AR
Ana R., 29
UX designer · Clients in the US and Canada · Medellín
Getting paid used to be the most stressful part of the job.
Colombian banks are built for domestic transactions.
International wire transfers technically worked, but never cleanly. The exchange rate applied was not the market rate, fees were deducted from both ends, and a $2,000 invoice reliably arrived as something closer to $1,700. She had tried invoicing more to compensate and had clients push back. It was not a sustainable system for anyone involved.
A client in San Francisco suggested USDT as an alternative. She was not immediately convinced but tried it. The full amount arrived. No deductions. She onboarded the next client the same way.
First invoice in USDT
The first invoice settled in USDT confirmed that the full contracted amount could be received without deduction, a result that had not been consistently achievable through conventional international bank transfers in the preceding years of her freelance practice.
Held the balance instead of converting immediately
Rather than converting the received USDT to pesos immediately, she chose to map which of her regular expenses could be met directly from the stablecoin balance, discovering that the list was considerably longer than she had anticipated before attempting it.
Phone topped up from the wallet
Her Claro mobile line is topped up through Cryptorefills with USDT drawn from the same balance that receives her client payments, eliminating one of several small conversion steps that had previously added friction and cost to her monthly expenditure.
Netflix handled from the same place
Her Netflix subscription is maintained through a gift card purchased in USDT, bringing a recurring personal expense into the same payment framework she applies to professional tools and travel.
Travel became a crypto category
Flight and hotel bookings for client visits are now settled from her USDT balance through Cryptorefills, a practice that began with a single trip to Bogotá and has since extended to cover the full travel component of her freelance work without requiring prior conversion.
When income is received and expenditure is settled within the same currency environment, the conversion step and the costs associated with it cease to exist as a feature of professional life. For a designer whose clients are based abroad and whose tools and travel are priced internationally, that consolidation represents a structural improvement rather than a marginal convenience.
Where Ana's crypto spending goes
Rough breakdown by category: expenses handled directly from USDT balance
Travel
30%
Phone and connectivity
25%
Subscriptions
20%
Food delivery
15%
Other
10%
Local groceries, in-person meals, and transport still run through pesos. Anything with an international or digital component now stays in USDT from receipt to payment.
Crypto vs peso: monthly spending split
International and digital expenses handled directly; local life runs in pesos.
Crypto
~55%
Bank / cash
~45%
Rent, groceries, and local transport stay in Colombian pesos for now.
0
conversion losses on client payments since switching to USDT
3+
countries booked as travel from her USDT balance
1
payment method for all international clients
For a freelancer whose income comes from abroad, having a payment method that treats international transfers the same as local ones changes how the work feels, not just how the money moves.
Do the same with your crypto: top up your phone, cover subscriptions, book travel, all from your crypto balance, no conversion needed.
