The method
Buying bitcoin has become trivial: a neobank, a stock broker, a payment app is enough. Getting it out to an outside address to pay for a service, on the other hand, is not guaranteed. That's where most people get stuck, with a balance they thought was bitcoin.
We get nothing if you open an account anywhere. We have no referral link to any of the apps mentioned, and we don't sell bitcoin. This page exists because our customers pay in bitcoin and we see where things get stuck. Fees, thresholds, and features recorded on September 8, 2026 on the official pages; every claim links to the page that states it, so you can double-check it yourself.
If you're just starting out
A complete path, from empty phone to paid subscription. The first step depends on where you live: further down, for each region of the world, we give an app that genuinely lets your bitcoin out. The five following steps are the same everywhere. Allow a good hour the first time, most of it spent waiting. Everything else on this page is for understanding; this section is for doing.
1 · Choose an app available where you live
The regions are just below. Only one thing matters to us: that it allows sending to an outside Bitcoin address, and that it says so. Like any regulated platform, each will verify your identity. If that's exactly what you want to avoid, don't take this path: go straight to Buying without a platform.
2 · Install a wallet on your phone
A platform is not a wallet. BlueWallet is free, on iOS and Android, and your keys "never leave your device" according to its publisher. Write down the recovery phrase it gives you, on paper, away from the phone. That's where your bitcoin will arrive.
3 · Buy a bit more than the amount due
For a one-year COVE subscription at €47.64, plan for about fifty euros. On top of your app's purchase fee comes the withdrawal fee, then the network fee. Buying too tight means ending up one euro short and having to start over.
4 · Withdraw to your wallet
Send to the receiving address shown by BlueWallet, by scanning its QR code: never retype an address by hand. Watch the speed you choose: the free option is often the slow option, up to 24 h. This is the longest step: wait until your bitcoin has arrived before ordering.
5 · Order with us, and pay within the hour
Choose your plan, leave an email address, and the payment page displays a QR code. Scan it from BlueWallet, check the amount, send. The invoice is valid for one hour: that's the deadline to send, not to be confirmed. If confirmation arrives later, your payment still counts and your configuration is sent anyway.
6 · What remains written, and where
Your platform knows who you are and which address you withdrew to. It doesn't know what you paid afterward. As for us, we know neither your name, nor your address, nor your bank: an email address, a payment, and that's it. This path doesn't erase your identity, it just avoids adding one more with us.
Eurozone and Switzerland · 20 countries, including France
Purchase fee 1.50% under €250, 1.25% then 1.00% beyond that, +0.70% by card schedule
Withdrawal to your wallet Send "at any time", minimum 10,000 sats. Free in 24 h from 50,000 sats, up to €3 for a 10-minute send withdrawal fees. No Lightning source
Europe · the cheapest exit
Purchase fee 0.25% on market buys, 1.00% by card fee schedule
Withdrawal to your wallet Withdrawal fee 0.0000032 BTC, minimum 0.00001 BTC fee schedule: a hundred times cheaper than average. Exchange-style interface, less guided than a savings app
Switzerland · non-custodial
Purchase fee 1% all-inclusive, +3% by card, minimum purchase 50 CHF requirements
Withdrawal to your wallet Nothing to withdraw: bitcoin purchased arrives directly in your wallet, with no Relai fee source
United States · except New York State
Purchase fee 0.99% under $250 per month, sliding down to 0.39% schedule
Withdrawal to your wallet On-chain and Lightning; the free send is the slow send fees. New York excluded source
New York State · Strike unavailable
Purchase fee 2% under $500, from $1; licensed in New York fees licence
Withdrawal to your wallet On-chain only: Standard free from 100,000 sats, within 24 hours. No Lightning in New York fees
Canada
Purchase fee No commission, with a price spread the company doesn't quantify fees
Withdrawal to your wallet Minimum ₿0.00005, normal withdrawal free. Lightning at 1 sat, first monthly withdrawal free source
Latin America, Africa, Asia, India · more than 95 countries
Purchase fee 0.99% from the very first purchase schedule, card purchases from $25 countries
Withdrawal to your wallet On-chain and Lightning fees. Check your country in the official list before opening an account
Singapore, Australia, New Zealand
Purchase fee 0.50% sliding down to 0.02% depending on volume fees
Withdrawal to your wallet Withdrawal fee 0.0003 BTC, minimum 0.0001 BTC procedure
Japan · the most expensive exit
Purchase fee From 0.1% to 6.0% at the buy counter commissions
Withdrawal to your wallet 0.0004 BTC per withdrawal commissions: very expensive for a small amount, and Coincheck goes up to 0.016 BTC fee schedule
Thailand
Purchase fee 0.25% per purchase; licensed by the Thai SEC fees register
Withdrawal to your wallet Network fee only, recalculated four times a day fees
Malaysia
Purchase fee 2% simple purchase, 0.60% at most on the Exchange tab; registered with the SC fees register
Withdrawal to your wallet Varies with the network, shown before you confirm fees
Indonesia
Purchase fee No commission, the price shown is final, from Rp 11,000; licensed by the OJK fees
Withdrawal to your wallet Network fee only, nothing goes to Pintu fees
China, Russia · no platform recommended
We cannot recommend any organisation for buying bitcoin there. If you already have bitcoin, keeping it safe works the same way: in a wallet whose keys only you hold.
Recorded on September 24, 2026 on the linked official pages. These schedules change: Bitstack changed its own on September 1st, 2026. Check before buying. We get nothing if you open an account anywhere.
Why not pay directly from the platform, without a wallet?
Technically it's often possible, and with an app that supports Lightning it's even instant. Two reasons not to do it. The first is practical: our invoice is only valid for an hour, while the free withdrawal is almost everywhere the slow one, up to 24 h, you'd have to pay for the fast send, and hope. The second is about what gets written down: the platform would then record the merchant's address against your name. Going through your own wallet costs one extra send, and avoids both.
Two traps that block an urgent payment.
At Kraken, a deposit by card, PayPal, or ACH triggers a 72-hour hold on all withdrawals according to its documentation: you'd have bitcoin you can't send. And at Trade Republic, "sending and receiving crypto is not possible" according to its help center: the displayed balance never leaves. Details on these cases just below.
The trap
Some apps show a bitcoin balance without letting you send it elsewhere. In that case you hold price exposure, not a currency you can spend.
The clearest case is Trade Republic's, and it's instructive because the company contradicts itself. Its help center says in black and white: "No, sending and receiving crypto is not possible via Trade Republic" on its support page, while its November 14, 2025 press release announces a wallet allowing users to send and receive around fifty cryptocurrencies. We won't decide in its place: as long as the help page says no, treat it as no, and check before buying.
At N26, the situation is different but the effect is the same: neither the product page nor the help page describes any function for sending to an outside wallet. The purchase fees, however, are published: 1.5% on bitcoin, 2.5% on others, with a minimum of one euro according to its help center. So an app can be perfectly clear about what it charges and perfectly silent about what actually matters to you.
Conversely, two Swiss models eliminate the question by design. Relai and Pocket Bitcoin hold nothing: the bitcoin purchased arrives directly in your wallet, so there's no balance to withdraw. "For sending or receiving bitcoin, we don't charge an additional fee" writes Relai, and Pocket describes a send "directly into self-custody on your bitcoin wallet" in its FAQ. It's the approach best suited to what we do.
The question to ask before opening an account.
Not "what are the fees", but: does this app allow a withdrawal to an outside Bitcoin address, and under what conditions? Look in the help center for the words "external wallet". If the answer isn't written there, it's no. And keep in mind that permission is not a guaranteed right: Coinhouse warns that "the crypto-asset withdrawal feature may be restricted for a given customer account" in its own documentation.
Fifteen apps
Only one column really matters, the second one. "Not documented" means we didn't find the answer on the official pages: we'd rather write that than guess.
| App | Withdrawal to an outside address | Lightning | Purchase fees | Withdrawal fee and minimum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bitstack France |
Yes, you choose the processing speed; sending is irreversible · Bitstack help | No: "the Lightning Network is not yet available" according to help | 1.50% under €250 over 30 days, then 1.25%, then 1.00%; Plus plan at 0.75%; +0.70% by card · schedule as of September 1, 2026 | Standard within 24 h free; 2 h up to €2; 10 min up to €3 · official schedule · minimum 10,000 sats |
| Paymium France |
Yes: the schedule publishes a fee and a withdrawal minimum · pricing page | Not mentioned | 1.49% standard; 0.90% on stablecoins; up to 3.5% by card · Paymium pricing | Free in 24 h mode · minimum 0.00025 BTC · Paymium schedule |
| StackinSat France |
Yes: from the vault to your wallet, with mandatory two-factor authentication | Not mentioned | n/a on the pages recorded | 10,000 sats per withdrawal · help page |
| Coinhouse France |
Yes, but revocable: withdrawal "may be restricted […] temporarily or permanently" in case of suspicion according to help | Not mentioned: only "Bitcoin network" | n/a: schedule not extractable | Not stated on the procedure page |
| Relai Switzerland |
Not applicable: non-custodial: bitcoin arrives directly with you · fees page | Not mentioned | 1%; 0.9% with referral; +3.0% by card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay; minimum 50 CHF/€ · Relai fees | No Relai fee, only network fees · fees page |
| Pocket Bitcoin Switzerland |
Not applicable: direct sending "into self-custody", no balance held · Pocket FAQ | Not mentioned | 1.5% service fee, no hidden spread, at the Kraken rate · Pocket FAQ | Not applicable · batched payouts announced at 500–1,000 sats per payout · Pocket note |
| Kraken | Yes: documented procedure, with a network warning · help page | Yes: sending and receiving, verified account required · Kraken help | 1% on instant or recurring buys, 1.5% on custom orders, plus the spread · Kraken fee schedule | n/a: table not extractable; 72 h hold after card, ACH, or PayPal · Kraken help |
| Coinbase | Yes: fee based on estimated network fees · fee page | Yes: commission of 0.1% of the amount transferred · Coinbase rates | n/a on the page recorded | Variable, announced at the time of the transaction; hold on purchases by transfer, which support "cannot reduce" · Coinbase help |
| Binance | Yes: to addresses "outside of Binance", network must be selected · fee page | Yes: "LIGHTNING" network, invoice valid for 30 minutes, exact amount required · Binance help | n.d. | Dynamic, changeable without notice; a minimum exists but isn't published · Binance help |
| Bitvavo | Yes: fee and minimum published for bitcoin · Bitvavo fee schedule | Not mentioned | n/a on the page recorded | 0.0000032 BTC as of the date recorded, variable · minimum 0.00001 BTC · Bitvavo fee schedule |
| Bitpanda | Yes: address book and email confirmation · help page | Not mentioned | Minimum purchase €1.00 · limits page | Variable, not publicly quantified; a minimum exists but isn't published, and a deposit below the minimum "is lost" · Bitpanda help |
| Revolut | Yes: "BTC transfers on the Bitcoin network" · available networks | Not mentioned | n/a on the pages recorded | £3 service fee for bitcoin, plus network cost · cost of a withdrawal · daily, monthly, and per-address limits · limits page |
| PayPal | Yes: transfers "between PayPal, Venmo, and other wallets and exchanges" · help page | Not mentioned | n.d. | Minimum 0.001 BTC; purchase by transfer "may take multiple days to clear" · PayPal help |
| Trade Republic | Official contradiction: the help center says "not possible", the November 14, 2025 press release announces the opposite · help page | n.d. | n.d. | Not applicable as long as the exit isn't confirmed |
| N26 | Not documented: no published sending procedure; treat it as a no · help page | n.d. | 1.5% on bitcoin, 2.5% on others, minimum €1 · N26 help | n.d. |
Three fee schedules could not be extracted because they are built in the browser: Kraken's withdrawal fees, Binance's, and Coinhouse's detailed schedule. We chose to write "n/a" rather than copy a figure found on a third-party site. Outside Europe, four providers advertise withdrawals that are free or nearly so: Swan with "$0 to withdraw, always" according to its help center, River with one free send per month and three speeds to choose from, Strike with a fee-free "Flexible" speed and Lightning at routing cost, and Shakepay in Canada with one free monthly withdrawal and Lightning at 1 sat + 0.0021% Shakepay fee schedule.
Two different objects
It's always the service being paid that tells you what to give it. If it displays a string starting with bc1…, it expects an on-chain send. If it displays a string starting with lnbc…, it expects a Lightning payment, and not every app knows how to do that.
A Bitcoin address
An on-chain destination. It can be reused, but it's best avoided: "using a new address for each transaction is recommended to improve privacy" according to Bitcoin.org's FAQ. It doesn't expire.
A Lightning invoice
A single-use string that encodes the amount and an expiry, in BOLT11 format. It expires: Binance states 30 minutes, and the amount sent must match the invoice exactly according to it.
Who supports Lightning
Among the apps listed above, Kraken, Coinbase, Binance, Strike, and Shakepay document it explicitly. Bitstack, on the other hand, states that "the Lightning Network is not yet available" on its service.
The wrong network costs you everything
Bitcoin also exists as a token on other chains. Sending on the wrong one means losing it: "if the network you choose does not match the network of the recipient address, your assets might be irreversibly lost" warns Bitpanda.
Never choose a network because its fees are the cheapest.
Binance explicitly warns against this reflex on its withdrawal page. And rescue, when offered, comes at a cost: Bitvavo charges "a 50 euro administration fee" to attempt a recovery according to its schedule, while Bitstamp asks for "10% of the value of lost cryptocurrency, with a minimum charge of 1,000.00 USD/EUR" and only agrees to try above 10,000 in lost value according to its fee schedule. In other words: below that threshold, no one will come looking for your funds.
The first send
If you've never sent bitcoin out before, do it in this order. The test send is the step everyone skips, and it's the one that saves you.
1 · Get the address to send to
A bitcoin address is a long string of letters and numbers, usually starting with bc1. It identifies the recipient, like an account number. You never have to make one up or guess it: whoever is meant to receive the money gives it to you. With us, the payment page shows it, with the code to scan right next to it.
2 · Never retype the address
Scan the code, or copy-paste it. Bitstack recommends scanning the code in its procedure. Then reread the entire address, not just the start and end.
3 · Check the minimum amount you can send
Every app sets a floor, and below it your send is refused. 10,000 sats at Bitstack, 0.00025 BTC at Paymium, 0.00001 BTC at Bitvavo, 0.001 BTC at PayPal. Your test send must stay above that floor.
4 · Make a first test send to your wallet
This first send goes from the app where you bought your bitcoin to the wallet that belongs to you, Blue Wallet if you followed our guide. This is Revolut's official recommendation: "check that the recipient address is accurate by starting with a small transaction amount" in its sending guide. You pay the fee twice: that's the price of an avoided mistake. And once this path has proven itself, you never need to test it again: from your wallet to NodeCove, you send the right amount straight away.
5 · Wait for confirmations
A block arrives on average every ten minutes, but "there is no guaranteed minimum or maximum time" Bitcoin.org reminds us. Bitpanda warns that "in the case of Bitcoin, it can even take up to two hours or more" on its withdrawal page.
6 · Then send the real amount
And know that at that instant it's final: "crypto transfers cannot be cancelled or reversed" writes PayPal, and Bitstack describes a withdrawal as "final and irrevocable" in the same terms.
What it costs
Two different things, almost always confused. The Bitcoin network charges by the weight of the transaction. Your app adds its own margin on top.
The network price is measured in satoshis per virtual byte, and it changes constantly depending on congestion. On September 8, 2026 at 14:06 UTC, we recorded 4 sat/vB for next-block inclusion and 1 sat/vB in economy mode on mempool.space: a few hundred satoshis for a simple transaction, a few tens of cents. This figure has no lasting value, and that's exactly the point: go check it yourself at the moment of sending, on that page, rather than trusting a fixed rate found somewhere else.
The app's margin, on the other hand, adds up and is less visible. Revolut adds a £3 service fee on top of the network cost according to its fee page. Bitvavo acknowledges charging "higher withdrawal fees than a private wallet" in its schedule. And on purchases, the stacking can be surprising: at Bitstack, a card purchase combines a 0.75% subscription fee and a 0.70% payment-method fee according to its schedule; at Relai, card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay add 3.0% on top of the base commission.
For an independent order of magnitude, Pocket Bitcoin states that its batched payouts average "around 500–1,000 satoshis per payout" in one of its technical notes. That's roughly what a normal send costs when the network is quiet.
Don't plan on paying a service the very day you buy.
This is the scenario that fails most often. Coinbase holds purchases made by transfer or cash deposit, and states that "Coinbase Support cannot reduce the hold time" on its available balance page. Kraken applies 72 hours after a purchase by card, ACH, or PayPal according to its withdrawal procedure. Buy, let the hold pass, then pay. Our subscriptions are never down to the minute.
In plain sight
Withdrawing to your own wallet is legal, expected, and ordinary. But you should know what the operation records, and where. Here we separate what's certain from what's merely plausible.
Certain: the platform keeps the address
This isn't a hypothesis, it's a requirement. Article 14(5) of European regulation 2023/1113 requires the provider to "obtain and hold" information about a transfer to a self-hosted address · consolidated text on EUR-Lex. In force since December 30, 2024.
Certain: beyond €1,000, you're asked for proof
The same article requires establishing that the address belongs to you or is under your control. And the European Banking Authority's guidelines specify that providers "should rely on available technical means including but not limited to blockchain analytics" · EBA guidelines, PDF.
Certain: the chain is public and permanent
"All transactions are public on the blockchain" reminds Bitcoin.org. Once an address is linked to your verified identity, it becomes an anchor point, and that point won't be erased.
Plausible: analysis extends the link
Addresses spent together in the same transaction get grouped: "co-spend analysis links addresses used together as inputs" · Chainalysis glossary. The change address is often identifiable, which "can extend a wallet cluster across many transactions" · same source.
Uncertain: reuse is a clue
Chainalysis itself says so: "address reuse is a weaker signal than direct co-spending" and treating it as proof of control "can lead to errors" in its own glossary. We won't claim otherwise to scare you.
Uncertain, you don't control what you receive
During a dust attack, a third party sends tiny amounts to already-seen addresses, "causing address reuse even among careful users" · Bitcoin Optech. A trace isn't always carelessness, then.
The practical consequence comes down to two modest habits: a new receiving address every time, and no mixing between a wallet funded by a platform that knows your identity and a wallet meant for payments you'd rather keep private. We won't go further into promises. Our page on hardware wallets covers the other half of the problem: where your key lives. And this one states, field by field, what our own database contains.
Without a platform
There are marketplaces where two people trade directly, with no company in the middle holding the funds. It's more demanding, the counterparty is a stranger, and the guarantee rests on a locked deposit. We list them because they exist, not because we recommend them to a beginner.
| Marketplace | How it works | Guarantee |
|---|---|---|
| RoboSats | Peer-to-peer market built on Lightning: a seller posts an offer, a buyer accepts it, funds move through held invoices · RoboSats documentation | Deposit as a held Lightning invoice: 3% by default, adjustable from 2% to 15% by the seller · same source |
| Bisq 2 Bisq Easy |
Protocol for beginners: the buyer pays in euros first, the seller then releases the bitcoin, security resting on reputation · Bisq note | None: "no security deposit is required" · Bisq wiki |
| Bisq 2-of-2 multisignature |
Both parties lock funds in a two-signature address, refunded at the end of the exchange · Bisq wiki | 15% to 50% of the amount, absolute floor of 0.001 BTC · same source |
| Hodl Hodl | Each contract creates an escrow address; the seller locks their bitcoin there, the buyer pays, the seller releases · Hodl Hodl FAQ | Escrow 2 of 3 keys: two to the counterparties, one only to Hodl Hodl, which never holds the funds · same source |
| Peach Bitcoin | Non-custodial mobile app operated by a Swiss company affiliated with PolyReg, which connects parties without touching euro payments · terms and conditions | Two-signature escrow, seller + Peach · Peach FAQ |
| Vexl | Only shows offers from your contacts and their contacts; the exchange is settled outside the app, often in cash at a meeting · Vexl website, · overview in Bitcoin Magazine | None: "Vexl never handles your money": everything relies on trust within your circle |
Bitcoin ATMs are the worst possible choice.
They are presented as the easy solution. They are the most expensive and the riskiest. The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City records reported median fees of 16% on purchase and 15% on sale, according to its payment systems briefing, PDF. And in 2025 alone, the FBI logged more than 13,400 complaints and over $388 million in losses linked to these machines, up 58% · IC3 public alert. Out of every hundred euros inserted, sixteen go to fees before the question of fraud even comes up.
Twelve cases
All of these are documented by the platforms themselves, which says a lot about how often they happen. None of them has an "undo" button.
| Mistake | What the source says |
|---|---|
| 1 · Buying where you can't get out | "No, sending and receiving crypto is not possible via Trade Republic" · help center, to be compared with the same company's contrary press release |
| 2 · Sending on the wrong network | "Your assets might be irreversibly lost" · Bitpanda; "selecting the wrong network may result in funds being lost and unrecoverable" · Binance |
| 3 · Believing a send can be cancelled | "Crypto transfers cannot be cancelled or reversed" · PayPal; "final and irrevocable" · Bitstack |
| 4 · Copying an address from history | Address poisoning consists of sending you a micro-transaction from an address that resembles yours, hoping you'll copy the wrong one. The defense: reread the entire address, never just the first and last characters · Bitcoin.org warning |
| 5 · Buying the day before payment is due | 72 h hold after card, ACH, or PayPal at Kraken; non-reducible hold at Coinbase |
| 6 · Sending below the minimum | A withdrawal below the minimum "cannot be sent"; a deposit below the minimum "is lost […] and cannot be cancelled" · Bitpanda |
| 7 · Letting a Lightning invoice expire | The invoice "expires in 30 minutes" and the amount sent must match exactly · Binance |
| 8 · Underestimating stacked fees | 0.75% + 0.70% by card at Bitstack; +3.0% by card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay at Relai |
| 9 · Going through an ATM | Median purchase fees of 16% · Kansas City Fed; more than 13,400 complaints and $388M in losses in 2025 · FBI IC3 |
| 10 · Receiving everything on a single address | A new address per transaction is recommended · Bitcoin.org; reuse allows one to reasonably assume that the same person received all those payments · Bitcoin Optech |
| 11 · Believing withdrawal is a guaranteed right | Withdrawal may be restricted "temporarily or permanently" in case of suspected fraud · Coinhouse |
| 12 · Losing access to your own wallet | "Only you have access to your funds": if you lose your access phrases, "you will permanently lose your bitcoin" and the platform "will not be able to recover it for you" · StackinSat |
Our reservations
A comparison table with no blank cells is a comparison where the gaps have been filled in. Here are ours.
Three fee schedules are missing
Kraken's withdrawal fees, Binance's, and Coinhouse's detailed schedule are built in the browser and could not be recorded. We write "n/a" rather than copy a second-hand figure.
We haven't opened an account everywhere
This comparison covers what the companies publish, not first-hand experience across all fifteen apps. Clear documentation is no guarantee of execution.
Network fees change every day
The 1 to 4 sat/vB recorded on September 8, 2026 is a snapshot, not a benchmark. Check mempool.space at the moment you send; it's the only value that matters.
One over-the-counter source is journalistic
On Peach Bitcoin, a change to its escrow mechanism is known to us through the press, not through a retrievable official announcement. We flag it rather than present it as established.
We don't advise anyone on investing
This page explains how to pay for a service in bitcoin without losing funds along the way. It doesn't say to buy any, how much, or when. Our business is the node and the network exit.
The European framework may still change
Regulation 2023/1113 has applied since December 30, 2024, and the EBA's guidelines spell it out, but platform practices keep hardening as controls increase. What you read here describes September 2026.
Our subscriptions are settled in bitcoin, on-chain; Lightning is planned for the first quarter of 2027. We ask for no name, no address, no ID.
We cannot hand over what we have never written. Here, field by field, is what our database contains.