Virgin Voyages is the first cruise company to accept Bitcoin (BTC) payments

Virgin Voyages is the first company in the world to accept Bitcoin (BTC) payments for cruise service. The announcement coincided with the launch of the new “Annual Pass” program for 2025. 

Virgin Voyages accepts payments in Bitcoin (BTC) to book a cruise

Virgin Voyages has announced that it will accept Bitcoin (BTC) as a payment option for booking its cruises. This news makes it the first company in the industry worldwide to open up to BTC, and thus to the crypto sector. 

In its blog post, Virgin Voyages announced the launch of its new “Annual Pass” program for 2025. 

Right here it is stated that the company will accept BTC as payment for the new service, with a standard initial cost of 120,000 dollars plus taxes for each individual cruise.

Here is how the text reads:

“How does it work exactly? Annual Pass holders can choose a start date between January and April 2025, and once activated, the pass will be valid for a full year. At the price of 120,000 US dollars, plus taxes and fees, the pass is available on a first-come, first-served basis until March 31, 2025. In addition to this one-of-a-kind adventure, the Annual Pass can also be purchased using Bitcoin. As a groundbreaking industry innovation, Virgin Voyages’ Annual Pass will be the first cruise product to accept a cryptocurrency payment option.”

The present decision to include BTC as a payment to book the annual cruise program could be a strategy by the company to expand its user base, welcoming younger and tech-savvy travelers, or crypto-lovers in general. 

Virgin Voyager and the decision to include Bitcoin as payment for cruises

Virgin Voyager is a cruise company based in Florida (USA), founded in 2014 as a joint venture between the Virgin Group and Bain Capital. 

The fleet of the company, which includes Scarlet Lady, Resilient Lady, and Valiant Lady, offers itineraries designed for a young audience, with shorter Caribbean cruises and exclusive experiences.

Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group, limited himself to commenting on the launch of the Annual Pass, without making any references to the company’s new crypto feature. 

At the moment, therefore, it is not clear if and when the first cruise company in the world to accept BTC will decide to also accept other crypto. What is known is that even in this sector, Bitcoin can make a difference. 

In fact, the choice of Virgin Voyager joins other airlines and hotels that have started to accept payments in cryptocurrency, to take advantage of the growing interest in digital currencies.

Among the most recent news, there is Travala, the native crypto travel platform, which has been integrated into the Skyscanner travel search engine. In this way, travelers can book the 2.2 million hotels by paying with over 100 crypto directly in travel agencies. 

Not only that, in October, even SkyLux Travel, a leading company in the high-end travel sector, started to accept payments in crypto, thanks to the collaboration with Triple A.

The price of BTC

Speaking of BTC, it is necessary to monitor its price which still hovers but does not reach six figures. 

At the time of writing, BTC is worth $96,948, exactly in a pump of +41% compared to 30 days ago, before the USA 2024 presidential elections. 

In fact, it was precisely the victory of Donald Trump as the new President of the USA that kicked off the crypto rally. Bitcoin now aims to reach and, why not, surpass the 100,000$ threshold.

In these days, the news has also leaked that 19,800 BTC of the US government, equivalent to about 2 billion dollars, have been moved. This sum was transferred from a government wallet associated with judicial seizures.