How to Pay Mexicans with Bitcoin
Partnership with Swapido
Swapido is a platform that allows users to sell Bitcoin and send Mexican pesos (MXN) to bank accounts in Mexico instantly.
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*Swapido currently excludes American Citizens.
If you’re living in Mexico, or just visiting, you’ve probably hit this wall before…
You’ve got Bitcoin.
They want pesos.
No cards. No PayPal. No crypto. Just a “transferencia.”
This could be your:
Airbnb host
Landlord
Barber
Driver (off the app)
Or the taco guy on the corner with a “cash or bank transfer only” sign.
And unless you’ve already got a Mexican bank account (and a local crypto off-ramp set up), your options suck.
You either:
Wait days to convert BTC to fiat
Deal with annoying KYC hoops
Beg friends to help to spot you
Or cash out on an exchange and payi international transfer fees
But here’s a better way…
Swapido
A non-custodial Bitcoin-to-pesos bridge that lets you pay any Mexican with just a CLABE, debit card, or mobile number. You pay in Bitcoin (via Lightning), they get pesos instantly. No bank account required on your end.
How It Works:
Sell BTC via Lightning
The recipient gets pesos in their Mexican bank account or card
Truly simple where are you need are the persons..
18-digit CLABE number
Debit card (any Mexican bank)
Dimo (mobile # linked transfer system)
No custody. No holding your funds. No waiting 48 hours. It’s instant and direct.
How to Use Swapido
Go to Swapido.com and verify your account (takes 2 minutes).
Add your recipient:
Enter their full legal name
CLABE, card number, or Dimo-linked number
Enter how many pesos you want to send
Get a Lightning invoice
Pay from your wallet
Done. The recipient gets pesos in seconds.
I waited a while before posting this so that I could get additional user input, but here are a couple examples.
Paying for housing
In previous articles I’ve mentioned that you can always try to make a deal with your Airbnb host to stay long term. Let’s say you booked your first week in Guadalajara on Airbnb. But now you want to stay two more months—and do a direct deal with the host to skip the Airbnb fees.
He gives you his Banorte CLABE. You open Swapido, send the pesos directly from your BTC wallet, and boom it hits his account instantly.
Cash is always king, but if you can offer a bank transfer right there, you can get a lot of things done.
Another Example
It’s late. You’re hungry. You find a killer taco spot. But they don’t take cards,just cash or bank transfer. Not rare to find thing in a lot of neighborhoods.
Just ask for their CLABE or card number, open Swapido, and pay in BTC. They’ll get a regular bank transfer like it came from any Mexican. They get to save on the fees they would pay using a terminal.
For some odd(but understandable) reason, a lot of events out side of the bubble make ticket purchase sales over bank transfer. This is another case where you use Swapido because no one wants to both, have paperwork for online payments and pay taxes, but also people want the money quick. Helpful if you’re with a group of foreigners…You look like a hero.
Why It’s a Game-Changer for Expats & Nomads
Swapido actually solves a pain points for travelers and expats in Mexico:
✅ No need to open a Mexican bank account
✅ No dependence on your U.S. (or EU) bank
✅ No clunky exchanges or transfer delays
✅ A lot of travelers want some way to spend their crypto.
* Bonus. If you have a Dolarapp Account and Card. You could also use Swapido to send crypto to your card and either spend it yourself, or have a ATM Offramp
Ready to Try It?
👉 Set it up here: https://app.swapido.com/bowtied