You can redeem Tether USDT 1:1 on tether.to but there’s a catch

The crypto market is in turmoil, and many are looking to cash out of their stablecoins amid unprecedented volatility.
After UST lost its peg earlier this week, USDT is now struggling to retain its dollar peg on several centralized exchanges. Tether claims that USDT can be redeemed at any time on tether.to for $1. However, many users are likely unfamiliar with how to achieve this.
How to redeem on Tether’s website
To redeem Tether for fiat currency, users must go through a few steps before sending it to their bank account. However, there is a big catch that Tether fails to put in its marketing; users have to pay $150 for “verification,” and the minimum transaction amount is $100,000.
Additionally, U.S. citizens must be classified as Eligible Contract Participant to redeem USDT via the website.
U.S. retail investors excluded
Further, the terms and conditions state that U.S. citizens are prohibited from using the tether.to site. Any U.S. person is a customer of Tether Limited rather than Tether International Limited.
Any individual who is a U.S. Person and any entity that is a U.S. Person is prohibited from using the Site or any Services, including but not limited to using a Digital Tokens Wallet on the Site. Exceptions to this policy may be made by Tether, in its sole discretion, for Eligible Contract Participants only, which shall be customers solely of TLTD.
The wording also suggests that the only U.S. parties who can interact with Tether Limited are “Eligible Contract Participants.”
As defined by section 1a(18) of the United States Commodity Exchange Act, this only includes individual investors with more than $10 million, individuals with $1 million net worth, financial institutions, insurance companies, and investment companies.
This appears to be even stricter than the regulations for accredited investors meaning that individuals with an income of at least $200k are also excluded.

Liam first got into crypto by mining Dogecoin after hours at his video production company in 2012. Since then he has become a ‘blockchain maximalist’ and subsequently, a web3 strategic consultant.
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