You can spend bitcoin in more than 27,000 places in over 70 countries in 2026, according to OpenStreetMap data synced by BTC Map and shown on Anyza Radar. The United States has the most (about 10,700), followed by South Africa, Brazil, El Salvador and Italy. About 8 in 10 of these places take payments over Lightning.
The numbers below were taken from Anyza Radar on 27 October 2026. Radar updates every day, so the live pages always have the current count.
The countries with the most places that accept bitcoin
| Country | Places | With Lightning | Bitcoin ATMs | Cities with the most places |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 10,711 | 9,695 | 660 | Los Angeles, Houston, Charlotte |
| South Africa | 2,752 | 976 | 11 | Cape Town, Pretoria, Sedgefield |
| Brazil | 2,223 | 2,078 | 6 | Rolante, Santo Antônio do Pinhal, São Paulo |
| El Salvador | 1,305 | 1,197 | 22 | San Salvador, Berlín, Santa Ana |
| Italy | 1,062 | 574 | 57 | Rome, Milan, Fornelli |
| Switzerland | 754 | 632 | 62 | Lugano, Zürich, Bern |
| Canada | 723 | 394 | 429 | Vancouver, Toronto, Montréal |
| Germany | 616 | 490 | 0 | Berlin, Dresden, Munich |
| Mexico | 561 | 500 | 31 | Isla Mujeres, San Miguel de Allende, Mérida |
| Costa Rica | 397 | 365 | 6 | Uvita, Tamarindo, San José |
| Spain | 372 | 176 | 116 | Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga |
| United Kingdom | 365 | 312 | 0 | London, Bedford, Nottingham |
| Netherlands | 360 | 311 | 39 | Arnhem, Amsterdam, Zwolle |
| Czechia | 358 | 298 | 75 | Prague, Brno, Šumperk |
| Portugal | 341 | 310 | 0 | Funchal, Lisbon, Porto |
"Places" counts shops, restaurants, services and bitcoin ATMs listed on OpenStreetMap with a bitcoin payment tag. A bitcoin ATM only shows up here if someone mapped it, so the real number of ATMs is higher in some countries.
What stands out
- Lightning is the norm. Across all countries, about 22,000 of the 27,900 places take Lightning. Paying over Lightning settles in seconds and the fee is a fraction of a cent, which is why most shops that start with bitcoin start there.
- Small towns punch above their weight. Rolante, in the south of Brazil, has more places that accept bitcoin (218) than São Paulo. Berlín, a town in El Salvador, is the second city of its country. A local community that teaches shop owners how to receive is usually behind these numbers.
- ATMs are concentrated. Canada and the United States have most of the mapped bitcoin ATMs; Germany, the UK and Portugal have none on the map.
How to find places near you
- Open Anyza Radar and tap Near me, or search for a city.
- Each city has its own page with a map and a list by category, for example food and drink in Rolante. The Money category lists bitcoin ATMs and currency exchange.
- Open a place to see the address, opening hours, which ways of paying it lists (on-chain, Lightning, contactless) and when someone last checked in person that it still accepts bitcoin.
If you paid somewhere, you can tap I paid here on the place page with your Anyza account. It tells the next person that bitcoin still works there.
How paying with bitcoin at a shop works
You pay from your own wallet, straight to the business. There is no card network and no one in between.
- Ask the cashier to pay with bitcoin. Most shops show a QR code on a phone, a tablet or a printed sign.
- Open your wallet and scan the QR code. A Lightning QR usually starts with "lnbc"; an on-chain one is a bitcoin address.
- Check the amount and send. Lightning payments arrive in seconds; on-chain ones can take 10 minutes or more for the first confirmation.
Common questions
Which country has the most places that accept bitcoin?
The United States, with about 10,700 places on the map in October 2026, followed by South Africa (about 2,750) and Brazil (about 2,200). El Salvador, where bitcoin is legal tender, has about 1,300.
Is it better to pay with Lightning or on-chain?
For everyday purchases, Lightning: it is instant and the fee is tiny. On-chain is better for large amounts, but each payment waits for a block and pays a network fee that changes during the day.
How do I know a shop still accepts bitcoin?
Each place on Anyza Radar shows the date of the most recent in-person check recorded on OpenStreetMap and how many people with an Anyza account confirmed a payment there. The more recent the date, the better. If a place stopped accepting bitcoin, anyone can fix it on OpenStreetMap.
Where does the data come from?
From OpenStreetMap, synced through BTC Map every day (ODbL license). Anyza Radar adds pages by country, city and category, the payment confirmations from Anyza accounts and the local bitcoin communities.
Can I add a business that accepts bitcoin?
Yes. Use Add business on Anyza Radar. The place goes to OpenStreetMap, so it appears on every map that uses that data, not only on Radar.
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