How to Buy and Send Bitcoin Fast
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A Beginner's Guide to Buying Bitcoin
Purchasing Bitcoin has never been easier, and this guide will show you how to buy a small amount of BTC and send it to a friend in 10 steps, which will only take an hour to complete.
Note that you do not have to buy a whole bitcoin, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Instead, you can get fractions of a bitcoin, which are called satoshis.
This guide assumes you want to buy less than $960 worth of BTC, which is the daily limit in most of the U.S. If you want to buy more you can register at a higher spending tier, use our over-the-counter service CoinFlip Preferred, or buy with a debit card directly through the CoinFlip Wallet app.
What You Need to Buy Bitcoin Today
1. A crypto wallet. We suggest the CoinFlip wallet – it’s free. Registration typically takes a few minutes, but it is crucial that you write down the passphrase when prompted (they’re called recovery codes in the CoinFlip app) – this is your failsafe access to your wallet. Never share your passphrase with anyone. Learn more about wallets here.
2. A working cell phone with SMS capabilities. This is how the ATM communicates with you to process transactions and share vital information.
3. Cash. The machine’s minimum is $20.
Buy Bitcoin in Three Steps
Step 1: Find a Bitcoin ATM Near You
Getting to the ATM will probably be the most time-consuming part of buying Bitcoin. To make it easier, use our Locator to find a Bitcoin ATM near you.
Step 2: Follow the Instructions on the Screen
PRO TIP: Save time at the machine by pre-registering online! Note that pre-registration is not available in all areas. If you can’t register online, you can still do it at the machine.
1. Choose your preferred cryptocurrency and click "buy."
2. Read and accept our Terms of Service and Required Disclosures, then specify the desired purchase amount.
3. Enter your phone number and the one-time passcode sent to you.
4. Click "receive" in your crypto wallet to unveil your wallet QR code.
5. Scan your wallet QR code on the ATM sensor as instructed.
6. If you have a discount code, now is the time to enter it. You can have discount codes (and other company updates) sent directly to your email inbox by signing up for our newsletter here: Get the latest news and exclusive deals.
7. Insert cash, and you're all set!
Check out our ATM page, or watch this video for more details.
Step 3: Wait for a Few Minutes, then Enjoy!
Bitcoin transactions can take up to 20 minutes to process, other coins process in less time. If you’re worried that your transaction didn’t go through, call our 24/7 support line 1-773-800-0106.
How to Send Bitcoin to Another Wallet
Bitcoin is a great tool to send funds internationally, but it’s also good for buying things online. You can find places that accept cryptocurrency as payment here.
To send funds to another wallet follow these steps:
1. Request the address from the person you’re sending to. This usually means they have to press the “receive” button on their wallet to display their address and/or QR code. The address is also called a public key, and Bitcoin addresses always start with “1”, “3”, or “bc1” followed by a bunch of random-looking numbers and letters.
On your wallet, press the “send” button as shown below:
The other person can send you’re their address from their receive page, as shown below:
2. Fill out the amount you want to send. You do not need to send a full bitcoin; you can send just a few satoshis at a time.
The Bitcoin network charges fees to process transactions. This fee is usually added automatically by your wallet provider, but on some advanced wallets you can choose to pay more or less in fees to have your transaction process more or less quickly.
3. Double-check the address and the amount before you press send. Once the send goes out, it cannot be returned.
Other Resources
These are some other blogs by CoinFlip that will help explain the world of cryptocurrencies. As always, if you get stuck you can send a message to our 24/7 support team.
What are CoinFlip’s Bitcoin ATM Limits
And if you can’t make it to a CoinFlip ATM, you can use a debit card to buy Bitcoin through our wallet app or use a wire transfer to buy through CoinFlip Preferred.
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