How to buy Bitcoin and pay for your order
Bitcoin is a digital currency, usually shown as BTC. You can buy a small part of one Bitcoin — you do not need to buy a whole coin.
There are two separate actions: buying Bitcoin for yourself, then sending it to pay for your order. Buying Bitcoin alone does not pay the shop.
This guide uses Coinbase as an example. Its availability, payment methods and account requirements depend on your country. If you already have Bitcoin available to send, start at step 4.
Payment methods in your country
Choose your country for Coinbase’s official instructions. Check which methods are available in your account before buying. These help pages are in English.
Canada
With Interac e-Transfer, add Canadian dollars to Coinbase first, then buy BTC. Eligible cards and bank accounts are also listed in the guide.
Official Coinbase guideAustralia
Buy using an eligible debit card, or add Australian dollars using PayID / BSB, then buy BTC.
Official Coinbase guideUnited Kingdom
Buy using an eligible card or Easy Bank Transfer, or add pounds using Faster Payments, then buy BTC.
Official Coinbase guideEurope (EU)
Check SEPA transfers and eligible cards. The available options depend on your country.
Official Coinbase guideAdding money or buying BTC does not pay your shop order. Before opening the order’s payment page, make sure your BTC is available to send (step 3).
1. Create your Coinbase account
Open Coinbase.com on your computer, or install the Coinbase app using the links on its official website.
Choose Sign up or Get started. Enter your details, create a password, and confirm your email address and phone number.
Complete the identity checks shown on screen. You may need a photo of your passport, driving licence or another accepted identity document. Wait until the required checks are complete.
2. Buy Bitcoin
On a computer, select Buy. In the mobile app, select Buy & sell, then Buy.
Choose Bitcoin (BTC) and enter how much you want to spend. Under Pay with, select an available payment method, such as a debit card or bank account, and follow the instructions to add it.
Check your shop order total when deciding how much to buy. You will also need enough to cover the service’s purchase and sending fees.
Open Review order, check the currency, purchase amount and fees, then choose Buy now when everything is correct.
3. Make sure your Bitcoin is available to send
Your purchase may appear in your balance before you can transfer it outside Coinbase.
Check the amount available to send. If Coinbase shows a hold or transfer restriction, follow the availability information in your account and wait until you can send enough BTC for the payment.
4. Open your order’s payment page
Choose Bitcoin when placing your order. If you have already placed it, open the payment page for that existing order.
The payment page provides the details you need:
- Bitcoin address: the destination to which you send the payment.
- BTC amount: the exact amount the order must receive.
- Network: the transfer network to use, if specified.
- Expiry: the deadline for using those payment details.
Keep this page open while preparing the transfer. Use the current details for this order only.
5. Send Bitcoin to pay for your order
On Coinbase.com, choose Send crypto. In the mobile app, open Pay.
Complete the payment fields:
- Select Bitcoin (BTC).
- Switch the amount field to BTC, then enter the exact BTC amount from your order’s payment page.
- Copy the complete Bitcoin address from that page and paste it into the recipient address field.
- If asked to choose a network, use the network specified on the payment page.
Review the address, amount and sending fee. Make sure the amount the recipient will receive matches the order’s required BTC amount.
On the website, use Preview Send, then Send now. In the app, review the payment and choose Pay now. Complete any security confirmation requested.
6. Check your payment
Return to your order’s payment page to check its status. A Bitcoin transfer can take time to be detected and confirmed.
If the payment details expire before you send, reopen the payment page for current instructions.
If you have already sent the payment, do not send it again simply because the order still shows unpaid. Contact us with your order number and the transaction ID from your sending history.
