Guide · First-time buyers

How to buy Bitcoin

Two roads to your first bitcoin: pay with card or bank transfer through the fiat ramp, or swap crypto you already hold. Both end the same way: BTC settles on-chain to a wallet you control, not an account the platform holds for you. This guide walks both, with the tradeoffs stated plainly.

You needA wallet address to receive the BTC (self-custodial or hardware)For the ramp: a card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or a bank transfer methodFor the swap route: any crypto balance to trade from

Step by step

Every step, in order.

Step 01

Open the Buy app

buy.u.cash lists the supported fiat rails for your region: card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or bank transfer. Pick the one you can fund.

Step 02

Choose your amount

Enter the fiat amount or the BTC amount. The quote shows the rate and the all-in fee before you commit; nothing is taken until you sign.

Step 03

Provide your wallet address

Paste the BTC address you want the bitcoin delivered to. It can be a wallet you hold the keys to, a Lightning-capable wallet, or a deposit address elsewhere: the choice is yours.

Step 04

Pay

Complete the fiat payment. The ramp provider handles the fiat side; the BTC side settles on-chain once the payment clears.

Step 05

Or swap instead

Already hold crypto? swap.u.cash trades any asset for BTC in one signed transaction. The router quotes the best price across the liquidity sources.

Step 06

Verify and hold

Watch the transaction confirm on any explorer. From there the bitcoin is yours to hold, send, or spend: non-custodial from the first satoshi.

The part that matters

The two routes price differently. The fiat ramp charges for the fiat leg (card rails cost more than bank rails) plus a spread, but starts from nothing. The swap route assumes you already hold crypto and charges the swap fee only. If you are starting from fiat, the ramp is the honest single step; if you already hold assets, swapping is usually cheaper than ramping out and back in. Either way, settlement is to your own address: U.CASH never pools customer bitcoin.

Go deeper

Bitcoin asset pageGlossary: fiat on-rampGuide: swap across chainsBuy directory

FAQ

Do I need an account to buy BTC?
No account holds your coins. You need a receiving address; the purchase settles straight to it. U.CASH is non-custodial by design.
What does it cost?
The ramp shows its all-in quote before you pay: card rails cost more than bank rails. The swap route charges the swap fee. Both numbers are quoted before you commit.
How fast is settlement?
The swap route settles with the transaction, typically minutes. The fiat ramp settles once your payment clears, which depends on the rail you chose.

Other guides

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How to swap across chains

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Keep going

How to buy Bitcoin, done right

Six guides, one platform, every rail non-custodial.