What is a stablecoin, and should I pay with one instead of bitcoin?

A stablecoin is a crypto token built to track a currency, usually the US dollar, so its value holds steady while your payment confirms.

Pay with USDT or USDC when you want the dollar value you send to stay the same between the quote and the confirmation. Pay with bitcoin when bitcoin is what you already hold: its price can move while the payment confirms, but you skip a swap. Genghis checkout takes both.

By Claudio Cuccovillo, founder of Genghis. Last updated: September 26, 2026.

What is a stablecoin?

A stablecoin is a token designed to keep a steady price against a currency, most often one US dollar.

The two you meet at Genghis checkout are USDT (Tether USD) and USDC (USD Coin). Circle describes USDC as a digital dollar issued by its regulated affiliates, fully reserved and redeemable one to one for US dollars (checked September 25, 2026). The checkout suggests both, together with Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana and Tron.

A stablecoin lives on many networks at once, and each network carries its own copy of the token. Circle says each USDC deployment is a separate token contract, so USDC must travel on the network you selected at checkout. Treat USDT the same way.

How do USDT and USDC differ at Genghis checkout?

Mostly in their networks: USDT runs on ten at our checkout and USDC on nine, as of September 25, 2026.

	USDT	USDC
Networks	Tron, Ethereum, BNB Smart Chain, Solana, Polygon, Arbitrum One, Optimism, Avalanche C-Chain, TON, Celo	Ethereum, BNB Smart Chain, Solana, Base, Polygon, Arbitrum One, Optimism, Avalanche C-Chain, Algorand
Network cost added at checkout	On Tron only	None
Wallet buttons on the payment screen	None on Tron, Optimism, TON or Celo	None on Solana or Algorand
Accepted for refunds	Yes, on Ethereum or BNB Smart Chain	Yes, on Ethereum or BNB Smart Chain

Two details matter for USDC. On BNB Smart Chain it is a bridged token created by a third party, because BNB Smart Chain is not on Circle's list of chains where Circle issues USDC. And there is no USDC on Tron: Circle stopped minting it there on February 21, 2024.

In practice, pick the stablecoin you already hold, on the network it already sits on. Moving it to another network first means one more transfer and one more fee. Step by step: how to pay with USDT and how to pay with USDC.

Why does the coin's price matter while I pay?

Because the value of a volatile coin can change between the quote and the confirmation. The quote holds for about 20 minutes; the rate is not locked.

With USDT or USDC, the dollar value of what you send stays steady in that window. With bitcoin, ether or another coin whose price moves, the value can shift while the network confirms your transfer. If the countdown runs out before you send, the address stays valid: tap "Get a new quote" for the updated amount. Read what to do when the quote expired.

When does paying with bitcoin make sense?

When bitcoin is what you hold and you would rather spend it than swap it first.

No swap: converting bitcoin into a stablecoin before paying adds a step on an exchange. Paying in bitcoin skips it.
The fee does not grow with the order: the Bitcoin network fee depends on the transaction's size in bytes, not on the amount sent, according to bitcoin.org (checked September 25, 2026).
A wallet button on phones: "Open in wallet" opens your wallet app with the Bitcoin transfer filled in.
Time to confirm: Bitcoin blocks come about every ten minutes on average, and a low fee rate can delay confirmation when blocks are full. Your code appears on screen as soon as the payment confirms on the network. How long the confirmation takes depends on the coin.

Genghis takes bitcoin on the Bitcoin network only. Lightning payments are not accepted today. Read how to buy gift cards with Bitcoin.

When is a stablecoin the better choice?

When you want the amount you pay to keep its dollar value, or when you already hold dollars in crypto.

Steady value: the amount does not drift while the payment confirms.
Many networks: ten for USDT and nine for USDC, so you can usually pay from the network you already use.
Same coin as refunds: refunds are paid in USDT or USDC (ERC-20 or BEP-20) or as Genghis Points, 1 to 3 business days after approval.

One catch: the network fee is paid in the network's own coin, not in the stablecoin, according to Circle's developer documentation. Keep a little ETH next to USDC on Ethereum, SOL on Solana, or TRX next to USDT on Tron. Read what network fees are and who pays them.

Which stablecoin network should I pick?

The one your stablecoin is already on. Genghis cannot move it from one network to another for you.

Exchanges often label Tron, Ethereum and BNB Smart Chain as TRC20, ERC20 and BEP20. Addresses on Ethereum, BNB Smart Chain, Base, Polygon and the other Ethereum-style networks all start with 0x, so the address does not tell you the network: the network you select in your wallet does. A transfer on the wrong network can be lost. Read what happens when crypto goes to the wrong network and which coins let you connect your wallet.