By: Cooper HaywoodDuring the last bull market Ripple (XRP) was one of crypto's best performing assets. On January 1st of 2017 it was $0.06. Just one year later a single XRP was worth $3; a tremendous return on an investment.
Ripple (the company) has been around for years and with their millions in funding and long list of high caliber advisers there's a big chance that XRP is going to be successful.
While the recent price action in the crypto market hasn't been encouraging, savvy investors are looking at this as a great opportunity to buy XRP while the price is low. Not everyone knows how to buy XRP though and that's why we've decided to write this article.
Depending on where you live the best way to buy XRP might be different so we've included a couple of ways to make your first purchase.
Editor's note: as of late 2020, XRP is under investigation by the SEC.
Can I Buy Ripple on Coinbase?
Editor's note: As of late 2020: XRP has been delisted from Coinbase, and other exchanges are following suit. For those looking to invest in Ripple north of the border, some of these Canadian exchanges still support it.
It was huge news in the crypto-sphere when Coinbase announced that they would support XRP.
Based on Coinbase's guidelines for the listing of new coins many speculated that XRP would never be supported because it's too centralized.
That all changed early in 2019 when Coinbase started letting its users buy, sell and trade Ripple. Coinbase has quickly become the best place to buy XRP. All you need to do to buy on Coinbase is create an account and then add a bank account or debit card.
Many crypto traders and investors prefer to use Coinbase because of the high priority that they place on security. They keep a majority of their funds in a cold wallet and encourage all of their users to set up 2FA. Also, their intuitive layout makes it easy to buy crypto for the first time.
Coinbase is also popular because, besides XRP, they support so many currencies. For example they offer support for USD, EUR and GBP. They also support a number of stable coins like DAI and USDC.
For years Coinbase allowed its users to purchase cryptocurrency with a credit card, however, that's no longer possible. While some exchanges like Binance still allow for buying Ripple with a credit card, all transactions are handled by a third party provider. However, Coinbase does allow you to get free cryptocurrency through its Coinbase Learn product, which teaches you the crypto basics.
Buying Ripple with a Bank Transfer vs. Debit Card
It's important to note the differences between using your bank account to buy Ripple versus using a debit a card. When you buy with a bank transfer it can take as much as five days for Coinbase to clear the transaction so that you can send the XRP off of their platform.
That wait time is definitely a big disadvantage. The advantage, however, is that the fee for purchasing XRP with the bank method is lower. Also, there's no need to worry about slippage: the price is locked in as soon as you click the buy button.
When you buy Ripple cryptocurrency with a debit card the fees are higher, sometimes even as high as $10 for a relatively small purchase. However, the advantage is that the XRP is available immediately. Within seconds it's possible to transfer the XRP off of Coinbase to an external wallet of your choosing.
How can I invest in Ripple?
Lately an increasing number of people have been asking Google where to buy Ripple cryptocurrency. Although we have some great recommendations the truth is that there is no one size fits all solution. The best platform to buy Ripple will depend on where you live and what exchanges you have access to.
Before we talk about buying Ripple, however, it's important to cover a handful of basics regarding crypto. That includes:
- How to store Ripple or any other cryptocurrency correctly
- How blockchain-powered currencies are different than traditional currencies
If you’re serious about trading XPR, there is a whole spectrum of options out there. To name a few popular options, you can trading XRP with leverage on top of Binance, Kraken, Delta, Poloniex, and BitMEX.
What to Know Before you Buy
It's important to note that when you send any cryptocurrency, including XRP, the transaction is permanent. Bank transfers and PayPal payments can usually be reversed, however, crypto transactions cannot be. That's why it's always important to double check that you're sending your coins to the right address before you hit the confirm button.
Also, storage is very important. *Never store any significant amount of XRP on a cryptocurrency exchange. *The only amount of cryptocurrency that you should keep on an exchange is an amount that you are willing to lose. Exchanges get hacked all the time and if your coins get stolen from an exchange there's a good chance you'll never get them back.
While desktop or mobile wallets are a good solution for storing your Ripple, the best way to keep your investment safe is a hardware wallet. Trezor and Ledger are two popular hardware wallets. If you're going to buy XRP Ripple you should consider buying one of these.
Also, when you create a wallet for the first time, desktop or hardware, you'll be given a seed phrase. *Never *store this seed phrase on your computer or anywhere online. If a hacker gains access to your files he can steal all of your funds. Always write down the seed phrase with a pen and store it somewhere safe.
Finally, make sure to store your seed phrase in multiple locations. If a fire or flood destroys your hardware wallet and seed phrase there is no way to get back your funds. Redundancy is always necessary when dealing with crypto.
Now that we've covered the basics, let's look at how to buy Ripple.
How to Buy Ripple Directly
The process of buying Ripple is very similar to how you buy stocks online traditionally. You do it almost exactly the same way as you would buy stocks like Facebook, Google, Tesla, Amazon, Netflix etc. You can do it through an exchange or an app that's similar to a traditional stock brokerage.
First you'll need to create an account on an exchange that has a XRP USD pair. You can check here to find a list of exchanges that meet that criteria.
Coinbase is often thought of as the best XRP exchange, however, Kraken also allows its customers to buy XRP Ripple with USD. Depending on where you live the best place to buy Ripple with USD will be different.
After registering on an exchange you can add your payment method, whether that's a bank account or debit card, and then buy your Ripple. Once the payment clears you can withdraw your coins to an external wallet. That's really all there is to it. Congratulations, you're now a cryptocurrency investor!
If you don't have access to an exchange that allows for buying Ripple with USD there is another option: you can purchase Bitcoin first and then trade it for Ripple XRP.
How to Buy Ripple with Bitcoin
Finding an exchange that will let you buy Bitcoin with USD is easy. Bitcoin is the most popular cryptocurrency by far and every major (and minor) exchange supports it.
To buy Ripple XRP with Bitcoin, first create an account on an exchange with a XRP BTC pairing. A full list of exchanges which support this trading pair is available here. Then create another account on the exchange that you'll use to buy the Bitcoin (if the exchange you're using to buy Bitcoin doesn't support XRP).
Once you have an account on both exchanges you can buy Bitcoin then send it to the exchange with the XRP BTC pairing. After the Bitcoin transaction has cleared you can exchange the Bitcoin for Ripple and you're good to go! Withdraw the XRP to your hardware wallet then put the wallet somewhere safe.
The disadvantage of buying Ripple in this way is that you incur trading fees for the BTC to XRP exchange. Also, there may be fees for the Bitcoin withdrawal. This method is only recommended if you cannot register on an exchange with a XRP USD pairing.
Can I buy Ripple with credit card?
Although it's not as easy as it used to be it's still definitely possible to purchase Ripple cryptocurrency with a credit card.
There are actually numerous ways to do so, however, so we'll cover just some of the most popular methods. Again, the best onboarding platform will depend on where you live and which exchanges you can sign up for.
Buying Ripple on Binance
Binance is the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, and for good reason. They have more trading pairs than almost any other exchange and they're constantly adding new ones.
They allow their users to trade Ripple and even buy it with a credit card. To do so you'll need to register on Binance. So long as you're not living in the United States this should be simple. There is a Binance subsidiary exchange based in the United Sates but it's only possible to buy Ripple with a debit card.
Once you've registered on Binance follow these steps to get your XRP.
- Sign in to your account
- Navigate to the upper left hand corner of Binance's website and look for the menu item "Fiat"
- Under "Fiat" will be an option to "Buy Crypto" - You should click on this
- Choose XRP and then specify how much you want to buy
- Click next
If you haven't already done this you'll need to complete the KYC verification. Many exchanges require this step, especially when using a credit card to purchase cryptocurrency.
After completing the KYC verification you'll be able to purchase Ripple with a credit card although there are limits to how much you can buy at one time.
It's that simple! If you've wanted to know how to buy Ripple on Binance you now have your answer.
Buying Ripple on Coinmama
Coinmama is a website which allows its users to purchase Ripple with a credit card. It is one of the more popular fiat to crypto exchanges in Europe, especially in countries like Germany and France.
If you'd like to know how to buy Ripple on Coinmama the first step is to sign up. You must have a valid email address.
Similar to Binance you'll need to verify your identity before you can use a credit card to buy Ripple. Once you've completed this verification process you can begin purchasing. Just enter the address where you want Coinmama to send your Ripple to then enter how much you want to purchase. Click buy, wait for the transaction to process and then the Ripple will automatically be sent to your wallet address!
Coinmama is especially useful as they have a USD EUR option so that you can buy Ripple in whatever currency is most convenient for you.
Buy Ripple with a Crypto Wallet
The final way to get your hands on some Ripple isn't through one of the exchanges, it's through a crypto wallet. Atomic Wallet, for instance, lets its users make payments with a credit card for Ripple.
One of the major advantages of buying through a wallet is that the coins are sent directly to your wallet address, there's no chance of accidentally losing your crypto. This makes it an ideal option for people who want to purchase Ripple for the first time.
Free Wallet is another great choice for anyone who would like to purchase Ripple. Free Wallet is a popular wallet for Ripple that's been around since 2016. That might not sound like long but in the world of cryptocurrency a four year old company actually has some prestige.
Helpfully Free Wallet is available as either a mobile or desktop wallet for Windows, Mac or Linux. The advantage of a mobile wallet is that it makes it simple to spend cryptocurrency at the store.
While a desktop wallet is generally considered more secure it's obviously not possible to spend crypto at a physical location if your coins are stored on your computer.
Conclusion
As we move past Bitcoin's tenth birthday more and more people are asking where can I buy Ripple? They feel that it's a great alternative investment as compared to Bitcoin or Ethereum. Both of these currencies have a scaling problem while Ripple can already scale to thousands of transactions per second.
While it's not smart to over generalize it's probably fair to say that Coinbase is the best exchange to buy Ripple. If you've been waiting to invest now is a great time to gain some exposure to the market! Ripples price is low right now but nobody can say how long it will stay that way (as of Oct 1, 2021 the latest XRP price prediction from Coindoo is bearish)
The cryptocurrency market has a history of long slumps followed by quick explosions in price to the upside. If you wait to get invested until later you might end up chasing a pump. By learning to trade cryptocurrency and following the steps presented in this guide you can be sure to purchase XRP quickly and without any risk.
Here's to good investing!
