You can trade many different cryptos for it on the Bitshares dex, either through Bitshares or Openledger. I think it is now also on a few Asian exchanges. Outside of a handful of cryptos (BTC LTC ETH STEEM BTS EOS, maybe a few more) volume is pretty low but I think that will get better.
You can also use BTS as collateral to borrow bitUSD with no interest. This is how bitUSD is created so it is always backed at least 2:1 with collateral (enforced by smart contract).
Personally I am not comfortable holding Tether except for very short term. There is enough smoke out there about Tether that I am concerned it could collapse anytime.
If you create your Bitshares or Openledger as a local wallet, it is also safer than centralized exchanges, if not as safe as a hardware wallet or cold storage.
Thanks