Buying bitcoins
There are various methods available for buying bitcoins. See here for a Newb-friendly version of this page.
Warning: Please be careful with your money. When sending money to an exchange or seller you are trusting that the operator will not abscond with your funds and that the operator maintains secure systems that protect against theft -- internal or external. It is recommended that you obtain the real-world identity of the operator and ensure that sufficient recourse is available. Exchanging or storing significant amounts of funds with exchanges is not recommended.
Major Exchanges
The least expensive methods for buying bitcoins involve transferring funds using a bank wire, ACH, bank transfer (ACH, EUR / SEPA).
Exchanges are listed in alphabetical order.
| Exchange | Adding Funds | Withdrawing Funds | eWallet | Notes |
 BIPS (info) |
BTC CAD (Cash deposits in Canada) Any Currency (Wire Transfer - Any Country) USD (Liberty Reserve) |
Danish Domestic Transfer Any Currency (ACH / Direct Deposit) Any Currency (Wire Transfer - Any Country) USD (Mt.Gox) |
Yes |
|
| Bitcoin-24 | BTC USD (MtGox redeemable code) USD (VouchX redeemable code) USD (Credit card through LiqPay) USD (International bank wire) EUR (MtGox redeemable code) EUR (VouchX redeemable code) EUR (SEPA wire) EUR (Sofort banking/Sofortuberweisung) EUR (GIROPay) GBP (International bank wire, converted to EUR) PLN (International bank wire, converted to EUR) |
BTC USD (Bank wire transfer) USD (Skrill/Moneybookers) USD (VouchX redeemable code) EUR (SEPA wire) EUR (VouchX redeemable code) EUR (Cash, via DHL) |
Yes |
|
| Bitcoin-Central | BTC GBP (Bank transfer) EUR (SEPA) Liberty Reserve USD Liberty Reserve EUR International wire (any currency) |
BTC GBP (Bank transfer) EUR (SEPA) Liberty Reserve USD Liberty Reserve EUR |
Yes | Open-source, community reviewed platform Available in French and English languages |
| Bitfloor | BTC USD (bank wire transfer) USD (Cash deposit at Bank of America) USD (CapitalOne 360 P2P) |
BTC USD (ACH, direct deposit) |
Yes | |
| bitNZ | BTC NZD (Cash depost as Westbank) |
BTC NZD (Domestic bank transfer) |
Yes | |
| Bitstamp | BTC BTC (Redeemable code) EUR (SEPA transfer) USD (Intl wire) USD (Redeemable code) CHF |
BTC BTC (Redeemable code) EUR (SEPA transfer) USD (Intl wire) USD (Redeemable code) CHF |
Yes | EUR and CHF deposits converted to/from USD for trading |
| BTC-E | BTC BTC (BTC-e redeemable code) USD (Cash deposit at Post of Russia) USD (Cash deposit at banks including Privatbank, Savings Bank of Russia (Sberbank), RU/UA Terminals, & more) USD (Liberty Reserve) USD (Interkassa) USD (WebMoney - WMZ) USD (Yandex) USD (LiqPay) USD (Perfect Money) USD (QIWI) USD (OKPay) USD (RBK Money) USD (Ditial currencies including НСМЭП (NSMEP), Единый Кошелек (Unified Purse), TeleMoney, & more) USD (BTC-e Redeemable Code, available via BitInstant and AurumXChange) USD (International bank wire) EUR (SEPA bank transfer) RUB (QIWI) RUB (LiqPay) RUB (WebMoney-WMR) RUB (BTC-e Redeemable code) RUB (Bank transfer) |
BTC BTC (BTC-e redeemble code) USD (Liberty Reserve) USD (Webmoney - WMZ) USD (Perfect Money) USD (LiqPay) USD (QIWI) USD (PayPal) USD (OKPay) USD (Payza/AlertPay) USD (Privat, Privat UAH) USD (Cash deposit into Savings Bank/Sberbank, Telebank, Alfa Bank) USD (BTC-e Redeemable Code) USD (International Wire Transfer) EUR (SEPA bank transfer) RUB (Cash delivery, possible in Moscow) RUB (QIWI) RUB (LiqPay) RUB (WebMoney WMR) RUB (Яндекс.Деньги Yandex) RUB (RBK Money) Cash deposit (into account at Сбербанка России!/Savings Bank/Sberbank, Телебанк (Telebank), and АльфаБанк (Alfa Bank) RUB (Transfer to credit card VISA & MasterCard) RUB (BTC-e Redeemable code) RUB (Bank transfer) |
Yes | Language: English, Russian. Interkassa can be funded from Webmoney and many other methods. BitInstant Can be funding option includes QIWI, Cyberplat. |
| Camp BX (CBX) | BTC USD (Dwolla) USD (P2P bank transfer at Chase, B of A, Wells Fargo and ING. Credited after three business days). USD (Personal Check) USD (USPS Postal money order, Canada Post money order) |
BTC USD (Dwolla) USD (ACH Direct Deposit) USD (USPS Postal Money Order) USD (Domestic bank wire) USD (International bank wire) |
Yes |
|
| FYB-SG | BTC SGD(Internet Bank Transfer) SGD (Annonymous Cash Deposit at any UOB Cash Deposit Machine in Singapore). |
BTC SGD(Internet Bank Transfer) |
Yes |
|
| Intersango | BTC EUR (SEPA bank wire) PLN (Bank Wire) |
BTC EUR (SEPA bank wire) PLN (Bank Wire) |
Yes | Operated by the BitcoinConsultancy Intersango is a completely custom trading platform built from the ground up with security, scalability and extensibility in mind. More Information Boasts an ever expanding API. Started out as Britcoin. |
| Kapiton.se | BTC SEK (Bankgiro Bank Transfer) |
BTC SEK (Bankgiro Bank Transfer) |
Yes | |
| Mercado Bitcoin | BTC BRL (Bank transfer) BRL (Bank transfer - MoIP) Liberty Reserve USD |
BTC BRL (Bank transfer - MoIP) |
Yes | Language: Portugese |
| MtGox | BTC BTC (Redeemable code) USD (Dwolla) USD (International bank wire) USD (Wire to AurumXChange) USD (OKPay) AUD (Bank wire) GBP (Bank wire) GBP (Cash deposit, Barclays) USD (Redeemable code) Liberty Reserve USD (via AurumXChange) |
BTC BTC (Redeemable code) USD (Dwolla) USD (Wire via AurumXChange) AUD (Bank wire) USD (Redeemable code) Liberty Reserve USD (via AurumXChange) |
Yes | Oldest running exchange. Higest daily volume. Respecting AML laws, Restrictions and limits on withdrawals. |
| Rock Currency Exchange | BTC EUR (SEPA transfer) SLL (Second Life) USD (Dwolla) |
BTC EUR (SEPA transfer) SLL (Second Life) USD (Dwolla) |
Yes | |
| VirtEx | BTC CAD (cash deposit at Royal Bank, Bank of Montreal or ScotiaBank) CAD (Online bill payment) CAD (Wire transfer) |
BTC CAD (direct deposit) CAD (Canada Xpress Post Bank Draft send by mail) CAD Payza (formerly AlertPay) |
Yes | |
| VirWoX | BTC SLL (Second Life) ACD (Avination) OMC (OpenSim) USD,EUR,GBP,CHF (PayPal) USD,EUR,GBP (Credit & Debit cards via Skrill/Moneybookers) USD,EUR,GBP (NETELLER) EUR (DIRECTebanking / Sofortuberweisung) USD,EUR,GBP,CHF (paysafecard) EUR (SEPA bank transfer) USD (UKash vouchers) |
BTC SLL (Second Life) ACD (Avination) OMC (OpenSim) USD,EUR,GBP,CHF (PayPal) USD,EUR,GBP (Skrill/Moneybookers) USD,EUR,GBP (NETELLER) EUR (SEPA bank transfer) |
Yes | Trading through Second Life Linden Dollars. Variable limits on PayPal and Credit Card deposits. |
Fixed Rate Exchanges & Others
bi For smaller amounts, the options are limited due to bank transfer fees, conversion fees and transaction size restrictions. Options include:
| Service | Type | Payment Method | Notes |
| AurumXchange (info) | Market | USD,EUR,GBP | Exchange Bitcoins instantly to and from Liberty Reserve, Perfect Money, Pecunix, C-Gold, VouchX, CosmicPay and more. Sell and buy your Bitcoins through USD or GBP Wire, or SEPA EUR transfer. |
| BitBargain (info) | Market | GBP | Quick transactions via Bank Transfer (fast payments support only), Pingit and Ukash. Deals happen between buyer and seller. |
| Bitcopia (info) | Fixed Rate | USD (Cash deposit) | Buy bitcoins via cash deposit at Wells Fargo, or send money via online banking with Wells Fargo. Instant quotes based on live Mt Gox prices. |
| BTC.pt | Market Rate | EUR (Multibanco) | Anonymous transactions. Pay the amount on any Portuguese ATM(MB) or homebanking service, we'll deduce our fee and buy the coins for you at market rate and send them very fast to your wallet. Only available in Portugal. |
| Coin Market | Fixed Rate | NZD (NZ Bank deposit/Cash) | Cash deposit or bank transfer to domestic New Zealand bank. Cash payment to brokerage. Guest checkout available. |
| Bit Innovate | Fixed Rate | AUD, NZD (Cash deposit) | Australian Dollar cash deposit at any Commonwealth or Westpac Bank. New Zealand Dollar cash deposits at any ASB. |
| Blockchain (info) | Fixed Rate | USD, GBP, EUR, BRL, AUD, CAD, JPY, EUR, CHF, PLN, CZK, RON, RUB, SEK, NOK, DKK | Purchased through BitInstant (U.S., Brazil, and Russia), Barclay's Pingit or Bank Transfer (GBP), Instant Bank Transfer (EUR) or SMS or premium phone call from a mobile. |
| BitInstant | Market Rate | USD (Cash deposit at banks, 7-11, Walmart, CVS, Moneygram locations) USD (Dwolla) BRL (Cash deposit at Banco Rendimento or through Boleto) RUB (Cash deposit through Qiwi or Cyberplat) |
Deposit cash at 700,000 locations around the world and have your Bitcoins within 30 minutes. Absolute fastest and easiest way to buy Bitcoins. |
| Coinapult | Fixed rate | Use BitInstant to use cash to purchase bitcoins sent to e-mail or SMS. Choose "Bitcoin to e-mail" service and enter either e-mail or SMS. | |
| Coinbase | Fixed rate | Buy bitcoins using a bank transfer (U.S.). | Instant verification available for new accounts. |
| BitcoinIsrael.co.il | Fixed Rate | ILS (NIS - New Israeli Shekel)
|
Buy and sell your Bitcoins within minutes in person. Get "same day" service using Bank HaDoar /Post Office Bank. Get "next day" service using Bank Transfer. |
| Bitcoin Nordic | Fixed Rate | For UKash, redeemed through CashU account. | |
| Omnicoins | Fixed Rate | AUD (Cash deposit) | Deposit cash at any Commonwealth, NAB, or Westpac branch. |
| Spend Bitcoins | Fixed Rate | AUD (Cash deposit) | AUD cash deposit at NAB, Commonwealth Bank, Westpac and ANZ. |
| BitcoinMyLife (info) |
Fixed Rate | EUR (SEPA bank transfer) | Simple and Safe. Pay first transaction fee with Twitter or Facebook post. |
| bitcoin.de | Market | EUR (bank wire) EUR (SEPA bank transfer) EUR (Liberty Reserve) EUR (Skrill/Moneybookers) |
Varies (person to person) 0.01 free Bitcoins for every new user eWallet Affiliate program Language: German, Englisch News |
| Bitcoiny.cz | Market | CZK | Varies (person to person) |
| BitcoinZAP | Market rate | SEPA bank transfer - EUR International bank transfer - EUR, USD Western Union MoneyGram Cash (in the mail) - EUR, USD, CAD, GBP, HKD, JPY, PLN, AUD, CHF, CZK, DKK, HUF, MOP, SEK, NOK |
Bitcoins usually delivered in less than 24 hours after payment is received |
| BTCX.se | Fixed Rate | SEK | Transfer to and banks in Sweden. |
| BTC China | Fixed Rate | USD (Liberty Reserve) | Converted to CNY for trading. |
| BitMarket.co | Market | COP (Colombian Peso) | Varies (person to person) |
| #bitcoin-otc | Order Book | Varies (person to person) | IRC trading marketplace will usually have people willing to deal for small and larger amounts using various payment methods, including PayPal, Dwolla, Linden Dollars, etc. |
| Canadian Bitcoins | Fixed Rate | CAD (Cash - XpressPost or Dropoff) USD (Cash - Courier: UPS, FedEx, etc.) |
For dropoff, office in Ottawa. |
| Dgtmkt (info) | Fixed Rate | Malaysian Ringgit (MYR) Online bank transfers (Maybank2U, CIMB, MEPS, etc) E-vouchers (Web Cash, Mobile Money) |
Bitcoin merchant for Malaysians,. dealing in Malaysian Ringgit. Fully automated immediate transfers. https://dgtmkt.com |
| Lilion Transfer | Fixed Rate | Bank Transfer: USD, AUD, CAD, JPY, EUR, CHF, GBP, PLN, CZK, RON, BGN, HRK, RUB, SEK, NOK, DKK, LTL, LVL Liberty Reserve Perfect Money Monetto OK Pay Cosmic Pay Pecunix C-Gold E-Pay Payments PayPal |
122 accounts worldwide. Support in 30 languages |
| Nanaimo Gold | Fixed Rate | USD (Liberty Reserve) Western Union money transfer Moneygram money transfer Cash in the mail |
LR <--> Bitcoin exchange is automated For cash in the mail send USD, EUR, CAD, or GBP. Canada mailing address. |
| Bitcoin Argentina | Fixed Rate | Cash: ARS, BRL, USD Bank transfer: ARS |
No exchange fees! |
| Bitcoin.com.es | Fixed Rate | EUR (bank deposit) | Bank transfer or cash deposits at OpenBank in Spain. |
| Bahtcoin | Fixed Rate | Cash, Webmoney Liberty Reserve USD |
Will cash out to Thai mobile and gaming prepaid cards as well. |
| Bitcoin Thailand | Fixed Rate | THB: Cash/Bank Deposit | Same day service. |
| Bitcoin Brasil | Fixed Rate | BRL (Brazilian Real) USD |
Cash exchange |
| BitPiggy | Fixed Rate | AUD (Australian Dollar) | Payment via bank transfer. |
| bitcoin.local | Directory | Varies (person to person) | |
| bcchanger.com | Directory | Enables person to person purchases and sales via PayPal, Skrill/Moneybookers and other e-currency platforms | |
| Bitcoil | Fixed Rate | ILS (bank transfer) | |
| btcnow | Market | USD (OKPay, Dwolla) | bitcoins transferred instantly |
| LocalBitcoins.com | Directory | Varies (person to person) Physical cash locally |
Find your local bitcoin dealer! With dynamic pricing with equations. |
| HappyCoins | Fixed Rate | EUR (iDEAL and SEPA bank transfer) | Buy and sell Bitcoins. Dutch bank account holders receive Bitcoins within minutes and bank payments same day. Other European IBAN bank account transactions take one or two working days. Prices based on near real-time MtGox exchange price. |
| WM-Center | Fixed rate | BTC USD (International bank wire, Western Unon, Moneygram, Xoom etc, cash) EUR (IBAN bank wire) RUB (bank wire, WU, Anelik and etc, cash) AUD (Bank wire) Liberty Reserve USD/EUR, Perfect Money USD/EUR, Pecunix, Paxum, c-gold, Hoopay, GDP |
24/7/365 support in English, Spanish and Russian. |
| ECurrencyZone | Fixed Rate | BTC INR (Cash deposit of Indian rupee) BDT (Cash deposit of Bangladeshi taka) NPR (Cash deposit of Nepalese rupee) MYR (Cash deposit of Malaysian ringitt) SGD (Cash deposit of Singaporean dollar) SGD (Net/Bank transfer) USD (Western Union, Moneygram, Citibank global funds transfer, OKPay) USD (Liberty Reserve, Mt. Gox redeemable code) |
Bank transfer considered at all locations with prior approval. |
| BitCoinVend | Market | BTC USD (PayPal) |
bitcoinvend@gmail.com, market variable with commission, quote based, verified paypal account with anti scammer verification |
| Bitcoins In Berlin | Fixed Rate | EUR (Cash in-the mail) EUR (Cash in-person trade) EUR (SEPA bank transfer) EUR (Mt. Gox redeemable code) EUR (Western Union) |
Cash in-the-mail is to a Berlin P.O. box. In-person trade is in Berlin. |
| Loja Bitcoin | Market Rate | EUR (ATM/Multibanco) EUR (bank transfer) EUR (money order) EUR (cash) |
Several payment methods like the Portuguese "Multibanco" (ATM), "Vale postal CTT" (money order by mail), bank transfer and cash (in some locations) - Portugal only at the moment |
| Mang Sweeney | Fixed Rate | PHP (Cash) PHP (Cash deposit at bank) |
Languages: English, Pinoy. PHP cash trade method in metro Manilla, Philappines. |
| mercaBit.eu | Fixed Rate | EUR (Ukash) EUR (Hal-Cash) EUR (Neteller) |
Buy bitcoins with ukash and more |
| buyBTC.cz (info) | Fixed Rate | CZK (Domestic bank transfer) EUR (Bank transfer) |
Buy bitcoins from the Czech Republic. |
| InstaWire.com (info) | Fixed Rate | EUR (SEPA bank transfer) | No sign-up, just enter the amount and a Bitcoin address. |
| ZIGGAP (info) | Fixed Rate | USD (Cash deposit at Chase, PNC bank) AUD (Cash deposit at National Australia Bank/NAB AUD (Online bill payment/POLI payments) USD (Moneygram, Western Union) |
Buy from any Moneygram and Western Union location worldwide. |
| Bitonic.nl | Fixed Rate | EUR (iDeal) | Buy bitcoins instantly from the Netherlands. |
| swissbitcoins.ch (info) | Fixed Rate | CHF (Swiss Bank Transfer) | Buy Bitcoins in Switzerland. No registration required. Enter Bitcoin address, wire money and get your bitcoins within 24 hours. |
| Dragon's Tale (info) | Other | Credit card (except in the U.S.) | Purchase bitcoins through this MMO casino with credit card, withdraw bitcoins (though a fee applies if withdrawn and no casino play.) |
| buybitcoinbycreditcard.com | Fixed Rate | JPY (Credit Card) | Buy bitcoins instantly with your credit card. No registration required. This site accept from the world. |
| OKPAY | Fixed Rate | BTC USD, EUR, GBP, RUB, CHF etc (Bank Wire Transfer) EUR (SofortBanking) USD, EUR (Liqpay) USD (CashU) USD, EUR, GBP, RUB, CHF etc (UWCFS) USD, RUB, UAH (Wallet1) RUB (Yandex Money) RUB (EasyPay) USD, EUR (CONTACT) USD, EUR (Migom) USD, EUR, CZK (Money Polo) USD, EUR (Intel Express) USD, EUR (Western Union via Exchange Partners) USD, EUR (Moneygram via Exchange Partners) USD, EUR, (Liberty Reserve via Exchange Partners) |
Support of 19 world currencies, 15 languages. |
Direct / Bulk Buying
| Service | Type | Payment Method | Notes | |
| Bitcoins Direct | Direct purchases, $1,000 and higher. | USD (Cash deposit at B of A, Wells Fargo or PNC Bank, max $3,000) USD (Bank wire, domestic or international), max $6,000 unless prior authorization USD (Liberty Reserve) |
BTC | Inventory varies based on market conditions. |
| BitPay (info) | Direct purchases, $10,000 USD and higher | USD (Bank wire, domestic or international) | BTC | Contact for other payment methods. |
Other Financial Services
| Service | Type | Payment | Settled | Notes |
| MPEx | Buy / Sell / Exercise CALLs / PUTs, American style. 52 strikes offered (by .5), current month + 2. No shorting available yet. |
BTC | BTC | Transactions encoded via amt. Must use non-rounding client (0.3.24 or later) |
| Vircurex | Buy / Sell Options Loan / Borrow |
BTC, NMC, LTC, DVC, GG, I0C, IXC, SC | BTC, NMC, LTC, DVC, GG, I0C, IXC, SC |
Physical Bitcoins
Physical Bitcoins are bearer tokens that have an embedded redeemable digital bitcoin value if torn open. While they are somewhat expensive if bought purely for the digital bitcoins, they are relatively easy to get, because they can be purchased with PayPal or credit card - payment methods typically not accepted for pure digital bitcoin purchases.
| Service | Type | Payment | Notes |
| Memory Dealers | Casascius Physical Bitcoins | USD (PayPal/Credit Card) | |
| Casascius.com | Casascius Physical Bitcoins | BTC | |
| Bitbills | Bitbills cards | BTC | Not taking orders as of Nov 2011. |