5 Easy Ways To Buy Bitcoin With Credit Cards [2019]

Throughout the history of cryptocurrency, one of the main sticking points for a long time was that there was no way to buy Bitcoin with credit cards.

As the industry has developed and grown in size, that’s now changed. Now, instead of searching for a way to quickly and easily use a credit card to buy crypto, providers that specialize in just that have been springing up everywhere for the past few years.

While many traders are happy to use slower methods such as bank transfers, the demand for ways to simply use a card to make purchases is, and always has been, high amongst those looking to get their Bitcoin quickly.

For newer traders, we’re going to take a look at what Bitcoin actually is and a number of ways that revenue can be generated from the world’s largest crypto. Then we’re going to compare what we think are the 5 easiest ways online to buy Bitcoin with a credit card.

What Is Bitcoin?

Bitcoin is the world’s largest and first cryptocurrency, with a current total value of over $140 billion and a total daily transaction volume of over $16 billion.

Although many other attempts had been made previously to create a fully digital currency, all had failed with Bitcoin being the first to truly reach a wide audience and to be impervious to being shut down by authorities.

The reason for this lies in its underlying technology called ‘blockchain’ which replaces the need for a central authority in order to manage the creation and distribution of funds.

Where other digital currencies were stored on a central server and were weak to attacks because of this, the use of blockchain meant that Bitcoin had copies of its ledger stored on many hundreds and thousands of different computers.

This means that in order to successfully shut down or attack Bitcoin, all computers that are running the software would simultaneously have to be seized at the same time.

Because of Bitcoin’s resilience to attack, and because of further in-built functionalities that ensure that the distribution of new Bitcoins is fair, Bitcoin, and now cryptocurrency as a whole has not only survived but grown to become a multi-billion-dollar asset class.

How Can You Make Money With Bitcoin?

Since its creation, Bitcoin is held appeal as both a digital store of value and as a method of making global payments.

Where previously those who wanted to make a payment to someone in another place had to go through a 3rd party that would charge a significant fee for facilitating the payment, the advent of cryptocurrency allowed users to make direct payments to each other for little-to-no cost.

Almost immediately following its creation, the value that Bitcoin could provide the world became apparent and speculation on marketplaces and Bitcoin trading platforms began.

Cryptocurrency trading has allowed many to make huge profits, largely because of a combination of the fast spread in the use of cryptocurrency and as a result of the volatility that is present in cryptocurrency markets.

As well as trading Bitcoin, many users realized that revenue could be generated by running computer systems using the Bitcoin software as so-called ‘miners’.

By contributing their computing power to securing the Bitcoin network, miners then compete to receive rewards in BTC that are given out by the system algorithmically even 10 minutes.

For those with a decent degree of technical skill, Bitcoin mining has also been a very lucrative activity over time.

5 Easy Ways To Buy Bitcoin With Credit Cards

One of the most commonly asked questions by crypto traders and investors alike are how to buy Bitcoin with a credit card, and this is largely because of the ease and shortness in time of being able to buy Bitcoin instantly.

Until quite recently, buying crypto with credit cards was not as easy as it is today though. For a number of factors services used to be slower and less reliable, and while there were some providers that accepted credit cards, their numbers were comparatively few.

In 2019 there are a wide range of options available, and we’ve selected 5 that stand out in the pack for providing that little bit more for traders.

PrimeXBT

PrimeXBT is the world’s leading multi-asset cryptocurrency brokerage, servicing not only the cryptocurrency industry but also traditional traders wanting to invest in stock indices, forex pairs and a range of commodities.

PrimeXBT has grown rapidly throughout 2019, largely as a result of the incorporation of a number of unique features such as shorting and the highest available leverage on all assets of up to 500x, the ability to create and invest into peer-to-peer funds, and savvy iOS and Android apps for mobile trading.

Users from around the world can quickly and easily purchase Bitcoin using credit cards via the platform's integration with a service called Changelly.

PrimeXBT also has the lowest fees for purchases and trades in the industry at a fixed rate of 0.05%.

The platform is well known for having a powerful set of features and tools that are suitable for retail and institutional investors, and multiple support options which are especially helpful for novice users.

PrimeXBT’s referral program is a 4-tier system, allowing for revenue to be generated from hundreds of referrals and indirect sub-referrals, with the top 3 referrers this year already generating over $1 million in revenue from the program.

Pros:

• Lowest fees in the industry at just 0.05%
• Credit card purchases via Changelly integration on all crypto-assets
• High-quality support in place
• Many advanced features including margin trading and traditional asset listings
• Available globally

Cons:

• Further expansion of traditional assets would be good to see, although listings are already wide ranging

Coinbase

Coinbase is one of the largest cryptocurrency trading platforms in the world and provides both brokerage and exchange services.

Users from over 100 countries globally can use credit cards to purchase cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, Ethereum and XRP.

Coinbase has built a reputation for having a solid user interface but also is well known for having poor quality support, which can be a problem for newer users especially.

The platform has a bonus program, where the additional cryptocurrency may be paid out for larger purchases.

Coinbase has been one of the longest-running crypto trading platforms, and during its life has never experienced a hack.

This has given Coinbase a reputation for being safe to use.

Although certain things about Coinbase, such as higher fees than almost any other platform, make it somewhat prohibitive for retail investors and smaller traders, institutional investors widely use Coinbase.

Coinbase’s exchange, Coinbase Pro, was originally known as GDax. Following a rebranding from GDax to Coinbase Pro, some users were disappointed that a significant increase in fees also occurred at the same time.

Saying this, overall Coinbase and Coinbase Pro are professionally run global trading platforms that are worth considering when searching for a place to purchase Bitcoin with credit cards.

Pros:

• Well known platform
• Brokerage and exchange services
• Available 100 countries in the world
• Bonus program is worth consideration

Cons:

• Renowned for the poor quality support
• Limited additional features
• High fees

Coinmama

Coinmama is a crypto brokerage that was one of the pioneers of providing purchases with credit cards, originally launching back in 2013.

Coinmama has an easy to use interface and allows for credit card purchases of Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, Cardano, Qtum and Ethereum Classic.

Puchases can be made using a number of fiat currencies that include United States Dollar, Euro, Great British Pound, Canadian Dollar, and Australian Dollars.

While the service is fast to make payouts in crypto following credit card purchases, users in the United States should check whether or not they will be able to use the service prior to making payments.

Coinmama has a fairly extensive verification process prior to making purchases that are somewhat cumbersome for those who would like to make a fast purchase, as is possible with some other platforms on this list.

Once verification is completed though, fast purchases can be made, and after further verification and the provision of various identity documents, larger purchases can also be made on the site.

While Coinmama’s exchange rates aren’t the best in the industry, they are close to the standard for purchasing cryptocurrency with credit cards.

Pros:

• Establish a platform
• Provides intuitive user interface
• Multiple fiat currencies available

Cons:

• Areas of the US not covered
• No trading ability must make a transfer to a trading platform

eToro

eToro is the exchange of a financial asset that lists traditional assets like stocks, as well as a range of crypto-assets.
The platform provides CFD services as well as providing exchange services on the assets themselves, and a user-friendly interface is provided.

Payments may be made using credit cards, with the only issue here being that the platform functions in a purely speculative fashion.

This means that while you can invest in cryptocurrencies here, there is no possibility to withdraw the actual cryptos to a different wallet, which may be somewhat prohibitive for users that would prefer to purchase and hold a cryptocurrency.

eToro provides users with social trading options, as well as standard investing. This includes the ability to copy the trades of other users, and for those users to make a profit from any successful trades they make on the investor’s behalf.

Other platforms, such as PrimeXBT, have similar functionality. PrimeXBT provides users with the ability to create peer-to-peer funds, which operate similarly to eToro’s social trading, but which are more streamlined and offer greater benefits to both the investor and the trader.

All things taken into account, eToro is a solid platform that has built up a loyal following as it attempts to crossover from traditional investment to Bitcoin investment.

Pros:

• Exchange services provided
• Traditional assets available for trading
• Established and well known

Cons:

• Underlying asset (crypto) isn’t owned, only speculated on

BitPanda

BitPanda is a cryptocurrency brokerage that allows users to purchase over 20+ digital assets including Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, EOS and Litecoin, and also including gold, silver, and palladium.

The platform is based in Austria and only services the EU countries, which is restrictive for anyone from countries outside of Europe.

For anyone living in the EU however, purchases and payouts are available in a range of different methods including credit card, Neteller, Giro, and Skrill.

Currencies available for fiat transactions are Euro, US Dollar, Swiss Franc and British Pound.

BitPanda was launched in 2014, and since then has grown to have over 1 million users in the past 5 years, and a team of more than 100 people.

Where a number of similar fintech startups have failed in the past, BitPanda has understood the cryptocurrency market well enough to continue to grow in size year on year.

BitPanda charges relatively high fees for their services, and certainly higher than many other providers on this list. While this is not ideal, they are still cheaper than platforms like Coinbase and do offer a fairly succinct process for purchasing crypto with credit cards.

Pros:

• Multiple payments and payout providers available
• Wide range of assets, including commodities

Cons:

• Only available to EU traders

In Summary: 5 Easy Ways To Buy Bitcoin With Credit Cards

If you’re looking to buy Bitcoin quicker than waiting for an antiquated bank transfer to settle in 3 days just doesn’t cut it.
One of the major benefits of using credit and debit cards in daily life is that payments are fast and easy.

As much appeal as this has when buying groceries or going shopping, the same is certainly true when the price of Bitcoin is fluctuating, and you’ve seen that now is the perfect entry point.

While there are a very wide range of places to buy Bitcoin with credit cards today, we’ve found a few that stand out for providing a bit for the trader — either with low fees, additional features, the ability to instantly trade after purchase, or even just that the platform support works as it should.