Best crypto to use right now?

Yeah LTC has been my default too. One thing worth mentioning — check the receiving wallet before you send, some vendors rotate addresses every order and you don't want to mess up the bitcoin transaction ID reference if you're mixing coins. Also heads up, don't use Coinbase to send directly, they can flag or freeze on crypto-to-vendor transfers. Not worth the hassle when litecoin network fees are basically nothing anyway.

Some vendors also take XMR if you want more privacy

Thanks for the tips! Will try LTC next time

Yeah, LTC is definitely the go-to right now honestly. Compared to BTC, the transaction fees are almost nothing — like, you're looking at a few cents versus sometimes a couple bucks on Bitcoin when the mempool gets clogged. A lot of vendors have swapped their primary payment option to LTC specifically because of that, so you're less likely to get hit with a "minimum order" issue just because fees ate half your payment.

One thing I'd add — don't sleep on the network congestion factor. Even though LTC fees are low now, they can spike during big market moves. Always check the current fee rate before sending; if you're in a hurry, bump it a little to avoid getting stuck. Hidden fees can also sneak up on you if you're buying LTC on an exchange that charges a withdrawal fee or has a minimum withdrawal amount — some exchanges quietly tack on an extra handling fee for crypto transfers, so you'll end up paying more than the actual network fee. Always review the total withdrawal cost before you hit send.

Now for escrow: even if you're paying with LTC, make sure the vendor actually offers escrow for that transaction. A few places still treat crypto payments as "finalize early" (FE) by default, but you should never FE on a first order, no matter how good the price seems. Real escrow holds the coins in a third-party wallet until you confirm delivery, so you're protected if something goes wrong. Some vendors claim escrow but only hold a small percentage — that's a red flag. If you're unsure, just ask on the forum or check the vendor's reputation thread. Any good vendor should be transparent about their escrow policy when using LTC.

Price-wise, LTC sits in a nice sweet spot. Bitcoin fees can eat into smaller orders (think under $50), and while Monero offers better privacy, its adoption is still spotty. LTC is cheap enough for small test orders but still widely accepted for bulk purchases. Just keep an eye on the LTC/BTC exchange rate if you're converting on the fly — sometimes a price jump can make your payment slightly short, so you should round up a little to cover the spread.

I switched to LTC a few months ago. So much faster and cheaper. Highly recommend