How To Buy Bitcoin (BTC) Guide

Nikhil Goswami

In recent years, Bitcoin’s (BTC) popularity has skyrocketed. In fact you can find numerous bitcoin casinos sites that allows you to earn money. In 2016, you could get one Bitcoin for about $500; a single Bitcoin was valued at roughly $30,000 in May 2022. That’s an almost 6,000% increase.

As cryptocurrency and blockchain technologies spread into the mainstream, some analysts believe Bitcoin’s price might increase dramatically. However, purchasing Bitcoin entails significant dangers. Along with tremendous increases, BTC has seen terrible losses.

Bitcoin’s value plunged to roughly $3,100 in 2018 after surpassing $20,000 in 2017. Despite some progress, BTC is still a volatile commodity; a single event, like a tweet from Elon Musk, may simply destroy its value.

If you want to invest in Bitcoin, experts advise investing just a tiny portion of your market value. But first, let us guide you through the process of safely buying Bitcoin.

Fundamental Elements To Consider

Most beginners are confused about where to start to buy Bitcoin. In this case you can refer to these bitcoin sites. However, there are a few key factors to consider before buying Bitcoin. When purchasing bitcoin, the three most important factors to consider are:

  • The various payment methods available
  • Trading platforms/Venues accessible
  • Where your currencies go

Payment Methods: These include credit cards, bank transfers, payment apps (PayPal, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Google Pay, etc.), cash-in-hand, and even swaps. Each payment option has advantages and disadvantages regarding ease, privacy, and related expenses.

Platforms/Venues: Digital wallet suppliers, centralized market exchangers, OTC offices (private ‘Over-The-Counter’ exchange services primarily used by high-net-worth people), peer-to-peer markets, and even payment programs like PayPal are all platforms/venues for purchasing bitcoin.

Of course, it is also feasible to buy bitcoin in person. For example, you may send your buddy cash for an agreed-upon sum of bitcoin. Alternatively, you may meet a Bitcoin trader in real life and do business face to face.

Where It Goes: There are many alternatives for where your bitcoin will go when you acquire it:

  • It can go into an established Bitcoin wallet, Wallet, which you control.
  • Or to an external Bitcoin wallet, such as one provided by centralized cryptocurrency exchanges or payment apps.

Not My Keys, And Not My Bitcoin

Your bitcoins are always accessible when stored in a wallet you manage, often referred to as a self-custody or non-custodial wallet. This means you won’t have to wait for a third entity, such as a centralized exchange, to authorize the transaction. It also implies that you can transmit bitcoin anytime and anywhere you choose.

On the other hand, many custodial Bitcoin wallets place significant limits on what you may do with your bitcoin. Sometimes, you may need to verify a location before sending bitcoin there, and you may also have to wait days before withdrawing funds. Withdrawals of any type are simply not authorized in certain instances (PayPal, for example). It’s also not unusual for your account to be completely frozen, and you may be locked out of the account permanently if you’ve been flagged as a privacy or embezzlement concern.

You may modify the ‘network fee’ each time you transmit using the finest self-custodial Bitcoin wallets. This implies that you may save money on transaction costs when you aren’t in a hurry or spend more to transmit quicker when you are.

The essential benefit is that self-custody wallets are safer. As long as you follow important operational best practices, you will never be hacked, nor will you be subject to counterparty risks like a centralized exchange being hacked or going bankrupt.

If you don’t already have a bitcoin wallet, check out the Bitcoin Wallet – a convenient, self-custody Bitcoin wallet used by millions of people.

Why Do I Need to Prove My Identity to Buy Bitcoin?

Nowadays, you can easily find bitcoin casinos that allows you to make real money. When you buy bitcoin using government-issued money via an exchange service, you’re dealing with a regulated firm. Anti-Money Laundering and Know Your Customer policies govern money movement in such firms. These requirements necessitate the gathering and storing consumer information, such as identification papers and, in some instances, proof of residence.

Protection of personal information and financial data is paramount to Bitcoin investors. Anyone with the private key to a public address on the Bitcoin blockchain may verify transactions.

You should keep all private keys secret since thieves are likelier to target large amounts of currency if they learn about them. It’s important to remember that anybody may read the text of a public address you make. On the other hand, this public information allows individuals to establish many addresses for themselves. So, Bitcoin holders may divide their wealth among several addresses. Storing evidence of large purchases at a public address unrelated to the one used for transactions is a good strategy.

What Are The Costs Of Purchasing Bitcoin?

The cost of purchasing bitcoin is determined by the selected payment method and platform/venue. For example, suppose you buy bitcoin directly from a friend and settle in cash, and you must consider the ‘network charge’ for transmitting bitcoin from your friend’s wallet app to yours. If you pay with a credit card or a bank transfer, you must account for the costs associated with such methods.

Aside from that, exchange providers charge extra fees to facilitate exchanges. These fees cover the running expenses of the exchanges plus a modest profit. In general, more significant purchases result in reduced total costs. Therefore it makes sense to avoid making frequent little purchases.

Crypto exchanges also charge fees for withdrawals and liquidations. If you’re withdrawing money from an exchange wallet to your wallet, you’ll need to pay a certain fee. Similarly, you’ll also need to pay a certain percentage or flat fee to turn your bitcoin into fiat money. However, some exchanges provide better conditions and rates than others, especially if you’re trading cryptocurrencies.

How To Purchase Bitcoin? 

After we’ve covered the fundamentals of purchasing bitcoin, let’s go further into the techniques and procedures.

The following are the options:

  • Purchasing bitcoin with the Bitcoin Wallet
  • Purchasing bitcoin using the Bitcoin website
  • Purchasing bitcoin via a controlled cryptocurrency exchange
  • Purchasing bitcoin using a peer-to-peer trading platform

Purchasing Bitcoin With The Bitcoin Wallet

Crypto wallets, such as the bitcoin Wallet, enable you to purchase bitcoin effortlessly from inside the wallet software. Notably, bitcoin Wallet is entirely non-custodial, which means you have complete control of your bitcoin. Here’s how to buy bitcoin using the app:

  1. On your smartphone, launch the bitcoin Wallet app.
  2. Choose Bitcoin (BTC) and press the “Buy” button. You may also purchase other digital assets.
  3. Choose your chosen wallet for depositing by following the on-screen instructions. Each digital currency (such as Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, etc.) may have its own Bitcoin Wallet inside the platform. There is no limit to the number of wallets you can establish, which is a valuable feature for keeping track of your funds. You may divide your bitcoin holdings across several wallets with descriptive names like “My BTC Savings” and “Every day BTC Spending.”
  4. You may need to provide a form of identification from you if this is your first time making a purchase. However, after your identity is confirmed, future purchases will be processed in seconds.
  5. After you have completed the form, your purchase will be complete.

Of course, you may use your Bitcoin Wallet to receive, keep, and utilize bitcoin that you’ve previously acquired in another way. Or you can also look for best cash advances apps for complicated finances. 

Purchasing Bitcoin Using The Bitcoin Website

You may purchase bitcoin via the Bitcoin website using a credit card or another mode of payment such as Google Pay. You must specify where you want it delivered when you purchase bitcoin from the website, and this means that when requested, you must provide a Bitcoin address.’

A Bitcoin address looks similar to the following:

3J57t1XpEZ73CZmQvfksriyiWrnqLhGTLy

The following is the procedure for purchasing from the Bitcoin website:

  1. Visit the Bitcoin Buying page.
  2. Choose Bitcoin (BTC). You may also buy a variety of digital products.
  3. Make your currency selection (USD or other) and then enter the amount you want to pay, for instance, $200).
  4. Press the Buy button.
  5. Enter the address from your wallet. This is where you’ll determine where the bitcoin you’ve purchased will go. You may, for example, transfer bitcoin directly to your bitcoin Wallet. You only need your Bitcoin address to make the transfer. 

To find the correct address:

  1. Launch the app
  2. Select the receive button
  3. Choose Bitcoin (BTC) and the Bitcoin wallet to which you wish to receive it. 
  4. To save the URL, click the copy button. You must then enter the address into the bitcoin Buy webpage. If you’re using a laptop to visit the website, you may, for example, send the address to your email and then paste it into the wallet address form on their website.
  5. Complete the transaction by entering your payment information.

Purchasing Bitcoin Via A Centralized Cryptocurrency Exchange

With this arrangement, the cryptocurrency exchange will initially hold the bitcoin you buy on your behalf. If you want complete control over your bitcoin, you must remove it from the exchange and store it in a self-custodial wallet such as the bitcoin Wallet. When you transfer bitcoin from an exchange, you will be subject to the withdrawal policy and fees of the exchange. On rare occasions, you may be unable to withdraw funds for many days or weeks. Moreover, the withdrawal charge may exceed the typical fees for Bitcoin transactions.

The following is a typical route for purchasing bitcoin using a cryptocurrency exchange account:

  1. Go to the website of a cryptocurrency exchange.
  2. Set up an account and confirm your identity as necessary.
  3. To buy bitcoin (BTC) or any digital asset, follow the instructions on the website.
  4. Your bitcoins will be sent to the exchange account you specified.
  5. Get your bitcoins off the exchange and into a self-custodial wallet if you value privacy and security (like the bitcoin Wallet).

Buying Bitcoin Through A P2P Trading Marketplace

Several platforms make it easier to trade bitcoin by providing:

  1.  A place for buyers and sellers to publish their buy and sell orders 
  2. An escrow and dispute settlement service.

Since these platforms primarily connect individuals, they are not officially classed as exchanges or “money transmitters” in many countries. Hence, they do not need you to divulge your name to use them. P2P services, although less convenient and often more expensive, might be an efficient option for getting bitcoin for privacy-conscious purchasers. However, the absence of liquidity in the market makes it challenging to accurately determine the market rate using this method.

Most peer-to-peer Bitcoin exchanges have a reputation system, which tracks and displays its members’ trading history. If you wish to purchase via a P2P exchange, seek vendors with a solid reputation. A strong reputation means they’ve completed multiple deals with no complaints. However, as a seller, utilizing a peer-to-peer network to participate in the commercial selling of bitcoin may get you in hot water in your own country, so ensure you check relevant laws before proceeding.

The standard procedure for purchasing bitcoin via a peer-to-peer exchange is as follows:

  1. Browse listings by payment method (e.g., bank transfer, PayPal, etc.), amount, seller location, reputation, etc.
  2. Begin a trade. This places the bitcoin in an escrow account.
  3. Transfer the agreed-upon sum using the agreed-upon method. This might even include seeing the vendor in person and giving them payment immediately.
  4. The vendor then verifies the payment receipt through the website or app.
  5. This causes the bitcoin to be freed from escrow and sent to your Bitcoin wallet.

In certain situations, the acquired bitcoin will be sent immediately from escrow to the Bitcoin wallet of your choice. When this is not the case, money will initially be sent to your wallet on the peer-to-peer platform, which is often a custodial online wallet.

Alternative Methods Of Buying Bitcoin

Bitcoin ATMs 

Bitcoin ATMs operate similarly to physical Bitcoin exchanges. Bitcoin may be purchased with cash at a machine and is then delivered to users’ online wallets. However, these ATMs are a costly option. The current value and the conversion fee for converting fiat currency to bitcoin are applied to ATM purchases. Both costs are relatively high in comparison to other choices. Moreover, since early 2020, Bitcoin ATMs have increasingly needed government-issued IDs.

Decentralized Exchanges

Decentralized exchanges or DEXs offer a way to buy Bitcoin without handing over control to a third party. Instead of intermediaries, they use self-executing smart contracts to enable trading. 

The benefits of this include faster trades because the extra step, including the third party, is gone, leaving only the buyer and the seller. Having no intermediary also means lower charges. It also guarantees both parties’ privacy because decentralized exchanges are non-custodial. The buyer and seller retain complete control of their cryptocurrency, wallets, and private keys. 

However, this can be a double-edged sword. If your keys get lost, you forget your password or become somehow impaired; no one knows your password, and your assets are locked away. Decentralized exchanges also have minimal counterparty risk because there is no third party to oversee transactions.

Mainstream Brokerages 

Due to the regulatory ambiguity surrounding cryptocurrencies, a few conventional brokerages provide bitcoin purchasing and trading capabilities. They charge no fee on cryptocurrency transactions and purchases. How do they earn their money then? They make a modest income from the payment for order flow, which it passes on to other trading systems or brokerages.

The lack of a commission charge may appeal to newcomers, but there are a few caveats. For starters, Robinhood lacks the variety of services and currencies provided by big crypto exchanges such as Coinbase. The exchange also offers several order types to help traders limit risk and offset losses.

A Detailed Step By Step Guide To Buy Bitcoin

Step 1: Select A Cryptocurrency Trading Provider Or Venue

To buy bitcoin, you must first choose a crypto trading platform or location. Popular trading platforms and sites for purchasing cryptocurrencies include payment services, brokerages, and digital currencies. The most practical option is cryptocurrency exchanges since they provide a wide range of trading features.

Register with a cryptocurrency exchange that allows you to purchase, sell, and store cryptocurrency. It is typically recommended that customers utilize an exchange that enables them to withdraw cryptocurrency to their online personal wallet for protection. People who wish to trade bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies may not need this functionality.

Different types of bitcoin exchanges exist. Since the Bitcoin ethos promotes decentralization and individual sovereignty, several exchanges enable users to remain anonymous and do not demand personal information. Such exchanges run freely and are often decentralized, which means they lack a centralized point of control.

While such systems may be exploited for bad, they can also be utilized to assist the world’s unbanked. Certain individuals, such as refugees or those living in nations with little infrastructure for governmental credit or banking, may benefit from anonymous trades.

However, most popular exchanges are presently not decentralized and oblige customers to provide identification documentation. These exchanges in the United States include, to mention a few, Coinbase, Kraken, Gemini, FTX, and Binance. 

Bitcoin provides bitcoin as well as a growing variety of cryptocurrencies. They are most likely the simplest crypto on-ramps in the whole business.

Using safe internet practices is crucial while creating a Bitcoin exchange account. It is necessary to use two-factor authentication and a long, complex password that combines lowercase, uppercase, special characters, and numerals. You can use the cryptocurrency as payment in any transaction where the firm accepts it. 

Step 2: Link Your Preferred Payment Method To The Platform

After choosing an exchange, you must put your papers together. Depending on the exchange, this might include facts about your job and income source and photos of your driver’s license or Social Security card. Your location and the laws there may affect the information you desire. The steps are identical to those needed to start a typical brokerage account.

The exchange will ask you to connect to a payment system when it has verified your identity. Most exchangers let you use a debit or credit card to immediately connect your bank account. Although using a credit card to purchase bitcoin is possible, we do not recommend it because the bitcoin price fluctuation might increase the total cost of acquiring a coin.

Although Bitcoin is legal in the US, certain banks may question or reject deposits to websites or exchanges that deal with cryptocurrencies. Make sure your bank permits deposits at your desired exchange by checking again. Variable costs apply to checking accounts, debit cards, and credit card deposits.

Before choosing an exchange and which payment option is best for you, it is crucial to consider the fees associated with each payment method. Exchanges charge transaction fees as well. If the transaction value is low, these fees may be flat rates or a percentage of the sales price. In addition, credit cards incur a processing fee applied to transaction fees.

Step 3: Make A Purchase

After deciding on an exchange and a form of payment, you’re all set to start purchasing bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin exchanges have progressively grown in prominence in recent years. In terms of financial performance and feature breadth, they have significantly evolved. The transformation in the general public’s perception of cryptocurrencies is reflected in the operational adjustments at bitcoin exchanges.

The functionality of cryptocurrency exchanges is comparable to that of stock brokerage services. These exchanges now provide a wide range of trading platforms and investment opportunities. All but a few cryptocurrency exchanges allow market and limit orders and stop-loss orders occasionally. They not only provide a variety of order forms but also let users set up recurring investments so they may dollar-cost average into their favored assets. For example, Coinbase allows customers to schedule recurring transactions daily, weekly, or monthly.

Step 4: Store It Safely

Cryptocurrency wallets are the safest places to store digital assets, especially if they are cold wallets (offline). Only you have access to your private key if you keep your bitcoin in your wallet and separate from the exchange. Additionally, it enables you to keep cash separate from an exchange, lowering your chances of compromising your exchange and putting your assets at risk.

Even if most exchanges offer their users wallets, safety is not their top priority. Generally speaking, we do not recommend keeping significant or long-term bitcoin assets in an exchange wallet.

Some wallets are more functional than others. Some are solely for bitcoin, while others let you store a variety of cryptocurrencies. Some wallets also allow you to exchange one token for another.

Should You Purchase Bitcoin?

It may be tempting to buy the well-known cryptocurrency when its price soars, but you should exercise caution even if it has the potential to be a successful investment. It’s such a volatile investment that experts advise against allocating a significant portion of your portfolio to this dangerous asset type.

There are two fundamental techniques to buy and sell bitcoin using leverage: the short- and long-term. Short-term investment is when you purchase and store your bitcoin for only a few days, weeks, or even months. Investors may anticipate a large market movement within this time. Therefore the best strategy is to purchase and sell when the price reaches the sell signal from trading indicators that provide 95% accurate signals. Long-term refers to a time frame between months and years.

If you’re unsure if investing in bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies is right for you, consult a financial advisor who can help determine where cryptocurrencies fit into your overall investment strategy.

Conclusion: Is Buying A Bitcoin Is A Worthwhile Investment?

The cryptocurrency ecosystem has grown significantly during the last ten years, with many new tokens competing for investment capital. Each market has its requirements for deciding whether to allow or prohibit the trade of specific tokens, so not all of these tokens are available on all exchanges except Bitcoin and a few other well-known coins like Ethereum.

There are many methods to buy and invest in bitcoin, but getting bitcoin is far more complex than getting standard equity or stock. This is due mainly to the infrastructures and ecology of bitcoin being less developed than those of conventional trading. A bitcoin purchase involves four steps: selecting a service or place, establishing a payment method, placing an order, and assuring safe storage of the acquired best cryptocurrencies. Each of these procedures needs research and a thorough analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of each service.

Every day, there are thousands of bitcoin transactions on the blockchain. More and more companies and banks are accepting it as a valid payment method. Hence, more people are investing in it. However, if you do not have a clearly defined strategy to profit off of this cryptocurrency or a plan to hold in the long-term, you might be caught with your pants down if there’s a steep dip.

 

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