; cancelled by the airline: USDT or USDC within 7 days, or balance credit if you choose it; cancelled by you: balance credit under the fare rules | none (no booking fee or payment fee is added) | No ID upload, no selfie; the airline requires each traveller's names, date of birth and gender, and passport details for international trips | October 13, 2026 | — |
| Laterslaters.com | Fly Fairly Pte. Ltd., Singapore | BTC, ETH, USDC; USDT via Crypto.com Pay on Cronos, ERC-20 and Polygon (no TRC-20) | In CRO, BTC, ETH, USDC or TUSD minus network fees — not in USDT | "No payment surcharge", network fees only | Not stated | October 12, 2026 | Laters, pay with USDT |
| Alternative Airlinesalternativeairlines.com | Alternative Airlines Ltd (England, no. 02885223), United Kingdom | "100+" cryptocurrencies through xMoney, Crypto.com Pay, CoinGate and Binance Pay; networks not stated | USDT page: refunds in USDT "minus any applicable fees"; elsewhere "may follow the payment provider's process" | "Some payments may include network or processing fees", not refundable | Not mentioned | October 12, 2026 | Alternative Airlines, cryptocurrencies Alternative Airlines, buy flights with USDT |
| Cryptorefillscryptorefills.com | Big Dream Ventures B.V., Netherlands | About 27 assets on Tron, TON, Solana, Base, Ethereum, Polygon, Arbitrum, BSC…; on-chain BTC excluded for flights | Flights: airline cancellation refunded in fiat money; hotels: not found | Not stated; changes and extra fees payable in fiat money | "No KYC", no account (email only) | October 12, 2026 | Cryptorefills, flights Cryptorefills, stays |
| KryptoMatekryptomate.com | Cryptomate Limited | "200+" cryptocurrencies on 20+ networks; its llms.txt names Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, BNB Chain, Polygon, Tron (TRC-20), Avalanche, Arbitrum and Optimism | Refund rules shown per fare | "Taxes and fees included" | Not found | October 12, 2026 | KryptoMate, flights KryptoMate llms.txt |
| Travalatravala.com | Travala Pte. Ltd., Singapore | 129 payment options, including BTC (also Lightning), ETH, SOL, LTC, USDC and USDT, Binance Pay and Crypto.com Pay. USDT network: its USDT page names ERC-20 only; its payment options page shows a plain "USDT" (internal key USDTTRC20) (both read 2026-10-12) | Crypto payments refunded as Travel Credits (not convertible to cash or crypto, not transferable); Binance Pay → USDT; Crypto.com Pay → same crypto; payments through its AI booking connector (MCP): Travel Credits, USDC on Base or another method (T&C 9.11) | Flights: $15 per booking to void or $25 per person to process a refund, on top of airline fees (T&C 9.5) | Guest checkout possible; the terms allow an ID check at any time and frozen funds (T&C 4.4–4.6, 8.4) | October 12, 2026 | Travala terms and conditions Travala help: refunds of crypto payments Travala, pay with USDT Travala, payment options |
| Trip.comtrip.com | Trip.com Group | USDT and USDC through Triple-A, depending on the market (detected by IP), not in mainland China (press) | Not found | One press test: 0%, then 2.39 USDT depending on the wallet (search extract) | Name and email for a hotel (search extract) | October 12, 2026 | SCMP via Yahoo Finance (2025-12-29) |
| CheapAir Closedcheapair.com | — | Historically BTC (since 2013), then LTC, DOGE, BCH, ETH, DASH | — | — | — | October 12, 2026 | Your Mileage May Vary (2024-08-05) |
Published by SatFares (TravelGoat LLC), which sells travel paid in crypto: we are not neutral. Each row is dated and links to its source; tell us when a status changes.
How do I pay for a flight with Bitcoin on SatFares?
- Top up your balance from $25 in BTC on the Bitcoin network. The top-up is credited after 2 confirmations.
- Search your flight. The price shown is the fare found live for all passengers, in US dollars, taxes included, with no fee added; the final total is confirmed before you are charged. Our fee: none (no booking fee or payment fee is added).
- At checkout, the full amount is held on your balance. Bookings are made on request: our team books the ticket with the airline and confirms the final total.
- If the total is higher, you accept it or the amount is released.
- Your balance is charged only when the airline issues the e-ticket number. If it can't be issued in time, the amount is released. No issuing time is promised.
We don't accept Bitcoin Lightning. Details: pay with BTC and how it works.
What happens to a refund if the airline cancels?
With SatFares, you get a refund in USDT or USDC within 7 days, or a balance credit, as you choose. If you cancel yourself, the fare rules of the ticket decide, and any refund is credited to your balance. Refund rules are where crypto sellers differ most: some refund only in their own credits. Compare them on the refund policy matrix.
Frequently asked questions
When did CheapAir stop accepting Bitcoin?
When it stopped selling tickets to the public, in 2024. Its farewell message, quoted by Your Mileage May Vary on August 5, 2024, said it would stop selling on CheapAir.com. We found no source that gives the last day of bitcoin payments before that.
Is CheapAir still in business?
Not as a booking site for the public. CheapAir stopped selling tickets on CheapAir.com in 2024 to focus on business travel, per its farewell message quoted by Your Mileage May Vary. In June 2024, AmTrav, the business-travel company of its owners, announced its sale to TravelPerk. On October 12, 2026, cheapair.com redirected to cheapoair.com, a different travel site.
Is CheapOair the same company as CheapAir?
No. CheapOair is a separate travel site run by another company. Since the closure, cheapair.com redirects to it, as we checked on October 12, 2026. A redirect does not mean that CheapOair took over CheapAir's bitcoin payments. We have not checked its payment options.
Can I get help with an old CheapAir booking?
In August 2024, CheapAir's farewell message told customers with bookings that need changes or cancellations to contact the CheapAir team by email. We can't help with those bookings: SatFares has no link with CheapAir. We are a separate company, and we can't see or change bookings made on CheapAir.
Was CheapAir the first travel site to take Bitcoin?
CheapAir said it was. Its farewell message listed "payment via Bitcoin (2013 – 1st in the world)" among its milestones, as quoted by Your Mileage May Vary. We have not checked that claim against other sellers of 2013. Either way, its bitcoin option ended with the consumer site in 2024.
Which sites sell flights for Bitcoin in 2026?
As of October 12, 2026: Laters, Alternative Airlines, Cryptorefills, KryptoMate, Travala, Trip.com (stablecoins only, depending on the market) and SatFares. Cryptorefills excludes on-chain BTC for flights. Each one refunds a crypto payment differently: see the table above. Our offer is included and marked.
Does SatFares accept Bitcoin?
Yes. SatFares accepts BTC on the Bitcoin network, credited after 2 confirmations, plus Bitcoin (BTC), Tether (USDT), USD Coin (USDC), Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), Litecoin (LTC). You top up from $25. No ID upload, no selfie at checkout. Airline ID rules still apply. Your balance is held at checkout and charged only when the airline issues the e-ticket number.
Do airlines take Bitcoin directly instead?
Very few. As of October 12, 2026, airBaltic takes bitcoin through BitPay on GREEN and GREEN plus fares, and Emirates takes Crypto.com Pay from UAE residents paying in dirhams. See the airline crypto index. South African Airways stopped in March 2026, and LOT's bitcoin option of 2015 is not on its payment page today.
Sources (8)
- What happened to CheapAir.com — Your Mileage May Vary (2024-08-05)
- cheapair.com (redirect to cheapoair.com) (checked 2026-10-12)
- Best crypto travel sites — Travorio (checked 2026-10-12)
- Top 12 crypto travel booking sites in 2026 — Polkastarter (checked 2026-10-12)
- Expedia drops cryptocurrency bitcoin as payment option — Travolution
- Laters, pay with USDT — Laters (checked 2026-10-12)
- Alternative Airlines, cryptocurrencies — Alternative Airlines (checked 2026-10-12)
- Cryptorefills, flights — Cryptorefills (checked 2026-10-12)