The deal: Switch your NiceHash payout to USDT and your pool fee drops from ~2% to as low as 1.00% (tiered by hashrate), while your revenue lands in stable dollars. BlockOps makes the change for you, no downtime.
Why We’re Writing This
NiceHash now offers payouts in USDT, a dollar-pegged stablecoin, as well as Bitcoin. Many BlockOps customers pay 2% or more in pool fees today; switching drops that to as low as 1.00%, tiered by hashrate. We’d rather you make this call with clear eyes than hard sell it, so this article lays out how it works and the trade-offs.
How Mining Payouts Actually Work
NiceHash runs two marketplaces for SHA256 ASIC miners: a BTC Marketplace (paid in Bitcoin) and a USDT Marketplace (paid in Tether). You pick your payout currency by choosing which marketplace your miner connects to. The process is identical. The only difference is the stratum URL:
- BTC: stratum+tcp://sha256asicboost.auto.nicehash.com:9200
- USDT: stratum+tcp://sha256asicboost-usdt.auto.nicehash.com:9200
No hardware changes, no downtime, nothing changes at the site: BlockOps makes the config change for you. For those unfamiliar, USDT (Tether) is a token designed to always be worth about one US dollar. Tracking works the same either way: rigs still appear in Rig Manager, and History & Stats has a BTC/USDT toggle for workers, hashrate, and payments.
The Case for Switching
- Lower fees. Switching to USDT payouts drops your pool fee on this tiered schedule:
Total hashrate | Discount | Your new fee |
Under 25 PH/s | 13.5% | 1.75% |
25-50 PH/s | 25% | 1.50% |
50-75 PH/s | 37.5% | 1.25% |
Over 75 PH/s | 50% | 1.00% |
Worked example (illustrative): gross $40,000/month at a 2% fee = $800/month to the pool. In the 25-50 PH/s tier at 1.50%, you’d pay $600, about $200/month, or ~$2,400/year, back in your pocket. Run the math on your own revenue and current fee.
- Reduced price fluctuation. This isn’t “consistent payouts.” Your revenue still varies. What you remove is the Bitcoin price swing between earning and spending. If BTC drops 10% the week after payout, a dollar-payout miner doesn’t feel it.
- You can split it. You don’t have to go all-in. If you already convert about half your BTC to dollars each month for electricity, point that portion at the USDT stratum and keep the rest stacking sats.
The Honest Trade-offs
You give up Bitcoin accumulation on whatever you switch. If BTC appreciates, the dollars you took instead of sats miss that upside. Most people mine because they’re long Bitcoin. If that’s you, weigh it seriously.
USDT is a stablecoin, not bank dollars. It’s an IOU backed by Tether’s reserves, designed to stay pegged to the dollar. It’s the largest stablecoin by volume, but it carries issuer risk that bank dollars don’t. Withdraw to your own wallet on your own schedule.
Taxes and accounting. Payouts are income either way. Being paid in dollars may simplify or complicate your books depending on your situation. We’re miners, not tax advisors, so talk to your accountant.
It’s reversible. You can point your miner back at BTC payouts anytime. This is not a one-way door.
Who This Is a Fit For
Covering real dollar costs, electricity, hosting, payroll, every month? Strong fit, at least for a split. Running a business that wants predictable books? Same. Mining purely to stack Bitcoin and never sell? This probably isn’t for you, and that’s fine, a fee discount doesn’t outweigh conviction.
How to Switch
- Email your NiceHash mining address to marketing@tryblockopsmining.com.
- We coordinate with NiceHash to apply your reduced fee and flip your payout to USDT, full amount or a partial split, your call.
- Keep mining. Nothing else changes.
NiceHash’s walkthrough: How to get paid in USDT, NiceHash
Bottom Line
Lower fees and steadier dollars, with real trade-offs on Bitcoin upside, and it’s fully reversible. If your costs are in dollars, it’s worth a look, even as a split. If you’re a pure BTC stacker, keep stacking. Either way, we’re happy to help you think it through.