... Bitcoin is the single greatest development in payments since the credit card. There is nothing faster, cheaper, or more secure. ...
I'm tired of hearing the same tripe regurgitated.
-Bitcoin is tremendously slow. You aren't new to this, I'm sure you know how long six confirms take.
A CC transaction takes seconds.
So much for "fast."
I don't think you understand how credit cards work. It takes 2-30 days for a credit card to clear, sometimes longer. The retailer receives a promise to pay immediately, but no money. Like checks and the like, identity must be confirmed and that takes at least days. Oh, and because sometimes the identity is fake, you must pay to subsidize the criminals who use the cards also. You don't think that insurance is free do you?
As a consumer, I do not have to wait more than a few seconds to transact via CC. The rest of your reply has nothing to do with speed--the point being addressed--and thus irrelevant.
Compare apples to apples. Transactions appear (unconfirmed) almost instantly. Every time I have made a purchase using bitcoin it goes through virtually instantly - and I can happily go on my way. Confirmations, OTOH, could take up to an hour on average. So instant=instant (consumer), 1 hr=/=2-30 days (merchant).
-A CC transaction costs the consumer zilch. I also get to flyer miles as perks. The argument "the CC fee is already a part of the price" is valid, but opens Bitcoin to an identical one--the miners are compensated for processing transactions with block rewards, currently over 10% BTC market cap per year.
So much for "cheap."
MasterCard did not get rich writing checks, they charge you for using their services. And man are they rich. Where did that money come from? Well the retailer has to pay 3%, and that is passed to you, of course. They also make huge money from interest and a million hidden fees. No thanks. I will control my own money and pay only a fee to the miners. That's fine with me as the price is silly low and they are doing something for me.
Again, as a consumer, I don't care how much credit card companies make--using CC costs me nothing. Re. "hidden fees": Kindly review what you are responding to, the point was addressed.
Yes, there is minimal cost to consumer for BTC, vs no
noticeable cost for a CC. However, there are MANY small businesses that do not (want) to take credit cards due to high fees. They will either encourage you to pay with cash, or simply not accept it for small transaction amounts. So, you are left with cash as the only alternative. Great, if you have it. But you know what? I can always access my bitcoin wallet on my smartphone. And I don't wind up with a heavy pile of coins for change.
Oh, and that 10% "inflation" that you are referring to, is constantly getting smaller. Funny how the purchasing power of BTC has gone up over time (with few exceptions), while the value of a dollar in my pocket has gone down... and down... and down.
-More secure? How much of Bitcoin's market cap was lost to theft/hacks/scams? Start with Mt.Gox.
Bitcoin user has absolutely no recourse when his coin magically vanishes--due to his stupidity or maleficence of others.
CC, on the other hand, offers real buyer protection.
So much for "secure."
How much was lost in bank robberies this year? Are dollars safe?
If people are not safe with money, someone will take it. Is that your point? If so I agree.
Credit cards offer insurance, which is paid for by you and the retailer. That is not protection. Hell I could buy insurance for bitcoin.
Regardless of how CCs accomplish security & how much it costs, this security both exists and is superior to that offered by BTC, which is none. Existent security is what you're attempting to address.
But I'll humor you:
If you buy insurance for Bitcoin, odds are ~95% that you are being ripped off, see: all the "insured" Pirate@40 passthroughs.
Further, your argument is absurd on its face: For insurance to be meaningful, there must be a trusted third party--the very thing Bitcoin was created to avoid.
Again, apples to apples. For bitcoin itself, there were no thefts, hacks or scams. Some businesses and users in the bitcoin world ripped off people - exactly the same way some businesses using dollars or CCs ripped off users. CC numbers are ROUTINELY stolen, and money - well, governments are still trying to come up with a way to make it counterfeit-proof. So the medium is MUCH safer. With Bitcoin, use a multi-signature wallet and most of those other problems go away. Except for user stupidity - nothing there unique to Bitcoin.
The biggest problem Bitcoin has right now is that it is still difficult for most people to use. I will grant that. No different than many other new technologies.
So, is it faster, cheaper and more secure?
Faster - yes.
Cheaper? To merchants, yes, and to everyone else, at the end of the day, yes (though most people won't realize it is saving them money since it's happening behind the scenes).
More secure? Technologically - absolutely.