Pay with crypto in 4 steps (UK)

No blockchain lecture. You need three things: an app that sells crypto, about 10 minutes, and your bank card. Here is the exact route we recommend.

Step 1: Download Coinbase (or Kraken)

Both are FCA registered, both are on the App Store and Google Play, and both sell Litecoin, the coin we recommend paying with. Litecoin fees cost pennies and payments confirm in minutes.

• Coinbase: the biggest brand name, easiest for a first-timer.
• Kraken: slightly lower fees, still beginner friendly.

Sign-up asks for a photo of your driving licence or passport. That is a legal requirement for them, the same as opening a bank account, and nothing to do with us. UK rules also make new customers answer a short quiz, and some accounts wait 24 hours before the first purchase. Annoying, normal, one time only. If you hit the wait: set up tonight, order tomorrow.

Step 2: Check your bank before you top up

Some UK banks block crypto purchases completely. If your card gets declined, it is not you and it is not Coinbase.

The Revolut route: if your bank is on the blocked list, download Revolut (free account, 5 minutes), move money from your bank to Revolut, then top up Coinbase from Revolut. Two hops, problem solved.

Step 3: Buy Litecoin

In Coinbase or Kraken, buy Litecoin (LTC). Buy your order total plus a £10 cushion so fees and small price moves never leave you short. Whatever is left over stays in your account for next time.

Step 4: Pay at checkout

1. Add your products to the cart and go to checkout.
2. Select Litecoin as the payment method. You will see an address, a QR code and an exact amount.
3. In your crypto app, tap Send, paste the address (or scan the QR), and send the exact amount shown.
4. Done. Payment usually confirms within minutes and your order joins the same-day dispatch queue (Mon to Fri).

Three things worth knowing before you hit send:

• Send the exact amount. Coinbase adds the network fee on top, so what you type is what arrives. Kraken takes its fee out of the amount you send, so add roughly £1 extra there. Short payments are the number one first-timer snag.
• Check the address. Compare the first and last four characters after pasting. Crypto payments cannot be reversed.
• Send within the window. The payment page holds your price for a limited time, so have your app ready before you open it.

Stuck? A human will walk you through it

If anything in this guide does not match what you see on your screen, message us. Walking a first-timer through setup usually takes a few minutes and we do it all the time. You will not be the first, and you will not be the last.

Quick answers

Will my bank know what I bought?
Your bank sees a payment to Coinbase, the same as millions of other people in the UK buying crypto every month. What you spend it on afterwards is not on your bank statement.

Do I need to understand crypto?
No. Treat it like changing money for a holiday: swap pounds for Litecoin, spend the Litecoin, done.

I would rather not upload ID anywhere.
Fair enough. Peer to peer platforms like Bisq and HodlHodl sell crypto without ID checks, but they are slower and fiddlier, so we only suggest them if you already know your way around. Message us and we will point you in the right direction.

When is bank payment coming back?
It is being rebuilt and we are not promising a date until it is solid. In the meantime, every order after the first takes about five minutes.