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How to buy Bitcoin with Venmo

A quick and easy way to dip your toes into crypto markets

Disclaimer: This page is not financial advice or an endorsement of digital assets, providers or services. Digital assets are volatile and risky, and past performance is no guarantee of future results. Potential regulations or policies can affect their availability and services provided. Talk with a financial professional before making a decision. Finder or the author may own cryptocurrency discussed on this page.

Venmo is a social payment app that lets you send money to individuals and businesses. You can use the app to pay your bills or to split a check with friends as well as to buy, sell, transfer and learn about bitcoin (BTC) and other crypto assets.

With as little as $1, you can purchase some bitcoin (BTC), ether (ETH), litecoin (LTC) or bitcoin cash (BCH) with the app.

If you are just getting started with Bitcoin or crypto more broadly, there are numerous articles and videos that you can use to learn about the asset class. Once you’ve made a purchase, you can also use Venmo to track the price of the crypto in your portfolio.

Venmo is owned by PayPal, and cryptocurrency transactions on Venmo are facilitated by PayPal’s partnership with Paxos Trust Company, a regulated provider of cryptocurrency products and services.

How to buy crypto with Venmo

Follow these steps to buy crypto with Venmo:

  1. Verify your identity.
    You must complete KYC identity verification if you want to buy, hold or sell cryptocurrencies on Venmo. Document reviews usually take up to 48 hours. These are the documents required for the verification on Venmo: Personal details (name, physical address, date of birth and National/Tax ID number), Identification document (US passport, driver’s license, DHS Card or Tribal ID Card) and Proof of physical address (utility bills, bank or credit card statements or current car registration).
  2. Select bitcoin (BTC) or whichever crypto asset you’d like to buy.
    On the bottom of the Venmo app screen is a tab that reads “Crypto”. You’ll find this tab alongside the other tabs – including “Home”, “Cards”, “Pay/Request” and “Me” on the bottom of the screen. Click the “Crypto” tab and then click on the crypto asset you’d like to purchase.
  3. Click the “Buy” button.
    Once you’ve selected the crypto you’d like to purchase, click the large blue “Buy” button at the bottom of the screen. If you haven’t completed the KYC process yet, you’ll be prompted to do so. If you have completed it, you can proceed with your purchase.
  4. Provide your phone number and submit the confirmation code.
    Venmo will prompt you to enter your phone number. Once you enter it, you’ll receive a confirmation code via SMS shortly thereafter. Enter the code into the box provided and click “Submit code”.
  5. Enter the US dollar amount for your purchase.
    Enter the US dollar amount for your purchase and click “Review”.
  6. Confirm your purchase.
    Venmo will show you a breakdown of how much cryptocurrency you’re about to purchase, along with any fees. If you are okay with the breakdown, click “Buy” to complete your purchase.

Pros and cons of buying crypto on Venmo

Pros

  • Quick and convenient. Venmo makes buying crypto assets relatively painless. In just a few clicks, you can purchase bitcoin or any of four other cryptocurrencies.
  • No need to self-custody. If you prefer not to manage the private keys to your crypto – or self-custody your crypto – and want a third party to manage them for you, Venmo is a convenient option. That being said, Venmo now allows you to move your crypto to a non-custodial wallet, as well.
  • Enables small purchases. Purchase some crypto with as little as $1.
  • Track your portfolio. Venmo automatically updates your cryptocurrency portfolio so that you can easily track your crypto investments.

Cons

  • High fees. The fees vary when you purchase crypto through Venmo depending on the dollar amount of the purchase. Fees at all levels of purchases are high compared to most other crypto brokerages and exchanges.
  • Limited selection. Venmo only offers five crypto assets.

Venmo crypto fees and costs

Method of transferTransfer feesTransfer times
Standard electronic withdrawal$01–3 business days
Instant transfer electronic withdrawal1.5% (minimum $0.25 fee, maximum $15 fee)5+ minutes
Method of depositFees
Transfer from bank account$0.00
Receive money in your personal Venmo account from Venmo users$0.00
Receive merchant refund$0.00
Receive money using direct deposit$0.00
Adding money using the “cash a check” feature (payroll and government checks)1.00%
(minimum $5 fee)
Adding money using the “cash a check” feature (all other accepted checks)5.00%
(minimum $5 fee)
Receive payments in your business profile or that identified as for goods and services1.9% + $0.10
Crypto purchase/sale amountFees
$1.00–$4.99$0.49
$5.00–$24.99$0.99
$25.00–$74.99$1.99
$75.00–$200.00$2.49
$200.01–$1001.80%
>$10001.50%

Is Venmo safe?

Yes, Venmo is safe to use. Venmo uses data encryption to protect your personal and financial information. With that said, you may want to opt out of not sharing your crypto purchases publicly via the app’s social feature, which broadcasts your transactions to your friends on the app.

If you click on the “Me” tab at the bottom of the app screen and then click on the settings icon in the top right-hand corner of the screen, you’ll be taken to the app’s settings options. If you click on the “Privacy” tab and then click the “Private” option, you can stop your crypto purchases and sales from being broadcast to friends.

Alternative platforms to buy crypto

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Frequently asked questions

Disclaimer: Cryptocurrencies are speculative, complex and involve significant risks – they are highly volatile and sensitive to secondary activity. Performance is unpredictable and past performance is no guarantee of future performance. Consider your own circumstances, and obtain your own advice, before relying on this information. You should also verify the nature of any product or service (including its legal status and relevant regulatory requirements) and consult the relevant Regulators' websites before making any decision. Finder, or the author, may have holdings in the cryptocurrencies discussed.

Whether products shown are available to you is subject to individual provider sole approval and discretion in accordance with the eligibility criteria and T&Cs on the provider website.

Name Product GXFCY Deposit methods Fiat currencies Cryptocurrencies Offer Disclaimer Go to site
eToro Cryptocurrency Trading
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Bank transfer, Credit card, Debit card, Neteller, Skrill

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78

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Binance Cryptocurrency Exchange
Bank transfer, Credit card, Cryptocurrency, Debit card, P2P

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370

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KuCoin Cryptocurrency Exchange
KuCoin Cryptocurrency Exchange
Bank transfer, Credit card, Cryptocurrency, Debit card, PayPal, P2P

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Bybit Cryptocurrency Exchange
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Gate.io Cryptocurrency Exchange
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Kraken Cryptocurrency Exchange
Bank transfer, Credit card, Cryptocurrency, Debit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, SWIFT

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222

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Coinmama Cryptocurrency Marketplace
Coinmama Cryptocurrency Marketplace
Bank transfer, Credit card, Debit card

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18

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Bittrex Global
Bittrex Global
Bank transfer, Credit card, Cryptocurrency, Debit card

2

349

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Paybis Cryptocurrency Exchange
Paybis Cryptocurrency Exchange
Bank transfer, Credit card, Cryptocurrency, Debit card, Neteller, Skrill

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38

US residents: Restricted in the following states - NY, CT, NM, WA, HI, AL, VT, FL, AK, NV.
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CEX.IO Cryptocurrency Exchange
CEX.IO Cryptocurrency Exchange
Bank transfer, Credit card, Cryptocurrency, SEPA, Faster Payments (FPS), SWIFT

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145

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Coinbase Digital Currency Exchange
Bank transfer (ACH), Credit card, Debit card, PayPal, Wire transfer

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256

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Changelly Crypto-to-Crypto Exchange
Changelly Crypto-to-Crypto Exchange
Credit card, Cryptocurrency

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Bitfinex Professional Trading Exchange
Bitfinex Professional Trading Exchange
Credit card, Cryptocurrency, Bank Wire

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243

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Huobi Cryptocurrency Exchange
Huobi Cryptocurrency Exchange
AdvCash, Cryptocurrency, Wire transfer, SWIFT

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606

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Bitstamp
Bitstamp
Bank transfer, Credit card, Cryptocurrency, Debit card, SEPA, Faster Payments (FPS)

2

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ShapeShift
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Credit card, Cryptocurrency, Debit card, Banxa

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50

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Bybit Cryptocurrency Exchange

Bybit Cryptocurrency Exchange logo
  • Offers leverage and derivative trading
  • Supports EUR, GBP and CHF
  • Licensed to operate in all European countries
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Disclaimer: Highly volatile investment product. Your capital is at risk. Not available for US citizens

KuCoin Cryptocurrency Exchange

KuCoin Cryptocurrency Exchange logo
  • Buy, sell and trade over 700 crypto assets
  • Supports 10 Asian fiat currencies
  • Offers crypto futures trading
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Not available for US citizens

Kraken Cryptocurrency Exchange

Kraken Cryptocurrency Exchange logo
  • Buy, sell and trade over 200 crypto assets
  • Licensed to operate in 17 jurisdictions in Oceania
  • Supports AUD
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Binance Cryptocurrency Exchange (Not available to US users)

Binance Cryptocurrency Exchange (Not available to US users) logo
  • Supports over 300 crypto assets
  • Binance Pay enables users spend their crypto
  • Binance P2P supports multiple African fiat currencies
Go to site

Binance Cryptocurrency Exchange (Not available to US users)

Binance Cryptocurrency Exchange (Not available to US users) logo
  • Supports over 300 crypto assets
  • Binance Pay works with Credencial Payments to support crypto payments
  • Binance P2P supports five Latin American fiat currencies
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Bybit Cryptocurrency Exchange

Bybit Cryptocurrency Exchange logo
  • Supports leverage and derivative trading
  • Supports 300 spot trading pairs
  • Low-to-non-existent trading fees
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Disclaimer: Highly volatile investment product. Your capital is at risk. Not available for US citizens
Frank Corva's headshot
Written by

Writer

Frank Corva is business-to-business (B2B) correspondent for Bitcoin Magazine and formerly the cryptocurrency writer and analyst for digital assets at Finder. Frank has turned his hobby of studying and writing about crypto into a career with a mission of educating the world about this burgeoning sector of finance. He worked in Ghana and Venezuela before earning a degree in applied linguistics at Teachers College, Columbia University. He also taught writing and entertainment business courses in Japan and worked with UNICEF in Namibia before returning to the US to teach at universities in New York City. Earlier in his career, he spent years working as a publicist and graphic designer for record labels like Warner Music Group and Triple Crown Records. During that time, he was also a music journalist whose writing and photography was in published in Alternative Press, Spin and other outlets. See full bio

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