CardsRelay now accepts PIVX: buy gift cards with PIVX

PIVX is now live at checkout. If you hold PIV, you can spend it on Amazon, Steam, Airbnb and the rest of the catalogue, straight from your wallet.

PIVX is live at checkout

PIVX now sits alongside the other coins on the accepted coins page. That makes 14 coins in all: Monero, Zano and Zcash, then Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, Litecoin, Dash, Dogecoin and PIVX, plus the stablecoins USDT, USDC, DAI and fUSD.

Every product takes it. That is 5,200+ gift cards and mobile top-ups from 2,300+ brands, with nothing to convert first and no exchange in between.

What is PIVX?

PIVX stands for Private Instant Verified Transaction. It launched in January 2016 as Darknet, a code fork of Dash, and took the PIVX name in 2017. If you know Dash, some of it will look familiar: masternodes, a community budget and fast payments.

What sets it apart is the mix:

• Proof of Stake since 2016. PIVX started with mining and moved to Proof of Stake later that year. Holders secure the network by staking their coins.
• A block about every minute. The target block time is 60 seconds, which suits a checkout.
• SHIELD, optional privacy. A shielded payment hides the sender, the receiver and the amount, using zk-SNARKs from Sapling, the protocol first developed for Zcash. PIVX calls SHIELD the first zk-SNARK privacy protocol on a Proof of Stake chain. It went live on mainnet in January 2021. Transparent payments still work, so you choose per payment. CardsRelay takes transparent PIVX payments only, so send from a transparent address.
• Cold staking. Your coins stay in a wallet you control, even offline, while a separate staker earns the rewards. The staker cannot spend them. Move coins out and that part simply stops staking.
• Masternodes and a treasury. A masternode needs 10,000 PIV as collateral. Masternode owners vote on community proposals, one vote per masternode, and the winners are paid from a monthly budget. That is how PIVX funds its own development.

The official wallets are PIVX Core for desktop and MyPIVXWallet in the browser. Both support staking.

How to buy gift cards with PIVX

1. Choose a card from the gift card catalogue, or a mobile top-up.
2. Pick the country and amount. Each card works in its own region.
3. Enter your email. The code goes there.
4. Pay in PIVX. Choose PIVX at checkout and send the exact amount shown, from a transparent PIVX address, before the timer runs out.
5. Get your code by email once the payment confirms, and redeem it on the brand's site or app.

What you can buy with PIVX

Here is a starting point in each category. Values are in each card's own currency, as the site shows them.

Shopping

• Amazon: 20 countries, from USD 5 to 1,000 in the US, GBP 1 to 1,500 in the UK and EUR 1 to 1,400 in Germany. Spend it on the Amazon store of the card's country.
• IKEA: 24 countries, from USD 25 to 500 in the US. Use it online or in store.

Gaming

• Steam: 27 countries, from USD 5 to 200 in the US and EUR 5 to 100 in the EU. Your Steam wallet region must match the card.
• PlayStation Store: 45 countries, from EUR 10 to 250 in Germany. Buy the card for your account's region.

More in game platforms.

Streaming and apps

• Netflix: 12 countries, from USD 15 to 100 in the US and GBP 25 to 200 in the UK.
• Apple Store and iTunes: 30 countries, from USD 2 to 500 in the US, for apps, games and in-app purchases.

Food delivery

• DoorDash: the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, from USD 1 to 2,000 in the US.
• Deliveroo: GBP 5 to 150 in the UK, EUR 15 to 150 in France and AED 25 to 1,000 in the UAE.

More in food delivery.

Travel

• Airbnb: 16 countries, from USD 25 to 500 in the US and GBP 50 to 1,000 in the UK.
• Airalo eSIM Global: USD 5 to 50, one card for mobile data wherever you travel.

Fashion

• Zalando: 20 European countries, from EUR 5 to 200 in Germany.

For a phone plan instead of a card, mobile top-ups take PIVX too.

Things to know before you buy

• Transparent payments only: CardsRelay does not currently accept shielded (SHIELD) PIVX payments. Unshield first, then pay from a transparent address.
• Minimum order: 250 PIVX, so choose a card worth at least that much.
• Region: each card works only in its own country or region. Check it matches your account.
• Single use, no refunds: codes cannot be refunded once revealed, so match the amount to what you plan to spend.
• Validity: some brands set an expiry date, shown on the brand page.
• Online or in store: check the brand page. IKEA cards, for example, work online and in store.
• Just an email: CardsRelay asks only for an email address. Some stores may ask for ID when you spend a card in person.

FAQ

Can I buy gift cards with PIVX on CardsRelay?

Yes. PIVX is a checkout option on every gift card and mobile top-up in the catalogue, 5,200+ products from 2,300+ brands.

What is PIVX?

PIVX is a Proof of Stake cryptocurrency launched in 2016. It makes a block about once a minute and offers optional private payments through SHIELD.

What is PIVX SHIELD?

SHIELD is PIVX's optional privacy layer, built on zk-SNARKs from the Sapling protocol first developed for Zcash. A shielded payment hides the sender, the receiver and the amount. It has been live on mainnet since January 2021.

Can I pay from a SHIELD address?

Not at the moment. CardsRelay accepts transparent PIVX payments only, so move coins to a transparent address before you pay.

Can I keep staking my PIVX while I shop?

Yes, if you use cold staking. Your coins stay in your own wallet and a separate staker earns rewards on them without being able to spend them. Spend what you need and keep the rest staked.

Which other coins does CardsRelay accept?

Monero, Zano and Zcash, plus Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, Litecoin, Dash, Dogecoin, PIVX and the stablecoins USDT, USDC, DAI and fUSD. The full list is on accepted coins, and this guide covers each one.

What do I need to buy a card?

An email address and a PIVX wallet. CardsRelay asks only for an email address. Some stores may ask for ID when you spend a card in person.

Spend your PIV

Pick a card, pay in PIVX and check your inbox. Browse the gift card catalogue, or see how Dash InstantSend works on CardsRelay if you hold both.