How to get started in Bitcoin

Advice for Absolute Beginners

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This advice is very specific

• It’s intended for an American audience
• I am not trying to be comprehensive, i am trying to save you time
• I favor ease of use over security for this exercise

Before we begin

• We’re not going to be using a lot of money here
• This is mainly to teach you how to use Bitcoin
• We will change the techniques as we get more familiar

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What you will need

• A mobile phone
• A bank account
• Your ID
• A utility Bill
• 1-2 days

OK first thing – where will you buy Bitcoin ?

• I strongly suggest Cash App is your first stop
• Cash App works in all 50 states
• It’s easy to use.
• Don’t worry about the price of Bitcoin, we’re only going to be using $100 in this test

Step 1: Download the Cash App mobile app

Connect your Bank Account with Cash App

1. Open the Cash App on your smartphone.
2. Tap on the Banking Tab (represented by a building icon at the bottom of the screen).
3. Select Link Bank or Add a Bank.
4. Follow the prompts to enter your bank account details (e.g., account and routing numbers) or use the instant verification option if supported.

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Now add $100 from your Bank Account

1. Open Cash App:

2. Go to the Banking Tab:

3. Select "Add Cash":

4. Enter the Amount ($100)

5. Confirm the Transaction:

6. Funds Should be Immediately Available.

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Now enable Bitcoin Buying

1. Open Cash App on your phone.
2. Tap on the Investing Tab (it looks like a bar graph icon).
3. Select Bitcoin.
4. Tap Enable Withdrawals and Deposits (or a similar option) to start the verification process.
5. Provide the required personal information, (Name, Date of Birth, Social, ID, Proof of Address)
6. Verification may take up to 24-48 hours, though it's often faster.

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24 hours later buy your Bitcoin

• Once you are approved to buy, go to Bitcoin and buy $100.
• It will be much faster from here out.
• Selling Bitcoin will also be faster

Congrats! You are now a Bitcoiner.

• Now let’s do something with your Bitcoin.
• The first thing will be to send some of it to a second wallet
• The simplest mobile, non-custodial Bitcoin-only wallets is BlueWallet. It’s designed to be user-friendly while offering robust security for managing your Bitcoin.

Set Up Blue Wallet App

Download: Install BlueWallet from the App Store or Google Play Store

Open the app and tap "Add Wallet".

Choose "Bitcoin" (or "Lightning" for a Lightning wallet).

Save your 12 word recovery phrase securely (write it down, don’t screenshot it).

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What’s this recovery phrase?

Your Bitcoin is accessed by a recovery phrase consisting of 12 words.��As an example:

garden velvet unknown alarm travel dog bamboo tent maple coin near globe��Write these words down from the blue wallet app or store in a password manager

Now Transfer $20 from Cash App to Blue Wallet

Step 1: Get Your Bitcoin Address from BlueWallet

1. Open your BlueWallet app.
2. Tap on the wallet you want to receive the Bitcoin into.
3. Tap Receive to generate a receiving address.
4. Copy the Bitcoin address (or scan the QR code if you prefer).

Transfer Step 2: Send Bitcoin from Cash App

1. Open Cash App and tap the Bitcoin Tab (the "Investing" or "Bitcoin" icon).
2. Select Send Bitcoin.
3. Paste the Bitcoin address from BlueWallet or tap Scan QR Code to scan the address.
4. Enter the amount you want to send (e.g., $20).
5. Double-check the address to ensure accuracy.
6. Confirm the transaction by tapping Next and verifying with your PIN or fingerprint.

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Transfer Step 3: Wait for Confirmation

Bitcoin transactions usually take between 10 minutes to confirm, depending on the network fee paid by Cash App.

The funds will appear in your BlueWallet after confirmation.

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Review

• You have linked a bank account on Cash App
• You have transferred $200 of cash
• You have bought $100 of Bitcoin
• You have sent that to Blue Wallet

Now lets restore your Blue Wallet

• Delete the app and re-download it
• Tap Add Wallet on the main screen.
• Select Import Wallet (or "Create a Wallet" and choose "Import Existing Wallet").
• Type your 12-word recovery phrase exactly as it was given when you first created the wallet.
• Tap Import or Next to proceed.

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You now understand non-custodial wallets

• Blue wallet is a wallet you alone control
• Your seed phrase can be used to access your Bitcoin
• You can restore this Bitcoin on any device. It works on all Bitcoin wallets.

Important note

• Sending Bitcoin involves fees.
• If you go to http://mempool.space you can see what the fees are
• You can pick a higher fee to speed things up
• Generally it takes a minimum of 10 minutes to confirm a transaction

Now send Bitcoin back to Cash App

Step 1: Get Your Bitcoin Address from Cash App

1. Open Cash App on your phone.
2. Tap the Bitcoin Tab (the "Investing" or "Bitcoin" icon).
3. Select Deposit Bitcoin.
4. Copy your Cash App Bitcoin address (or scan the QR code).

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Step 2 Send Bitcoin from BlueWallet

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1. Open BlueWallet on your phone.
2. Select the wallet containing the Bitcoin you want to send.
3. Tap Send.
4. Paste your Cash App Bitcoin address in the recipient field or tap the QR code icon to scan the Cash App QR code.
5. Enter the amount of Bitcoin you want to send (you can toggle between BTC and USD).
6. Choose the network fee (low, medium, or high). A higher fee results in faster confirmations.

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Final Step: Get a Cash App Card

Tap on the Cash Card Tab

Tap Get Free Cash Card.

Confirm Your Details

The Cash Card typically arrives within 7-10 business days.