Flights paid in crypto: frequently asked questions

SatFares accepts Bitcoin (BTC), Tether (USDT), USD Coin (USDC), Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), Litecoin (LTC). You send them to top up your balance, which is credited in US dollars after the network confirmations. You then book flights from that balance. Each coin has its own guide on pay by coin and network, with the network and the confirmations needed.

Use Tron (TRC-20) or Ethereum (ERC-20), and send only to the address shown for that network. TRC-20 needs 20 confirmations and ERC-20 needs 12. Send USDT on TRC-20 only to the TRC-20 address shown. Funds sent on another network may be lost. See USDT on TRC-20 and USDT on ERC-20.

No. We accept USDC on Ethereum (ERC-20) only, with 12 confirmations. USDC sent on Solana, Base, Polygon or any other network may be lost. If your USDC is on another network, move it to Ethereum first, or pay with another coin. Compare the options in USDT or USDC for flights.

No. We don't accept Monero (XMR) or Bitcoin Lightning. Bitcoin is accepted on the Bitcoin network, with 2 confirmations. The reasons and the alternatives are explained in Lightning and Monero. Choose a coin from the list on pay by coin and network before you send anything.

The minimum top-up is $25, and your balance does not expire. Unused balance stays on your account and never expires. Amounts released when a booking can't be confirmed, or refunded after a cancellation you did not request, can be withdrawn in USDT or USDC; the rest of the balance is not refundable. To book, your balance must cover the full total of the flight for all passengers. The pricing page explains the total and our fee.

Funds sent on the wrong network may be lost. Always check the coin and the network on the payment page before you send. If it happens, write to [email protected] with the transaction ID (TXID), the coin and the network. Recovery is not always possible, so check twice before sending.

Yes. You pay SatFares from a balance topped up with crypto, so no bank card and no bank account are needed on our side. You need a wallet or an exchange account holding one of the accepted coins. Read how to book a flight without a credit card.

Your bank sees only what passes through your bank account. If you bought the crypto with a bank transfer, the bank sees that transfer to the exchange. Blockchain payments are public: this is a private checkout, not anonymity. Paying in crypto may be a taxable event in your country. Details: will my bank see it.

Yes. The airline issues the e-ticket in each traveller's name, with its own booking code and one e-ticket number per passenger. Your flight booking will be bound by the fare rules and Conditions of Carriage of the airline(s). You manage the trip with the airline, for example to check in.

Our team does, on request. After checkout, our team books the ticket with the airline and confirms the final total. If the total is higher than the amount held, you accept it or the amount is released. If the ticket can't be issued in time, the amount is released. Your e-ticket then appears in My trips.

Your balance is charged only when the airline issues the e-ticket number. At checkout the total is held, not charged. A higher final total needs your agreement. If the ticket can't be issued in time, the full amount is released to your balance. The steps and statuses are on how it works.

We don't promise a time. Bookings are made on request: after checkout, our team books the ticket with the airline. Your balance stays held, not charged, while the status is Awaiting ticket. If the ticket can't be issued in time, the full amount is released. When it is issued, the e-ticket appears in My trips.

Yes. Enter a return date in the flight search to see return offers; leave it empty for a one-way flight. The total shown covers all flights and all passengers, taxes included. Baggage and fare rules are confirmed with your booking and shown on your e-ticket. Changes and refunds follow those rules.

You can book full-service and low-cost airlines that our live search finds for your route and dates. This can include Ryanair, Wizz Air, AirAsia and IndiGo, booked on request by our team. Sanctioned airlines are never sold. Flights to or from the United Kingdom are paused. Our airline index shows which airlines accept crypto directly.

Baggage is confirmed with your booking and shown on your e-ticket. Seats are chosen with the airline, where it allows seat selection. Use the airline booking code and your last name on its website or app. Seat and baggage rules are those of the airline, under its Conditions of Carriage.

We tell you through the contact you gave at booking. The airline may cancel or heavily change your flight. If you don't accept another flight, you get a refund in USDT or USDC within 7 days, or a balance credit, as you choose. Read refunds when the airline cancels.

No. There is no ID upload and no selfie at checkout. Airline ID rules still apply: the airline requires the traveller data listed below, and you show your documents at the airport. We never ask for your account number, a passport scan or a selfie by email or chat.

For each traveller: first and last names exactly as in the passport, date of birth and gender. For international trips, also passport details. We also need an email address for each booking, to send the e-ticket, schedule changes and cancellation messages. Our team passes traveller data to the airline only. Full list: what data airlines require.

For international flights, yes: airlines and border authorities require a valid passport, and sometimes a visa. Each traveller is responsible for passport, visa, health and transit documents. For domestic flights, the airline's ID rules apply. We don't check documents; the airline and the airport do.

Only with the airline, to issue the ticket. Our team passes each traveller's data to the airline when it books the ticket. The airline may pass it to border and security authorities when the law requires it. We don't sell personal data. Details are in our privacy policy.

We delete passport details and dates of birth 30 days after the trip. We keep the booking history for 2 years, without passport details or any identity document. Your email address is never published or sold. The airline keeps its own copy under its privacy policy. Details are in our privacy policy.

No. Airlines need each traveller's real name, date of birth and gender, and passport details for international trips. What SatFares offers is a checkout without ID upload or selfie. Blockchain payments are also public: private checkout, not anonymity. Read what data airlines require.

Yes. Before booking, we check traveller names against sanctions lists. A booking that matches a listed person is refused, and the amount is reviewed under the law that applies. We also never sell flights to sanctioned countries or on sanctioned airlines. See sanctions and restrictions.

You get a refund in USDT or USDC within 7 days, or a balance credit, as you choose. This applies when the airline cancels or heavily changes your flight and you don't accept another flight. The refund covers 100% of the ticket, taxes and options, plus any fee of ours. Your legal rights are kept. Read refunds when the airline cancels.

The fare rules of your ticket apply. With a refundable fare, you get the amount refunded by the airline, minus its penalty. With a non-refundable fare, you may get back some taxes. Any refund is credited to your balance. The full table is on refunds.

Only if your fare rules allow it. Changes follow the fare rules of your ticket, and many economy fares can't be changed. Ask [email protected], with the airline booking code, whether your fare can be changed. Nothing is taken from your balance without your agreement. If you expect changes, choose a fare with flexible rules: see flexible tickets.

Not as a general rule. The US 24-hour rule obliges airlines, not ticket agents. Your cancellation follows the fare rules of your ticket. Some fares allow a cancellation without a fee. The fare rules are confirmed with your booking and shown on your e-ticket.

It depends on the case. After a cancellation by the airline, you choose USDT or USDC, or a balance credit. A refund in USDT or USDC goes to an address you give us, which we screen first. After your own cancellation, any refund is a balance credit, under the fare rules.

If the airline cancels and you choose USDT or USDC, the refund is paid within 7 days of your request. If the ticket can't be issued in time, the amount is released to your balance immediately. After your own cancellation, the credit follows as soon as the funds come back from the airline.

A missed flight (no-show) follows the fare rules, which often give nothing back. Any amount the airline returns, such as some taxes, is credited to your balance. If you miss the first flight, the airline may also cancel the return flight. Contact the airline as soon as possible.

Not yet. Flights to or from the United Kingdom are paused at launch. Selling flight-only tickets there needs ATOL arrangements that we have not put in place. Flights sold by SatFares are not ATOL protected. See sanctions and restrictions.

No. Flights sold by SatFares are not ATOL protected. ATOL is a UK protection scheme run by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). This is why flights to or from a country paused at launch (the United Kingdom) are not on sale. Your protections are the airline's Conditions of Carriage, passenger rights and our refund policy.

No. A SatFares booking is not a package: each booking is a single travel service, a flight. EU package travel protection does not apply. We sell nothing else with it and we suggest no other service. Read is this a package?.

No. We only sell flights; each booking is a single travel service. We don't sell hotels, car rentals or tours, and we don't link to sites that sell them. If you need accommodation, you book it separately, with a provider of your choice.

We can't sell flights to, from or within Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Russia, Belarus, Syria, Crimea and the Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine. We also never sell tickets on sanctioned airlines. Flights to or from a country paused at launch (the United Kingdom) are not on sale. The full list, with sources, is on sanctions and restrictions.

Yes, on request, when our live search finds them for your route. You pay from your crypto balance, and our team books the ticket with the airline. Ryanair asks passengers who book through an agent without a commercial agreement to verify their identity with Ryanair. Jet2 flies to and from the United Kingdom, where flights are paused. See low-cost airlines and crypto.

Not from every country. Some countries ban or restrict crypto payments for their residents, and sanctions apply to others. Local tax and exchange rules always apply, and each traveller remains responsible for following the rules of their own country. The sanctions and restrictions tracker lists the rules we know, with sources. For card limits, see the card friction index.

SatFares is operated by TravelGoat LLC (United States). We sell airline tickets paid in crypto, and we publish open data on crypto and air travel. We have no IATA accreditation and no ATOL. More on the about page.

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. Nothing is added at checkout: the total in the search results is the amount held on your balance. The fee rule is on the pricing page and in pricing.json. If it changes, both show the new rule. We don't sell personal data and we don't show paid advertising.

No. SatFares is not IATA accredited and does not claim to be. Our team books each ticket with the airline, and the airline issues it in the traveller's name. We have no registration number to show yet; we will publish real numbers only once we hold them. Facts about the company are on the about page.

Yes. Our indexes are published under the CC BY 4.0 license: you can reuse them if you credit SatFares and link to the source page. Every row has the date of our check and a source. Download the JSON and CSV files on open data.

Write to [email protected], in English. Give your booking code, or the transaction ID (TXID) for a payment question. We never ask for your account number, a passport scan or a selfie. To report an error in our data, use the same address.