Already have crypto in your wallet? Skip straight to paying at an OrangeTill merchant — open your wallet app, tap Send, and scan the QR code on the merchant's screen. That's it. This guide is for people who need to get crypto first.
Getting crypto into your wallet for the first time feels like the mysterious part. It doesn't have to be. The process is similar to buying anything online — you create an account, verify your identity, add a payment method, and buy. Then you send what you bought from the exchange to your own wallet.
This guide uses Coinbase as the example because it's the largest US-based exchange and the most beginner-friendly. Other good options include Cash App (for Bitcoin only) and Kraken. The steps are similar across all of them.
Part 1 — Set up your Coinbase account
KYC stands for Know Your Customer. It's the process exchanges use to verify who you are before letting you buy, sell, or send Bitcoin. At Coinbase, that means providing your name, address, date of birth, and a government-issued ID.
Why does this exist? Crypto exchanges in the US are regulated as money services businesses under the Bank Secrecy Act, a federal law originally designed to combat money laundering and financial crime. The law requires them to collect and verify customer identity — the same legal obligation your bank, brokerage, or PayPal account operates under. FinCEN (the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, part of the US Treasury) oversees compliance. The logic from the government's perspective: if crypto can be used to move money anonymously, it can be used to fund crime, terrorism, or tax evasion. KYC creates a paper trail.
What it means for you as a customer: Your personal information is stored by the exchange. If law enforcement ever subpoenas Coinbase, your purchase history is available to them. This is no different from your bank records — but it's worth understanding before you sign up.
What it means for the exchange: KYC is expensive to implement and creates significant compliance overhead. It's also a barrier to entry — not everyone in the world has government-issued ID. Exchanges that skip KYC risk massive fines or losing their operating licenses.
This is where it gets philosophically interesting. Bitcoin was explicitly designed to be a peer-to-peer electronic cash system — Satoshi Nakamoto's original vision was money that could move between people without any intermediary, without any identity requirement, without any government involvement.
KYC on exchanges cuts directly against that vision. When you buy Bitcoin on Coinbase, you're using a centralized, regulated, surveilled institution to access a decentralized network. Critics argue this creates a contradiction at the heart of mainstream crypto adoption: the easiest on-ramp to "decentralized" money is through a thoroughly centralized gate.
This tension is real and ongoing. Some Bitcoin purists argue that relying on KYC exchanges undermines the entire point — that true financial sovereignty means acquiring Bitcoin through peer-to-peer means (like Bisq, a decentralized exchange) or mining. Others argue that KYC on-ramps are a pragmatic bridge to mainstream adoption, and that once Bitcoin is in your self-custody wallet, it's as decentralized as it gets — the exchange was just the on-ramp, not the destination.
There's no universally right answer here. For most people who simply want to use crypto to pay for goods and services, Coinbase is the practical path. But it's worth knowing the debate exists — it's central to understanding what crypto is and what it's trying to be.
Part 2 — Buy your first crypto
Coinbase charges a spread (built into the exchange rate) plus a transaction fee. For small purchases these can add up to 2–4% of your total. This is normal for exchanges, especially on small amounts. As you buy larger amounts, the percentage typically decreases. Always check the fee preview before confirming.
Part 3 — Send Bitcoin to your own wallet
Buying Bitcoin on Coinbase means Coinbase is holding it for you. To use it at a merchant using OrangeTill — or any other wallet-based service — you need to send it to your own wallet. This is called a withdrawal or a send.
How to know it arrived
Open your wallet app. If the transaction is processing, you'll see it listed as "pending" or "unconfirmed" with the amount. Once it's fully confirmed by the blockchain, it moves to your balance and shows as available to spend.
If you don't see it at all after 30 minutes, check the transaction on Coinbase — it will have a transaction ID (sometimes called a TXID or hash). You can paste that ID into a blockchain explorer to see its current status. For Bitcoin, use blockstream.info. For Ethereum and USDC, use etherscan.io.
Once your Bitcoin arrives in your wallet, paying a merchant is simple. Ask them to show you the QR code on their OrangeTill screen. Open your wallet app, tap Send, and scan the QR code. The app fills in the address and amount automatically. Review it, confirm, and you're done. The payment leaves your wallet instantly.
A few things to keep in mind
You don't need to buy a whole coin. Bitcoin is divisible into 100 million units called satoshis. If Bitcoin is worth $80,000, you can buy $10 worth and receive 0.000125 BTC. The merchant's QR code will show the exact amount in crypto terms — you just scan and send.
Network fees are separate from what you're paying. When you send Bitcoin, the blockchain network charges a small fee to process the transaction. This fee goes to the miners or validators who process transactions — not to OrangeTill, not to the merchant, not to Coinbase. It varies based on network congestion and is usually a few cents to a couple of dollars for Bitcoin.
Send the right coin to the right address. Every crypto has its own address format. A Bitcoin address won't work for Ethereum. Most wallets warn you if there's a mismatch, but always double-check. If in doubt, ask the merchant which coin they'd prefer — OrangeTill supports all eight.
Start with our Get a Wallet guide — it walks you through downloading a free wallet app and setting it up in about five minutes. Come back here once your wallet is ready.
The content on this page is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Cryptocurrency values fluctuate and fees vary by exchange and network conditions. Always verify current fees and procedures directly with Coinbase or your exchange of choice. OrangeTill is a payment processing tool and is not affiliated with Coinbase or any exchange.