Buying bitcoins

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There are various methods available for buying bitcoins.

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).

Exchange Type Adding Funds Withdrawing Funds eWallet Notes
MtGox Market BTC
BTC (Redeemable code)
USD (Dwolla)
USD (International bank wire)
USD (Wire to AurumXChange)
AUD (Bank wire)
GBP (Bank wire)
USD (Redeemable code)
Liberty Reserve USD
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.
Intersango Market BTC
GBP (bank deposit)
USD (Dwolla)
EUR (SEPA bank wire)
PLN (Bank Wire)
BTC
GBP (bank transfer)
USD (Dwolla)
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.
VirWoX Market BTC
SLL (Second Life)
ACD (Avination)
OMC (OpenSim)
USD,EUR,GBP,CHF (PayPal)
USD,EUR,GBP (Credit & Debit cards via Moneybookers)
USD,EUR,GBP (NETELLER)
EUR (DIRECTebanking / Sofortüberweisung)
USD,EUR,GBP,CHF (paysafecard)
EUR (SEPA bank transfer)
BTC
SLL (Second Life)
ACD (Avination)
OMC (OpenSim)
USD,EUR,GBP,CHF (PayPal)
USD,EUR,GBP (Moneybookers)
USD,EUR,GBP (NETELLER)
EUR (SEPA bank transfer)
Yes Trading through Second Life Linden Dollars.
Variable limits on PayPal and Credit Card deposits.
BTC-E Market BTC
USD (Liberty Reserve)
USD (Interkassa)
BTC
USD (Webmoney)
Yes Language: Russian. Interkassa can be funded from Webmoney and many other methods.
VirtEx Market BTC
CAD (online bill pay)
CAD (cash at TDBank)
BTC
CAD (direct deposit)
Yes
Camp BX (CBX) Market BTC
USD (Dwolla)
USD (Personal Check)
USD (USPS Postal Money Order)
USD (Bill Pay - Using your bank)
BTC
USD (Dwolla)
USD (ACH Direct Deposit)
USD (USPS Postal Money Order)
USD (Domestic bank wire)
USD (International bank wire)
Yes
  • Security certification from McAfee
  • Advanced trading options with AON/FOK/Market
  • STOPLOSS and Short-Selling in Pipeline
  • Trading API available
  • Wallet API available
  • CBX Instant Bitcoin Transfers Feature
  • Stoploss / Custom Order Expiry Date/Time
  • SMS (Text Message) Notifications
  • Two-Factor Authentication
  • Based in USA - Atlanta
Mercado Bitcoin Market BTC
BRL (Bank transfer)
BRL (Bank transfer - MoIP)
Liberty Reserve USD
BTC
BRL (Bank transfer - MoIP)
Yes Language: Portugese
Bitcoin-Central Market BTC
EUR (SEPA)
Liberty Reserve USD
Liberty Reserve EUR
PGAU Pecunix Gold
BTC
EUR (SEPA)
Liberty Reserve USD
Liberty Reserve EUR
Pecunix Gold
Yes Open-source, community reviewed platform
Available in French and English languages
HelloBitcoin Market BTC
USD (Dwolla)
USD (Bank wire)
USD (Check)
BTC
USD (Check)
USD (Bank wire)
USD (ACH)
Yes Offers margin trading and shorting.
Brasil Bitcoin Market Market BTC
BRL (Bank transfer - MoIP)
BTC
BRL (Bank transfer - MoIP)
Yes Language: Portugese
BitStamp Market 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
Rock Currency Exchange Market BTC
EUR (SEPA transfer)
SLL (Second Life)
USD (Dwolla)
BTC
EUR (SEPA transfer)
SLL (Second Life)
USD (Dwolla)
Yes
CryptoXchange Market BTC
NMC
LTC
USD
AUD (Bank Transfer)
GBP
BTC
NMC
LTC
USD
AUD (Bank Transfer)
GBP
Yes
  • Buy Gold,Silver,Palladium and Casascius physical bitcoins plus other items in the store.
  • Affiliate program.
  • Mining Pool integration program.
  • Bitcoin, Namecoin and Litecoin
  • Multiple Authentication Levels
  • API
  • Free Yubikey's to High Volume Traders
  • An Australian Owned and Operated Registered Company.
  • Inquiries: contact@cryptoxchanger.com or Phone: +61280050602
Kapiton.se Market BTC
SEK (Bankgiro Bank Transfer)
BTC
SEK (Bankgiro Bank Transfer)
Yes
WM-Center Exchanger 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
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
PayPal USD/EUR, Moneybookers, Neteller
No 24/7/365 support in english, spanish and russian!
bitNZ Market BTC
NZD (Domestic bank transfer)
BTC
NZD (Domestic bank transfer)
Yes
BtcTree Market BTC
USD (BtcTree redeemable code)
USD (AurumXChange VouchX redeemable code)
USD (Liberty Reserve)
CNY (AliPay)
BTC
USD (BtcTree redeemable code)
USD (AurumXChange VouchX redeemable code)
CNY (Alipay)
Yes
Bitcoin-24 Market BTC
USD (OKPay)
USD (MtGox redeemable code)
USD (Credit card through LiqPay)
EUR (Sofortüberweisung)
BTC
EUR (SEPA bank transfer)
USD (Mt. Gox redeemable code)
Yes
Bitfloor Market BTC
USD (Cash deposit at Chase)
USD (bank wire transfer)
USD (Popmoney)
USD (ING Person2Person)
BTC
USD (ACH, direct deposit)
Yes

Fixed Rate Exchanges & Others

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
BitcoinMarket24 Fixed Rate EUR (SEPA and wire transfer, Überweisung) Instant Bitcoin purchases via SEPA. Receive Bitcoins in less than a minute using our instant payment feature. No registration needed!
BitInstant Market Rate USD (Cash Deposit)
USD (Dwolla)
USD (Liberty Reserve)
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.
Bitcoin Nordic Fixed Rate EUR (SEPA and wire transfer)
USD/EUR/DKK (Cash or check)
Blockchain.info Fixed Rate USD, AUD, CAD, JPY, EUR, CHF, GBP, PLN, CZK, RON, RUB, SEK, NOK, DKK Purchased using SMS or premium phone call from a mobile.
Spend Bitcoins Fixed Rate AUD Cash deposit at NAB, Commonwealth Bank, Westpac and ANZ.
BuyBitcoin Market USD (Cash)
USD (Western Union)
USD (PayPal)
USD (Credit Card)
USD (Dwolla)
USD (Cash deposit)
USD (Bank wire)
USD (Cash in the mail)
USD (Money Order)
USD (Cashier's Check/Certified Check)
USD (Traveler's Check)
USD (Prepaid Debit Card)
Instant Bitcoin delivery over the phone.

Public office address: 290 5th Ave, 5th floor, New York, NY 10001

Telephone or SMS text message 24 hours: +1 646-580-0044
bitcoin.de Market EUR (bank wire)
EUR (SEPA bank transfer)
EUR (Liberty Reserve)
EUR (MoneyBookers)
Varies (person to person)
0.01 free Bitcoins for every new user
eWallet
Affiliate program
Language: German, Englisch
News
Blizzcoin Fixed Rate EUR (SEPA bank transfer) Buy Bitcoins within minutes. Instant exchange.
No registration.
Bitcoin Market Market USD (Liberty Reserve)
USD (MoneyBookers)
GAU (Pecunix)
Varies (person to person)
BitMarket.eu Market EUR (Euro)
GBP (British Sterling Pound)
USD (U.S. Dollar)
PLN (Polish złoty)
AUD (Australian Dollar)
CAD (Canadian Dollar)
ZAR (South African Rand)
ILS (Israeli Shekel)
CHF (Swiss Franc)
RUB (Russian Ruble)
Varies (person to person)
Bitcoiny.cz Market CZK Varies (person to person)
BTCX.se Fixed Rate SEK Transfer to and banks in Sweden.
Bit / BTC China Market n/a n/a
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 (TD Personal Pay)
Cash / XpressPost or Dropoff
Western Union
For dropoff, office in Ottawa.
Dgtmkt [1] 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, RUB, SEK, NOK, DKK
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 Brasil Fixed Rate BRL (Brazilian Real)
USD
Cash exchange
BitPiggy Fixed Rate AUD (Australian Dollar) Payment via bank transfer.
GetBitcoin Fixed Rate USD (Dwolla)
USD (Cash deposit, through BitInstant)
USD (Cash in the mail)
USD (Money Order)
USD (Cashier's Check/Certified Check)
USD (Moneygram through BitInstant)
USD (Traveler's Check)
USD (Prepaid Debit Card)
For cash in mail, send USD. U.S. mailing address.
bitcoin.local Directory Varies (person to person)
bcchanger.com Directory Enables person to person purchases and sales via PayPal, MoneyBookers and other e-currency platforms
anonXchange Fixed Rate EUR
GBP
Liberty Reserve, Paysafecard and Ukash to Bitcoin
Bitcoil Fixed Rate ILS (bank transfer)
btcnow Market USD (OKPay, Dwolla) bitcoins transferred instantly
Btc-Direct Fixed Rate Paid by phone or SMS
USD
EUR
GBP
Purchase your Bitcoins using your mobile phone in two dozen countries.
TheBitMint Fixed Rate PayPal Buy and sell Bitcoin with PayPal.
localbitcoins.com Fixed Rate Varies (person to person) Find your local bitcoin dealer! With dynamic pricing with equations.

Other Financial Services

Service Type Payment Settled Notes
Bitcoinica BTC/USD Contract for Difference (CFD) trading BTC, USD, EUR, GBP BTC, USD Leveraged trading from 2.5X and higher.
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 not 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
Bitcoin Gift Card Bitcioin Gift Card Physical Bitcoin Issued By GiftCoin BTC
Bitbills Bitbills cards BTC Not taking orders as of Nov 2011.

See Also