Top 10 Crypto Payment Fails Where People Paid With Crypto But Wished They HODLed

Key Takeaways

Bitcoin Pizza Day marks a key day for the crypto market, but also reflects the opportunity missed if Bitcoin had been held.

Buying sushi with BTC seems like a luxury at the time, but it shows a lack of foresight regarding its potential.

Different instances of spending BTC and other crypto assets show the power of hodling these digital assets.

Over the past decades, the cryptocurrency industry has seen incredible transformation and growth. It has gained much attention in the mainstream, with Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, and Solana attracting institutional investors.

Before such growth in the crypto market, many early adopters of Bitcoin and other crypto assets had the opportunity to hodl. Still, they gave in to making purchases or swapping for fiat currencies due to their little value in their early years.

Due to poor financial foresight or the potential of these digital assets, many used them as a means of payment, although it seemed significant at the time. However, they never envisaged the potential these assets possessed, especially Bitcoin.

Let’s explore the top 10 crypto payment fails where people spent crypto that would now be worth millions, if only they had HODLed.

10 Painful Crypto Purchases That Make You Wish They’d HODLed

1. Laszlo Hanyecz the $500 Million Pizza Purchase

In 2010, Laszlo Hanyecz made history when he purchased Papa John’s pizzas for 10,000 Bitcoin (BTC), which was worth around $41 at the time. These events marked a key use of Bitcoin globally, and they were celebrated as Bitcoin Pizza Day on May 22.

If Laszlo Hanyecz had held his Bitcoin, it would have been worth over $1.05 billion today, as the price of BTC is trading around $105,000 as this article is being written.

This is an iconic example that many crypto traders and investors would have said, “I should have Hodled.”

2. Tesla’s for Bitcoin Experiment

Back in 2021, a man offered Tesla 91.4 BTC in a dealership to buy the Tesla S model, which was in demand at the time. However, due to emerging designs and technology, the car would have depreciated, and the BTC accepted by Tesla would have been worth over $9.5 million.

Tesla also briefly accepted BTC payment in a pivot phase for the Tesla Model 3, but later ended it due to market uncertainty. This saved its customers in a short time, but in the long term, it would have made Tesla billions of dollars.

3. 5k BTC for a Bar Tab

Once in a London nightclub, 5,000 BTC was accepted as payment for drinking and bottle service at the club. Although the bill would have been huge in fiat, at the current market insight, it is an extravagant payment worth over $525 million, as the current market value of BTC is $105,000.

4. 1 Bitcoin for iPhone 4

In 2011, someone offered to pay 1 BTC for an iPhone 4, which at the time was worth the equivalent of an iPhone. While Apple products have a good resale value, and Apple phones have seen many designs that have caught the eyes of many, the 1 BTC is worth over $100,000 today, while the iPhone 4 has become an antique or non-existent.

5. Private Jet Rental For 1k Ethereum

In 2016, a traveler offered to pay 1,000 ETH for a private jet at the price of $10 per ETH, which was $10,000 for a private jet. Fast-forward to 2025, and this value has seen astronomical growth to the region of $2.5 million, which would buy a private jet.

6. A Wood Cabin for 800 BTC

In 2014, a man in Canada was rumoured to have bought a remote cabin for 800 BTC. This deal seemed fair at the time, when the value of BTC was under $500 when the transaction was made. Today, the value has rallied by over $84 million for a remote cabin in the woods for 11 years.

7. 10 BTC for a Sushi plate

Back in 2013, a restaurant in Tokyo accepted Bitcoin for sushi. A customer was reported to have paid 10 BTC for a luxurious meal, a meal that is now worth $1.05 million for a sushi plate at a price of $105k per BTC.

8. ENS Domain Name for 100 ETH

2017 saw a breakout in Ethereum name services (ENS). A startup bought a premium domain for 100 ETH, which, when calculated at the current price, is over $250,000.

9. Gaming PC for 15 BTC

A gamer purchased a top-of-the-line PC rig for 15 BTC in 2011, given its current value of over $1.5 million for a gaming setup.

10. Travel Booking with Crypto

In 2018, travel platforms like Traval accepted crypto payments for travel bookings, with users spending 1 BTC valued at around $6,000. Users who spent their BTC during this period on vacations missed the opportunity to see their BTC hit $100k per BTC token in unrealized gains.