Vodi, a mobile international messaging app, has added bitcoin payment option for digital gift cards, phone minutes and more, facilitated by its integration with bitcoin payment processor BitPay.

James Walpole, Marketing and Communications Specialist at BitPay, made the announcement via blog post.

In addition to offering text, call and video call for free, Vodi allows users to make airtime top-up payments to over 390 mobile phone service providers in 135 countries. These airtime top-up payments can also be made as “gifts” to other Vodi users, enabling families and friends in different countries to transfer credit easily.

The messaging app, available for download on Android and iOS devices, also offers digital gift cards which can be redeemed at checkout through the app. Its eGift Card selection includes over 90 offerings from brands in the US and Mexico (with more countries to come), including eBay, Hotels.com, American Airlines, Regal Entertainment Group, CVS Pharmacy, Sony PlayStation and more.

Users can now get a digital gift card in seconds with a bitcoin payment in the Vodi app and since Vodi is using BitPay to accept payments, users can use any bitcoin wallet to pay.

“Mobile payments are an exciting use case for bitcoin, and gift card and top-up payments have proven to be especially popular with international bitcoin users. We're excited to continue to work with the Vodi team to explore new opportunities for bitcoin in the mobile messaging world”, Walpole said.