When looking for the perfect exchange to buy bitcoins, you’ll need to consider the following 6 important factors:

Anonymity – do you want to buy privately?

If buying bitcoins in complete privacy and anonymity is important to you, you will need to avoid the following payment types:

Credit/debit cards

Bank wire/transfer

PayPal, Skrill, Google Pay

Buying bitcoins with cash, cash deposit or an ATM is the only way to purchase bitcoins anonymously.

Limits – how much do you want to buy?

If you are looking to buy large amounts of bitcoins, for example over $50k, you may want to explore big brokers and major exchanges.

Coinbase is a popular and trusted exchange with high limits when buying using a bank account.

Delivery – when do you need your bitcoins?

Depending on when you need your coins will impact where and how you pay for your Bitcoin.

Buy instantly using your credit/debit card on CEX.IO, Coinbase or BitPanda.

Buy within a few hours using your bank account, PayPal and other methods on a peer-to-peer exchange like Paxful or LocalBitcoins.

Sending money from your bank account or connecting your bank account to an exchange like Coinbase, BitPanda or CEX.IO can take up to 7 days.

Exchange rates – why is the price of Bitcoin different?

The price of one Bitcoin will vary depending on where you are buying and how you are paying. The market price is often determined by averaging prices across popular exchanges.

To buy at the so-called “market price”, you will need to buy Bitcoin on a live exchange like Coinbase’s GDAX

When buying Bitcoin instantly using your credit or debit card, you will likely end up paying 5%-10% above the market price in exchange for quick delivery and convenience.

Trust & reliability – does the exchange have a good reputation?

Before selecting an exchange, make sure to do your homework to see if the company you want to buy from is trustworthy.

Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies are still very new and some bad actors occasionally try to take advantage of less knowledgeable folks.

The exchanges recommended in this guide have been carefully reviewed and vetted to help our readers stay safe.

Payment methods – how do you want to buy your bitcoins?

Knowing how you want to buy your coins is an essential step to buying bitcoins and selecting the perfect exchange.

Fees range from 0.0% to 15.0% depending on your payment method

Bank Account Credit/Debit Card ATMs Cash 0.0% – 3.0% 3.0% – 6.0% 5.5% – 15.0% 5.0% – 10.0% 1 – 7 days Instant Instant Instant ID Required ID Required No ID No ID High Limit High Limit Low Limit High Limit Buy Now

Buy Now Buy Now Buy Now

GET A WALLET! You will need a wallet before buying with a credit/debit card or using a Bitcoin ATM. Don’t have a wallet yet? Quickly find the perfect Bitcoin wallet for you.

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