- Costco is installing bitcoin ATMs at some stores.
- ATM provider LibertyX operates over 30,000 such machines in the US.
- Bitcoin ATMs have become increasingly common as crypto has entered the mainstream.
Costco is installing bitcoin ATMs in stores across the US, crypto ATM provider LibertyX said in a series of X posts.
A bitcoin ATM is any device that sells bitcoin to customers. LibertyX says it operates more than 30,000 ATMs and retail stores in 44 states.
Costco has some 600 stores nationwide, though it is unclear how many of its locations have the ATMs installed.
A number of social media users shared photos showing what appeared to be the ATMs in Costco locations, and a map on LibertyX’s website shows its ATMs are in Costco warehouses in several states.
As well as in Costco, Georgia-based LibertyX has ATMs in CVS and Walgreens stores across the country.
Costco and LibertyX did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.
A bitcoin transaction using one of the ATMs works by downloading the LibertyX app and creating an account, providing your bitcoin wallet address to generate an order number, and selecting a location to complete the payment with your debit card.
In 2014, LibertyX launched America’s first cash-to-bitcoin kiosk in Boston. A year earlier, the first bitcoin ATM was installed in Vancouver. The ATMs have become increasingly common across the country as crypto has become more mainstream.
President Donald Trump’s election success in November has boosted cryptocurrencies. Formerly a skeptic for years of crypto, Trump criticized bitcoin as “not money” and “highly volatile and based on thin air.”
But during his campaign, he became a staunch supporter of the digital currency, promising to make the US the “crypto capital of the planet.” Before his inauguration, Trump and first lady Melania Trump even launched their own cryptocurrency meme coins — $Trump coin and $Melania coin — respectively.
Although crypto prices fell following Trump’s tariff threats, on Thursday, bitcoin was hovering just below the $100,000 mark, which it broke above for the first time in the aftermath of the election.
