To buy Bitcoin, set up a Bitcoin wallet and back up its recovery phrase. Choose a crypto exchange or broker, create an account and verify your identity. Pick a payment method and an amount, then paste your wallet address and check it. Confirm the order and follow the transfer in your wallet until it is confirmed.
Buying Bitcoin means swapping regular money, such as dollars or euros, for bitcoin that is sent to a wallet you control. This guide walks you through each step, from setting up a wallet to checking that your coins have arrived. For the basics that apply to every coin, read the main guide on how to buy crypto.
You do not need technical skills, but you do need to check a few details carefully. If Bitcoin itself is new to you, start with what Bitcoin is and how it works. When you are ready, you can see the Bitcoin price and payment options on Coinmama.
What do you need before you buy Bitcoin?
You need a Bitcoin wallet, a photo ID, a way to pay and an email address. You also need a budget.
- A Bitcoin wallet. It gives you the address your bitcoin is sent to (see Step 1).
- A photo ID. A passport or a national ID card is usually enough. Some services also ask for a selfie or proof of address.
- A way to pay. For example, a bank card, a bank account, Apple Pay or Google Pay. What you can use depends on your country and the service.
- An email address and a phone. You need them to open and secure your account.
- A budget. Decide how much to spend before you start, using money you do not need for bills or savings.
Which Bitcoin terms should you know first?
These six words come up in almost every Bitcoin purchase.
- Wallet: software or a device that holds the private keys that control your bitcoin (bitcoin.org). See what a crypto wallet is.
- Address: the string of characters someone needs to send you bitcoin. See crypto address.
- Recovery phrase: a list of words that restores your wallet, also called a seed phrase. Anyone who has it can take your bitcoin.
- Satoshi: the smallest unit: one bitcoin equals 100,000,000 satoshis (bitcoin.org). See satoshi (the unit).
- KYC: short for “know your customer”, the identity check most services run before you buy. See KYC and crypto.
- Confirmation: the point at which the network has recorded your transaction in a block (bitcoin.org). See confirmation.
How do you buy Bitcoin, step by step?
There are six steps, from setting up a wallet to checking that your bitcoin has arrived. The sections below explain each one.
- Get a Bitcoin wallet and write down its recovery phrase.
- Choose where to buy and check that the service works in your country.
- Create an account and verify your identity with your photo ID.
- Choose a payment method and an amount, and compare the total cost.
- Enter your wallet address and confirm after checking the address and the quote.
- Check that your bitcoin has arrived and follow its confirmations.
Step 1: How do you get a Bitcoin wallet?
Install a wallet that supports Bitcoin, or buy a hardware wallet, and write down the recovery phrase it shows you. The wallet then gives you a Bitcoin address where your coins can be sent.
Wallets come in two broad types. A hot wallet is software on your phone or computer, which is handy for smaller amounts. A cold wallet, such as a hardware device, keeps your keys offline. Compare them in hot wallet vs cold wallet.
Some services hold bitcoin for you in a custodial wallet, where the company holds the keys. With a non-custodial wallet you hold the keys, so the backup is your job. See how public and private keys work.
Write the recovery phrase on paper, keep it offline and never share it or type it into a website. If you lose it, your bitcoin can be gone for good: see what happens if you lose your private keys.
Step 2: Where can you buy Bitcoin?
Most people buy Bitcoin through a crypto exchange or a broker, where you pay with regular money and receive bitcoin. Peer-to-peer marketplaces, Bitcoin ATMs and decentralized exchanges are other options, each with its own trade-offs.
| Where you buy | How you buy | What to watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Crypto exchange | You buy at a market price, often from other users through an order book | Fees, spreads and identity checks differ between exchanges |
| Broker | The broker sells you bitcoin at a quoted price | The quote can include a spread, so compare the total |
| Peer-to-peer (P2P) marketplace | You pay another person directly, often by bank transfer | You rely on a stranger; check how disputes are handled |
| Bitcoin ATM | You pay cash or card at a machine | Check the price and fees on screen; scammers often send victims to these machines (FTC). See the Bitcoin ATM guide |
| Decentralized exchange (DEX) | You swap crypto you already hold, from your own wallet | You need crypto first; swaps cannot be reversed. See what a DEX is |
Before you sign up anywhere, check five things:
- Your country. Does the service work where you live?
- Payment methods. Can you pay the way you want?
- The total cost. Compare the full quote for the same amount, including fees and the spread.
- Identity checks. Which documents are needed?
- Who runs it. Look for a company name, clear terms and a way to reach a person. Check that the web address is spelled correctly.
Coinmama is a cryptocurrency exchange. To check your country, see restricted countries and states, or go straight to the Bitcoin price and payment options on Coinmama.
Step 3: How do you create an account and verify your identity?
Sign up with your email address and a strong password, then complete the identity check. Most exchanges and brokers verify your identity before you can buy.
Use a password you do not use anywhere else, and turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) wherever it is offered.
This check, often called KYC, is part of anti-money-laundering rules. In the EU, for example, firms covered by these rules must identify and verify their clients, and crypto service providers must collect information about who sends and who receives the crypto transfers they handle (European Commission, as of September 2026). Read more in KYC and crypto.
You usually upload a photo ID, and some services also ask for a selfie or proof of address. On Coinmama, you verify your identity before you buy. The documents and steps are explained in Get verified. How long the check takes can vary.
Step 4: Which payment method should you choose?
Choose a method that works in your country and on the service you use, then compare the total cost. There is no single right way to pay.
| Method | How it works | What to check | Learn more |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debit or credit card | You pay online, and your bank may ask you to approve the payment | Some card issuers treat crypto purchases as a cash advance | Buying with Visa or Mastercard |
| Bank transfer | You pay from your bank account; the bitcoin is sent once the money arrives | Copy the payment details and any reference exactly | Buy Bitcoin with a bank account |
| SEPA transfer | A euro bank transfer across the EU and some non-EU countries (ECB) | You pay in euros from a bank in the SEPA area | Buy Bitcoin with SEPA |
| Apple Pay or Google Pay | You pay with a card saved on your phone | It works like a card payment, so your card’s terms apply | Buying crypto with Apple Pay or Google Pay |
On Coinmama, the payment methods depend on your country: see account limits and payment methods and the Apple Pay and Google Pay help pages.
Credit cards need extra care. A Chase credit card agreement in the US, for example, lists buying cryptocurrency among “cash-like transactions” that are treated as cash advances (as of September 2026). Check your card’s terms and read what a cash advance fee is.
What you pay is the price of the bitcoin plus any fees. On Coinmama, Coinmama does not add its own fee. All fees are shown before you confirm your order. See Coinmama fees. Your bank or card issuer may add its own charges.
Step 5: How do you enter your wallet address and confirm the order?
Choose the amount, paste your Bitcoin wallet address, check it, then review the quote and confirm. Crypto is delivered to the wallet address you provide, so a wrong address can mean lost bitcoin.
- Copy, do not type. Copy the address from your wallet’s receive screen and paste it.
- Check the characters. Compare the first and last few characters and a few in the middle. Bitcoin addresses usually start with 1, 3 or bc1 (Bitcoin Wiki).
- Watch for look-alike addresses. In address poisoning, attackers send tiny transactions from addresses that match yours in the first and last few characters (bitcoin.org). Never copy an address from your transaction history.
- Check the quote. Look at how much you pay, the fees and how much bitcoin you will receive.
If you are asked to confirm your wallet address on Coinmama, see wallet address not confirmed. You can check the Bitcoin price and payment options before you start an order.
Step 6: How do you check that your bitcoin has arrived?
Open your wallet and look for the incoming transaction. It shows as pending first, then as confirmed once the network adds it to a block.
New blocks are added to the Bitcoin blockchain about every 10 minutes on average, but a single confirmation can arrive much sooner or much later (bitcoin.org, as of September 2026). Before its first confirmation, the transaction waits in the mempool. Each new block adds one more confirmation, and bitcoin.org notes that six confirmations are often considered as safe as waiting six months on a credit card transaction.
If your wallet shows a transaction ID (TXID), you can look it up on a block explorer, a website that shows transactions on the blockchain. How long the whole purchase takes depends on the identity check, the payment method and the network. Read how long it takes to buy crypto, and if a transfer seems stuck, see blockchain delays and confirmations.
How much Bitcoin can you buy with $100?
You can buy whatever fraction of a bitcoin your money covers after fees. Divide the amount that goes into bitcoin by the price of one bitcoin.
For example, at a made-up price of $100,000 per bitcoin, $100 buys 0.001 BTC, or 100,000 satoshis, before fees. The fees in your quote reduce that amount. Bitcoin can be divided to eight decimal places, down to 0.00000001 BTC (bitcoin.org).
To run the numbers at the current reference price, use the Bitcoin calculator. It uses a market reference rate, so the amount you receive after fees can differ. For more on small amounts, read can you buy a fraction of a Bitcoin?
Each service sets its own minimum and maximum order sizes, and these can differ by payment method. For the current limits on Coinmama, see account limits and payment methods.
What mistakes should you avoid when buying Bitcoin?
Most beginner mistakes come from rushing. Slow down, check every detail and keep your first purchase small.
- Buying before you have a wallet, or before you have backed up its recovery phrase.
- Keeping your recovery phrase in a screenshot, an email or a cloud note.
- Typing a wallet address by hand, or copying one from your transaction history.
- Reusing a password from another site, or skipping 2FA where it is offered.
- Paying by credit card without checking whether your card issuer charges a cash advance fee.
- Looking only at the bitcoin price and not at the total cost.
- Spending money you need for bills, or buying because someone is pressuring you.
- Not keeping records of your purchases for tax.
How do you avoid Bitcoin scams?
Be suspicious of anyone who contacts you about bitcoin out of the blue. Scammers target new buyers with fake sites, fake support and promises of easy profits.
- Payment demands. Only scammers demand payment in cryptocurrency, and no legitimate business will demand that you send crypto in advance (FTC).
- Promised profits. Only scammers promise sure profits or big returns (FTC). “Giveaways” that ask you to send a small amount of bitcoin first are a classic scam (bitcoin.org).
- Fake exchanges and investment sites. Scammers set up fake exchanges with prices that look too good, or build trust for weeks on dating apps or social media before pushing a fake investment site (bitcoin.org).
- Fake support. Scammers pose as support staff and ask for your seed phrase, private key or remote access to your device (bitcoin.org). Read the warning about people pretending to be Coinmama employees.
- Bitcoin ATM pressure. Scammers pose as officials or relatives and push people to pay cash into Bitcoin ATMs (bitcoin.org). The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported that fraud losses at these machines grew nearly tenfold from 2020 to 2023 and topped $65 million in the first half of 2024 (as of September 2026).
- Recovery scams. People who have already lost money are targeted again by “recovery” services that ask for an upfront fee (bitcoin.org).
Learn how to spot phishing, read how to protect yourself from fraud and check the phishing attacks help page. For a wider look at the risks, read is Bitcoin safe to buy?
What should you do after you buy Bitcoin?
Keep your bitcoin safe, keep records, and learn how to move or sell it before you need to.
- Check your backup. Make sure your recovery phrase is written down correctly and stored offline.
- Keep records. Note the date, amount, price and fees of each purchase. Most jurisdictions apply taxes such as capital gains tax to anything of value, including bitcoin (bitcoin.org). In the US, digital assets are property, not currency, and if you only bought crypto with dollars and did not sell it, you answer “No” to the digital asset question on your tax return (IRS, as of September 2026). Read crypto taxes before you buy.
- Learn how to move it. Read how to send Bitcoin to a wallet before your first transfer.
- Know how you would sell. Read how to sell Bitcoin, and remember that fees and tax can apply when you sell.
- Learn how prices move. See what volatility is.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Bitcoin.org: Frequently asked questions (checked September 2026)
- Bitcoin.org: Some things you need to know (checked September 2026)
- Bitcoin.org: Vocabulary (checked September 2026)
- Bitcoin.org: Avoid scams (checked September 2026)
- Bitcoin Wiki: List of address prefixes (checked September 2026)
- European Commission: Anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism at EU level (checked September 2026)
- European Central Bank: Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) (checked September 2026)
- Chase: Cardmember Agreement, “Cash-like transactions” (checked September 2026)
- US Federal Trade Commission: What to know about cryptocurrency and scams (checked September 2026)
- US Federal Trade Commission: Bitcoin ATMs: A payment portal for scammers (3 September 2024) (checked September 2026)
- IRS: Digital assets (checked September 2026)
