Buying Bitcoins safe and cheap from USA

[Clarissa]

Hello everybody,

I am often asked by US members how to buy safe and with reasonable fees Bitcoins, since many US banks block transfers to Bitcoin exchanges.

I am in Europe, so I cannot try what will be the procedure if in US. 

Did somebody try this one?

Blockchain.com

Please let us know:

1/ what verification do they require?

2/ what percentage do they take?

3/ what payment method do they accept?

4/ how fast do you receive your Bitcoins once you complete payment?

Very often US members complain that their Bitcoins are on hold for several days up to 2 weeks (I think this was about Coinbase). 

Let’s act as a community and figure out the best way for US members to buy Bitcoins at best price.

Thank you!

Wow, this is awesome.  You can buy, trade, and store BTC in a wallet.  Also, the limit for purchasing BTC with a Visa/MC is $30,000!

Please let us know immediately when this feature is available in the USA (it says that New York is not available at this time  )

 

[Alfapharm]

If you don’t want Coinbase to hold your funds blocked for a week, stop using Counbase and start using CashApp.

You need to download these two apps on your Iphone: (they are the easiest)

1.  Cash App (green square with dollar sign)

https://cash.app/

2. Bitcoin/Block chain Wallet App

https://www.blockchain.com/wallet

Create accounts for both Apps on your Iphone.

Cash app will ask you to link to your bank account or debit card and you send them a photo your ID, but they are much easier and less intrusive than Coinbase app.  It takes a few hours to be approved by cash app but again still easy.

3. Use cash app to first click "get cash" ("add cash" feature) in the app (it directly debits from your bank account or debit card) 

4. Then click "buy bitcoin" with that cash

5.  Then open your bitcoin wallet and click on "request". "Request" will show you your bitcoin address. Your bitcoin address a unique line of letters and numbers.  Tap to copy this address.

6. Go back to your cash app. 

7. Go to "withdraw bitcoin"  and choose the amount in dollars you would like to withdraw.  Paste the address that you copied from your bitcoin wallet and then it will send to that address.

Then you can transfer to anyone using their blockchain address (their unique letters and numbers) from your bitcoin wallet with the function "send" from your bitcoin wallet.

*****Do not transfer bitcoin directly from cash app to vendors, you must send it to your bitcoin wallet first.

 

[Ipon]

If you don’t want Coinbase to hold your funds blocked for a week, stop using Counbase and start using CashApp.

You need to download these two apps on your Iphone: (they are the easiest)

1.  Cash App (green square with dollar sign)

https://cash.app/

2. Bitcoin/Block chain Wallet App

https://www.blockchain.com/wallet

Create accounts for both Apps on your Iphone.

Cash app will ask you to link to your bank account or debit card and you send them a photo your ID, but they are much easier and less intrusive than Coinbase app.  It takes a few hours to be approved by cash app but again still easy.

3. Use cash app to first click "get cash" ("add cash" feature) in the app (it directly debits from your bank account or debit card) 

4. Then click "buy bitcoin" with that cash

5.  Then open your bitcoin wallet and click on "request". "Request" will show you your bitcoin address. Your bitcoin address a unique line of letters and numbers.  Tap to copy this address.

6. Go back to your cash app. 

7. Go to "withdraw bitcoin"  and choose the amount in dollars you would like to withdraw.  Paste the address that you copied from your bitcoin wallet and then it will send to that address.

Then you can transfer to anyone using their blockchain address (their unique letters and numbers) from your bitcoin wallet with the function "send" from your bitcoin wallet.

*****Do not transfer bitcoin directly from cash app to vendors, you must send it to your bitcoin wallet first.

Excellent tutorial. One question. I have cash app on my iPad Pro and I have Electrum wallets on my Note 8 and Windows desktop. Do you see any complications with this configuration? Thank you.

 

[Kalsima]

@Alfapharm do you still need to be verified using cashapp this is becoming a nightmare for me. Having two residencies blocked me from creating new account out west. I even faxed all my information ID and Utility Bill and SS and still waiting to be verified. If I knew changing states would create a mess I would have kept my old phone! 

 

[Jesse]

Yeah, I signed up for CashApp recently and had to verify my ID with a picture of my license. It got approved right away and I was able to purchase the same day. I haven't moved recently though, and it sounds like maybe that's the problem. I did have one problem early on with Coinbase, where they picked some strange number of days they were going to hold my coin. (It was like 11 days, or some unit that made no sense.) As I recall, they didn't actually hold it that long though.

 

[7ohmbro]

If you don’t want Coinbase to hold your funds blocked for a week, stop using Counbase and start using CashApp.

Nah, that's really not an alternative.

 

[Alfapharm]

@7ohmbro

Nah, that's really not an alternative.

If most of my clients use CashApp and get their Bitcoins in few minutes obviously it is an alternative.

A better one. 

 

[7ohmbro]

@7ohmbro

If most of my clients use CashApp and get their Bitcoins in few minutes obviously it is an alternative.

A better one. 

Good for them but I'm only speaking for myself. It doesn't work for me and I find their customer service abysmal. 

 

[Clarissa]

@7ohmbro CashApp didn't work for me at first either.  I had an expired drivers license, but they took my new license to validate my identity and I've been using it fine since then.

 

[7ohmbro]

@7ohmbro CashApp didn't work for me at first either.  I had an expired drivers license, but they took my new license to validate my identity and I've been using it fine since then.

Ok? good for you.

 

[Clarissa]

@7ohmbro Look, we're just trying to help.  Maybe if you were more specific to what the problem is then someone here can actually help you.  No need to be nasty about it.

 

[7ohmbro]

@7ohmbro Look, we're just trying to help.  Maybe if you were more specific to what the problem is then someone here can actually help you.  No need to be nasty about it.

I see how my posts can be taken that way but I was being literal by "Good for you", i.e. I'm glad that it's working for someone. At the saem time, it's frustrating because no one here can help me with $App. I mean, the people who run their customer service didnt even have an interest in helping me. 

That's ok though. CoinMama came through for me so eff $App forever. 

 

[Exorcist1]

If you don’t want Coinbase to hold your funds blocked for a week, stop using Counbase and start using CashApp.

You need to download these two apps on your Iphone: (they are the easiest)

1.  Cash App (green square with dollar sign)

https://cash.app/

2. Bitcoin/Block chain Wallet App

https://www.blockchain.com/wallet

Create accounts for both Apps on your Iphone.

Cash app will ask you to link to your bank account or debit card and you send them a photo your ID, but they are much easier and less intrusive than Coinbase app.  It takes a few hours to be approved by cash app but again still easy.

3. Use cash app to first click "get cash" ("add cash" feature) in the app (it directly debits from your bank account or debit card) 

4. Then click "buy bitcoin" with that cash

5.  Then open your bitcoin wallet and click on "request". "Request" will show you your bitcoin address. Your bitcoin address a unique line of letters and numbers.  Tap to copy this address.

6. Go back to your cash app. 

7. Go to "withdraw bitcoin"  and choose the amount in dollars you would like to withdraw.  Paste the address that you copied from your bitcoin wallet and then it will send to that address.

Then you can transfer to anyone using their blockchain address (their unique letters and numbers) from your bitcoin wallet with the function "send" from your bitcoin wallet.

*****Do not transfer bitcoin directly from cash app to vendors, you must send it to your bitcoin wallet first.

This is EXACTLY what I did and it was EASY PEAZY LEMON SQUEEZY.....!!!

THANK YOU @ALFAPHARM!!!!!

 

[TOASTEDTACO]

Download ZenGo app on your phone

Use ApplePay or a CC to buy bitcoin

Done deal. You may have to send a picture holding your CC but verification only take a few hours.

Keep coins in your Zengo wallet or transfer to another (I use Exodus)

 

[LysergamideLandscapes1938]

Okay, so I am seeing a LOT of unsafe stuff being shared here. Yes, Cash App and Coinmama are simple services to obtain BTC from. However, they are not anonymous and thus can be used against you should an investigation arise. Also, Blockchain is known to maintain practices regarding blockchain forensic analysis to shut down wallets engaged in activity they deem inappropriate or illicit, much like Coinbase, and they will even hand over their findings to LE without LE even providing a warrant. People should be using Bisq, formerly BitSquare, the ONLY peer-to-peer trading network of BTC that still does not require KYC. It even configures your computer at the initiation of a session when you open the Bisq client on your computer to secure it and to route all of your trading traffic through TOR to further anonymize and obfuscate your activity. The alternative would be to buy Monero and then use xmr.to to send the Monero through that service and they will issue BTC to the destination wallet address desired so you stay anonymous, and thus safer. At bare minimum, you should all be taking your BTC, converting to Monero (XMR), and then converting back to BTC using a service like Shapeshift or Morphtoken. You should be using an HD (Heirarchical Deterministic) wallet employing STEALTH ADDRESSES, such as Electrum, or even better, Samourai (not a typo) Wallet. If you are on a mobile device, Incognito Wallet is a promising newcomer to the wallet scene, as they employ shielded pools which you can opt in to and it allows for simple, in-house exchanging of crypto for other crypto both within and outside of the shielded pool. People need to push their v3nd0rs to start taking XMR (Monero) above all else, and at least other altcoins which have been proven to not be scam coins such as DASH and Zcash, as those two employ shielded transaction protocols which are also voluntary options (Monero has been shown to be far more secure and anonymous, using their RingCT technology which is mandatory as part of their protocol, than any other cryptocurrency). Not to mention Monero does not allow current balances or transaction values and histories to be searched on their public blockchain ledger, unlike BTC and other major altcoins. This provides further privacy and fungibility between all of these aspects, and thus protects you more. Samourai Wallet is able to be routed through TOR as well, and that makes it more privacy-centric and anonymous for users as well. It is advisable to research your methods and sources of crypto use, and avoid anything less than the best in safety and security. This knowledge comes from a strong background in crypto research and trading, as well as a past history in free-market and black market activities using crypto. I have literally written tutorials for 5 major coin types with the purpose targeting anonymity and security. I have been involved in this scene for a decade now. Literally. I hope people heed my advice. Cutting corners gets people scammed or in jail.

 

[rumple]

Coinbase does instant transfers for me (no 3 to 5 day wait) as long as I use my debit card rather than my bank account. 

 

[Verium]

@LysergamideLandscapes1938

Despite the age of your post and this thread, I want to thank you very much for the detailed info. I currently use Incognito wallet for shielding coin and transferring between coins before sending. The best part about it is PRV, Incognito's native currency, which is used for exchanging and sending coins. The cost of PRV and fees are extremely low and nearly unnoticeable. Their system keeps the identity of both parties anonymous if they're both using the app. I definitely want to research more about your method and see if it's still possible. I also agree that more vëñđøř§ should use XMR.

For anyone looking for their first 0.00001 PRV to make roughly 50-100 transactions on Incognito check out their faucet @ faucet.incognito.org

 

[LatsDoodis]

@LysergamideLandscapes1938

Despite the age of your post and this thread, I want to thank you very much for the detailed info. I currently use Incognito wallet for shielding coin and transferring between coins before sending. The best part about it is PRV, Incognito's native currency, which is used for exchanging and sending coins. The cost of PRV and fees are extremely low and nearly unnoticeable. Their system keeps the identity of both parties anonymous if they're both using the app. I definitely want to research more about your method and see if it's still possible. I also agree that more vëñđøř§ should use XMR.

For anyone looking for their first 0.00001 PRV to make roughly 50-100 transactions on Incognito check out their faucet @ faucet.incognito.org

Yeah I’m not new to this but lots of reason to keep a thread like this going. I’m trying to give some investment into this as well, but it’s hard when the regulatory hands do need to come. I’m aware Voyager is a brokering platform facilitating trades, but they’re close to gone and scamming everyone I’ve asked about it. They had some excuse and a patch but the timing and unnecessary recertification of ID wasn’t great. Then there’s the sudden appearance of old transactions that clearly don’t comport with the screen shots I was adding last week. Careful with brokers, but careful with them - privacy policy alone is enough to make me want to get off that ship and just leave a few G’s behind…

 

[Tylenol]

XMR is definitely the way to go, and with the recent addition of BTC atomic swaps it should serve almost all your needs.  Everything can be routed through Tor or I2P as well.  You should still take every precaution you can to conceal your IP address in addition to using Tor/I2P.

There are of course other privacy coins and forks of Monero, but I believe Monero to be the superior one and at the forefront of research.  I'm no expert on this subject though, so take my information as subjective.

I also wanted to add that way back in 2013ish, when Coinbase was pretty new, I had naively transferred bitcoins directly to Silk Road 1 wallet addresses and a few years later was banned from their platform for doing so. And to this day I still can't manage to open an account with them.

I'd also say be wary of localbitcoins or local anything as at one point the feds had a very strong presence on localbitcoinswhich resulted in a lot of convictions of money laundering and other crimes. Vendors have been tracked down by identifying the other party in a localbitcoins transaction to link the activity to someone of interest.  

It should also be mentioned that mining doesn't create a direct link to an entity like buying through Coinbase or CashApp would.  I used some spare CashApp funds to buy bitcoins recently and they require ID verification to send to a third party wallet.

 

[Nitetrain]

@DoomKitty MyCelium. I need to look into it. It’s been very annoying. My last transaction I had to go back to buy more BTC *twice* because the fees kept making it come up short. Like I needed another $10 so I’d buy like $12, and it would show up in my wallet as $9

One of the reasons your btc amount may vary is that btc goes up/down in value (fluctuates) so you can end up shorting a vendor if it’s on a downward swing.

I use Blockchain wallet and Alfa is correct there are no fees to keep your crypto there it’s a free wallet. You can add your cc, debit or bank account. There are minimal fees to buy btc ( my crypto) for instance I bought $80 with $2.49 fee

 

[JaxonH]

I uses to use Coinbase Pro and Binance US. Both super cheap. Then send to my Ledger hardware wallet.

But Binance US pulled out of the country, and Coinbase Pro is now defunct, forcing everyone to use Coinbase which charges like $15 per $1,000 spent. I guess ya just gotta charge it to the game at this point.

Does CashApp let you send your coins to an offline wallet? And if so, are their fees cheaper than Coinbase?