How I sent a gift from Nigeria to the UK using the Bitnob app.
I’m ashamed to write this but my 2021 Bitnob secret Santa didn’t receive her Christmas present until March 2022. Before you come for me, let me explain…
Bitcoin has come to my rescue several times but this by far tops the list.
It was December 2021 and I was so excited about the Bitnob retreat. We were to meet our secret Santas and give them our Christmas gifts. Akunna, my secret Santa, was going to fly in from the UK.
I had everything ready — the cute gift all wrapped up in shimmery red wrapping complete with a lovely silk pink bow. Literally carried it in my bag every day waiting for the moment to give her the gift, until I found out she was not going to make it.
“Mary, don’t panic. Just breathe” was all I could tell myself.
“It’s no big deal. I’ll just ship it to her. How hard could it be?” So, I got her address from Timi, the People Lead at Bitnob. Sadly, sending my Christmas gift to the UK from Nigeria proved a lot harder than I thought especially with the Christmas season being such a busy period for logistics companies.
“Okay, I guess she won’t be able to get her gift on Christmas Day. A month after Christmas won’t hurt too much, right?” But that one month turned to 3 months and my situation started to become really embarrassing for me.
Christmas is my favourite season of all time and everybody (and I mean everybody) is entitled to a Christmas gift.
While I was contemplating what to do, I remembered how I was able to buy a recharge card voucher on Bitrefill and wondered what other vouchers Bitrefill had. I was in luck! Bitrefill had so many vouchers from the biggest stores in the UK. I scrolled through and there it was — ASOS gift cards!
“I could send Akunna an ASOS gift card as my belated Christmas present so that she can take herself shopping!”
So, I got Akunna’s email, selected the value of the ASOS gift card, and paid for it with my Bitnob app using the lightning network. In a couple of seconds, the ASOS card was all paid for in bitcoin and sent to Akunna.
It was my first time using Bitrefill to send anything overseas and it was amazing how easy it was to use my Bitnob app to pay via lightning.
Moments like this make you start appreciating how bitcoin closes gaps. There I was sending a gift to someone all the way in the UK from Nigeria. I didn’t have to deal with logistic companies, pay a delivery fee, or be afraid that my gift would get damaged or stolen on the way.
Honestly, I wish I knew about this earlier. But I’m glad I can share my ordeal with you. And a huge shoutout to Akunna for allowing me to share this story.
Want to buy a gift card on Bitrefill via the lightning network with Bitnob? Click here to get started.