Why Most Cryptocurrencies Still Don’t Work for Daily Spending
Bitcoin was never meant to buy your coffee. Even though it started the whole crypto movement, its slow transactions and high fees make it impractical for everyday use. If you’ve ever waited 10 minutes for a payment to confirm or paid $5 in fees to send $20, you know why. The real winners for daily spending aren’t the big-name coins everyone talks about-they’re the ones built from the ground up to move money fast, cheap, and reliably.
Solana: The Fastest Option for Coffee, Groceries, and Online Orders
Solana (SOL) is the most practical cryptocurrency for everyday purchases right now. It handles 65,000 transactions per second, and each one costs about $0.00025. That’s less than a penny per transaction, even when the network is busy. Block confirmations happen in under half a second. You can pay for your morning latte and have it confirmed before you even take your first sip.
The real game-changer? Solana Pay. As of June 2025, over 2.1 million merchants on Shopify accept SOL directly. That includes everything from local bakeries to big online retailers. No third-party apps. No complicated QR codes. Just tap, pay, done. In Q2 2025, Solana accounted for 28% of all retail crypto transactions-more than any other coin.
But it’s not perfect. Solana had a 3.2-hour outage in early 2025. For most people, that’s a rare hiccup. But if you rely on crypto to pay rent or utilities, downtime matters. Still, the recent Firedancer upgrade (launched June 2025) is expected to boost capacity to over a million transactions per second and cut fees even further. If you want speed and growing merchant support, Solana is the clear leader.
XRP: Built for Banks, Now Working Its Way to Your Wallet
XRP doesn’t look like a typical consumer coin. It was designed for banks and financial institutions to move money across borders in seconds. Ripple’s On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) system settles cross-border payments in under 2 seconds with fees of $0.0002. That’s why banks like Santander, RAKBANK, and Commonwealth Bank of Australia use it.
But here’s the twist: XRP is slowly becoming usable for everyday spending. The April 2025 Hook V2 upgrade lets merchants accept XRP directly without intermediaries. You can now pay for groceries or gas with XRP at select retailers in the U.S., Europe, and Southeast Asia. The catch? Only about 1.2 million merchants accept it-most through banking channels, not direct retail.
And there’s a big gotcha: destination tags. Every XRP transaction needs a unique number attached to it. If you forget it, your money vanishes. That’s why 43% of new users mess up their first payment. Third-party wallets like Exodus have simplified this, but it’s still a barrier. XRP’s biggest strength is speed and cost for international transfers-like sending money to family overseas. For buying a sandwich? You’ll need to find a merchant that accepts it, and you’ll still need to remember that tag.
Monero: Privacy First, Convenience Second
If you don’t want anyone tracking what you buy, Monero (XMR) is the only choice. Unlike Bitcoin or Solana, where every transaction is public, Monero hides the sender, receiver, and amount using ring signatures and stealth addresses. Ninety-eight point seven percent of Monero transactions are completely untraceable, according to the Monero Research Lab.
But privacy comes at a cost. Transactions are bigger and slower. They take about 90 seconds to confirm on average-too long for a fast-food line. Fees average $0.015, which is 60 times higher than Solana’s. And only around 1,850 physical stores worldwide accept Monero. Most are crypto-friendly cafes or online vendors focused on privacy.
It’s not for everyone. If you’re paying for your monthly Netflix subscription, Monero is overkill. But if you’re buying medicine, donating to a sensitive cause, or shopping in a country with strict financial surveillance, it’s invaluable. The May 2025 Kovri update cut confirmation times by a third, and the new Monerujo wallet made mobile use easier. Still, it’s a niche tool for a specific need-not a general-purpose payment coin.
What About Stablecoins? The Real Secret to Everyday Crypto Use
Here’s something most people miss: even the best crypto coins struggle with price swings. XRP jumped 14.6% in the first half of 2025. Solana’s price moved over 20% in a single week. If you’re using crypto to pay for groceries, you don’t want to lose 5% of your lunch money because the market dipped.
That’s why stablecoins like USDC are becoming the hidden backbone of daily crypto payments. Circle just integrated USDC with Solana Pay. Ripple now supports USDC on the XRP Ledger. That means you can buy coffee with a coin that’s always worth $1.00, settled in under a second, with near-zero fees. The actual crypto behind the scenes? Doesn’t matter. You’re just spending digital dollars.
For most people, the future isn’t buying coffee with SOL or XRP directly. It’s buying coffee with USDC-backed by Solana’s speed or XRP’s banking network. The crypto is the engine. The stablecoin is the fuel.
Who Should Use What?
- Use Solana if you want the fastest, cheapest way to pay for everyday things-online or in person. It’s the only one with real mass merchant adoption.
- Use XRP if you send money internationally or work with banks. It’s the best for cross-border transfers, but not yet for casual shopping.
- Use Monero if privacy is non-negotiable. You’re sacrificing speed and convenience for anonymity.
- Use USDC on Solana or XRP if you want the best of both worlds: stability + speed + low fees.
What’s Next? The Road to Normal Use
By 2026, Gartner predicts Solana will handle 31% of all consumer crypto payments. XRP will focus on institutional flows but slowly leak into retail. Monero will stay small but steady for privacy seekers. The real winner? The system that hides complexity. You shouldn’t need to know what a destination tag is or how ring signatures work to buy a sandwich.
Wallets are getting smarter. Payment processors are automating conversions. Merchants are adding crypto as just another option-like Apple Pay or Google Pay. The goal isn’t to make everyone a crypto expert. It’s to make paying with crypto as easy as swiping a card.
Right now, Solana is the only one close to that. The rest are either too slow, too expensive, or too niche. But if you’re serious about using crypto daily, start with Solana Pay-and pair it with USDC. Everything else is still a work in progress.
Can I use Bitcoin to buy coffee today?
Technically, yes-but it’s not practical. Bitcoin transactions take 10-60 minutes to confirm and cost $1-$10 in fees. Most coffee shops don’t accept it. Even if they do, the delay and cost make it worse than using cash or a credit card. Stick to payment-focused coins like Solana or XRP if you want to use crypto daily.
Is Solana reliable enough for daily payments?
Solana had a 3.2-hour outage in early 2025, which raised concerns. But since then, the network has stabilized. The new Firedancer validator client, launched in June 2025, is designed to prevent future outages. For most users, the speed and low fees outweigh rare downtime. If you’re using it for small, frequent purchases like groceries or rideshares, it’s the most reliable option available.
Why do I need a destination tag for XRP?
XRP uses destination tags to route payments to the correct account within a single wallet address-especially important for exchanges and businesses that hold many users’ funds. If you forget the tag, your XRP goes to the wallet but can’t be found. It’s like sending a letter without an apartment number. Third-party wallets like Exodus now auto-fill tags for known merchants, but you still need to double-check when sending to new addresses.
Can I use Monero to pay at Amazon or Walmart?
No. Neither Amazon nor Walmart accepts Monero. Only about 1,850 small businesses globally accept it, mostly independent online stores or privacy-focused physical shops. Monero is designed for users who need anonymity, not convenience. For mainstream shopping, stick with Solana Pay or stablecoins.
Should I hold crypto or use it for payments?
If you’re holding crypto to speculate, fine. But if you want to use it for daily spending, avoid volatile coins. Use Solana or XRP to send funds to a stablecoin wallet (like USDC), then spend the stablecoin. That way, you get the speed and low fees of crypto without risking your lunch money to price swings. Most experts agree: stablecoins are the bridge to real-world crypto use.
What wallet should I use for daily crypto payments?
For Solana, use Phantom or Backpack-they’re simple, fast, and integrate directly with Solana Pay. For XRP, Exodus Wallet handles destination tags automatically and supports USDC. For Monero, Monerujo (Android) or Cake Wallet (iOS) are the easiest to use. Avoid complex wallets unless you’re comfortable with advanced settings. The goal is to make payments easy, not technical.
Final Tip: Start Small, Test It Out
Don’t try to switch your entire life to crypto overnight. Download a Solana wallet. Load it with $10 in USDC. Go to a local coffee shop that accepts Solana Pay. Pay for your drink. See how fast it is. If it works, do it again next week. If it doesn’t, try a different merchant. The point isn’t to become a crypto evangelist. It’s to find out if it actually saves you time, money, or hassle. For most people, Solana + USDC does. The rest are still catching up.
