I had the exact same frustration until I found a direct swap solution. You can now
swap eth to usdt instantly without needing to off-ramp to fiat first. The process takes about 3 steps: enter the amount, provide your receiving wallet address, and send your ETH to the specified address. The rate is locked in at the start so price fluctuations don't affect you, and it works with any wallet. Much cleaner than dealing with bridges or multiple exchanges.