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Ledger Wallet Ripple: How To Store Ripple (XRP) On The Ledger Nano S (2020)

In this article, I am going to explain how to store Ripple (XRP) on the Ledger Nano S in the Ledger Wallet Ripple. Most people I speak with talk about whether or not XRP is safe to leave on exchanges for storage. The simple answer is no. Under no circumstances is it safe or even a slightly good idea to leave ANY coins your have on an exchange. “Not your keys, not your crypto” is a statement you’ll hear repeated throughout the crypto ecosystem. If you are unsure about the safest ways to store and secure your cryptocurrency private keys, then grab my free e-book that gives you some in depth resources on how to manage your crypto safely. I also wrote a comparison review of the major differences of hot vs cold wallets, in case you are unsure. ledger wallet ripple

Now, as Ripple is a top 3 market cap coin, it is imperative to know how to properly store it on a hardware wallet, and the one wallet that can easily store this right now is the Ledger Nano S. You can also store it on the newly released successor to this wallet known as the Ledger Nano X, if you want a larger storage capacity and a wallet that is wirelessly capable. Let’s get to it below!

 

WHAT IS RIPPLE (XRP)?

 

Ripple is both a platform and a currency. Let me explain. Ripple itself is platform and open source protocol which is designed for quick and cheap transactions. This was “invested” as a resource for efficient, cross-border payments that is intended to be used by big banks. The Ripple platform is very very cheap and efficient and unlike bitcoin, it is designed as a payment machine and nothing more.

XRP (the token that is represented on the ripple platform) is designed to transfer value across the Ripple platform. The intention behind this is to be able to transfer value from either cryptocurrency or fiat from peer to peer in the fastest way possible. That is it’s only function.

The other noteworthy aspect of this is, there is a predetermined amount and it is not mined or staked, like it is on POW and POS networks. In fact, there is no blockchain for this token at all. This has been the source of a lot of criticism in the ecosystem that this is not really a “crypto” currency, but rather, just a digital version of fiat.

 

HOW DO I BUY RIPPLE (XRP)?

You can buy ripple directly at many OTC exchanges, or other trading exchanges like Coinbase or Binance. When using Coinbase, you can link up your bank account and/or major debit card to process the transaction and if you’re not verified, it can take up to 7-10 business days to process.

If you plan on buying XRP with a credit card directly, you can use either Paxful or Changelly and use this as an OTC exchange to buy it directly (although paying with credit card will incur some extra fees). You can also go through a 2-step process and buy bitcoin with a credit card on Coinmama, and then use one of the above exchanges to swap it.

 

LEDGER WALLET RIPPLE: HOW DO I MOVE RIPPLE TO THE LEDGER NANO S?

 

  1. Open up Ledger Live, and make sure it’s software version is up to date.
  2. Head over to the Manager section on the left side bar, and search on “XRP”, then click on Install.To create an XRP wallet on your Ledger device, we first need to create an “account” for you to be able to have access to your wallet’s XRP address.
    1. Click on the rounded + symbol on the left portion of the Ledger Live app to add an account.
    2. Type in “xrp” on the search bar to easily find XRP on the list, then click on “Continue“.
    3. Open the XRP app on your Ledger device, then click on “Continue“.
    4. Wait for Ledger Live to synchronize.
    5. Choose a name for your wallet. For this example, we’re just going to name our wallet “My XRP Wallet“.
    6. Tick the blue checkbox , then click on “Add account“.
    7. Account successfully added!Click on “Add more” if you want to create more XRP wallets, or if you want to head over to moving your funds to your XRP wallet, just click on the small x on the top right corner of this popup.
    8. Your XRP wallet is now ready. Simply click on the XRP wallet you made on the “Accounts” section on the left, then click on the blue “Receive” button.
    9. Click on “Continue“.
    10. Click on “Verify“.
    11. For security purposes, check if the same wallet address is being shown on the Ledger Live app, and the address shown on your physical Ledger device.If everything’s fine, you can now copy the wallet address shown on Ledger Live, and you can now use that address to move your funds from other XRP wallets, or from the exchange you’re using.

 

WHAT ABOUT THE NEW LEDGER NANO X?

The Ledger Nano X has the same process as above for adding it to your hardware wallet using Ledger Live, the only difference is it is primarily done via the mobile app. You can still plug this device in and manage this the same way as the Ledger Nano S, however, it is able to connect to the app and manage this wirelessly, which is the major advantage.

 

CONCLUSION

 

Bottom line, if you’re in the market to acquire this coin, you will absolutely need to store it on a Ledger device. Keeping all your private keys (of any coin) on a trusted hardware wallet is imperative. Period. I will say that with the Ledger Nano S specifically, is the cheapest and is the best entry level hardware wallet if you want to store ripple at only $59. The one caveat is that you can only store 3 or 4 different coins on the app at once, that’s it. If you plan to grow your portfolio, you may want to spring for the extra money and go for the Ledger Nano X, which can hold up to 100 coins or “apps” at once. I will leave the full review of the Ledger Nano S here.

 

What do you think? Is there a better offline wallet to store your XRP? 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.

Bitcoin Fees: How To Check When You’re Sending A Transaction (2020)

In this article, I’m going to address how to check what the bitcoin fees are for bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Not many people think about the “fees” when sending their first bitcoin transaction, as it’s just so exhilarating that you can transact value without permission from a bank or other institution. 

This is really a minute detail, however the fees for sending a bitcoin transaction back in 2017 was upwards of 75$ when it was at it’s peak. This means you need to be able to determine if the fees are a “fair” price at a moments notice and if it will significantly cost you to move your bitcoin.

Luckily, there are a few different resources you can use to check not only what the current bitcoin fees are, but also check out the fees for other cryptocurrencies and Ethereum as well. Additionally, you need to be able to determine what the cost structure is and if you can pay more for a priority transaction. Well, I’m here to break it all down for you. Let’s get started with the #1 resource I use on a regular basis to check the current fees for sending bitcoin in a transaction!

Before I jump down there, I wanted to provide you with a free resource for protecting your cryptocurrency and it’s a free e-book I recently wrote and you can obtain it for free on my website here at the top right corner in an orange button. “5 Best Ways To Secure Your Cryptocurrency” is available to download now! Go grab it!

 

HOW TO CHECK BITCOIN FEES ON BITCOINFEES.INFO

 

Bitcoinfees.info is one of the best resources to check real-time bitcoin fees and what amount of time you would need to wait for your transaction to be confirmed for that fee. For example, it will let you know what the estimated fee is if you want it confirmed in the next block (10 mins), within the next 3 blocks (30 mins), or next 6 blocks (60 mins).

As you wait longer the fees will go down, but not drastically. To provide a frame of reference, the current fees at the time of this writing is $2.17 USD fee for having my transaction in the next block and $0.78 cents in the next 6 blocks.

This varies and fluctuates and is determined by the demand in volume and what specific mining pools are charging and maintaining a competitive marketplace. Why are there fees if they receive a block reward already? Well, to put it frankly, because they can.

Bitcoin miners are the groups of people that use their hash power to ensure the transaction is not only confirmed, but that it’s also safe and secure. It is a necessary component for the network and ecosystem to flourish and maintain economic incentive.

This site also shows your daily, monthly, and yearly averages in the form of charts and graphs to show you how this progresses overtime. They also consider that the average bitcoin transaction is 250 satoshis per byte large for measuring these averages. This also includes the basis of the 1 MB blocks that the current block size represents and would not relate to the fees for the lightning network.

 

HOW TO CHECK BITCOIN FEES ON COINBASE

The fees charged by Coinbase are pretty low. But they can add up, especially if you use the service often. You will see the buying and selling fees we described above.

There may also be fixed and variable fees depending on the amount of the transaction. And when your purchases are smaller, there is a flat fee charged.

 

Here are the flat fees for the smaller transactions:

  • If you are buying or selling in the amount of $10.99 or less, the fee is $0.99
  • If you are buying or selling between $11 and 26.49, the fee is $1.49
  • If you are buying or selling from $26.50 to $51.99, the fee is $1.99
  • If you are buying or selling from $52 to $78.05, the fee is $2.99

 

This is a fairly low and tiered system, but as you can see, this fee is for Coinbase and does not include any miner fees or network fees. So please keep in mind that that you will need to add the two totals together in order to find out what you will actually be paying.

 

HOW TO CHECK ETHEREUM FEES

For ETH, I typically go to ETH Gas Station for this information as it’s the most real-time and accurate in my experience. When sending Ether in a transaction, it uses a component of fees known as “Gas”. What is gas? It’s essentially a fraction of Ethereum that is required to pay for the transaction and is typically much cheaper than bitcoin transaction fees. This also applies to ERC-20 tokens and security tokens as well as they are built on top of the Ethereum network.

This has several other tools to estimate transactions for a specific block and also if you want it applied to s specific smart contract on the network. It includes anything else you may need to know including what mining pools are currently verifying on the network, what the estimated wait time is to have your transaction included in a specific block, and also how full or empty these blocks are.

All in all, this is the only resource I need when trying to estimate how much I will be paying in fees and the only other resource I might use is the specific block explorer I would use in order to verify the status of my transaction. For those of you who do not know what a block explorer is, it is basically a way for you to check the status of your transaction and how many confirmations it’s received before it’s delivered to the recipient.

CONCLUSION

 

Overall, these are the most common resources you will use to check the transaction fees for bitcoin and Ethereum as these are the largest networks by volume and therefore, the most likely to be used when sending crypto. You can also check each individual blockchain if you want to determine what the fees are for, say “Monero” for example.

In the event I want to know what the estimated fees for that example would be to attempt a transaction when sending from my hot wallet, or I would simply use google and include the “coins name + transaction fees” to get the most accurate result. These examples hopefully clarify some of the questions that surround how much you will pay in fees at an given time on these popular coins and networks. Until next time…

 

What are your favorite resources to check crypto transaction fees? Sound off 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 Buy Gift Cards With Bitcoin (2020)

In this review, I will be going over the 3 best ways on how to buy gift cards with bitcoin in 2019. There are 3 trusted sites (and one app) that are used to buy gift cards very easily and it happens almost instantly. You can choose whether or not to email you the redemption code for the gift cards digitally via email, or you can choose to have them shipped as a physical card to your friends or family if you are going to use it as a gift.

It all is very easy, and more importantly, it proves that there is real world utility for bitcoin (in case you didn’t know that already). Let’s get right to the best ways to go about this below!

Before I get to these 3 options, I will recommend you first check out the LIFE INFO APP. This does the reverse and allows you to earn free bitcoin AND save money on thousands of merchants, just like the resources below. I HIGHLY recommend using this free app, because it’s a great way to start accumulating bitcoin for free while saving money on purchasing items you are already buying anyway. I will leave a link to the review that explains this free app HERE.

 

DOWNLOAD THE LIFE INFO APP TO START EARNING BITCOIN

 

How To Buy Gift Cards With Bitcoin

 

#1 GYFT.COM

how to buy gift cards with bitcoin

This website offers a fully functioning website and a full service mobile app as well, but you can get pretty much any type of gift card you can think of. It’s essentially the Amazon of of buying gift cards and the selection is huge. It covers anything from pizza gift cards to department stores, like Macy’s to Best Buy to Cruises and Airlines.

This really is one of the largest sites that allows you to buy gift cards and isn’t fully dedicated to bitcoin. (we’ll get to that option below). You can actually buy these gift cards with any payment method, but bitcoin is an advertised method for doing so. I have used it once on this site and it’s fairly straight forward with scanning the QR code with my phone and authorizing with my BitPay wallet.

This probably has the largest selection of gift cards, but one thing I wish they did was incentivize the use of bitcoin by offering a discount for purchasing these gift cards, but for them it just appears to be another payment method.

If you want to save money and get discounted gift cards with bitcoin or bitcoin cash, I would recommend trying out Purse.io, which is Amazon built on top of a new platform that specifically deals in bitcoin payment. You can check out my review and recap in this article I wrote HERE.

 

#2 BITREFILL.COM

 

This is a site that I love using because it was built specifically to help propel bitcoin being used in commerce specifically. Not only that, you can buy gift cards with Bitcoin, but you can also use several other altcoins as well. You can also top up gift cards on your phone in any denomination you need and it offers over 750 different gift cards, so it has a VERY large selection, just like above.

You can also use Lightning Payments for ordering bitcoin as well. This is a new development, but one that is very welcome. I just downloaded my first wallet for the lightning network and it was really fun to see it in action! Granted, I haven’t tested it out on a purchase here, yet.

However, I plan to do that very soon on my next gift card purchase. I always try to support businesses that support bitcoin payments, but especially ones that were built on the promise of bitcoin being a peer-to-peer electronic cash system that was developed by the elusive Satoshi Nakamoto.

Overall, this is probably my favorite place to buy gift cards when I pay with bitcoin or any other altcoin, because of it’s dedication to this cause. I also had a smooth experience and had the physical cards shipped to me within 3 days and arrived on time and as described.

The one thing that also makes this different, is you can pay your phone bill and cable bill with bitcoin. How? Well, you can purchase a specific gift cards amount, say $94.36 if that’s your phone bill amount, and use that to pay your monthly Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, or Sprint Bill. Pretty neat.

Also, you can do this with your cable bill if you use Cox or Xfinity if you’re in the U.S. The same thing applies where you can purchase a gift card for an exact amount and use it when you go online to pay your bill. Pretty cool if you ask me!

 

#3 BITPAY WALLET APP

This is my number one go to mobile wallet because of it’s utility. I also have a visa card that I can load up my bitcoin on directly, so it’s all managed and very easy to use in the app. But, it also offers integrations with Coinbase and you can buy gift cards directly from your wallet there.

The only downside is, it supports only Bitcoin (BTC) and Bitcoin Cash (BCH). If you are using any other cryptocurrencies with your day to day spending, then I would go with something else, but I use this one every single day, because the user experience is top notch.

In terms of gift cards, here is an article the wrote when it was rolled out last December HERE. Ultimately, it doesn’t quite have the features or selection that the other two offer, but when you use this mobile wallet for the debit visa card and for other everyday spending, it makes it easier to manage it all in one place..

It covers some larger name retailers like: Uber, Delta Airlines, Hotels.com and Amazon. There are other options, and they are adding more all the time, so keep an eye on that. Overall, I personally use this option the most as I mentioned above I have a lot of services integrated with this wallet and I’ve never had a bad experience.

 

CONCLUSION

 

These are the easiest steps on how to buy gift cards with bitcoin! Overall, I have a clear favorite in the list above in terms of specifically buying gift cards and that is Bitrefill.com, but that does not mean the other options are bad. I have personally used all 3 of these and they all have a good user experience.

The difference lies in their business models and the personal branding and position in the marketplace. They are all reputable and I can recommend all of them, but I still have a soft spot for “Bitcoin Companies” in general, and that’s just an emotional leaning on my part.

If you ever need to see some previews of get some other commentary, watch the video I did above that goes over this and shows you how to go about this process. Give these a try when you have a holiday, birthday, or any other type of event when a gift card would be appropriate. you won’t regret it.

 

What do you think? Are there better ways to buy gift cards online? Let me know below 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.

Top 3 Altcoins To Invest In 2020

In this post, I am going to go over the top 3 altcoins to invest in 2019. You may be wondering, “Why would I be interested in altcoins when bitcoin is the king of crypto?” What is the best cryptocurrency to invest in now? Although it’s a fair question and bitcoin has dominated the market cap and literally created the cryptocurrency industry, there is plenty of development and utility with specific altcoins that bitcoin does not address. Additionally, the way most people accumulate bitcoin is by investing or trading in altcoins to then convert the gains back into bitcoin.

Although I have been trading and investing for several years now, there are a few specific altcoins that are paving their way to success with innovation and are what I consider “trend setters” in the industry and offer some unique value and are not just another bitcoin clone. Let’s get right to it below.

I also am now offering a FREE E-BOOK that goes in depth to explain the best 5 ways secure your cryptocurrency. it’s loaded with secret knowledge and goodies that is not included in the blog, so check it out, it’s free, so you have nothing to lose!

 

5 BEST WAYS TO SECURE YOUR CRYPTOCURRENCY – EBOOK

Top 3 Altcoins To Invest In 2019

 

#1 HOLOCHAIN (HOT)

 

Holochain or (HOT) is an interesting product and platform that is light years ahead of the competition ins creating a truly decentralized internet. They have physical hardware products called HoloPort and is designed as a dedicated server that helps support the network. I am going to list the official details for this here. Why is this different?

Other projects that promise the same thing do not even have a working product and is has collected a plethora or money via an ICO, but have yet to deliver what they promise. HOLO does not have this problem, as they are already expanding and have physical products and a functioning product that works!

From a trading and investing standpoint, On Binance, when you compare the trading pair of BTC/HOT, there is a lot of upside. At the time of this writing, the price is only 25 satoshis which is very undervalued, but additionally, I got in pretty early at around 8 satoshis so it’s been a fairly nice gain so far.

In the video below, it displays the trading chart and where the best entry points are and what the potentials are for this product this year as they are ramping up for massive comp’any growth. This is a very interesting project and even at the current price, it is definitely worth looking into and getting a nice entry before the bull run that we are in starts really ramping up.

All in all, Holochain is a very solid project with new and interesting tech that uses it’s token to fuel the network and expand the ability to deliver value, by utilizing empty or unused disk space and RAM that is currently on your machine. This does not affect your current performance as you are able to allocate as much of the space as you want, and it lets you earn passive income in the form of the HOT token and you will also be strengthening and supporting the network. Most people have tons of unused resources on their machines and this is a good way to put it to work for you.

 

CLICK HERE TO START INVESTING IN (HOT) ON BINANCE NOW

 

#2 TEZOS (XTZ)

 

In my opinion, Tezos is the new and improved evolution of Ethereum. It is a new platform for decentralized applications (dApps) and smart contracts. Here are a few key points that make it different:

 

1.) On-Chain Governance – The Tezos protocol offers a formal process through which stakeholders can efficiently govern the protocol and implement future innovations. This is democracy at it’s finest. It also helps avoid controversial “Hard Forks” as we’ve seen in the past with Bitcoin (BTC) to Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and then Bitcoin Cash (BCH) into Bitcoin SV (BSV). This has a detrimental effect on the network and causes a lot of confusion, contention, and tribalism.

2.) Security – This blockchain was designed to facilitate formal verification, which helps secure smart contracts and avoid buggy code. This has been a HUGE problem with Ethereum over the years as noted in the infamous “DAO Hack“, which again proved that their protocol was not immutable and caused yet another hard fork that brought forth Ethereum Classic into existence.

3.) Liquid Proof of Stake – This is a unique consensus proof-of-stake algorithm which gives every stakeholder the opportunity to participate in the validation of transactions on the network and be rewarded for doing so. Whether you are big or small, you have a vote. This is unlike the current mining pools that we have in place where the person with the most hashing power and hardware wins the block reward, and essentially dictate the rules of the network.

I tend to think that the tech behind each blockchain is what brings it’s value. Whether or not the price is currently up or down on these coins, I believe as the masses start to see the value these innovators bring to the table, the money will follow. If you don’t recall, it took over a year of price discovery before Ethereum finally found it’s place in the market. All this to summarize that I am very interested to see where these both end up in terms of price and user adoption over the course of this year.

One thing I would like to note is that Ledger Nano S hardware wallet now supports Tezos for cold storage baking. This means you can participate in verifying transactions on the Tezos network and keep your private keys online, WHILE simultaneously making passive income in block rewards.

 

CLICK HERE TO START BAKING TEZOS WITH LEDGER NANO S

 

#3 ZCASH (ZEC)

 

top 3 altcoins to invest in 2019

Zcash has been one of my favorite cryptocurrencies, ever since it was announced in 2014. Privacy has been a major staple in the cryptocurrency industry and this project has some unique technology as described below that sets it apart from other privacy based coins on the altcoins list

Zcash has a proprietary privacy protocol attached to it. This is extremely attractive, as one of the key selling points of cryptocurrency to begin with was anonymous, uncensorable transactions. This is money as it was intended to be. I should be able to transact with anyone in the world, and not only NOT have it tracked, but keep it between me and the other consenting party. They use a method called zk-SNARKs.

This is an acronym for “Zero-Knowledge Succinct Non-Interactive Argument Of Knowledge”. What does this actually mean? It essentially means that “Zero-Knowledge” proofs allow one party (prover) to prove to another (verifier) that a statement is true. It allows you to verify a transaction is relevant and true without knowing its origin.

Some people view this as potentially scary, because it allows money launderers or criminals to transact in a more private way. Well, my theory is this, criminals will always find a way to do what they want and transact privately. Valuable tools should not be banned or discredited because there is a potentially negative outcome.

There is an equally positive outcome. Privacy is an unalienable right to all humans and we should all expect it and understand our rights to it. To me, that makes this coin very very powerful and very much worth exploring, especially as it is considered an “Original”. Some similar example coins that came after are Monero and Zcoin.

 

CLICK HERE TO BUY THE LEDGER NANO S FOR SAFE OFFLINE STORAGE

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2O0nWV1W14

CONCLUSION

 

There are many reasons I chose the above altcoins in the massive list of thousands of alternatives. As I mentioned above, these ones have the best overall fundamentals and upside in terms of risk/reward in terms of investment in my opinion. Some of these coins, like Zcash, have already been through a major market cycle before, so it is fairly seasoned, but Tezos and Holochain are fairly new and have yet to “survive” a new market cycle.

I still believe that overall, these have the best overall potential returns and create ways of making passive income, while allowing you to HODL offline as well. I have included the recommended hardware wallet that will support all of these coins, the only coin that does not have a native app (currently) is HOT, but it can be held or integrated with MyEtherWallet, while this is being developed.

 

What do you think? Are there better coins to invest in this year? 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.

Nordstrom And Whole Foods To Accept Cryptocurrency Payments Directly

Nordstrom

Nordstrom and Whole Foods to accept cryptocurrency payments directly. It has come.  The first big announcement coming from Consensus this week in New York, and it’s a big one. One of the newest payment processors called Flexa has launched and is partnered with Gemini, which is a large bitcoin exchange based out of New York and is underpinned by it’s own ERC-20 token called Flexacoin. 

How does it work? You pay for your items using Flexa’s app, Spedn, which generates a QR code that you scan at the checkout register. The merchant receives immediate payment in dollars, and the equivalent amount of cryptocurrency is debited from your cryptocurrency wallet in the Spedn app.

Whole Foods, which is owned by the e-commerce behemoth, is now accepting bitcoin as a payment method. The mind-blowing development was made possible thanks to a deal between payments startup Flexa and Gemini, the latter of which is the crypto exchange launched by Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss.

Users only need to download an app dubbed Spedn and can make everyday purchases using cryptocurrencies including bitcoin, ether, Bitcoin Cash, and Gemini Dollar (GUSD). Considering that GUSD is the stablecoin of the Winklevoss’ Gemini exchange, it’s not surprising that it’s being supported as well. GUSD should will introduce some stability into crypto payments given its peg to the U.S. dollar and the volatile nature of the bitcoin price. As crypto investors have come to expect, there are no hidden fees or markups, so consumers will be incentivized to use the app.

Everyone knows that Nordstrom and Whole Foods customers are already “being green” given that the grocery no longer uses plastic bags. Wait till shoppers outside of the crypto community learn about bitcoin.

 

AMAZON’S MARKETPLACE COULD BE NEXT

Earlier this week, it was rumored that Amazon’s competitor eBay would stop using paypal and start accepting crypto payment directly on the site, and will facilitate payouts to sellers via that method as well. This is a key move as this is a large eCommerce retailer that does millions of transactions each month have found a way to implement a safer, faster, and cheaper payment system.

Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss have been mum about this secret but now that it’s out of the bag, there’s nothing stopping wide-scale adoption of bitcoin.

The Flexa/Gemini/retailer partnerships are really a reflection of the best of both worlds. The technology builds on existing payments infrastructure that’s used to accept digital payments such as Apple Pay, for instance. All the retailers must do is tweak their scanners to identify payments from the Spedn app. Customers are already familiar with tap-and-go with their mobile device, so there’s nothing new for them to do. There are no additional hoops for the cashier to jump through that might slow down the line. As for the merchant, they can either accept to take the payment in crypto or convert it into fiat money.

For the crypto ecosystem, the announcement is what everyone has been waiting for. It means that if Whole Foods can accept bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, theoretically Amazon’s entire marketplace can integrate the infrastructure to do the same, seemingly with Flexa. In the U.S., Amazon Prime customers reportedly dole out an average of $1,300 per year on the e-commerce marketplace vs. $700 for non-members.

In addition to Whole Foods, the initiative extends to other merchants including Crate and Barrel and high-end retailer Nordstrom. The Flexa network is comprised of more than 30,000 stores and finally thrusting crypto into the spotlight for micro-purchases such as a cup of coffee, pizza, or electronics.

WHY THIS IS GOOD AND BAD

 

This will require people becoming aware of this change. This is amazing news, but there is always a learning curve when people start to adopt a new method of payment. People have been using only cash and credit card essentially for the last 60 years and it will take a an older generation and a newer generation to find ways to change their spending habits. That is the Bad.

Here is the good. With new innovation, comes new possibilities. Why would merchants want to start accepting crypto? First off, there are no chargebacks. It was reported that merchants can be charged upwards of $300 per chargeback when accepting credit cards. With cryptocurrency, the charges are irreversible. That’s not to say that you will not be dealing with customer service and/or returns in your business, but this is a HUGE advantage for no longer having to deal with credit card disputes.

Additionally, the fees to accept credit cards are typically anywhere from 2-5% per transaction, plus a $0.39 cent fee each time you accept a credit card. That’s absurd. As more and more awareness of this alternative, mixed with consumer confidence and adoption of spending cryptocurrencies on a consistent basis, the credit card companies and banks will hopefully soon be a thing of the past. Soon, it will almost be as antiquated as paying with a check.

 

THERE IS STILL A BETTER ALTERNATIVE TO THIS!

 

What if you could EARN cryptocurrency by shopping at these stores already? You can. I recently wrote an article on the new Life Info App that allows you to connect your bank account or credit card and use a shopping app that essentially allows you to create an instant electronic gift card, and save anywhere from 2-10% off on any purchase you make at thousands of retailers (including Nordstrom and Whole Foods).

How does this work? When you download the free app, you can use online or in person purchases on thousands of stores and brands and save on each purchase. The money that you save on each transaction is accumulated in the wallet and can be converted directly into Bitcoin! You can also convert it into several other altcoins that are supported by Coinbase as that is how you convert your savings directly.

This is a GREAT way to dip your toe into the cryptocurrency world, WHILE saving money at these stores you are already spending money at anyways, you may as well get free Bitcoin to do so.

If you refer to my review link I mentioned above, there are some demo videos that explain the entire process and it’s super easy to use. To me, this is a great bridge to get people familiar with the process. Additionally, you can then send your newly acquired bitcoin to the Spedn app, if you so choose. Please use my link here to get your free download and check it out.

 

***GET YOUR FREE LIFE INFO APP DOWNLOAD HERE***

 

Conclusion

 

All in all, this is very positive news for the cryptocurrency world, and this is a large first step in bringing the utility of cryptocurrency into the real world and offering people a BETTER alternative to our failed legacy financial system. Any tool that helps people transition from the inflationary dollar to the sound hard money of bitcoin, is something I support. The easier it becomes and the lower the barrier to entry is, we will begin to see MASSIVE droves of people start to transition from fiat to crypto. 

 

What do you think? Is there a better way for us to start gaining mass adoption and utility for crypto payments? 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 Buy Bitcoins With Paypal Instantly (2020)

In this article, I will tell you how to buy bitcoins with Paypal instantly. Some of us on our journey for buying our first bitcoin, we look at the funding source from which we want to pay for it. In some cases it may be your bank account, in others it could be with a debit or credit card, but what if you have some funds sitting in Paypal and you would like to use that as a payment method directly?

hLuckily, this can be done and some methods are more legitimate than others. I am going to include the best ways (in order) to do complete this process, but keep in mind that Paypal will include additional fees to buy bitcoin that can range from 10-20% more than the actual price you agree to, as Paypal is factoring in the risk of a charge back into the purchase price. Let’s begin!

 

#1 BUY BITCOIN ON ETORO VIA PAYPAL

 

Step 1 – Open Your Account

how to buy bitcoins with paypal instantly

– Visit the eToro homepage- Click the ‘Join Now’ button- Fill out the sign-up page, accepting the terms and conditions and privacy policy before clicking ‘Create Account’

Step 2 – Deposit Funds with Paypal

etoro paypal 1

– Log in to your eToro account- Click on the ‘Deposit Funds’ button- Submit the amount you wish to deposit and select your currency- Select your deposit method – in this case, PayPal- You’ll then be redirected to the PayPal website- Log in to your PayPal account- Review your transaction details- Verify the details and complete the transaction by clicking ‘Pay’

Step 3 – Buy Bitcoin!

etoro paypal 2

  • Visit the BTC markets page on eToro
  • Click the blue ‘Trade’ button in the top right-hand corner
  • Alternatively, you can click ‘Buy’ next to Bitcoin if you have added it to your Watchlist
  • Enter the amount of Bitcoin you wish to buy in fiat currency
  • Set stop losses and ‘take profit’ parameters- Click ‘Open Trade’

 

#2 BUY BITCOIN ON COINBASE VIA PAYPAL

 

*Disclaimer: Using the e-wallet via Coinbase (web or iOS) requires you to be a U.S. investor. If you are not an American, you can still link your Paypal account to Coinbase, but you can’t physically buy Bitcoin, Litecoin, or Ethereum. In order to use PayPal for non-US customers is to swap your Bitcoin for a fiat currency and transfer this back to your Paypal account.*

coinbase paypal 1

  • Visit the Coinbase homepage
  • Click on the ‘Sign Up’ button in the top right-hand corner
  • Complete the sign-up form and hit the ‘Create Account’ button
  • Activate your Coinbase account by clicking on the confirmation link in your sign-up email

Step 2- Deposit Funds with Paypal

  • Log in to your Coinbase account
  • Click the ‘Settings’ tab on the left-hand side
  • Click ‘Add a Payment Method’
  • Click ‘PayPal Account’ and verify your PayPal account using the on-screen prompts

Step 3 – Buy Bitcoin!

coinbase paypal 2

  • Log in to your Coinbase account
  • On the Dashboard, click the ‘Buy/Sell’ button at the top of the page
  • On the Buy/Sell window, click the Bitcoin button
  • Choose your preferred payment method e.g. PayPal
  • Specify the amount of Bitcoin you want in your fiat currency
  • Hit ‘Buy Bitcoin Instantly’

 

#3 BUY BITCOIN IN PERSON VIA PAYPAL (LOCAL BITCOINS)

 

Step 1 – Sign Up (If you haven’t already)

buy bitcoin on localbitcoins using paypal

Click this link for a direct way to do this! – SIGN UP

 

Step 2 – Filter for Paypal

Image result for paypal filter local bitcoins

Paypal Tips:

  • High feedback scores are important. The closer to 100 percent, the better.
  • Look at the number of trades and trade volume. Again, the higher, the better.
  • Consider the trade limits to be sure the seller can fill your order.
  • Look at the payment window to see how long you have to complete the transaction.
  • Read any terms the seller might have. In some cases, the seller will also require a minimum reputation score for the buyer. If this is the case, you’ll have to make some small purchases to increase your reputation if you want to use that specific seller.

 

Step 3 – Confirm Transaction

Image result for paypal filter local bitcoins confirm

This is documented in case of a dispute, but as long as you follow the tips above, that is unlikely. You can also negotiate to meet in person to initiate this process, if needed.

 

CONCLUSION

 

There are still other options to buy bitcoin with Paypal online, but those other options I have not personally used or tested and therefore, I cannot speak to how legitimate the entire process is. For your reference if you want to see what some other options are, I will link them below for you to take a look. Well, there you have it. Three tried and true ways to buy bitcoin online with Paypal and usually goes pretty quickly. This is a good option if you have funds sitting in Paypal and want to convert it into the far more valuable currency of the future.

NOTE: The other sites I will list below will allow other options for credit cards and other payment methods as well.

 

Virwox

Paxful

xCoins

 

If you found this helpful or you have any other suggestions on other sources to obtain bitcoin securely and easily, please comment 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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