The subject of Bitcoin has come up on several occasions. My experience with it has been a positive one and I accept it. For gentlemen who like the idea of anonymous transactions without cash, there are six Bitcoin ATMs in Boston/Cambridge that are ready to take your cash and give you Bitcoin in return.

The photo below is one I took of the Bitcoin ATM at 450 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge. Next to the machine is the QR code for the Northeast Coeds Bitcoin wallet.

The link below is a website that pinpoints working Bitcoin ATMs worldwide.

Questions? Comments?

Allison

I've never used it, so just asking.  

I could see using bitcoin to pay someone in another country when you would have to pay currency exchange fees, but not to pay someone you are going to be in the same room with.

My hobby phone isn't smart.  My regular phone is smart.  Can I safely and anonymously use a bitcoin wallet on my regular (business, personal, NON-hobby) cell phone for this?

I am guessing:

1. Create a bitcoin wallet on my phone
2. Add the needed amount to my wallet (at that ATM or by other means)
3. Arrive at my destination and either transfer the correct number of roses to my hostess or her agency.

Is that about right?  I do not have to disclose my personal number to my hostess, do I?  Or do I?  

Can I use a dumb phone (hobby phone) to transfer bitcoins using just a plain text message?  "Alison.  Use this code number to complete the transfer of X$ from my account to your account: ######."  

In case you can't tell, I'm a PRE-newbie to this bitcoin stuff

Sort of. Most smartphone apps for Bitcoin suck, so I just use a regular browser or regular computer. There dozens of well-reputed free wallet websites to choose from. I chose coinkite.com which is easy as hell. All you need is an email address. That's it. To fill your wallet, the ATM needs to either a) scan the provided QR code for your wallet which can be printed on paper or displayed as a photo on the screen of your smartphone or b) have you manually type in your wallet address which is my case is: 1ETdf4hp3f1vH6Sqi2LBFU9EMdkytyjycv

After that you just log into your wallet and send a specified dollar amount of Bitcoin to the appropriate address. Done. That's it.

It's buying Bitcoin that can be the hard part. ATMs make it easy (they just gobble your cash) and charge a reasonable fee of around 5%. Buying Bitcoin online is a real mess. It generally involves sending money orders in the mail, Moneygram/Western Union, and even meeting people in public, and other inconvenient avenues, since credit cards are treated like the bubonic plague.
 

I hope others don't mind extending this thread here (Boston, rather than General or other).  I would never transfer funds until I was inside the room, just like an envelope.  (Yeah, I've been NCNSed several times.)

I will not use someone else's desk/lap top computer to sit down and make the transfer in the room.  For all I know, they are keylogging me or who knows what.  Or maybe their computer has been hacked and they don't even know it.  I don't always want to carry my own laptop with me, either.  

For the best "envelope equivalent" experience, is a smartphone bitcoin wallet the only option right now?  

I assume that transfers are instant and that my hostess or her agency can confirm things quickly without killing the mood.  Right?

Thanks for the help, Allison.

reading all this let me see if I get this right, to use Bitcoin,

I have to set up a account on with an email address that is linked to my cellphone.  
I have to get cash from my ATM travel to a Bitcoin ATM  and buy bitcoin and pay a 5% fee for this.
Then I have to log on to the bitcoin website and transfer the money.

So if I have the cash in hand and it's non traceable, why would I got thru all the BS of using Bitcoin

Nobody in their right mind uses credit cards to send or receive money in the companionship business for a multitude of reasons, especially chargebacks and privacy.

A good role for Bitcoin is simply to anonymously send funds in advance to an agency or an independent for things like travel expenses, hotel expenses, and appointment deposits.

These kinds of expenses and deposits are common on the high end of the business and needless to say, not so common on the low end of the business.

My trusted clients generally just add cash for travel and hotels at the time of the meeting. However, for first time clients I generally require a 50% advance depositt and/or hotel funds in advance if they cannot host at their place. That's where Bitcoin comes in handy.

Lastly, Bitcoin also works fine for regular in-person transactions was as well. Transaction time is generally about the same as a debit/credit card (under 60 seconds) and erase the need to carry cash or cards on your person.