It’s hard to believe but it’s quite easy to learn how to buy bitcoins online because there are so many options. This simple bitcoin guide will tell you how to buy bitcoins online, so keep reading!
How long have BTC been around? In 2009, when bitcoin worth approximately $0.0001, would you have turn money into bitcoins? Those that are now rich off from transactions with BTC as the value grew over the years with staggering speed.
The incredible infrastructure and growing number of both traders and businesses working with BTC have pushed it towards global recognition. Being the first cryptocurrency, many people jumped the wagon and started to either invest or mine bitcoins, while businesses offered large discounts for their services and products if you bought them with digital money.
Add to that decentralized nature and you can have an idea what made bitcoins very popular globally. Buying bitcoins can be confusing when you are a starter and do not know where, when and how to buy them. This article will show you how to purchase bitcoins easily, cheaply and above all, safely.
The tutorial will also list number of exchanges and present you their pros, cons, fees, and methods of purchases that they accept.
Table of Contents
Best Ways to Get Bitcoins
How to put money on bitcoin? To get started, you first need to know what purchasing methods are available for you and which ones are the best to use. So here are few factors that can determine what method of purchase would be the most suitable for you:
- what you are most comfortable with?
- what exchangers are available for your region?
- what payment methods are accepted by available exchange brokers?
We cannot recommend a single way to use as each payment method has its own specifics that you should be aware of before you use it to get BTC. The methods that we shall cover in this tutorial are:
- bank card;
- bank transfers;
- PayPal;
- cash;
- through ATM machine purchases.
As for the exchange brokers, there are two main types, them being peer-to-peer (P2P) platforms and regular brokers. The P2P market represents a single space where traders buy and sell bitcoins between each other, while brokers offer BTC to you directly. This article shall give you tips on how to find the optimal solution when choosing exchanges to get BTC from and how to protect yourself from frauds and scams.
Little Introduction
Who are we? We are investment professionals, specialized in bitcoin trading, and we are here to help you buy bitcoins easily, instantly and safely. Through knowledge of bitcoin markets and constant investigation of news surrounding the BTC, we supply our customers with vital information that would help them make a profit from BTC trading.
We follow new trends, events, and breakthroughs in the bitcoin markets so we could provide the necessary decision-making tools for our clients. You are welcome to check our website buybitcoincard.com for more step-by-step guides and news on bitcoin.
Reasons of Bitcoin Popularity
Why do people buy BTC? There are several reasons why bitcoin became so popular globally. First is that no one controls the digital currency and not a single entity can dictate its value. Bitcoin value is completely dependent on the market trends thus the price is not equally set in all trading centers. Rather, it behaves like an asset which you could sell and buy for whatever price you think is fair.
Another reason for its popularity is the highly fluctuating price. As bitcoin sees growth in the long run, daily fluctuations are sometimes very large and often, thus leaving space for investors to buy the currency cheap and then sell it more expensive once the price goes up again.
Last reason is the ability to purchase bitcoins completely anonymously. You can buy BTC without verification and without ID, leaving only your email and bitcoin address from the warmth of your home.
Value of BTC
When to buy bitcoins? The beauty of bitcoin value change is on its frequency and its non-centralized nature. The price is not the same in two exchange websites and it changes from minute to minute. What’s more interesting, is the fact that, in the long run, its value is rapidly growing, thus if you buy bitcoin today, you would definitely have a chance to sell it for a higher price fairly soon (in 1-2 years).
The price charts that exist on the internet would give you a good indication of where the bitcoin is headed to. Also, follow closely news and events that could impact its value.
BTC Exchanges and Traders List
There are many traders and exchange platforms that offer bitcoins for sale and help you make money with bitcoin. We have compiled a small list of these brokers and platforms that you can check out, though it would be recommended you to search for even more brokers as to gain more ground to where you can trade with bitcoins.
Of P2P platforms, the most famous are Paxful and LocalBitcoins. In these websites, you can trade bitcoins with fellow traders that could be near your location or if they accept your preferred purchase method.
The most famous bitcoin exchanges from whom you could purchase bitcoins are Coinbase, Coinmama, Wall of Coins, VirWox, LibertyX, Bitit and many others. What differentiates them is the availability of their services, bitcoin prices, limitations, verification level requested and methods of payment accepted.
Get Bitcoins Privately
Is it possible to get bitcoins anonymously and with no verification? Yes, it is if you do one of the things we would propose for you. Firstly, you can purchase bitcoins privately from ATM machines. Just head over to the nearest ATM machine and buy bitcoins directly.
Secondly, you can head over to P2P platform and find a trader that would not ask you to verify your account and sell your bitcoins. Make sure you do work with people that can be trusted, so you don’t lose both funds and BTC in the process.
Thirdly, you could purchase bitcoins from brokers that do not require full verification, such as VirWox, or from multiple exchanges that offer low limitations on the purchase volume.
When Will You Receive Your BTC?
The time it takes for BTC to arrive at your bitcoin wallet depends on the purchase method used. If you are buying bitcoins with credit or debit card, the transaction would be carried out instantly. With PayPal, it would take about an hour to verify your PayPal account and then the transaction would be carried out immediately.
On the other hand, to transfer from bank account takes the longest, as they need from two to five business days to reach sellers account. Once the funds have been received, the seller would release bitcoins to your BTC address.
Bitcoin: Scam Sites and Minings
Making money with bitcoin does attract a lot of unwanted attention. Since bitcoin became very popular globally, various scam sites and fraudulent schemes came forth. The number of scam platforms that would offer you BTC cheap but would only take your money, in the end, is growing. The bitcoin community has put out various lists of these websites and traders so regularly check them out and see if the website is real or fake.
Miners around the world now have to invest on average $10,000 to start operations, while mining itself might not be the most secure way to get bitcoins due to potential hacking incidents.
Bitcoin Transfer Fees
The bitcoin transfer (also called transaction) fees vary from exchanger to exchanger and from purchase method to method. The cheapest fees are the bank transfers, ranging from 0.1% to 2% due to their duration of funds transfer.
Credit/debit card purchases would cost between 2% and 7%, while PayPal transaction fees cost between 6% and 10%. A P2P transaction costs only 1% in most of the platforms. Each exchanger offers different transaction fees, based on the currency used to get BTC and on their quality of service.
Payment with Bitcoin
How to change perfect money? Various online shopping platforms now offer purchases with bitcoins and with a good discount as well. These businesses, as they try to grow their operations, count on the growing value of BTC to make larger profit margins and are thus engaged in gaining your attention through competitive price list of their products and services.
You could also buy stocks in some PM exchange websites and to do so, we have devoted a special section of this article for such type of investment.
Secure Your BTC – Create Wallet
What is the best BTC wallet? BTC wallet online, although comfortable to have, is not the most secure way to receive and protect your bitcoins. Various traders’ accounts have been hacked, and their stashes lost due to the lack of protection in various websites that offer such services, so you are advised to get a physical wallet that you can control and install sufficient software protection.
The most used wallets are hardware, USB/computer, and paper wallets.
How to Buy Bitcoins?
As mentioned before, you could purchase bitcoins in several ways:
- credit or debit card;
- virtual credit card (VCC);
- ATM machine;
- cash (person-to-person);
- PayPal;
- WebMoney.
You would need to check the exchange that you wish to purchase BTC from on whether they are servicing your area and what payment methods are accepted. Next step would be to check their transaction fees and limitations and from there you can have an idea what broker is more suitable for your trading goals.
Where Can You Buy Bitcoins?
Where to buy bitcoins? There are four places that offer bitcoins for purchase that you can use. The first is exchange broker websites who offer the direct sale of bitcoins to their clients. These brokers have a wide range of payment methods that you can choose to work with. The main three issues with these exchanges are the potentially high transaction fees, complex verification process, and low limitations.
P2P platforms offer an opportunity to purchase BTC anonymously as you trade with investors like yourself. The issue with this approach is the security of the transaction, as the trader could be a scammer, requesting your funds without releasing the bitcoins to your wallet.
Buy Bitcoins Instantly with Credit Card
Credit card purchases are offered in a variety of exchanges and they are instantly carried out. The fees could also be considered as low compared to other ways, while manufacturers of the credit cards offer protection mechanisms that would ensure safe transaction experience.
The main credit cards that you can ask from your local bank are the Visa, MasterCard and Maestro credit cards.
Purchase BTC with Virtual Credit Card
Can you buy bitcoin with credit card? The virtual credit card has a very useful purpose when purchasing online; it offers a protection of your funds by not being connected with your bank account. If you do not trust the broker, you can test him by purchasing bitcoins with VCC.
The card could be used for one partner and for one transaction only, so make sure the funds you put in there are small. You are only testing the seller after all.
Visa
The Visa credit card offers a unique protection system for your transactions, called 3D card protection. The two-way authentication of your purchase would ensure that card cannot be used if stolen, as you would need to verify your action through your phone.
The feature is universally available now, so register your account in Verified by VISA program and purchase bitcoins safely.
MasterCard
MasterCard also offers the two-way authentication program to its users but, in our opinion, another feature is also worth to be mentioned. If you have obtained the higher level of benefits of the MasterCard, you would get the price protection for 60 days.
It means that within 24 hours of the last purchase, the bitcoin price that has been imposed on you cannot change, or the MasterCard manufacturer (or partner, depending on their agreements) would refund the difference in price.
Maestro
With this card, you can basically purchase bitcoins in the same way as with other credit cards. Make sure you do get a credit card, not a prepaid Maestro; as such variant would be available only in bitcoin stores (done in person), where they have terminals for prepaid cards. Many exchangers do not accept prepaid card payments due to the length of payment transfer.
Bitcoins with Debit Card
The manufacturers, such as MasterCard, Visa, and Maestro also offer debit cards as a method of online payments. There is no significant difference in purchase experience between credit and debit cards, as many exchangers offer both debit and credit cards in the same section.
All you would have to do in is to enter your details the same way you would for a credit card while the fees stand the same as with the credit cards.
Buying Bitcoin with PayPal
How to convert bitcoin to PayPal? If you want to use your PayPal account for buying bitcoins, there are several places that you can find to do so. The most popular exchange for PayPal purchases is the VirWox. Although not considered as a strictly BTC exchanger, the VirWox offers PayPal purchases through Second Life Lindens (used in a virtual world called Second Life).
Once you have deposited your funds from PayPal, you can purchase the SLLs and then with them, the BTC.
Other exchangers that offer the PayPal payment method are Wirex, LocalBitcoins, Paxful, Cryptonit, and Coinbase (sell bitcoins to PayPal only).
Buying BTC with Cash
Cash out purchases are available in most of the exchanges, while the prime place to use this method of purchase is with ATM machines, local store visits (LibertyX), and P2P platforms (LocalBitcoins). The cash purchases are also offered by some brokers though you would need to order bitcoins through their website and then head towards the nearest bank to you.
Apart from ATMs and stores, you can also buy BTC for cash from traders in P2P, though make sure you have someone with you if you are meeting with a trader.
Bitcoin ATM – How to Find?
How to find ATM machines near me? You can use a website called “Coin ATM Radar” map, and find the nearest locations from you.
As you click on the desired pin, you will find information like working hours, bitcoin price, transaction fees and many other details that could be of your interest.
Keep in mind, although considered to be the easiest way to buy bitcoins, ATM purchasing carries high transaction fees as well and the supply is not always stable.
Buy Bitcoin with Bank Account
Bank account transfers are the cheapest method of buying bitcoins but also the lengthiest. Since the fees are so low, most of the brokers would require you to fully verify your account, including ID, proof of address and a selfie of you holding both documents.
Most of the brokers accept this method, and the most used bank transfers are ACH for the USA, SEPA for EU and SWIFT for almost all regions of the world.
How Else to Get BTC?
How to earn online BTC? There are several ways that you can use to get bitcoins apart from buying them:
- you can use faucets to earn them for free;
- you can mine bitcoins;
- you can accept BTC payments for your services and products;
- you can exchange other altcoins with BTC if you have them;
- you can lend funds to businesses and ask for interest to be paid in bitcoins.
Bitcoins FAQ
Are BTCs Illegal?
Are bitcoins safe and how is bitcoin secure? Buying bitcoins could be illegal depending on where you live. The regions that have officially forbidden the BTC transactions are Bolivia, Ecuador, Kyrgyzstan, and Bangladesh, so if you are located in one of those countries, trading with BTC would pose multiple risks until they legalize it.
Am I Anonymous When I Buy Bitcoins?
Are bitcoins anonymous? Depends on the purchase method and from whom you are buying bitcoins. ATM machine and store purchases are completely anonymous as you need no ID when purchasing BTC. P2P platforms are also a good place to buy bitcoins privately, as there are traders who would accept to work with unverified accounts. Some exchanges would also allow you to make anonymous online purchases but with either high fees and/or low purchase limitations.
All other methods would require verification process to be conducted, which would involve your scanned ID, proof of address and a photo of you holding these documents.
Should I Create a Bitcoin Account?
To get bitcoins, you need a wallet account, a long series of letters and numbers where your bitcoins could be stashed. Without such account, you would not be able to receive them as they have to end up somewhere after you purchase them.
Secondly, all brokers and P2P platforms track their clients, getting a lot of information about the trade and bitcoin movements. The information that would be required from you is usually small and simple, just your email, first name, last name and username.
Successful Time to Buy Bitcoins
Bitcoin is a currency that fluctuates frequently with its price changing from hour to hour drastically. It leaves an open space for traders to buy it cheap and then sell it more expensive later on.
This is where your price charts and event tracking activities come to help, as you need to identify the times when the price will go down. Track bitcoin community regularly, as well many exchanges to see what is going on in the market.
Can You Buy a Partial Bitcoin?
Can you buy a fraction of bitcoin? Buying bitcoins does not need to be done through whole numbers as these could be very expensive for most people. Buying fractions of bitcoin is a good start and a possible thing to do. The smallest bitcoin unit is called “satoshi” and it is expressed in a value of 0.000000001 BTC.
Other units of bitcoin are mBTC, which is valued at 0.001 bitcoins and uBTC which is valued at 0.0000001 bitcoin but you can also buy a half of BTC or a pool of 5 or 6 bitcoins if you have funds.
Bitcoins: Buy or Mine?
How long does it take to mine a bitcoin and what is better: mine or buy? Apart from purchasing, bitcoins could be earned through mining. Using your computer, you can solve complex mathematical problems and earn bitcoins in return. The issue with these mathematical problems is that they grow in complexity over time and currently, you would need several computers with strong graphics cards to do so.
Investments, thus, start at $10,000 if you wish to farm bitcoins. Additionally, you are not able to mine 1 BTC, but rather a stack of 25, meaning it takes quite long time even if you invest heavily in mining. We would recommend you to start purchasing bitcoins first, as they could be bought with minimum $25. This way, you’ll learn about BTC quick and would gain you time to understand the market better.
How Long to Confirm Bitcoin?
The transfer of bitcoins from seller’s account towards your wallet can take from 5 minutes to a whole week, depending on the platform used and, more importantly, a method of payment. If buying bitcoins is conducted through credit/debit cards or PayPal, only short time would be needed to confirm the amount of BTC transferred to your account. On the other hand, bank transfers take between a day and five business days.
Do You Need to Pay Any Taxes?
Do you have to pay taxes for bitcoins? Depends on where you are from and what regulations are in place in your region. In the USA, for example, the bitcoins viewed as a trading commodity and are thus subjected to the tax regulations as any other profit-making activity.
Here are some situations by which you would be obliged to pay taxes in America:
- If you have mined BTC and then sold them to a third person.
- If you use BTC that was mined by someone else to buy services/products.
- If you sell BTC that was mined by someone else.
- If you use BTC that was bought from someone to purchase services/products.
Where Can I Sell Bitcoins?
How to profit from bitcoins? After the initial purchase, you need to wait until the price goes up and surpasses the value when you have bought the BTC. Once it does, you have several options open for you:
- you can sell it to a trader in P2P platforms such as LocalBitcoins or Paxful;
- you can sell it to brokers that are also engaged in buying and selling activities such as Coinbase;
- you can sell it directly to a trader or business that you know and trust.
Can Anyone Get BTC?
If you are older than 18 and have some funds, no matter how small they are, you are eligible to buy bitcoins worldwide (banned counties). Also, these funds do not need to be huge to start, as you can get BTC for as little as $5.
How to Profit with Bitcoin?
As BTC fluctuate regularly and sometimes by a huge margin, all you have to do is to wait until the value hits low. Then purchase a number of bitcoins you wish and store them in your wallet.
Next step requires tracking and patience, as you need to wait until the value goes up and surpasses the value that you have bought BTC for. As soon as you are satisfied with the price difference, sell it to the highest bidder to maximize your profit margins. Make sure you have calculated all fees beforehand, to make sure you do make a profit after all.
Can I Buy Bitcoin Stock?
Does bitcoin have a stock and is bitcoin a stock? Although bitcoin is expressed in fractions, it is not a stock. 1 BTC can be owned only by you and no one else.
Can you buy stock in bitcoin? Yes, you can since there are brokers specialized in such trade, an exchange like 1Broker, which would allow you to access many stock markets and purchase stocks with bitcoins.
Bitcoin Popularity in China
Is bitcoin legal in China? There have not been any direct actions from the Chinese government bodies, though they have mentioned BTC several times in the past. As it is, it is quite legal to purchase, mine, sell and use bitcoins if you are from China.
Since markets are heavily controlled by the Chinese authorities, bitcoin’s freedom comes as a breath of fresh air and made bitcoin popular in China, since all the profits could be kept by trading. The only real limitation is the year-set limit of how much BTC you can purchase, standing at 350,000 Yuan (approx. $50,000).
About Multiple Exchanges
Multiple exchange trading has few benefits that you need to be aware of. The first benefit is the purchase limitation avoidance, as you could combine bought volumes from several brokers, instead of trading with only one.
Another benefit would be the market exposure, as you would become familiar with bitcoin price trends more accurately. The last benefit is a chance to catch good BTC price for a purchase that would have otherwise been unattainable if you worked with only one broker or trader.
Where to Get Physical Bitcoin?
How can I get bitcoins that are physical? Apart from online purchasing, you could also buy physical bitcoins since some businesses do produce the coins that could be traded for online balance. The main idea behind the physical coin is to buy it cheaper now and then sell it more expensive later as the value grows even faster than online BTC.
Trouble is many businesses that have opened their operations have been tackled down by government bodies, as it is too close to money production at home, which the only country has the right to do. The most famous examples are Casascius and Alitin Mint. Thus, we would strongly recommend you to stay off that road for your own safety.
How Can You Get BTC Besides Buying?
Other than purchasing, you can get bitcoins by:
- earning them through faucets;
- accept payments in bitcoins for your products and services;
- offer loans while requesting bitcoins as interest payments;
- mine BTC.
Bitcoin Issues: Avoid Scam
Find Out Reviews
Before you send money to any broker or trader, make sure they are not in scamming lists or that they do not have negative reviews in other sites. Brokers that are established will not try for tricks, while new players might turn out to be a fraud. The same goes with traders, except you can directly communicate with them and confirm all details before the trade itself.
You Should Always Use Escrow
Whatever you do, make sure the other side (and you yourself as well) use escrow service. The main aim of the escrow is for a neutral party to hold bitcoins while funds travel from you to a seller. Without the escrow, you would be at the mercy of a seller who just might decide that holding bitcoins while receiving money from you is not such a bad idea after all.
Don’t Trust Altcoins
Many digital coins have tried to copy BTC’s success and failed to do so. They rise in value fairly quickly while being very cheap at the beginning, making them quite interesting for traders. But after a short time, they would simply disappear since they lack infrastructure that would help sustain these altcoins, resulting in your lost money.
BTC Security Issues
Apart from scams and frauds, a big issue is hacking attacks on your personal computer or online account or attacks on large exchanges such as Coinbase or LocalBitcoins. It has happened before and many traders have lost both bitcoins and funds as a consequence. Keep an eye on these events, as they would tell you how strong exchange’s security is, and how customer-friendly these brokers really are when such situation occurs.
Best BTC Wallets
If you want to secure your BTC better, use one of the wallets below:
- paper BTC wallets (cheap to have but is not unlimited);
- Bitcoin USB wallets (on KeepKey USB wallet you have better protection, could be carried with you and could be used online and offline);
- hardware BTC wallets (the best protection with anti-hacking software installed but more expensive than other options).
Hardware Bitcoin Wallet
The best place to secure your BTC is to purchase hardware wallets as they come with sophisticated protection programs and could be used offline and online. They could be carried around with you and are easy to use; giving you both comfort and protection you need when purchasing bitcoins.
BTC by Countries
BTC in Japan
The bitFlyer is one of the largest bitcoin providers in the world and is Japanese based, offering BTC purchase in USD and JPY. The exchange provides very liquidities BTC supply to its customers for a fee of 0.15% if the chosen method of purchase is bank account transfer.
Other well-known exchanges are Coinmama, LocalBitcoins, BTCC, and Coincheck.
Purchase BTC in Nepal and Malaysia
If you are located in Nepal, Harilo would be the best choice for you to purchase bitcoins, offering a wide range of purchase methods, from bank account transfers to bank cards and cash. Other available brokers are as LocalBitcoins, Coins-E, and CEX,io.
Malaysia belongs to a group of countries that are served by Luno, who is backed by American investors. The transaction fees range from 1% to 0.5%, depending on the volume, with limitations set at 1,000 EUR daily and 62,000 EUR monthly.
Buy BTC in Canada
How to buy bitcoin in Canada? If you live in Canada, visit Coinbase, Canadian Bitcoins (based in Ottawa), Morrex (based in Quebec), and LocalBitcoins to get BTC in Canada.
Two exchanges that are based in Canada also are known for high liquidity and low transaction fees for both bank card and account transfers.
Order BTC in Nigeria
As with Malaysia, Luno serves Nigeria for bitcoin purchasing, offering mostly bank account transfer as a purchase method. The fees also stand from 1% to 0.5%, depending on the volume and limitations are similar to those in Malaysia.
Get Bitcoin in Australia
Australians could get their BTC from Coinbase, CoinJar, BuyaBitcoin, Independent Reserve, Coin Loft, and LocalBitcoins. Many of these brokers offer payments in AUD for a low bank transfer transaction fee (1% in CoinJar) and fast cash payments (4.9% in BuyaBitcoin).
Where Can I Find Bitcoin in China?
Being one of the bitcoin countries, the exchanges that are available in China are BTCC, OKCoin, and Huobi while the good news is that transaction fees are low, standing at 1% for bank transfer and from 3% depending on purchase method.
Purchase Bitcoins in India
If you are based in India, you can purchase bitcoins from brokers that are considered to have one of the lowest bank transfer transaction fees, ranging from 0.1% to maximum 1, depending on the volume you wish to purchase.
The famous brokers there are Unocoin, Zebpay, and Coinsecure.
Bitcoin in UK
Although the United Kingdom Banks are still reluctant to work with bitcoins, you are still able to purchase bitcoins UK with SEPA transfer, expressed in EUR and GBP. The most well-known brokers there are Coinbase, Bitstamp, Coinfloor, CoinCorner, and UK-based QuickBitcoin, while P2P platforms are Bittylicious, BitBargain, Coinfloor Market and CryptoMate.
Buying BTC in Germany Anonymously
You can buy bitcoin in Germany anonymously, there are many brokers that would help you in that matter, them being Coinbase, IndaCoin, Kraken, LocalBitcoins, Bitcoin.de, CoinGate, SpectroCoin and BitPanda. Both EUR and USD transactions are accepted on most of these exchanges.
Bitcoins in Saudi Arabia
If you wish to buy bitcoins from Saudi Arabia, Paxful is the best choice for you, as their kiosk programs are widespread around the country. Apart from LocalBitcoins, BitOasis site is the largest bitcoin distributor in Arabian Peninsula, capable of providing large amounts of BTC to be traded.
Ways to Earn Bitcoins
How to get paid in bitcoin? Apart from purchasing BTC, earning bitcoins is possible through several ways:
- earn them through faucets;
- sell goods and services online for bitcoins;
- lend money to businesses and earn BTC as interest;
- dig BTC through mining.
Free Bitcoin Apps
App for iOS
If you own an iPhone, you can download bitcoin trading platforms from most exchanges through the iTunes or the App Store. These mobile applications like Coinbase or Blockchain are free and would grant you the ability to trade BTC at any place that has internet/Wi-Fi connection.
Android App
The android applications have the similar perks of iOS, except they are meant for smartphone users. Exchangers offer both types of apps at the same time, and the Android apps could be downloaded from Google Play or from brokers directly. Our favorite app is Coinbase, feel free to join it now.
