Discover has a hardline policy with regards to their customers buying Bitcoin using a Discover card.
For options, scroll down for our step-by-step guide to buying Bitcoin with a Discover card for Canadians.
Unsure about what exchange to use?
Where to buy Bitcoin with a Discover card
First time buying?
How to buy Bitcoin with a Discover card
Step 1: Choose what exchange to use
Discover cards are not accepted at the majority of crypto exchanges. Paxful, which is a peer-to-peer exchange, is one option where you can use a Discover card to buy Bitcoin.
However, you may prefer to buy Bitcoin with a different exchange. In this case, you can consider an alternative option.
- Get an account with a payment service such as PayPal.
- Many top exchanges support these services for depositing funds.
- Fund your PayPal account using your Discover card.
- Then fund your exchange account with PayPal.
Step 2: Authenticate your identity
If required, the authentication process usually requires you to provide some form of proof of identification, such as a passport or driver’s license. The length of time it takes to get verified varies depending on the exchange.
Typically you will not be able to trade until verified, although some exchanges allow unverified accounts to trade up to a certain amount.
Step 3: Decide how much you want to invest in Bitcoin
Remember that Bitcoin is a volatile asset that oscillates between bull and bear markets. As it is difficult to forecast its price, you must invest carefully. Avoid the fear of missing out and invest only what you can afford without putting yourself in financial difficulty.
Step 4: Deposit funds in your account
Next, you can fund your exchange account by inputting the Discover card information (just as you would when ordering something online). Alternatively, as discussed above, fund your PayPal or Venmo account and use it to deposit funds at the exchange.
Step 5: Configure an order
After adding funds to your account, set up an order to buy. You’ll have a number of options: market (requires virtually no configuration); trigger (useful if you want to buy or sell at a certain price); recurring (if you want to build your position over time).
Step 6: Buy
After completing the order form, you can execute the transaction to purchase Bitcoin.
Still not sure?
Pros and cons
Pros
- Funds are processed quickly. Using a Discover card is a fast way to deposit funds, but you’ll probably end up depositing in PayPal first and then using that to fund your crypto account (which is added hassle).
Cons
- Discover don’t make it easy. This means you can’t deposit funds at most exchanges, forcing you to work around their limitation.
- Extra costs. The crypto exchange may charge an additional processing fee.
Extra help
FAQs
How long does it take for funds to transfer using a Discover card?
Depositing funds into PayPal or Venmo with a Discover card is fast. Funds are transferred quickly from those payment services to exchanges quickly (but there is typically a brief delay as it gets processed).
Can I buy Bitcoin with a Discover card anonymously?
Yes. Paxful accepts Discover cards and is a peer-to-peer exchange.
Can I buy other cryptocurrencies with a Discover card?
Yes, you can buy other cryptocurrencies with a Discover card on Paxful. If you funded your crypto exchange trading account with funds from Discover via a payment provider, you can purchase any of the crypto tokens listed on the exchange you use.
