Expedia announced on Wednesday that it will accept Bitcoins for hotel reservations starting immediately. The company joins other large companies such as Overstock.com and Dish Networks in accepting the currency, propelling the cryptocurrency further into the mainstream.
Users are offered the option to pay with Bitcoin once they hit the "Book" button. As shown in the screenshot below, there is now a "Bitcoin" tab next to the PayPal tab and the credit card tab, though the credit card tab remains the default view.
Like Dish, Expedia is partnering with online wallet Coinbase to conduct the transactions. The price of the transaction is quoted in U.S. dollars, and users paying with Bitcoin pay based on the spot price of Bitcoin at that moment. Coinbase immediately converts the Bitcoins into U.S. dollars, and that's what Expedia receives. This arrangement isolates Expedia from the volatility of Bitcoin's price.
If you're interested in getting Bitcoins, check out my guide to Bitcoin faucets.