You can buy crypto, Bitcoin included, three ways: with a debit or credit card, by bank transfer, or peer to peer (P2P) from another user. Below, four large exchanges are compared by payment methods, fees and verification time.
| Exchange | Card | Bank transfer | Apple/Google Pay | P2P | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OKX | Yes | Not listed | Not listed | Yes | 9.3 / 10 |
| Bybit | Yes | Yes | Not listed | Yes | 9.1 / 10 |
| Binance | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.5 / 10 |
| WhiteBIT | Yes | Not listed | Not listed | Yes | 8.2 / 10 |
Payment lists come from CoinMarketCap and may be incomplete, so confirm your options in the app. Each exchange also publishes its own list of restricted countries, so check yours before you register.
Where to buy crypto: four exchanges compared
OKX
9.3 / 10 MiCA (Malta)- Card
- Visa/Mastercard in EUR, BRL, AUD, AED, SGD and USD
- P2P
- P2P market; the payment methods depend on the currency you choose (checked 21 September 2026).
- Verification
- Document and face check; you must be at least 18. Most checks finish quickly (official OKX help, 28 August 2026).
- Spot fee (maker / taker)
- 0.08% / 0.10%
Bybit
9.1 / 10 MiCA (Austria)- Card
- Visa/Mastercard in 63 currencies, including USD, EUR and GBP
- Bank transfer
- 10 currencies, including EUR and GBP
- P2P
- Users set the listings, so prices, limits and payment methods differ (checked 21 September 2026).
- Verification
- The Standard level takes about 15 minutes, sometimes up to 48 hours (official Bybit help, 20 August 2026).
- Spot fee (maker / taker)
- 0.1% / 0.1%
Binance
8.5 / 10 No MiCA (EU)- Card
- Visa/Mastercard in 54 currencies, including USD and GBP
- Bank transfer
- 16 currencies, including EUR
- Apple Pay, Google Pay
- 37 currencies, including USD, EUR and GBP
- P2P
- Each seller sets the price, order limits and payment methods (checked 1 November 2026).
- Verification
- Document review usually takes up to 48 hours, sometimes longer (official Binance help, 5 June 2026).
- Spot fee (maker / taker)
- 0.1% / 0.1%
WhiteBIT
8.2 / 10 MiCA (Austria)- Card
- Visa/Mastercard in 10 currencies, including USD, EUR and GBP
- P2P
- P2P Express, available from the Basic verification tier.
- Verification
- The Basic tier covers crypto and P2P Express; fiat deposits need the Advanced tier. Approval takes from a few minutes to 24 hours (official WhiteBIT help, 18 September 2026).
- EEA residents
- Served by whitebit.eu, not whitebit.com (official WhiteBIT help, 18 September 2026).
- Spot fee (maker / taker)
- 0.1% / 0.1%
Card, bank transfer or P2P: which to choose
Debit or credit card
You pay with Visa or Mastercard and the exchange or its payment partner buys the coin for you. Setup is quick, but the provider adds a fee. Some card issuers decline crypto purchases or charge extra.
Bank transfer
You send money from your own bank account, most often in EUR or GBP. It is usually slower than a card, and not every exchange supports your currency.
P2P
You buy from another user and pay them directly. The exchange holds the seller’s coins until you pay. Each seller sets the price, limits and payment method, so compare listings and pay only from your own account.
How to buy crypto step by step
- Choose an exchange that serves your country and create an account with two-factor authentication.
- Verify your identity: a document and a live face check. Depending on the exchange this takes from a few minutes to 48 hours.
- Add funds by card, bank transfer, Apple Pay, Google Pay or P2P.
- Buy the coin on the spot market and check the total with fees before you confirm.
- Move coins you are not trading to a wallet you control.
Staying safe when you buy
Open the exchange only from its official website or from the App Store or Google Play: fake sites often differ from the real address by a letter or two. In P2P, do not cancel an order after you have paid and do not pay from someone else’s account. Never share your 2FA codes or a wallet’s seed phrase with anyone, even someone claiming to be support. Keep on the exchange only what you need for trading. The risk disclaimer explains the risks.
Frequently asked questions about buying crypto
How do I buy Bitcoin or other crypto for the first time?
Create an account on an exchange, verify your identity, add money by card, bank transfer or P2P, then buy the coin on the spot market, for example the BTC/USDT pair for Bitcoin. You can buy a fraction of a coin, so start small and turn on two-factor authentication before you deposit.
Can I buy crypto with a credit or debit card?
Yes. Binance, Bybit, OKX and WhiteBIT all list Visa and Mastercard purchases (CoinMarketCap, 2 November 2026). The payment provider adds a fee that depends on the exchange and the card. Your card issuer may also decline or charge extra for crypto.
Can I buy crypto with PayPal?
None of the four exchanges here is confirmed to accept PayPal in eTop’s data. Payment methods change by country and account, so open the payment selector in the app to see what you are offered.
Can I buy crypto with Apple Pay or Google Pay?
Binance lists Apple Pay and Google Pay in 37 currencies, including USD, EUR and GBP (CoinMarketCap, 2 November 2026). The other three exchanges do not list them in that data, so check the app before you register.
How do I buy crypto with a bank transfer?
Pick bank transfer when you add funds and send the money from an account in your own name. Binance lists it for 16 currencies (including EUR) and Bybit for 10 currencies (including EUR and GBP). OKX and WhiteBIT do not list it in that data.
How do I buy crypto on Binance?
On Binance you can pay by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, bank transfer or P2P, depending on your country. For P2P, go to Trade, then P2P, choose Buy, pick the coin and your currency, select a listing and pay the seller. Mark the order as paid only after you have sent the money. P2P needs identity verification and two-factor authentication.
Can I buy crypto without ID or KYC?
Buying with fiat comes with identity verification on the exchanges eTop checked: Binance requires it for P2P, WhiteBIT requires its Advanced tier for fiat deposits, and Bybit’s Standard level is the minimum to use the exchange. eTop covers only exchanges that verify their users.
How old do you have to be to buy crypto?
OKX requires users to be at least 18, according to its verification help (updated 28 August 2026). Other exchanges set their own age rules, so read the terms of the one you plan to use.
What is the best place or app to buy crypto?
Pick an exchange that serves your country and supports your payment method and currency, then compare spot fees and verification time. The cards above do that for four large exchanges, and the full list is in the eTop ranking.
Sources: official help pages of OKX, Bybit, Binance and WhiteBIT, exchange APIs, the ESMA register and CoinMarketCap, as of 12 October 2026.