How to Buy Bitcoin and Ethereum as Simply and Securely as Possible | Finance Magnates (2024)

In recent months the meteoric price rise of Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Litecoin and Ethereum has led to more and more readers approaching Finance Magnates staff with requests for help getting into this market.

The number of possibilities, different opinions and new technologies can seem overwhelming and prevents many from even getting started. To provide you with an easy and simple solution we created this guide for buying your first Bitcoin.

Find an exchange

The first step is to find an exchange that will accept your fiat currency (USD/EUR/GBP...) with a transfer method that is available to you. There are a great deal of such exchanges, some regulated some not, all over the world, and it is highly advised that you check for yourself which one you trust with your money. Two popular options that you can look at are localbitcoins.com and Coinbase.

Coinbase is a San Francisco based company licensed by New York’s Department of Financial Services, to offer Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin. It has over 8 million clients and serves over 30 countries including the US, Canada, Australia, Singapore and much of Europe. It accepts PayPal, bank transfers and credit/debit cards. For a special deal for Finance Magnates readers click here.

How to Buy Bitcoin and Ethereum as Simply and Securely as Possible | Finance Magnates (1)

If you are not willing or able to send a bank transfer or credit card Payments you still have the option of buying in person with cash using localbitcoins.com. This person-to-person service supports all currencies and many payment methods such as cash, Neteller, Webmoney, Skrill, Moneybookers, PayPal, Western Union and more. For a special deal for Finance Magnates readers click here.

How to Buy Bitcoin and Ethereum as Simply and Securely as Possible | Finance Magnates (2)

Get a wallet

Exchanges are not considered a safe place to store your cryptocurrency long term, for that you will need a 'wallet'. This means a piece of software, a hardware device or an online service which stores your private keys to your crypto funds.

There are a lot of options for cryptocurrency wallets and many have proven in the past to be insecure or fraudulent, therefore it is best to keep an eye on the wallet provider you use and always follow best practices for securing your wallet. These include picking a strong password that you will remember, enabling multi-signature, encrypting the wallet and routinely backing it up on several locations such as on USB keys.

The simplest and most secure way is to have a dedicated hardware crypto wallet. The two most popular options for this are TREZOR and KeepKey.

How to Buy Bitcoin and Ethereum as Simply and Securely as Possible | Finance Magnates (3)

How to Buy Bitcoin and Ethereum as Simply and Securely as Possible | Finance Magnates (4)

KeepKey works with the wallet software on your computer by taking over the management of private key generation, private key storage, and transaction signing. It supports Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Dogecoin, Dash and Namecoin.

TREZOR was created by the Prague-based firm SatoshiLabs, known for its Slush mining pool. It supports Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, Dash, Ethereum Classic and ZCash.

In recent months the meteoric price rise of Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Litecoin and Ethereum has led to more and more readers approaching Finance Magnates staff with requests for help getting into this market.

The number of possibilities, different opinions and new technologies can seem overwhelming and prevents many from even getting started. To provide you with an easy and simple solution we created this guide for buying your first Bitcoin.

Find an exchange

The first step is to find an exchange that will accept your fiat currency (USD/EUR/GBP...) with a transfer method that is available to you. There are a great deal of such exchanges, some regulated some not, all over the world, and it is highly advised that you check for yourself which one you trust with your money. Two popular options that you can look at are localbitcoins.com and Coinbase.

Coinbase is a San Francisco based company licensed by New York’s Department of Financial Services, to offer Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin. It has over 8 million clients and serves over 30 countries including the US, Canada, Australia, Singapore and much of Europe. It accepts PayPal, bank transfers and credit/debit cards. For a special deal for Finance Magnates readers click here.

How to Buy Bitcoin and Ethereum as Simply and Securely as Possible | Finance Magnates (6)

If you are not willing or able to send a bank transfer or credit card Payments you still have the option of buying in person with cash using localbitcoins.com. This person-to-person service supports all currencies and many payment methods such as cash, Neteller, Webmoney, Skrill, Moneybookers, PayPal, Western Union and more. For a special deal for Finance Magnates readers click here.

How to Buy Bitcoin and Ethereum as Simply and Securely as Possible | Finance Magnates (7)

Get a wallet

Exchanges are not considered a safe place to store your cryptocurrency long term, for that you will need a 'wallet'. This means a piece of software, a hardware device or an online service which stores your private keys to your crypto funds.

There are a lot of options for cryptocurrency wallets and many have proven in the past to be insecure or fraudulent, therefore it is best to keep an eye on the wallet provider you use and always follow best practices for securing your wallet. These include picking a strong password that you will remember, enabling multi-signature, encrypting the wallet and routinely backing it up on several locations such as on USB keys.

The simplest and most secure way is to have a dedicated hardware crypto wallet. The two most popular options for this are TREZOR and KeepKey.

How to Buy Bitcoin and Ethereum as Simply and Securely as Possible | Finance Magnates (8)

How to Buy Bitcoin and Ethereum as Simply and Securely as Possible | Finance Magnates (9)

KeepKey works with the wallet software on your computer by taking over the management of private key generation, private key storage, and transaction signing. It supports Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Dogecoin, Dash and Namecoin.

ADVERTIsem*nT

TREZOR was created by the Prague-based firm SatoshiLabs, known for its Slush mining pool. It supports Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, Dash, Ethereum Classic and ZCash.

How to Buy Bitcoin and Ethereum as Simply and Securely as Possible | Finance Magnates (2024)

FAQs

What is the best way to buy Bitcoin and Ethereum? ›

Buying bitcoin from a centralized cryptocurrency exchange
  1. Visit a cryptocurrency exchange website.
  2. Create an account and verify your identity as required.
  3. Follow the website's instructions to buy your bitcoin (BTC) or other digital asset.
  4. Your bitcoin will appear in your exchange account.

What is the safest way to buy Ethereum? ›

Most find that the easiest and most secure way to purchase Ethereum is through a reliable cryptocurrency platform like Kraken. While Ethereum can be purchased using several different methods, Kraken offers the security, support and simplicity people often look for when buying cryptocurrencies like Ethereum.

What is the transaction fee for $1000 dollars of Bitcoin? ›

Bitcoin Purchase/Conversion Fee: $1,000 x 11% = $110. Transaction Fee: $1 set fee per transaction.

What is the safest way to buy Bitcoin? ›

Online stockbrokers, such as Robinhood, also offer their customers the ability to buy bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Tip: You'll need a crypto wallet to store your coins. While crypto trading platforms offer exchange accounts, storing your crypto in a cold wallet tends to be more secure.

How much will I get if I put $1 dollar in Bitcoin? ›

1 USD equals 0.000015 BTC. The current value of 1 United States Dollar is +1.34% against the exchange rate to BTC in the last 24 hours. ​ The current Bitcoin market cap is $1.28T. ​Create a free Kraken account to instantly convert USD to BTC today.

Does Coinbase report to IRS? ›

Coinbase reports relevant tax-related information to the IRS to comply with regulations. Specifically, it submits Forms 1099-MISC to the IRS for US traders who earned more than $600 in crypto rewards or staking during a given year.

How much Ethereum should I buy to be a millionaire? ›

Reaching $3000 from current levels amounts to a growth of about 33%. To have a million dollars worth of Ethereum at $3000, you would need around 333.33 ETH tokens. The cost of 333.33 ETH at current prices is about $747,333.

Can I buy $10 worth of Ethereum? ›

Yes. Most exchanges don't have minimum purchase amounts, but you'll need to decide whether the blockchain and exchange fees justify the purchase, as you might end up paying more than $10 for your $10 worth of Ethereum.

Is it worth putting money in Ethereum? ›

Ethereum might be an appropriate investment for short-term market speculators and traders who have a high risk tolerance and are looking for an extremely volatile asset. But ethereum has an unproven long-term track record compared to assets such as gold, stocks and bonds.

What if I invested $1,000 in Bitcoin 5 years ago? ›

If you had invested $1,000 into bitcoin five years ago, the investment would have grown by 1,352% and be worth around $14,524 as of Feb. 14. If you had bought $1,000 worth of bitcoin 10 years ago, it would have grown by 7,644% and be worth around $77,443 as of Feb.

How much does Bitcoin charge for $100? ›

If you wanted to know the fee that is charged per 100$ when you make a transaction of Bitcoin in a Bitcoin terminal, generally Bitcoin ATM fees would be roughly $8 - $20 on average, and if you are lucky you can find fees of $4.

How much is $100 dollars worth of Bitcoin? ›

Convert US Dollar to Bitcoin
USDBTC
100 USD0.00157670 BTC
200 USD0.00315340 BTC
250 USD0.00394176 BTC
400 USD0.00630681 BTC
11 more rows

What is the downside of buying Bitcoin? ›

Investing in Bitcoin cryptocurrency has its pros and cons. While its transactions are relatively secure, it's also prone to volatility, with large dips and spikes in price. Editorial Note: Intuit Credit Karma receives compensation from third-party advertisers, but that doesn't affect our editors' opinions.

Is there a better alternative to Bitcoin? ›

XRP, developed by Ripple, is one of the best Bitcoin alternatives with unique features and use cases. Unlike Bitcoin's decentralized model, XRP operates on a privately owned interledger protocol, offering faster and cheaper transaction capabilities.

What is a cold wallet? ›

A cold wallet is a crypto wallet that does not connect to the internet or interact with any smart contract. Since cold wallets don't connect to the internet, they are immune to online threats like malware or spyware. Plus, isolating these accounts from smart contracts also protects them from malicious approvals.

Should I invest more in Bitcoin or Ethereum? ›

Buying either crypto requires a high risk tolerance. Looking at past performance, it's difficult to choose a winner between Bitcoin and Ether because their relative returns fluctuate depending on the time frame. In the past year, Bitcoin prices are up 195% compared to a 140% gain for Ether.

Which is the safest crypto exchange? ›

Top Crypto Exchanges
ExchangesSECURITY RATING
1Crypto.com ExchangeAAA
2KrakenAAA
3WhiteBITAAA
4CryptologyAAA
116 more rows

How do beginners buy Bitcoins? ›

6 ways to buy Bitcoin
  • Cryptocurrency exchanges. You can purchase bitcoin from cryptocurrency exchanges. ...
  • Traditional stockbrokers. ...
  • Bitcoin ATMs. ...
  • Bitcoin exchange-traded funds. ...
  • Peer-to-peer money transfer apps. ...
  • Wallet software.
Mar 5, 2024

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Gov. Deandrea McKenzie

Last Updated:

Views: 6085

Rating: 4.6 / 5 (46 voted)

Reviews: 85% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Gov. Deandrea McKenzie

Birthday: 2001-01-17

Address: Suite 769 2454 Marsha Coves, Debbieton, MS 95002

Phone: +813077629322

Job: Real-Estate Executive

Hobby: Archery, Metal detecting, Kitesurfing, Genealogy, Kitesurfing, Calligraphy, Roller skating

Introduction: My name is Gov. Deandrea McKenzie, I am a spotless, clean, glamorous, sparkling, adventurous, nice, brainy person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.