How to buy Bitcoin in the UK

Bitcoin has fallen 1.20% from $44,043.44 over 24 hours. Learn how to buy Bitcoin.

Bitcoin
BTC- USD
$43,307.00
- $719.39 ( - 1.63%)
BINANCE-LABS-PORTFOLIO
Don't invest unless you're prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment and you should not expect to be protected if something goes wrong. Take 2 mins to learn more.

Key takeaways

  • The best and simplest way to buy crypto like Bitcoin in the UK is to use a cryptocurrency exchange.
  • You can choose how much Bitcoin to buy as an investment – it could be several Bitcoin down to a fraction (known as a Satoshi).
  • To invest, you’ll need to create an account on a crypto exchange, decide how much Bitcoin you want to buy, and then make a purchase.

Bitcoin (BTC) is a cryptoasset that currently ranks as the 1sd largest by market cap (that's the total value of Bitcoin in circulation – $851.4 billion).

Like all cryptoassets, it's highly volatile, and capable of major price swings in a single day. As of 7 December, BTC is trading for $43,513.00 (£34,514.51), a decrease of 1.20% against $44,043.44 a day earlier. Over the past year, Bitcoin's price has seen a barnstorming increase of 158.03%.

How to buy Bitcoin in 4 steps

  1. Compare crypto exchanges
    The easiest way to buy Bitcoin is from a cryptocurrency exchange. Comparing in the table below lets you find one with the features you want such as low fees, ease of use or 24-hour customer support.
  2. Create an account
    To create an account on an exchange, you will need to verify your email address and identity. Have some photo ID and your phone ready.
  3. Make a deposit
    Once verified, you can deposit funds using the payment method that best suits you – cryptocurrency, bank and card payments are widely accepted.
  4. Buy Bitcoin
    You can now exchange your funds for Bitcoin. On easier-to-use exchanges, this is as simple as entering the amount you want to purchase and clicking "Buy". If you like, you can now withdraw your Bitcoin to your personal wallet.

The whole process can take as little as 15 minutes and all you'll need is a smartphone or computer, an internet connection, photo identification and a means of payment.

Best for beginners

Finder Award
Capital at risk. T&Cs apply.

  • Copy trading features
  • Well-trusted exchange
  • FCA registered

Best for overall exchange

Finder Award
Capital at risk. T&Cs apply.

  • Large selection of cryptocurrencies
  • Low fees for active traders
  • Pleasant UI for new traders

Best for debit card

Capital at risk. T&Cs apply.

  • No fiat deposit/withdrawal fees
  • Expansive list of digital assets
  • Available in 184+ countries

Where to buy Bitcoin

Find an exchange to buy, sell and trade Bitcoin by comparing deposit methods, supported fiat currencies and fees. Select "Go to site" to sign up directly with the exchange.

1 - 5 of 7
Name Product Finder score FCA-registered Minimum deposit Cryptocurrencies Offer
eToro UK Cryptoasset Investing
Finder score
★★★★★
$50

76

Kraken Cryptocurrency Exchange
Finder score
★★★★★
£1

229

Uphold - Digital Asset Platform
Finder score
★★★★★
£10

214

CoinJar Cryptocurrency Exchange
Finder score
★★★★★
£10

64

Coinpass Cryptocurrency Exchange
Not rated yet
£10

13

Disclaimer: Star ratings are only displayed for products with 10 or more reviews.
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These exchanges cover a wide range of cryptocurrencies, but we can’t guarantee they’ll all offer this coin.

Is it a good time to buy Bitcoin?

Only you can make the decision about when is the best time to buy Bitcoin. However, here are some things to consider as part of your research.

Take a look at the fundamentals of Bitcoin. What type of coin is it? Utility, payment or governance token etc? How large is its market cap? How many coins are in circulation? All this will help you to understand how Bitcoin works and how much risk is involved.

Also consider how has performed so far. Our charts below show you Bitcoin's performance over time as well as its all time high.

Recent Bitcoin developments

2 November, 2023: Bitcoin rose by 22% in October as a result of rumours that a spot Bitcoin ETF was due to be approved in the US.
3 October, 2023: The Bitcoin network is facing congestion issues due to the popularity of Ordinals, which are a way of tokenising assets on the Bitcoin network. Bitcoin reached a peak of 700,00 unconfirmed transactions on September 6, and has no dropped to 40,000 a the time of writing.
1 September, 2023: A court ruling in favor of Grayscale allows its Bitcoin Trust to convert into an ETF, creating a new opportunity for a Bitcoin spot ETF in the US.

Where could Bitcoin's price be heading?

Bitcoin's price is expected to rise to US$30,463 by year-end 2023, according to the average prediction from Finder's panel of fintech specialists.

The panellists also predict BTC will hit US$87,125 by 2025 and US$220,708 by 2030.

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Bitcoin to USD and GBP calculator

Our calculator works out how much Bitcoin would be worth in USD and GBP, depending on how much you hold or are looking to purchase.

BTC price last updated 7 December 2023, 03:12 UTC.

BTC
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*Cryptocurrencies aren't regulated in the UK and there's no protection from the Financial Ombudsman or the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. Your capital is at risk. Capital gains tax on profits may apply.

Cryptocurrencies are speculative and investing in them involves significant risks - they're highly volatile, vulnerable to hacking and sensitive to secondary activity. The value of investments can fall as well as rise and you may get back less than you invested. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. This content shouldn't be interpreted as a recommendation to invest. Before you invest, you should get advice and decide whether the potential return outweighs the risks. Finder, or the author, may have holdings in the cryptocurrencies discussed.

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