From Declined Cards to Lightning Fast
This week, I tried to buy a new internet domain.
Normally I use SquareSpace (which took over Google Domains), and it always worked just fine. But this time? My payment didn’t go through. Strange, since I’ve been a customer for over two years.
So I double-checked everything:
• Card details? ✔
• Billing address? ✔
• Tried three different cards? ✔✔✔
Still nothing. All payments failed.
The thing is, legacy payments aren’t just “you → merchant.”
There are half a dozen middlemen who can block the transaction at any point:
1. Card issuer (e.g., WISE)
2. Network (e.g., Visa)
3. Payment processor (e.g., Square)
4. Merchant's bank (e.g., Chase)
5. Currency conversion provider
6. The merchant itself (e.g., SquareSpace)
Some mismatch in your address, a suspicious flag, or a system hiccup—and you're locked out.
After wasting far too much time and energy, I gave up and went to a different provider. One that accepted Bitcoin via Lightning Network.
This time, I used a non-custodial Lightning wallet.
✅ No card issuer
✅ No Visa
✅ No bank
Just me → the merchant. And it worked instantly.
It felt like a small miracle. Or more precisely—a glimpse of the future.
It left me with two big questions:
1. What do people without Bitcoin do in this situation?
o Apply for another card and try again?
o Switch providers until one works?
o Or just give up on their idea altogether?
2. Is it just me—or are the wheels starting to fall off the fiat payments wagon?
Picture unrelated. Or... is it? 