Exactly! I didn’t even know one could pay anonymously for Tuta with cash until I saw someone mention it in a comment months ago. All I knew was that it was possible to pay anonymously with Monero.
I’M A NEWBIE TO CRYPTO
However, I have never used Monero, and I have never used crypto in my life. I think learning to buy, manage and spend crypto would be challenging for me as I’m a total newbie.
I asked Tuta how I could pay with Monero, and they informed me that they don’t accept direct payments via Monero, but that I could buy a Tuta gift card via the Proxy Store with Monero. This doesn’t alter the fact that I still don’t know how to buy Monero, and that Tuta gave me no directions on how to buy Monero.
CASH IS EASIER
When Tuta said that cash was also an option, I realized it was the best option for me. Because it’s easier, though not necessarily cheaper.
PROTON HAS NO EXCUSE
They should follow Tuta’s example
If this works, if I am able to pay for a Tuta account anonymously with cash, then Proton has no excuse to no not offer the same. When I first heard Andy Yen’s arguments for why they don’t accept Monero as payment method, it made complete sense, and frankly, it still does.
As I mentioned earlier, Tuta also doesn’t accept Monero as payment method. I thought they did. But they actually don’t. However, Tuta sells gift cards, that you can buy via the Proxy Store, their online store partner, and that partner not only accepts Monero, but also cash.
Simple Login is on the Proxy Store!
IMHO, there is no reason why Proton can’t do the same thing. In fact, they already do, to some degree. The Proxy store sells gift cards for various kinds of online services, from different companies, including MullvadVPN, but also, to my surprise, Simple Login!
Although I could be wrong, I suspect that the option to pay for Simple Login anonymously via the Proxy Store predates Proton acquiring them. If Simple Login still sells gift cards via the Proxy Store, Proton can do the same withe the rest of their services.
It bothers me that a paid Proton user is afforded less privacy than a free user, because their payment information is tied to their account, forever.
They wouldn’t be directly tied to Monero
Proton doesn’t accept Monero because it’s too risky for their reputation. Monero is somewhat in legal limbo, some people have gone to jail, so I completely understand why Proton doesn’t want to be among the first “mainstream” companies to accept it as payment.
Following Tuta and Mullvad’s example with the Proxy Store, is not that. They could still publicly say they don’t accept Monero because they wouldn’t.
Cash payments is still an option
And even if Proton has reservations about being indirectly tied to Monero via the Proxy Store, they could still negotiate an agreement with them so that Proton gift cards can only be bought with cash. But the fact that Simple Login vouchers can be bought with Monero and cash via the Proxy suggests the same can be done for other Proton services. Ths is why, IMHO, Proton has no excuse.
Conclusion
I don’t know how long Tuta and Simple login have been partnering with the Proxy Store, but if it’s been a couple of years, that tells me Proton could have done the same instead of developing their own bitcoin wallet. I have nothing against the latter, but if privacy is Proton’s priority, anonymous payments for existing services should have comes first. Especially if it’a little to no risk to their reputations and business.