ℹ Are there fees for buying ether?

Yes, there will usually be fees applied. The level of these will depend on the platform you’re using and the method by which you’re paying for your coins. For card payments, fees are generally between 1% and 5%, with bank transfers typically having the lowest fees (and sometimes none at all).

ℹ What are the fees for depositing funds?

This is again dependent on the platform and payment method you are using. Some exchanges will charge you for depositing into your account via any method, some only for specific payments (e.g. credit card), and some will have no fees at all. You’ll be able to find accurate information regarding each platform’s fees in our reviews.

ℹ What are the fees for withdrawing funds?

These will usually be the same as, or very similar to the fees charged for deposits. Withdrawal fees as such will only apply if you are selling your Ethereum for fiat currency and withdrawing that to your bank account. If you’re moving ether from one platform to another, or to a wallet, then there will usually be no fees from the platform but you will have to pay ‘gas’, the small transaction fees charged by the Ethereum network itself.

ℹ Should I leave my ether on an exchange?

It depends on what you want to do with your ether and how much you own. If you’re looking to trade your coins often or exchange them for other cryptocurrencies, then leaving them in your exchange account makes sense. However, if you want to keep hold of ether as an investment, then it’s a good idea to transfer your Ethereum to a safer storage option such as a hardware wallet. Exchanges are prone to attacks from hackers, so are not recommended for holding large amounts of coins.

ℹ If the limits aren't high enough, can I get ether on multiple exchanges?

Absolutely. There’s no limit to the number of services you’re allowed to use, so if you want to get lots of ether quickly, you could sign up to a number of exchanges and buy coins on each. You would then be able to transfer from all of these accounts to one wallet to hold all your ether in one place.

ℹ Do I have to use Ethereum in swaps for other cryptocurrencies?

Sometimes. It’s difficult to pay with fiat currency for any but the largest cryptocurrencies (such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin). This means if you want a lesser known altcoin then you’ll usually have to use Ethereum or another major coin and then use it as a swap for different cryptocurrencies on an exchange such as Binance.

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How to buy Ethereum with credit card

Q: ℹ Can Ethereum replace cards?

Technically yes. It is possible that Ethereum transactions will become the norm in the future. Ether transactions are very fast, secure, and anonymous, and are supported by the Ethereum network. The Ethereum network allows the creation of ‘smart contracts’ and aims at creating new ways for people to interact and spend without middlemen, so it’s arguably a more interesting long term prospect even than Bitcoin.

Q: ℹ Is Ethereum better than fiat currency?

In some ways, yes. Ethereum’s cryptocurrency, ether, is different from fiat currency because it allows anonymous spending and transactions are almost instant, even when making cross-border transfers. Moreover, Ethereum itself is a network with much wider ambitions than just supporting a currency. It can be used to create ‘smart contracts’ (digital contracts that cut our middlemen) and offers a platform for developers to create dApps (decentralized applications) using blockchain technology.

Q: ℹ Can I convert ether back to my card?

Well, not directly, but yes. You’ll need to exchange it for fiat currency (such as GBP or USD) first, and then transfer the funds into your account. Your bank account won’t be able to hold cryptocurrency because it’s designed to support fiat currency only. Head to an exchange and trade your ether for pounds and transfer them over.

Q: ℹ Can you get other cryptocurrencies using a card?

Yes, but it depends which ones. Usually you’ll be able to get any of the more well-known cryptocurrencies with your card (such as Bitcoin, Litecoin, and Ripple) on most platforms. If you want the lesser known altcoins, you’ll usually have to swap into another cryptocurrency and get hem with that through an exchange.

Q: Does Coinbase accept credit cards?

Yes, Coinbase allows you to use your card. However, there are verification limits as to how much you can spend with your card, which usually ranges from 100 – 250 pounds weekly for new account holders. These limits are usually lifted when you provide more information for verification, including phone number, personal details, photo ID, and a purchase history on the platform.

Q: ℹ Can you get ether with a stolen credit/debit card?

No, it wouldn’t go through. In fact, you won’t get past account verification because you will be needed to provide proof that you own the card. This involves sending your ID and a selfie of yourself holding the credit card. Don’t try and do anything illegal on an exchange or with a brokerage.

Q: ℹ Can I use a prepaid debit card?

Yes, but it depends on the platform you are using. There are platforms that will accept all cards and others that only support debit and prepaid cards. The fees are largely the same as with credit/debit card, and usually range between 0% and 5%.

Q: ℹ What are the risks involved when using cards?

There aren’t many. The risk you’re taking is with the money you’re investing considering the market volatility of cryptocurrencies, but as a payment method, credit/debit card is one of the most secure options out there. You also need to check with your preferred platform and bank to confirm if it does support the specific card you are using, because some of them may decline credit cards. But generally, as long as you’re using a reputable site, you shouldn’t have anything to worry about. Our reviews and comparisons will help you find the right platform.

Q: ℹ Will buying Ethereum with credit/debit card actually work?

Yes, as long as you are using a reliable platform. That’s why we review and compare all the different options available, taking you through the pros and cons of each method and providing the platforms we believe to offer the best service to their customers. If you encounter any problems, then please contact us and we’ll do everything we can to help.

Q: ℹ Can I remain anonymous?

This is technically possible, but not on most platforms. The reason for this is that, in order to keep their services secure, most exchanges and brokerages (along with all CFD trading platforms) require you at least to provide an email address, and usually photo ID and address details if you wish to buy more than a small number of coins. If you want to stay anonymous, then peer-to-peer platforms such as LocalBitcoins are the best places to look.

Debit and credit cards make it easy to get your hands on Ethereum. We'll guide you through all the steps.

Updated: Jun 9, 2021

Tip: our preferred broker is, eToro: visit & create account

Credit/debit cards are one of the most popular payment methods when it comes to funding cryptocurrency accounts. Unlike other options such as bank wire transfers that usually take up to 5 days, purchases using a card are often instant, although most platforms will have a restriction to the amount you can get each time you trade.

Where can you buy Ethereum with a credit card?

If you have used a card to deposit money before, you can go ahead and view our selection of platforms that support that payment method when it comes to Ethereum. If you are new to the game, this guide will help you understand it and where you should start.

Min. Deposit

$50

Exclusive promotion

user-score

Accepts customers from the USA

Offers 15 crypto coins to buy&sell including BTC, LTC, ETC, NEO and more

Trade on the world's leading social trading and investing platform

Start Trading

Description:

eToro offers a wide range of cryptos, such as Bitcoin, XRP and others, alongside crypto/fiat and crypto/crypto pairs. eToro users can connect with, learn from, and copy or get copied by other users.

Payment Methods

Bank Transfer, Wire Transfer

Full regulations list:

CySEC, FCA

Min. Deposit

$20

Exclusive promotion

user-score

9.3

Margin Trading with full legal compliance

Cryptocurrency staking

Various Payment options

Start Trading

Description:

Cex.io offers exchange of fiat currency for Bitcoin Ethereum, Tether, and 23 other cryptocurrencies, as well as Bitcoin/Ethereum trading against the USD.

Payment Methods

Credit Card, Cryptocurrencies, Debit Card, Wire Transfer, skrill

Full regulations list:

Min. Deposit

$10

Exclusive promotion

user-score

8.7

The broker offers access to a trusted MetaTrader trading system

Pricing is ensured to be completely transparent, also providing accuracy and speed

Trade a Wide Variety of Assets with Leverage up to 1:500

Start Trading

Description:

LonghornFX is a true ECN STP broker dedicated to delivering a superior trading experience to traders no matter their level of experience. Their services are based on transparency, innovation and efficiency, ensuring an unparalleled trading experience for all.

Payment Methods

Bitcoin, Credit Card, Debit Card, Visa

Full regulations list:

LonghornFX offers high-leverage trading on a wide variety of assets. Trading with leverage carries a degree of risk which may result in losing more than your investments. Clients should practise risk management to protect themselves from losing more than they can afford when trading with leverage.

What’s the difference between broker platforms, exchanges, and wallets?

Choosing whether to use an online broker platform or an exchange depends on what your intentions are.

Exchange

An exchange is a marketplace for buyers and sellers. Exchanges connect people looking who want to get Ethereum with those who want to sell it, enabling peer-to-peer transactions between them, without ever knowing who they are.

Broker platform

A ‘broker’ or Contract For Difference (CFD) platform allows you speculate on the price without actually owning the ether coins themselves. This is what traders do on a daily basis (on Wall Street, for example). Similarly to exchanges, CFD platforms enable you to buy and sell quickly, taking advantage of price changes to make a profit. These platforms are not designed for long-term investments, but to give a fast way to capitalise daily.

Wallet

A wallet is essentially a bank account: it is an address that stores your ether and allows you to send or receive ether to/from other wallets. Every wallet comes with two separate strings of numbers and letters known as ‘keys’: a public key (used to receive ether) and a private key (used to send ether to other wallets). You need these if you want to store your coins as a long-term investment and aren’t very interested in constantly tracking the market.

Therefore, if you want to get ethereum at a competitive rate and capitalise on fluctuations in price, then you’ll want to sign up to an exchange or CFD platform. The key difference between these two types of service is that on an exchange you store the coins yourself, whereas with a CFD platform you trade ethers without actually owning them.

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Why aren’t credit cards more widely accepted?

Usually because of restrictions from banks. Many financial institutions remain sceptical of cryptocurrency and so block payments. This has led to some platforms removing the payment option as it’s unreliable, and also means that if an exchange/broker accepts credit cards, the fees will usually be higher than for debit cards, so make sure to watch out for this.

What about pre-paid cards?

Since prepaid cards are pre-funded before use, they are a more secure option for Ethereum platforms to accept and are usually accepted. But again, this will depend on the platform you’re using.

Is using a credit card the best method?

Well, it depends. If you’re not intending on buying a very large amount of Ethereum and you find a platform with reasonable card fees (these usually range between 1% and 5%), then there’s no reason why you shouldn’t.

Typically, purchases using cards are processed instantly or within a few minutes, but there will be limits to how much Ethereum you can buy at a time depending on the platform and your verification status. It’s hard to be precise about the level of fees, but card payments are generally better for £100s rather than £1000s worth of any cryptocurrency.

Whether you can use a credit or debit card will also depend on the platform you intend to use. Almost all platforms support debit card payments, but some don’t support credit cards. So make sure to check your preferred platform first.

How to buy Ethereum with a credit card – a step-by-step guide

Now you know what your options are, you need to know how to use them. That’s why we’ve outlined how to buy Ethereum with credit card right here. If you’re already familiar with how it’s done and have specific questions you need answering, then skip to our frequently asked questions section at the bottom of the page.

What do I need to do before I get started?

You’ll need to provide some information to sign up to a service. Spending ether is completely anonymous, but in order to verify your account and to combat fraud there are a few things you need to have with you. To get started you need to prepare your:

Method of payment

Whether you want to use a credit card, a debit card, bank transfer, or PayPal you’ll need to have your account details to hand and make sure there are no restrictions on payments of that type through your chosen service.

Proof of identity

You’ll almost always be asked to supply valid photo ID to prove your identity when signing up to a platform. A passport or driving license is most commonly required and you’ll often be asked to supply a selfie of you next to it to verify it’s yours.

Proof of address

Along with photo ID you’ll be asked to supply proof of your address, generally in the form of a utility bill or a bank statement. If you don’t have access to these documents, others are sometimes accepted. This will, however, depend on the platform so be sure to check you have the right forms of ID before signing up to a particular service.

Exchange or broker platform

Now decide which type of platform you want to use. Consider what you want to get out of your investment, and then find the service that best matches your aims from the summaries above.

The final steps

Alright, you’re ready to sign up and get started. Here’s how to do it once you’ve chosen the broker.

Visit site and open a free account. Select a service from our list and click the link. Once you’ve arrived on your chosen platform, select the option to register an account.
Fill out personal details. Fill out the required details to register a new account. This will usually be your name, email address, and country of residence. On most platforms this form will also be where you set your account password. If not, then:
Create password. It’s very important to have a solid password, especially on an exchange as your account will be used to store your ethers. Make sure to include a mixture of letters and numbers and make your password memorable. In a few cases there won’t be an option to create a password at this stage. This will mean one has been randomly generated and in your confirmation email (see next step) there will be a link to change your password. Make sure you do this as nothing is more important than the safety of your account.
Activate account. In the majority of cases the next step is to check your inbox for an account verification email which will include a link to activate your account. As mentioned above, for some services this will also be the point at which you set or change your password.
Fund account or make payment. In most cases, you’ll have to transfer money into your account balance, and in other cases you’ll be able to make a direct payment. Either way, there are a variety of methods you can use to pay for your ether. We’ve summarised them for you here:
- Bank transfer. You’ll need to acquire the destination bank details from the site, key in your own account details and the amount of money you wish to transfer. Bank transfers commonly take between 1 and 5 days to go through.
- Card payments. Depending on the platform you’ll either have to add your card details to your account, or simply enter your card details and make a one-off payment. The process is the same as using your card on any online shopping site.
- PayPal/other. If your platform accepts PayPal (many of them don’t), then you’ll simply have to select the option to pay with PayPal. This will direct you to a page that will enable you to pay from your PayPal into the account you’ve created on the platform. You’ll want to ensure that your PayPal account is active, funded and has no restrictions.
Make your purchase. If you’ve made a payment, congratulations! You’ve bought your first ether. If you’ve transferred funds into your account then you’re just one small step away: simply follow the link on the platform to use the money deposited in your account. Choose how much ether you want and confirm the transaction. Done!
Additional: Withdraw to wallet. If you’re using an exchange there will be an integrated wallet you use to store and trade coins, but you can create an external wallet into which you can transfer coins for extra security. If you’re using a CFD platform, you don’t need a wallet as the coins are handled within the platform.

Should I buy ETH with a credit card?

Pros

Credit cards offer instant transactions
They’re widely accepted as a payment method
You can spend ether anonymously
Credit cards offer secure transactions

Cons

Credit card can have high transaction fees on purchases
Credit cards are not accepted as widely as debit cards
The value of ether can change quickly

FAQs

ℹ Can Ethereum replace cards?

ℹ Is Ethereum better than fiat currency?

ℹ Can I convert ether back to my card?

ℹ Can you get other cryptocurrencies using a card?

Does Coinbase accept credit cards?

ℹ Can you get ether with a stolen credit/debit card?

ℹ Can I use a prepaid debit card?

ℹ What are the risks involved when using cards?

ℹ Will buying Ethereum with credit/debit card actually work?

ℹ Can I remain anonymous?

ℹ Why are there no easier ways to get Ethereum?

ℹ What’s the fastest payment method?

OK, I’m ready to choose a broker

Fact-checking & references

Our editors fact-check all content to ensure compliance with our strict editorial policy. The information in this article is supported by the following reliable sources.

Risk disclaimer

Invezz is a place where people can find reliable, unbiased information about finance, trading, and investing – but we do not offer financial advice and users should always carry out their own research. The assets covered on this website, including stocks, cryptocurrencies, and commodities can be highly volatile and new investors often lose money. Success in the financial markets is not guaranteed, and users should never invest more than they can afford to lose. You should consider your own personal circumstances and take the time to explore all your options before making any investment. Read our risk disclaimer >

Harry Atkins

Financial Writer

Harry joined us in 2019, drawing on more than a decade writing, editing and managing high-profile content for blue chip companies, Harry’s considerable experience in the… read more.

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Navigation

1. How to buy Ethereum with credit card
2. Where can you buy Ethereum with a credit card?
3. What’s the difference between broker platforms, exchanges, and wallets?
4. Why aren’t credit cards more widely accepted?
5. Is using a credit card the best method?
6. How to buy Ethereum with a credit card – a step-by-step guide
7. The final steps
8. Should I buy ETH with a credit card?
9. FAQs