Month: July 2019

The [#1] EASIEST Way To BUY BITCOIN RIGHT NOW (2020)

In this article I am going to provide you with the easiest way to buy bitcoin and also one way I personally earn free bitcoin by doing something I was already doing. This is a game changer! Within the last 24 hours, the Treasury Secretary of the United States, Steve Mnuchin, has made an announcement on regulating cryptocurrency and mentioned Bitcoin and Libra specifically. The recent tweet that was sent out by president Trump has been a bullish sign for many people. Not because he said it was “based on thin air” but, because no standing president has ever mentioned “bitcoin” or “cryptocurrency” at all, ever.

Image result for trump bitcoin tweet

 

This is bringing more mainstream awareness and people who are uneducated may take that as a sign that they should stay away from it, because Trump said so. Most people however, are taking this as a sign that they should buy some bitcoin, just in case.

No matter where you stand, the big question many people ask that are completely new to cryptocurrencies is “What Is The Easiest Way To Buy Bitcoin?“. Luckily for you, I am an expert in this field and I will provide you the TWO easiest, fastest, and simplest ways to obtain your first bitcoin or fraction of a bitcoin. As an added bonus, I will provide you at the end of the article with a free tool that will allow you to EARN FREE BITCOIN, by doing something you are already doing every single day. This is a “YUUUUGGGGEEE” (as Trump would say) bonus, as there are very few legitimate ways to obtain bitcoin for free.

Let’s get right to it!

 

#1 Cash App

 

This is a free app (you may have already heard of) that is similar to Venmo. It’s designed for sending and receiving money easily between users and can connect your debit card, credit card, or bank account to facilitate these transactions. It’s super easy to use and I use it to pay people for splitting dinner tabs and splitting costs on various things and works flawlessly. Unlike Venmo, they have also setup a way to buy bitcoin directly through the app, and you can even set up a purchasing schedule if you so choose, but this is BY FAR the easiest way to buy it once you set up the app.

cash app buy bitcoin

 

The steps are extremely easy to do this:

 

1.) Download the Cash App HERE. When you use this link, we both get $5 for free. Pretty Neat.

2.) Create your account and add either your debit card, credit card, or link your bank details if you’re so inclined.

3.) Click the Profile Icon in the upper left hand corner and scroll down and click on “Bitcoin”

4.) Click “Buy” (you can also sell at any time you want as well)

5.) Type in the dollar amount you want to buy and click “Confirm”

6.) You’re done! Your bitcoin will show up in your account within a few minutes. So simple.

 

 

How To Buy Bitcoin With Credit Card

 

#2 CoinMama

 

coinmama

 

This is a tried and true method I’ve used to buy bitcoin for both personal reasons and business reasons, with great success. This is one of the highest rated companies that you can buy bitcoin with a debit card or credit card with no limit. Now, in order to use a credit card there are some additional fees (not unlike Coinbase), but it will process and give you access to your coins in less than an hour instead of days. This is a good method if you want to buy them quickly and easily and do not want to use cash app or any other services.

This is the most trusted provider and the reviews are excellent. When I was originally looking for how to buy my first bitcoin, this was one of several options that came up, and back then, there were not many “trusted” options as there was many companies that did not have a good track record or many positive reviews, except this one.

This ultimately led me to use this service and not only was it quick and efficient, it was delivered within 20 minutes, and Coinbase was the only other option in the U.S. at the time and quoted a 10-day “verification” period just to activate an account. This didn’t even include the amount of time to let me buy my bitcoin, which would take another 3-7 business days. Not acceptable in my eyes.

If you want an easy and TRUSTED way to buy bitcoin with credit or debit card, then Coinmama is the way to go!

 

 

#3 Paxful

paxful review

 

This is another service that is VERY interesting and is unlike CoinMama above in a few different ways. Although Paxful is a pretty well-known way you can purchase bitcoin with a credit card, the reason I am giving it a mention here is because of the other ways and payment methods you can use to obtain bitcoin (or other altcoins if you want). With Paxful, you can trade gift cards (Visa, Wal-Mart, Amazon, eBay, and Starbucks) just to name a few.

Additionally, you can also use Zelle (a money changing app similar to Venmo and other direct payment services that many banks use), SWIFT, MoneyGram, Alipay, WeChat Pay, and hundreds of other gift cards as well. It’s also worth mentioning that you can directy trade other altcoins in for bitcoin and vice-versa. So not only is it a fiat-to-crypto exchange, bult it can also be used as a crypto-to-crypto direct exchange (not unlike ShapeShift).

All this to say, it’s now become easier and easier with these services to BUY BITCOIN. Whether you trade you existing gift cards, other altcoins, or even CASH, it’s not easier than ever to get your hands on bitcoin. When I first tested this service, I received a $100 Amazon gift card for Christmas and I didn’t really want to use it for anything, so when I discovered I could trade it in for $100 worth of bitcoin, I was pretty excited to say the least. I will leave a list of all the hundreds of gift cards you can use to trade for crypto HERE.

I will have an in-depth review out for Paxful shortly. Stay Tuned!

 

 

 

Easiest Way To Buy Bitcoin – Conclusion

 

Overall, there are multiple ways to buy bitcoin (some easier than others) but the two main methods I’ve listed above are BY FAR the quickest and easiest ways to get it fast. The price is always fluctuating, so some people may be hesitant to buy right now in fear that it could go down in the future. Here’s the deal. In the grand scheme of things, hind-sight is 20/20 and over the next 3-5 years, I can almost guarantee that the price will be higher than the point is at right now, which is approx. $10,900 at the time of the writing.

This is one of the most important and unique inventions since the internet itself and will continue to bring forth different use cases and provide value to every single person on the planet. This is part of a much larger revolution where the people are now going to take back their financial power from the government and authorities, and there is NOTHING they can do to stop it.

That is powerful.

Bottom line, if you don’t currently have any bitcoin, you can start accumulating it in small amounts (as low as $10) at a time and it will start to grow very easily. You will be glad you did it when you look back, even in 6 months to a year from now. Mark my words!

 

What do you think? Are there easier ways to buy bitcoin right now? Let me know in the comments!

 

Cheers,

 

The Crypto Renegade

 

NOTE: This post may contain affiliate links. This adds no cost to you but it helps me focus on giving as much value as possible in every single post by being compensated for recommending products that help people succeed.

Cobo VAULT Review | The “Self-Destructing” Crypto Hardware Wallet? (2020)

Is the Cobo Vault the best unbreakable crypto hardware wallet of 2019? Is it as tough and inpenetrable as they claim? Stay tuned for the whole Cobo Vault Review to find out! I recently wrote an article on an upcoming device that appears to be directly competing with this product called the Ellipal Titan. If you want to read that review after this one to get kind of a side-by-side comparison, you can check out the in-depth first look of that device HERE.

Overall, my first impression of this device was very good. It appears to be targeting an entirely different segment of the cold storage crypto wallet market, which is something I obviously follow quite closely. They are marketing this as a “Military Grade Durability and Security” device, which is definitely the case as it has all the proper ratings a certifications to protect against impact, water resistance, and shock resistance to ensure it is as rugged as humanly possible.

If you are new to cryptocurrency security in general, please check out my free e-book HERE. This dives in deep on the basic (and some advanced) security tips on how to best manage your cryptocurrency by learning from my mistakes. I guarantee you will learn something new and it will help you on your crypto journey! So, let’s get to why you are here and jump right into the Cobo Vault Review. Let’s do this!

What’s In The Box?

 

There’s a lot of bang for your buck here and certainly attempts to justify it’s current price tag of $479. This is no ordinary crypto hardware wallet, this thing is very different than Ledger, Trezor, and KeepKey as there are no active ports or USB connectors to allow you to interface with this product. I will get more into this in the next section, but needless to say this is a unique device!

 

Here’s what comes in the box:

 

-Cobo Vault Hardware Wallet (4 inch touchscreen)

-The Cobo “Vault” (Houses The Device)

-A Removable 1540 mAH Battery

-Charging Dock

-USB-C Cable (For Charging)

-Mnemonic Steel Recovery Seed Device

-Steel Tiles For Recovery Seed Phrase

-Small Screwdriver

-Instruction Booklet

 

The box is very large and feels heavy when you get it because of the steel grade quality of all of the components. There is an unboxing video below that will explain how this all works and gives you a visual cue of everything that is included and what each piece is used for.

The most “compelling” piece to me here is the steel mnemonic tablet that is used to secure your 24 word seed phrase. This is TYPICALLY used by other providers by writing it down on paper, which is vulnerable to the elements. These devices can cost upwards of $300 by itself, so this is a HUGE value add and absolutely necessary for anyone that takes their cryptocurrency security seriously.

If you are not familiar with what this and why it’s needed, you can read an in-depth review of the best standalone titanium recovery seed backup HERE.

 

 

Setup And Use

 

This device has NONE of the following connections:

 

WIFI

USB 

BLUETOOTH

NFC

CELLULAR

 

This means that it is completely off the grid. So how do you use it and set it up? QR Codes. The device has a 5-MP camera for scanning QR codes on Cobo’s website and then the companion app for managing assets from their hot wallet over to the offline device.

This is a very prolonged and arduous process. In terms of security, this is a VERY good thing. It’s like having a 7-step authentication system. However, for ease of use, it’s a killer, and most wallets try to strike a balance between ease of use and security. Cobo does not appear to care about what it’s competition is doing in this regard, since it’s breaking out into it’s own little sub-niche of cold wallet security. Here are the steps I had to follow to setup and use the device:

 

1.) Download the “Cobo” mobile app

2.) Power on the Cobo Vault device

3.) Go through the recovery seed phrase process. This includes writing it down and verifying it through the touch screen

4.)  Set a custom passphrase that has stringent requirements including multiple special characters and at least 10 characters minimum.

5.) Scan the QR code on Cobo’s website to authenticate the firmware and authenticity of the device.

6.) Once authenticated, you scan a dynamic and ever-changing QR code on the companion mobile app to initiate transactions

7.) If you want to receive any payment directly on the device, you just generate a QR code and your sender can scan the code to initiate. If you want to send a transaction, follow the steps 2-6 above and repeat the process.

 

Features: What Makes It Inpenetrable?

 

 

So, in addition to having a water resistant, shock resistant, and using “Military Grade” materials and configuration, it also has a “Self-Destruct” mechanism if it expects foul play. Let me explain. The device cannot be hacked through any ports or any wireless type connections. However, if someone tries to extract the private keys manually, the chip will have a timer initiate a countdown. If the screen is broken or if the device is opened up internally in any way, it will completely wipe the device.

If this happens, the only way to restore this is through your recovery seed phrase that you now have in stainless steel thanks to having it included in the box. This can be imported to any BIP-32, 39, 44 wallet to restore your funds with this seed phrase.

Additionally, if someone tries to steal the device and initiate a transfer of the funds through their own Cobo Vault, they will not be able to, as during your initial setup it is coded to the QR code you scanned on your app that is unique on your mobile phone. This device is really the Fort-Knox of crypto wallets. It took me about 30-40 minutes from start to finish when I unboxed, setup, and made my first transaction on the device. As I mentioned above, this DOES make it very secure, but for ease of use, it’s kind of nightmare. There are no trade-offs here.

 

Cobo Vault Coins Supported

 

This device claims to have a lot more coins that will be supported on their road map, but this is definitely one of the “cons” of this device as it is of the utmost quality, but also is VERY lacking in the coins that are supported. Below is a picture of all the coins that are currently supported as of this writing.

For those that are not familiar with all of these coins or brands, I will list them here: Bitcoin (BTC), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Ethereum (ETH), Ethereum Classic (ETC), Tron (TRX), Eos (EOS), Litecoin (LTC), and Dash (DASH).

 

Price

 

This is a premium device and the price reflects that. It’s $479 USD to get this device and may have some shipping costs associated with it if you are outside of the U.S. As this is a higher-end device, you get what you pay for. I have not come across a more durable and secure device yet, but the Ellipal Titan appears to be a cheaper option that is going to be competing with this directly when it is released to the public in late August 2019. You can check out my review/first look HERE.

 

 

Cobo Vault Review: Conclusion

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKbiyf5fJmo

Overall, the Cobo Vault device is probably the strongest and highest quality device physically, that I’ve ever used in a hardware wallet. It feels solid, and I know that if I drop it, get it wet, or otherwise try to damage this, it will stand the test of time. In terms of security, I have yet to personally test a device that compares to this one.

I had several steps and verifications in order to just set it up, let alone make a transaction. I believe this device is designed to be used VERY sparingly and is not used in a daily setting. This is a long-term “HODL”er device, which is good, but if you frequently transact, it is a hassle.

Also, it only supports 8 coins currently. It claims to be supporting more coins soon, but it has mentioned that since it’s launched and have not seen any announcements of movement on that front for several months.

Finally, we have to consider the price. $479 is no cheap price for a hardware wallet and this is a premium and high end device, so I personally use it as a backup and long term device. I do not use this for frequent trading and transacting for obvious reasons described above, but I like having it for my long term stash.

So what’s the bottomline?

If you are new and are looking for your very first hardware wallet, I would personally recommend getting a KeepKey device. It is very nice quality and just launched a brand new platform that integrates trading and is the only one that allows you to keep your private keys offline and in your personal possession the entire time. It’s my go-to wallet for daily use. You can get that HERE.

If you are looking for a secondary or longer term wallet to diversify, then I would ABSOLUTELY recommend this wallet, as it is probably the most secure wallet you can get and the quality is unmatched. I have only used mine twice, but that also means it’s safe and sound and I have no second thoughts about someone being able to crack it, even if they get it in their hands. I feel very comforted knowing that this is literally unbreakable. You can get the COBO Vault hardware wallet below and check out some reviews on their site below

 

 

Cheers,

 

The Crypto Renegade

 

NOTE: This post may contain affiliate links. This adds no cost to you but it helps me focus on giving as much value as possible in every single post by being compensated for recommending products that help people succeed.

Ellipal Titan – Crypto Hardware Wallet (2020 Updated) – FIRST LOOK!

Is the new Ellipal Titan crypto hardware wallet all hype? Or is it the real deal? In this article we are going to take a FIRST LOOK at the mobile hardware wallet. So, the Ellipal Titan appears to be a very unique and interesting cold storage hardware wallet and is the second generation wallet after the Ellipal 2.0 wallet and is unlike any other hardware wallet on the market.

This device is currently available for pre-order and should start shipping it’s first units by mid-August of this year, so make sure to check out the bonuses for pre-ordering with the special referral links I will have below. This is known as the only “True” offline hardware wallet.

Ellipal Titan

It has zero ports, USB connections, Wifi connections, Bluetooth connections,  Cellular connections and NFC connections. This thing is built like fort knox! It has a form factor similar to that of Cobo Vault, but I will have a written review for that device HERE.

So how do you use it if you can’t connect it? QR codes. The device has a camera and a 4-inch full touchscreen and resembles a small android smartphone. It connects with a smartphone app where you can transfer funds between the hot wallet to the air-gapped device almost instantly through scanning the QR code. Very cool.

Before we dive deeper into the details of this device and how it differs from other crypto hardware wallets out there, I want to make sure you get the free download of my e-book “5 Best Ways To Secure Your Cryptocurrency“. This a comprehensive guide to how to best manage and secure any cryptocurrency you currently have, whether you are a beginner or a crypto veteran! Let’s get right down to the Ellipal Titan!

Ellipal Titan: Whats In The Box?

 

The Ellipal Titan device comes with the same items in the box as the Ellipal 2.0, with the only difference being that there is a magnetic adapter that connects to the bottom of the device. This adapter includes the charging port and SD card slot port for updating firmware and signing offline transactions. The Ellipal 2.0 device has these on the device itself, whereas the titan has no ports or openings on it whatsoever, making it stronger and more secure.

Box includes:

  • ELLIPAL Titan Cold Wallet
  • Rechargeable battery
  • Charging cable
  • Mnemonics card
  • Warranty card
  • User manual

 

Ellipal 2.0 Vs. Ellipal Titan

 

So this device is similar in it’s form factor to the Ellipal 2.0 device, with some key differences. Firstly, this device built for Anti-Tampering, Anti-Disassembly, and Anti-Theft protection. What does that all mean? Well, to put it simply, this thing is cannot be pried open with any tools like a screwdriver, hammer, etc…

Ellipal Titan has a self destruct mechanism in place, so that if the screen is tampered with or crushed or broken in an attempt to gain access to it’s internals, it will break a special circuit board that holds all your private keys. This is powerful. Additionally, it’s very sturdy, so not only is it IP65 rated for dust and water resistance, but its made out of a very strong single piece of metal that houses and encompasses the entire device.

The Ellipal Titan is specifically designed against evil maid of supply chain attacks so nothing can be imported or inserted as there are no open access ports on the device.

The Ellipal 2.0 is still a very strong and secure device, but it does have a durable exterior that is built for abuse, and it also has an SD card slot for updating it’s firmware on the device and also has a charging cable port, so there are 2 entry points. Again, still very secure, but the Ellipal Titan is really a massive upgrade.

 

 

How Do You Set Up An Air-Gapped Device?

 

This is very simple. It pairs with a mobile app that is available for iOS and Android. This helps you initialize and setup the device and generate all QR codes needed to transfer your funds from the hot wallet app, onto the cold storage device. This process is identical to the Ellipal 2.0 process, however, you now have access to longer PIN’s and extra security features.

There is a full step-by-step setup guide for both Ellipal devices HERE

What Coins Are Supported?

 

This is always the section I check the most when reviewing hardware wallets, because although functionality and security are important, none of that matters unless it supports the coins you want to store offline. So here is the current list of supported coins and the one that are currently in development.

Currently, all coins will be supported fully by both devices. They are also developing new coin support as well with frequent firmware updates. This includes: Tezos (XTZ), Zcash (ZEC), NANO (NANO), STEEM( STEEM), and NEO (NEO) just to name a few.

 

 

Decentralized Exchange Support

 

I will briefly touch on this as it’s definitely worth mentioning. This feature allows you  to not only have direct coin to coin conversion, but it also allows for staking, for instance on the upcoming Tezos support and other POS coins.

It connects to Binance DEX, which is a decentralized exchange and looks very promising. Additionally, you will be able to earn interest and manage your staking rewards offline in future firmware upgrades, which is a HUGE selling point for me.

 

Conclusion

 

Overall, I’m very excited to get this device in my hands and write an in depth review on it. I already pre-ordered the device for $149 and I expect to receive it 3-5 weeks when it’s released. This appears to be a truly unique and air-gapped hardware wallet experience and security is really what it comes down to.

Don’t get my wrong, convenience is also important, but Ellipal really brought a unique form of security to the table here by having a very rugged and durable device that has ZERO online connections. You can transfer your crypto funds between its companion hot wallet and vice versa anytime, but the cold wallet never goes online, which is really cool.

For a limited time, you can also get a FREE mnemonic metal recovery seed (a $49 value) when you pre-order the device. This is a STEAL, as this is something I practice myself and believe it is absolutely NECESSARY for any person who takes their crypto seriously.

I also wrote a review recently on a few metal recovery seed wallets and my favorite one HERE, if you want to educate yourself on why they are so important. I will leave the special referral link below to get this device, and I for one am VERY excited to use it and see how “durable” it really is.

 

 

What do you guys think? Have you ever used a device more secure than this for your crypto? Let me know below!

 

Cheers,

 

The Crypto Renegade

 

NOTE: This post may contain affiliate links. This adds no cost to you but it helps me focus on giving as much value as possible in every single post by being compensated for recommending products that help people succeed.

 

 

Shapeshift And Trezor: Multiple Hardware Wallets Now Supported (2020)

In this article, I am proud to announce that there is a new non-official partnership between Shapeshift And Trezor. Let me elaborate. The newly launched platform of Shapeshift’s all-in-one trading platform not only supports the KeepKey, which is now owned by Shapeshift, but it also integrates with Trezor One and Trezor Model T to manage and trade your assets through cold storage. They also have announced plans to support the Ledger Nano S and not too far after that, the newly released Ledger Nano X device.

This is a huge step forward for non-custodial trading with an emphasis on keeping your private keys in your possession the entire time. This is unlike many popular exchanges, like Binance, Kucoin, or even Coinbase. Maintaining financial sovereignty is a cornerstone of what Shapeshift is trying to achieve with the release of this new platform. I personally tested this platform while it was just in the beta stage and I have been raving about it ever since. I wrote an in-depth review of this platform and it’s features which you can read HERE.

Do I Need An Invite To Try It Out?

 

Shapeshift And Trezor

When the beta was released it was invite only, but this platform is now live and accessible for Shapeshift account members for free. I will link the announcement of their release that I wrote HERE, and you can now signup for a free account HERE.

(NOTE: You will need a compatible hardware wallet in order to use the platform to perform any trades. This is for your security in mind and makes for a seamless experience. If you do not have KeepKey or Trezor, you can get them by clicking the links below to obtain them directly from the manufacturer.

 

Can I Use My Trezor Model One AND Trezor Model T?

 

trezor one vs trezor model t

Yes. Both devices are compatible with the platform, and I recommend you initialize and setup the devices through Trezor.io first, before you connect to this platform. This will ensure that your security PIN and recovery seed phrases are properly in place before you connect it to this new platform. In my personal experience in testing, managing your trades, balances, and portfolio from the Shapeshift platform has been easier to use than on Trezor’s own web application.

Below is a video tutorial of how to setup your Trezor and connect it to the platform seamlessly. Please comment down below if you have any questions or concerns on this process. You WILL need to ensure you have the Trezor bridge installed on your machine in order to use this platform.

 

Shapeshift And Trezor: Are There Any Other Hardware Wallets Supported?

 

As mentioned above, there are plans to add support for the Ledger Nano S, very shortly. Unfortunately, there is no official ETA, but some non-official sources have told me that the wait will not be long. After this has been tested and verified, support for the Ledger Nano X will be tested and approved as well. There has been no word on whether or not the discontinued Ledger Blue device will be supported or not.

Again, I recommend that if you have a brand new device that you set it up and initialize the device and ensure it’s on the latest firmware version before connecting it to the platform. This article will be updated when they officially announce the Ledger support for the platform and I’m sure there will be an official press release from Shapeshift.

 

Conclusion

 

Overall, I can’t say enough good things about this new platform and my primary source for managing my own portfolio on my KeepKey and Both Trezor devices. It really makes managing and trading assets extremely easy and intuitive. If you don’t already have a hardware wallet, I will leave a link below for the KeepKey (My favorite hardware wallet currently), and in conjunction with the new release, I will leave you a 50% off discount code to pick it up for under $40.

That is a STEAL, and will make it the cheapest hardware wallet you can get at the moment. This is a limited time offer, so make sure to act fast! If you are unfamiliar with the basics of how to keep your cryptocurrency safe, you can download my free in-depth e-book on the subject HERE.

 

 

Use coupon code “GENESISFOX” at checkout get the discount by clicking the above link.

 

What do you think? Are you going to try the new shapeshift trading and management platform? If not, what other platforms do you prefer? Let me know down below!

 

Cheers,

 

The Crypto Renegade

 

NOTE: This post may contain affiliate links. This adds no cost to you but it helps me focus on giving as much value as possible in every single post by being compensated for recommending products that help people succeed.

CRYPTOTAG Review (2020) | Best Indestructible Recovery Seed Backup?

In this review, I am going to go over the titanium recovery seed backup called CRYPTOTAG. This device is very unique to say the least. There are other comparable products currently on the market, but this one is different. I will tell a brief story I may have gone over in other reviews, but it’s extremely relevant as to why these indestructible devices were created. A few years back, one of my friends was fortunate enough to have a hardware wallet that was holding private keys to a hefty sum.

When it came time for him to move, he was looking for his recovery seed phrase and had asked his girlfriend where she may have put it, and incidentally, it was put in a bag with some toiletries and was in a small plastic bag that was partly open. This was in a larger bag where a shampoo bottle had spilled and leaked all over the large bag and smothered his recovery seed card with his 24 word phrase. Needless to say, the oils of the shampoo had removed the ink and his paper recovery seed phrase was destroyed and indiscernible.

To make matters worse, he eventually forgot his pin on his Trezor wallet and was completely out of luck. I tell this cautionary tale as a way of reinforcing that this device has a serious need and is a small price to pay to protect yourself if any unfortunate event like this were to happen to you. People’s homes get flooded or burned down all the time, and you do NOT want to lose your life savings in the event that you fall victim to this.

As a side note, I recently wrote a free e-book that outlines the “5 Best Ways To Secure Your Cryptocurrency” and I highly recommend you go to the home page and click the orange button to get your free copy! Now, onto this review of the CRYPTOTAG premium device. Do I really need one even if I’m careful? Let’s find out below.

 

cryptotag

CRYPTOTAG: What’s In The Box?

 

CRYPTOTAG Hammer

-2 Titanium Plates (96 Letters Per Plate)

-26 Letter Bits

-An Anvil

-A Bit Holder

-Ear Plugs

-Matches To Burn Your Paper Backup When Finished!

 

As you can see in the picture, the packaging is beautifully done and contains everything you need for engraving your recovery seed phrases into the plates itself. It’s a unique experience as the assembly or installation process is quite different from using a CryptoSteel or Bill Fodl, but in my opinion way more enjoyable. I will elaborate on this process below.

 

Design & Setup

 

This is device is the strongest plate I’ve personally ever seen. It even says during the testing phase that it was tested with a semi-automatic weapon firing at bullet at it, and it still not puncturing the device. This product can literally stop a bullet. Additionally, it has been tested with extreme heat at over 1665 degrees celsius. It can also handle extreme cold, and does not crack or falter under extreme pressure or ice. It also goes without saying that it does not rust or is subject to any level of corrosion.

Setup – When you open the box, you will see everything evenly laid out with a set of instructions and your 2 plates with a clip to hold them together. The hammer is very hefty and is specifically designed for this personal engraving process and has a texture that is designed to make sure it doesn’t slip and overlay your letter you begin hammering. My experience was that I had to very vigorously slam the hammer down on the bits for engraving about 5-6 times to ensure that it made a deep enough engraving on the titanium plate.

Design – The outside of the CRYPTOTAG proudly displays the products’ logo and name — which looks cool but makes the sensitive ‘document’ less discrete. Should it ever catch the eyes of a potential thief, he or she would have little doubt as to what kind of information the sheet holds. (Even if someone has no idea what a recovery seed is, most people know that “crypto” means money.)

Of course, a wise person would never leave a CRYPTOTAG in sight — just as one would never leave their gold coins or valuables lying around. Still, a little more discretion would’ve been preferred.

Aside from that, there is very little to fault with the CRYPTOTAG, which we find to be the best storage solution for your private keys and recovery seed backup available on the market.

 

Who Is This for?

This is for ANY cryptocurrency holder who has more crypto than they can afford to lose. Ultimately, this is the best form of an insurance policy in becoming your own bank, as it cannot be destroyed under any conditions. Having this device in conjunction with a hardware wallet is the best combination of security and ease of use. This is the backup to your backup recovery seed phrase that you have on paper, and without this phrase being kept in a secure location, you put your entire wallet at risk.

In this new era of “Becoming your own bank“, that also comes with a new responsibility of being a banker that put safeguards in place to protect you in the event of an unforseen event. This is by FAR the best way to ensure that your recovery seed is safe and cannot be destroyed. I recommend that ANYONE that has more cryptocurrency than they can afford to lose, should have one of these. After all, if you lose your hardware wallet AND you lose this, you are completely out of luck and have no one to blame but yourself.

 

 

CryptoTAG Vs. CryptoSteel Vs. Bill Fodl

 

So, as you can see, this is a pretty unique device. However, you may be wondering, “How does it compare to the CryptoSteel or Bill Fodl”? Well, the latter 2 devices are very simillar. I will leave the in depth review for each of those respectively HERE and HERE. The CryptoSteel and Bill Fodl use tiles that are already pre-made with certain letters and require you to slide them into place and requires unscrewing some levers that allow you to slide them into place in the proper order.

There is no hammer, no pounding, no engraving, and as a result….No fun when setting it up.

Going through the process of hammering my crypto legacy into place was really satisfying for me as I take my crypto holdings very seriously, as well as the security of my private keys. Yes, the CRYPTOTAG is a much more expensive device (almost twice as much as these 2 competitors), but also has a superior quality in terms of manufacturing, materials used, and the overall presentation. This device is not for everyone, but if you take as much pride as me with my cryptocurrency, there is no more satisfying way to protect your keys than the CRYPTOTAG.

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLAaHjGX7Dc&t=326s

Conclusion

 

Overall, this device is probably the nicest version of a recovery seed backup you can find. The titanium is completely indestructible and can withstand even the harshest elements and has been thoroughly tested under every condition imaginable. As detailed above, it is a bit more expensive than the CryptoSteel or Bill Fodl, but it also is much nicer quality, and has a MUCH better user experience. Being able to “forge” your own seed into metal is a really fun experience and really connects your digital world with your physical world.

The one downside, which may have been mentioned in other reviews is, if you make a mistake on a letter, you will need to buy a new plate. Whereas, the other 2 devices you can simply just replace or slide out a tile with a new one if something changes. This makes those devices re-usable, whereas this one is literally written in titanium and cannot be changed. However, if you take your time and “measure twice and cut once” (so to speak), this proves to be a much sleeker and overall “better product” If you can comfortably afford the 169 Euros price tag for the starter kit.

You will not be disappointed. Additionally, if you have multiple wallets and need to expand, you can also get an expansion kit with new plates as needed, since you will be able to use the same hammer and stampers.

Bottomline: If you have the means and want to protect your seed phrase in the sexiest way possible, then CRYPTOTAG is your absolute BEST option. Hands down.

 

 

What do you guys think? Have you used a metal recovery seed backup before? Let me know down in the comments!

 

Cheers,

 

The Crypto Renegade

 

NOTE: This post may contain affiliate links. This adds no cost to you but it helps me focus on giving as much value as possible in every single post by being compensated for recommending products that help people succeed.

Shapeshift’s New Platform Launches Today! (July 2020)

It’s finally here! Shapeshift’s New Platform launches today! I have been using their beta platform for several months now reporting bugs and helping add some user friendly features by reporting feedback and ways to improve this brand new non custodial platform. I wrote a pretty in-depth review of the beta a few weeks back, so I won’t rehash the entire user experience here, so I will link that review so you can get the nitty-gritty details HERE.

This is an exciting time for cryptocurrency in general. Facebook is launching a controversial new coin called “Libra”. The government has sent a request to have the development of it stopped so they can review it and “approve” it before it’s released. The audacity of this, as if they have any say in what private organizations can and cannot work on is baffling, but I digress.

I will briefly detail below some of the key features and benefits of using this platform and non custodial exchange for all your crypto asset management.

 

Trade Assets Offline

 

The cornerstone feature here (in my opinion) is the fact that we can perform trading assets while having our private keys kept completely offline via the KeepKey (Or Trezor). They are also planning to add Ledger support soon as well, but the easiest hardware wallet to use is by far the KeepKey, as it was the primary wallet used during beta.

Shapeshift's New Platform

As you can see above, the dashboard is very streamlined and easy to view and manage the assets you can trade, view the balance and the price, view market cap, and so much more. The ability to have all the information I need in one place is very convenient. additionally, I can view my portfolio without having my hardware wallet present. In fact, I only need it to sign a transaction. Once you sign, you can disconnected it and it will be transferred to your wallet balance immediately and be reflected next time you connect.

Shapeshift has really thought of the user experience and making it easy for anyone of any skill level and knowledge of crypto to safely manage their private keys and learn how to trade using this platform.  Now that the platform is out of beta, they will be focusing on adding more assets being added to the platform for trade and asset management. As this is also a trade engine, as well as a portfolio manager, incorporating more detailed analytics will only improve upon this foundation.

 

Manage Your Portfolio In One Location

 

Here are some of the touted features of this platform, and why you should sign up for free HERE:

1.) Shapeshift Trading – You can seamlessly buy, sell, or trade dozens or crypto assets directly in the platform. Trading is non-custodial, so there is no need to trust a third party. This is a MASSIVE plus and a differentiator from any other exchange out there.

2.) Hardware Security – Utilize the best practice of offline security. Retain control of your private keys while enjoying an intuitive web interface. This is the best of both worlds and I will add that this is not currently possible on any other hardware wallet platform currently.

3.) Real Time Market Data – Get real-time market prices and historical data without ever having to leave the interface. This means no extra tabs or historical charts from any other 3rd-party site that you have to toggle between to get the data you need. This allows you to enjoy a beautiful ad-free experience.

4.) Portfolio Performance – Visualize your portfolio performance through graphs, sparklines, and real-time value movement. View your dashboard balances at anytime, anywhere. Your hardware wallet only needs to be connected for signing transactions.

The video below gives you a quick demo of how this works. It truly is a unique hardware wallet experience.

 

Shapeshift’s New Platform: Conclusion

 

After personally testing this platform and providing feedback and improvements for several months, I am very proud of what the Shapeshift team has accomplished. I am also excited to see how it expands with other hardware and new features and coins that will be added. There is NO other exchange that offers non-custodial trading, and to me that is a HUGE deal.

Part of “Becoming Your Own Bank” means maintaining full control over your funds at all times and not having to put trust in anyone but yourself. Self sovereign finance is the way of the future, and that is very exciting to see how this will continue to play out as adoption continues to snowball.

 

***CLICK HERE TO BUY KEEPKEY FOR 50% OFF FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY***

 

Just click the above link and use code “GENESISFOX” at checkout

 

What do you guys think? Are you excited for the revolutionary change in asset management? Let me know in the comments below!

 

Cheers,

 

The Crypto Renegade

 

NOTE: This post may contain affiliate links. This adds no cost to you but it helps me focus on giving as much value as possible in every single post by being compensated for recommending products that help people succeed.

Bill Fodl Review (2020): Is It Better Than Cryptosteel?

In this review, I am going to deep dive into the Bill Fodl and whether or not you need one, and if you do, is it better than Cryptosteel? So what is Bill Fodl? It’s essentially a backup of your backup. It’s a stainless steel recovery seed backup for your cryptocurrency and your recovery seed words that you most likely have written down on paper.

As you may already know, when you setup a cryptocurrency wallet, you will be asked to write down your recovery seed phrase which is a series of 12, 18, or 24 words. These are given to you as a method to restore the funds in your wallet, in the event you lose access to it digitally or physically. This is primarily is used in conjunction with a hardware wallet.

When I started this site back in 2016, I was mainly focused on hardware wallets as the primary method to safely storing your private keys offline, and these types of devices didn’t exist at that time. As this industry has brought on more innovation, indestructible crypto seed backups were born! I also had a friend who had multiple bitcoins on a hardware wallet, and when he was moving, he realized that his recovery seed was in an open plastic bag that was in proximity to a spilled shampoo bottle.

As you can probably imagine, this didn’t end well. When he went to move and locate his recovery seed, it was useless. The oils of the shampoo had removed the ink he had on his paper backup and it was all but destroyed. This is just one of MANY reasons why you need an indestructible backup of your paper recovery seed card to protect yourself against, well, yourself. It also is designed to withstand the elements such are fire, water, wind, corrosion, and even your dog eating it.

As it’s relevant here, I wanted to point out that on the home page of this website, there is an orange button that will link you to my free e-book that I recently wrote that goes in depth on this topic and provides you the “5 Best Ways To Secure Your Cryptocurrency“. Go check it out, it’s free, and it may even save you from loss in the future. One of our motto’s here is “We help you protect YOUR private keys”. So there you go, let’s get to nitty-gritty of this review on the Bill Fodl!

 

Bill Fodl: What’s In The Box?

 

You can store up to 96 characters, allowing you to backup an entire 24 word seed in one unit. Don’t worry if your entire seed is longer than 96 characters; you only need the first 4 letters of each seed word to fully backup your coins. You can read the full setup guide and video from their website HERE.

They also have expansion packs, and multi-wallet packs that you can get as well that will enable you to receive a quantity discount for multiple wallets. I used this option as I have multiple hardware wallets and therefore need this protection.

This Bill Fodl device is really a solid insurance policy on your crypto holdings, that doesn’t require you to trust any 3rd party or custodial solutions. This device is typically used with all models of Trezor, Ledger, and KeepKey. Pretty much any standard BIP39 wallet, and you can also use this for hot or online wallets as a backup as well.

 

Why Do I Need One?

 

As I mentioned above in the first paragraph, your recovery seed is typically written down on paper. Most people don’t realize how important these words in succession are as they are writing them down, as this is your only saving grace of recovering any lost cryptocurrency if you lose access to your wallet (Hot or Cold). If you lose these recovery words, you have no one to blame but yourself, and there is no way to recover your funds.

In this new era of “Becoming your own bank“, that also comes with a new responsibility of being a banker that put safeguards in place to protect you in the event of an unforseen event. This is by FAR the best way to ensure that your recovery seed is safe and cannot be destroyed. I recommend that ANYONE that has more cryptocurrency than they can afford to lose, should have one of these. After all, if you lose your hardware wallet AND you lose this, you are completely out of luck and have no one to blame but yourself.

 

Bill Fodl vs. CryptoSteel

 

Bill Fodl vs. CryptoSteel. I’ll be honest… these two devices are eerily similar, however, there are some key differences that set that apart. For starters, I noticed that the CryptoSteel has some tiles that are not the exact same shape and size, therefore making it more difficult to setup. There is a small slot for each of your letters to fit in, and even 1/8th of a millimeter difference is noticeable when you’re performing this task, as it takes steady hands and precision.

Secondly, the slats are smoother and the screws are easier to open than the CryptoSteel when it comes to opening it and closing it during the installation process. It’s not a massive difference, but still noticeable. As I said, these are VERY similar, but I am noticing that the quality on the Bill Fodl to be slightly nicer.

Thirdly, Bill Fodl takes lightning payments via bitcoin to purchase, while the CryptoSteel does not. Now, I know that doesn’t matter top most people, but I am very vocal about wanting to support vendors and businesses that accept cryptocurrency as payment. You would think that both of these companies would do this by default, but CryptoSteel only accepts credit cards at the moment.

The one thing I didn’t like about the Bill Fodl, is that the stainless steel gets scratched very easily. This won’t affect the integrity of your tiles or have any affect on the readability of the device in the event of a catastrophe, but it also doesn’t look as sleek and brand new after a handling it after just a handful of times. Lastly, the Bill Fodl is cheaper than the CryptoSteel. Bill Fodl is only $79 for their device and the CrypoSteel charges $99 for the equivalent device. Seems pretty straight-forward to me.

If you want to check out my full review on CryptoSteel, you can check it out HERE.

 

***CLICK HERE TO BUY BILL FODL FROM THEIR OFFICIAL SITE***

 

Are There Any Other Premium Options?

 

As mentioned above, the Bill Fodl and CryptoSteel are very similar devices, with only minute differences. So you may be asking, are there any other options out there? Any other options I should consider? Well, the short answer is, yes. You may have seen some knock-offs of this product on Amazon or eBay, but I strongly recommend you ignore those completely. The wannabe’s found there are not as durable or easy to use as these two (I bought one for comparison and it wasn’t pretty). However, there is a premium version of this product, but is made out of titanium instead and has a much different, (but good) user experience and setup process. Behold, the CryptoTAG!

The CryptoTAG is a high-end device that comes with 2 titanium plates and even comes with a heavy duty hammer to literally pound your seed phrase into these plates, and has been tested thoroughly for quality. In fact, I personally think the quality is MUCH nicer than the Bill Fodl, but not everyone can afford $199 for a recovery seed backup, and ultimately is only differenced by the quality and personal experience you get with personally engraving your seed.

Ultimately, both will get the job done, but if you want the “Ferrari” of recovery seed backups, you check out the CryptoTAG HERE on their official site. I also will be writing a review on this device shortly, so keep your eyes our for it.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyEqb9Z8leE

Conclusion

 

So, Is the Bill Fodl better than Cryptosteel? Personally, I would say yes. They have some small differences that makes it better and easier to setup and use. For instance, all of the lettered tiles are all the same size and shape, so installing them into the steel plate makes it much easier for them to slide into place. The overall user experience was easier and I was able to fully set it up in about 20 minutes or so, which isn’t bad at all. It took almost half the time of the CryptoSteel setup.

This device is also the cheapest (legitimate) stainless steel recovery seed backup starting at only $79 and an unprecedented 1-year warranty and a 125% money back guarantee. If you’re getting your first recovery seed backup and you’re on a budget, I would recommend you start here. It’s a quality, durable device and it gets the job done whilst making you feel like a true crypto enthusiast.

I actually have 2 of these, but I also have multiple hardware wallets and have a lot more at risk at stake, but I’m a bit of an extremist. Overall, You can’t go wrong with the Bill Fodl, and if you have more than $79 worth of crypto, then you definitely NEED this to be safe. Don’t be sorry when it comes to your crypto savings.

 

***CLICK HERE TO BUY BILL FODL FROM THEIR OFFICIAL SITE***

 

What do you think? Do you have a metal recovery seed backup? If so, which one do you use? Comment down below!

 

Cheers,

 

The Crypto Renegade

 

NOTE: This post may contain affiliate links. This adds no cost to you but it helps me focus on giving as much value as possible in every single post by being compensated for recommending products that help people succeed.

 

 

 

Should I Buy Bitcoin Now?! Or Should I Wait? (March 2020)

In this article I’m going to address the urgent question I get almost every day recently “Should I Buy Bitcoin Now?!“. Most of the people I deal with kept asking me over the past year and a half what was going on with bitcoin. It was almost if they were saying “See, I told you so! Bitcoin was a bad investment”.

Those same people have taken notice to the massive price increase and have asked me if now is a good time to get in. To them I say, It was a good time to get in around $3,300 when everything looked terrible and you laughed at me. Well, hindsight is 20/20, and deep down, I knew this was just part of a normal market cycle and that it would recover. The short answer is; If you don’t have any bitcoin now, please start getting some before the limited supply runs out.

One of the best ways I have been suggesting people start accumulating and acquiring bitcoin for the first time is to use this free app I have been using myself that give you free bitcoin back on every purchase you make, while receiving a discount of anywhere from 2-33% off every purchase.

This is the LIFE INFO APP, and I will leave an in-depth review of this amazing way to earn free bitcoin HERE. The gist of it is that it’s a shopping app that gives you discounts on thousands of brands and retailers on every purchase you make. The savings you accrue can be converted directly into bitcoin right within the app!

I have been testing this app for several months now, and I have earned over 80$ worth of bitcoin on purchases I was already been making anyways. Why not earn free bitcoin? This is the #1 way I’ve been recommending people start acquiring bitcoin who are new to it and want a VERY easy way to do so, with no technical knowledge.

***CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FREE LIFE INFO APP TO START EARNING FREE BITCOIN***

 

The Current State Of Bitcoin (July 2019)

 

As of the time of this writing, the price of bitcoin is currently $9,870.95. This is a pretty steep discount from where it was 5 days ago at $13,500. Bitcoin has been having significant gains over the past few weeks very steadily. This has primarily been happening because of some very fundamentally bullish news, such as the announcement of Facebook’s new cryptocurrency called “Libra”.

Many believe will bring the awareness and main stream of cryptocurrency adoption. Although this will be used as a “Stable Coin”, it will ultimately force billions of people to understand the ways of the future and finance.

So why did the price drop? Well, this is actually a healthy and normal correction for what has been a parabolic rise in price and the correction here will shake out the weak hands that currently are very emotional and timid about the projects future, and only pay attention to the price and what other people are doing.

Ultimately, bitcoin is the future of finance. New mainstream stores are starting to accept cryptocurrency payments directly.

 

What Caused The Huge Run Up Of Price Since April Of 2019?

Image result for bitcoin price

There are three primary factors that I believe have contributed to the massive price gains from April of 2019 til now, with no signs of stopping. Sure, there will be fluctuating prices, but it’s consistently gained over 100% consistently. Here are a few fundamental reasons I believe that triggered this to happen:

1.) Bitcoin Halvening – Every 4 years the bitcoin block reward that pays miners to verify transactions is going to be cut in half starting May 2020. This is by design and as a way to introduce scarcity and deflation to an already scarce and useful asset. Historically, the months leading up to this in years past has shown a systematic increase of price in anticipation of this happening.

Currently, the block rewards pays 12.5 bitcoin approximately every 10 minutes. It is about to be cut in half to 6.25 bitcoins per block. Scarcity is a massive incentive to start getting your act together now, before it’s too late.

2.) Facebook’s Cryptocurrency “Libra” – As mentioned above, one of the worlds largest and well-known companies is creating their own cryptocurrency. With over 3 billion active users and counting, this is introducing a new mechanism for people to make payment directly within the platform and also pay for services, like advertising, using Facebook’s native coin. There will be many high profile exchanges that will support this coin (including Coinbase), so there will be plenty of on and off ramps for this upcoming crypto. This is said to be pegged to over 12 fiat currencies’ values.

3.) Chainlink Partnership With Google – Chainlink is a cryptocurrency that specializes in smart contracts. If you are unaware of what that is, a smart contract is essentially a digital contract that is automated and processed out with no middleman, once certain pre-determined criteria is met. This is especially useful for reducing middle-men, and therefore costs, as well as efficiency.

Google has made an announcement of this partnership on a secret project and only validates the need for a blockchain in our modern world. Google doesn’t just partner with anyone, so as people start noticing that cryptocurrency and new blockchain projects are working with tech giants, people start noticing. There are very few details on what this project is exactly, but I assume it has to do with aggregating and verifying data automatically to increase efficiency in time intensive tasks.

What Is The Easiest Way To Buy Bitcoin? What Is the Minimum Investment?

The easiest way to buy bitcoin is to buy directly with a credit card. You can do this very easily with a company called CoinMama, and it only takes a few minutes to process and receive your bitcoin. I have personally used this service many times myself and is much quicker than using an exchange, like Coinbase.

Many exchanges and official on ramps will require much more time as they process KYC and account verification steps to enable an account for you. This process typically takes 3-7 business days, and you should plan accordingly. They are very useful to use if you are not crunched for time, and support many of the top coins directly with bank wire or debit cards for payment.

You can buy as little of $10 worth of bitcoin, and with what the app I mentioned, you can accrue even less than that for free. The point? You don’t need to buy a full bitcoin to get started!

Additionally, as I mentioned at the beginning of the article, you can start earning free bitcoin using the LIFE INFO APP, as that’s what I’ve been doing myself. Again, this is the#1 tool I’ve been using to accumulate free bitcoin on purchases I’m making anyways.

 

Should I Buy Bitcoin Now: Conclusion

Overall, even though bitcoin is very volatile at the moment, I would STRONGLY recommend you buy some bitcoin if you haven’t already. There are only 21 million coins that will ever been in circulation, and there is approximately 17.5 million circulating right now. This hard cap that can never change is a deflationary mechanism designed to provide a road map of how the supply and demand dynamics will look over the next few years.

If you zoom out and look at the year over year gains, bitcoin has been one of the strongest investments over the last decade as it has had a higher value of the previous January since it started. Most people get emotional with such rapid price swings, but ultimately what makes it special is the fact that you can now become your own bank.

YOU, yes YOU, can now conduct financial transactions with anyone in the entire world (almost for free) with no permission from anyone and no middle man requiring authorization or taking a cut. THAT is powerful. There has never been anything else like it in the world before. Ever.

 

What do you think? Do you think it’s too late to buy bitcoin now? Let me know in the comments below!

 

Cheers,

 

The Crypto Renegade

 

NOTE: This post may contain affiliate links. This adds no cost to you but it helps me focus on giving as much value as possible in every single post by being compensated for recommending products that help people succeed.

How To Spend Bitcoin On Amazon – Save Up To 33% (2020)

In this article, I am going to go over how to spend bitcoin on Amazon. Additionally, I will provide you a way to save up to 33%. But before I dive into that, I wanted to mention a recent I app I have used that allows me to earn free bitcoin on purchases I’m already making. how to earn free bitcoin

Yes, you read that right. This is app is called the LIFE INFO APP, and I recently wrote an in depth review of how it works and you can view it HERE. The jist of it is that it’s a free shopping app that saves you anywhere from 1-20% off on every purchase and includes major retailers (both online and in store) and the money that you save on each transactions can be credited to you directly in bitcoin.

This is THE BEST way to start accumulating bitcoin I have ever personally seen or used myself. It includes such retailers as: Home Depot, Best Buy, Chipotle, American Airlines, Buffalo Wild Wings, Groupon, and thousands more. Just this month alone, I have accrued over 30$ worth of bitcoin on stuff I was going to buy anyways, and the price of that bitcoin doubled since I received it. It’s free to use and you can start using it immediately upon download. Get your free download HERE.

Now, on to saving money when SPENDING your bitcoin on Amazon. How do I do that? How do I save money? Stay tuned for the whole article and learn how!

 

How Can I Spend My Bitcoin On Amazon?

 

I am going to provide you 2 ways to do this. The first is the way that you can save upwards of 33% and the one I have personally used and recommend. The second is by way of downloading a Google Chrome extension that will enable you to pay with your Coinbase wallet and convert the total amount instantly via a conversion. Here’s how it works.

1.) This method is by using the website Purse.io. This is a website that is built on top of Amazon’s platform that enables you to spend bitcoin and cryptocurrencies directly. It also allows you to save up to 33%. I will explain how this works in the next section, but I was able to use this method to save several hundred dollars last Christmas on gifts for my family.

2.) This is by way of using a browser extension called “Moon“. This tool is directly used on Amazon’s website and provides no extra discounts or incentives, other than the fact that you can pay directly with your bitcoin wallet on Coinbase.com and allows you to convert your Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum or Litecoin into cash to finalize your payment. You can also take advantage of using Amazon Prime for 2-day shipping if you have a membership.

 

How Exactly Can I Save Up To 33%?

 

As I mentioned in the above section, this method saves you up to 33% by using Purse.io. When you visit this site, it doesn’t look like Amazon directly, but when you go to search for items, it includes their entire catalog. When you go to checkout, you can choose your discount using the slider option your savings of anywhere from 5-33%. Here’s how it works.

Let’s say you want to receive the items in the normal 1-2 days while using Amazon Prime. If you are in a hurry, you can choose this time frame and immediately save 5% by choosing this. However, when you choose a longer delivery time frame, your percentage of savings starts to increase dramatically. For example if you choose 3-7 days, it can range anywhere from 12-15% off your items.

If you want to save the maximum 33% off, you will have to wait anywhere from 21-30 days to receive your items. Now, this makes sense to do when you are planning ahead for a birthday, holiday, or other major event. It also allows you to save a handful of money on larger purchases, like couches or TV’s where you can save hundred of dollars if it’s not immediately needed.

I managed to save almost $1,000 dollars by starting to buy these items around black friday in November of last year and things actually started being delivered earlier. This is quoted as an “estimated” time frame, because the system works by having users that want to trade their existing amazon store credit or gift cards in exchange for your bitcoin.

How it works is they place their order on your behalf (using Purse as a liaison) and no personal information is provided to them. When you place the order, it’s delivered to Purse.io immediately and they find a “buyer” who will pick up the order and authorize Purse to use their store credit or gift card balance to place the order and ship it directly to you.

Once you receive confirmation that the order is placed and you receive the items at your residence. Only once you are satisfied, you will release the bitcoin payment to them and you both go on your merry way. This is an elegant solution that matches people that don’t want their Amazon gift cards with people that want to make purchases in exchange for bitcoin. The best part, it works!

Can I Use Any Other Altcoins?

 

Yes. When you go to check out the primary payment methods are bitcoin and bitcoin cash. However, when you go to pay you can choose from a list of the top 40 altcoins as well to process payment directly on their site. You can either use your mobile wallet and scan the QR code on the screen to process payment, or you can copy and paste the recipients wallet address on your web or desktop wallet to authorize the transaction.

This gives users many different cryptocurrency payment options when finalizing their order and the best part is, the person who picks up the order doesn’t need to “approve” what you decide to use as an acceptable form of payment, as it’s converted back into bitcoin and Purse pays them directly as they are the middle-man in this equation to ensure that both parties receive what they want and are satisfied.

Do I Still Get My Prime 2-Day Shipping?

 

Yes and No. As I mentioned above. This depends on the discount and time frame you choose when you finalize your order. If you want to receive your item in 1-2 days, you will save 5% immediately and you will have it within the prime time frame. However, if you want the largest possible discount, you will need to wait longer to save more money. In my experience, these “estimated delivery dates” are a worst case scenario and a buffer for them to ensure you get it on time, but my experience over several orders much sooner than advertised.

This especially good if you are accustomed to a very quick delivery.

 

How To Spend Bitcoin On Amazon: Conclusion

 

Overall, both methods above work very well and I highly recommend it. As someone who always looks for valuable merchants and ways to spend bitcoin online, I was very excited to find Purse.io and even more surprised to find that I’m being incentivized to spend my crypto by saving A LOT of money in the process.

Not many merchants do this, and why not utilize the largest online retailer in the world for this process?

If you simply want to use Amazon’s site directly and ensure you get your Prime benefits and still spend your cryptocurrency, then you can use this, but you will receive no discounts. Keep in mind, when using Purse, you can use any store credit you have and import any wish lists or items that you already have in your cart as well, so it’s a very convenient process.

So, the next time you think to yourself, where can I spend my bitcoin? The answer will almost certainly be Purse.io, as this is the #1 way to spend your bitcoin online and save money at the same time!

 

***CLICK HERE TO GET STARTED WITH PURSE.IO AND GET 5$ OF FREE BITCOIN ON YOUR FIRST ORDER***

 

What do you think? Have you found better ways to spend your bitcoin on Amazon? Let me know in the comments below!

 

Cheers,

 

The Crypto Renegade

 

NOTE: This post may contain affiliate links. This adds no cost to you but it helps me focus on giving as much value as possible in every single post by being compensated for recommending products that help people succeed.

 

 

 

 

Trezor One Vs. Trezor Model T – Is One A Clear Winner? (2020)

In this article, we are going to unravel the differences between the Trezor One Vs. Trezor Model T. I have been personally using each of these devices for years. The Trezor One first made it’s debut in August 2014 and was the first commerical hardware wallet out on the market. It paved the way for many competitors and started a revolution with a mission of keeping your private keys safe and completely offline in your control.

The Trezor Model T was unveiled in 2018 after years of development and tweaking. I was a reseller at the time and I received one of the first batch of devices to test out and even actually did a tear down and compared the internals and was very interested to see the differences between the two devices. Before that occurred, I tested it with many different coins and was a very pleasant experience.

They have even added a large number of “Native” apps (or coins) that were supported with their web-based wallet, and they will continue to do so for years to come. But does that make the Trezor One irrelevant now? Stay tuned for the whole article to find out!

 

First Look And Unboxing

 

Trezor One Vs. Trezor Model T

The Trezor One is a very simple device and yet, the complexity comes in it’s security packaging. Let me explain. The device is in the shape of a small plastic trapezoid with 2 mechanical buttons and a small OLED screen. When you first receive the device, it comes in a small plastic box and you will see that it has 2 holographic anti-tampering stickers on the box covering the seals. One is on the top and one is on the bottom.

This was put in place to not only show if the box has been tampered with, but also has some visual clues that reveal it’s authenticity. This was put in place as a preventative measure and to avoid supply chain attacks. Additionally, it has some vert strong adhesive glue that is designed to destroy the box in it’t opening.

This self-destructive box again is a secondary security measure designed to reveal if the box has been tampered with it’s journey from the manufacturer to the end user. In my opinion, it’s very simple, yet clever solution, as MIM attacks and supply chain attacks are a very real threat.

The Trezor Model T, however decided to go with a much simpler box design that does not include these contraptions. Why? Well, they decided that evidence of tampering really only matters on the device itself, so they forewent the process of securely packaging the device. Instead, they decided to put a very adhesive and protective seal on the device itself over the USB-C port.

The one downfall of this design, is that it when you unbox it and peel off this protective seal, it leaves a very sticky and noticeable sticky residue that is VERY difficult to take off. And as the device is plastic, it cannot be removed or scraped off, as it will completely scratch the device. I touched on this on my dedicated review of the Trezor Model T that I wrote HERE.

 

Trezor One Vs. Trezor Model T: Supported Coins

 

This in my opinion is the large differentiator between these two devices and the distinction will ultimately sway most of you in deciding which device you should buy. Both coins have a lot of the same coin support, at least in terms of the larger cap coins and what is supported in third-party wallets, such as MyEtherWallet or Mycelium.

I will note the primary difference here is noted in the available “Native Apps”. What are Native Apps? These are the wallets built directly into the web application that Trezor has built to manage your coins directly on your platform. They are very easy to use, manage, and view in a very easy manner. This is NOT the case when you deal with certain coins that are only supported with 3rd party integrations. As a result, they are fundamentally better for the end user.

I am going to list a handful of what I consider the notable coins that are supported by these native apps and differences. I will not overlap these and point out some coins that are only supported by the Trezor Model T, and NOT supported on the Trezor One. Note this below:

Trezor One Supported Coins:

Dash (DASH)

Digibyte (DGB)

Vertcoin (VTC)

Namecoin (NMC)

Dogecoin (DOGE)

 

Trezor Model T Supported Coins:

Ripple (XRP)

Ethereum (ETH)

Chainlink (LINK)

Holochain (HOT)

USDcoin (USDC) *Stable Coin*

This is just a brief example of some popular coins that are supported on each wallet natively using Trezor’s web app. Ther are some additional coins that are supported on the Trezor Model T through 3rd party wallets that will not work with Trezor One, such as Tezos (XTZ) and Monero (XMR).

This is important to know, as there are over 1,000 ERC-20 tokens that are expanding into native app support by Trezor Model T, that is not going to be supported by Trezor One, however, using some 3rd party wallets, will still support them, if you’re so inclined.

 

Trezor Security

 

I will briefly touch on this here as most of this was gone over in depth in my Trezor One Review. As mentioned above, the physical security measures and differences are pointed out in its physicality of it’s packaging, but I will point out that there is one feature that I particularly like that is available on the Trezor Model T.

Both have an option to set a “passphrase” or a 25th seed word when accessing your account. This means that if/when you have to use your recovery seed to restore your device, you not only need the 24 seed words in the correct order, but you will need to enter in the custom passphrase in order to fully restore your wallet.

Here is the main difference on the Trezor Model T. Because the device has a touch screen, both the PIN and the custom passphrase (if you enable it) will be entered in on the device itself, and not the web app. Why is this important? Well, in the event that your web app is compromised or you have a key logger on your computer, you have a separation from your device and what you enter on the web app to unlock or access your device.

The Trezor One requires you enter in your PIN on the web application with a number grid, since it does not have a physical touch screen that allows you to enter it in on the device. Pretty cool if you ask me.

 

Trezor Prices

 

The Trezor Prices are pretty significant in terms of the difference between the Trezor One and the Trezor Model T. As we’ve discussed above some of the differences of coins that are supported and the overall design, the prices are pretty notable as these devices cover a lot of the same ground. The current prices are listed below as of this writing:

 

Trezor One – 69 Euros or Approx. $78.00 USD

Trezor Model T – 149 Euros or Approx. $169.00 USD

 

This means that for the almost the same level or security you can get the original hardware wallet, the Trezor One for $91 less than the upgraded model. However, you have a lot more room to grow in terms of coins and token supported natively on the Trezor Model T, which means it will be more “future proof” and more expandable than the original.

Setup And Recovery Seed Differences

The primary differences in the two devices is fairly straightforward. The Trezor One includes a 24-word seed phrase when setting up and backing up your device. The Trezor Model T includes a 12 word seed phrase when you receive the device and that limitation is indicated on the included recovery seed cards in the box.

Why did they make this difference? Whether you choose a 12, 18, or 24 word seed phrase, it ultimately includes the same level of security. Additionally, since the Trezor Model T includes the option to set a custom passphrase you can enable on the device in addition to requiring the PIN, they felt that it was extra secure that way, although it’s optional.

 

Trezor Vs. Ledger Vs. KeepKey

 

The highest end device of these 3 is going to go to the Trezor Model T. Not because of the price tag, but because of the extra security features and the vast coin support that is way ahead of the competition currently. The Ledger Nano X is on par with this and even allows you to manage your device via bluetooth and can hold up to 100 apps directly on one device, which has it’s own edge over the rest.

The KeepKey is one of the oldest devices, but it is the “nicest” in terms of it’s physical presentation as it’s a very solid and sleek device that just “feels” premium. Additionally, it is going to release their new platform very soon that integrates directly with native coin support and non-custodial trading directly on the hardware wallet, that makes it probably the safest trading experience I have seen yet. I have tested this platform and have a detailed review of it HERE.

Additionally, if you want more details on the key differences of these devices, I will link that specific article here that I wrote entitled “KeepKey Vs. Trezor Vs. Ledger – Which One Should I Buy? (2019)“.

 

Conclusion

 

So which one is better? Well, to be honest there is no clear cut answer and it varies for each person. Here’s how I would put it to you. Are you going to be getting more and more into crypto and expanding into more altcoins as time goes on? If so, go with the Trezor Model T. If you are simplistic and you just want to “HODL” Bitcoin, Ethereum, and maybe a few other larger cap coins for a long period of time? Then Just got with the Trezor One.

The truth is, both will continually receive security and firmware upgrades as time goes on and will be very usable for years to come. In this professional’s opinion, it really comes down to any specific coins you want native support for (VERY IMPORTANT) and if you plan on expanding. You can’t go wrong with either one, as they have stood the test of time and I’ve used both for various coins over the years and I’ve seen the positive changes in both devices. Click the links below to buy The Trezor One and The Trezor Model T below directly from their website!

 

***CLICK HERE TO BUY THE TREZOR ONE WALLET***

 

***CLICK HERE TO BUY THE TREZOR MODEL T WALLET***

 

What do you think? Would you choose the Trezor One Or Model T? Which one do you use? Sound off below!

 

Cheers,

 

The Crypto Renegade

 

NOTE: This post may contain affiliate links. This adds no cost to you but it helps me focus on giving as much value as possible in every single post by being compensated for recommending products that help people succeed.

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