How to buy your first sats

Updated October 2, 2026

Understand first: What a sat is and what one is worth right now

Your first purchase has one job: teach you how buying bitcoin works. Keep it small enough that you can concentrate on the steps.

You do not need a whole bitcoin. Sats are its smallest unit, and $25 buys 29,487 sats right now (as of October 2, 2026, 18:34 UTC).

Have your government ID, bank details, email address, and an authenticator app ready. The form may take about 20 minutes. Identity checks and bank transfers can take longer.

Step 1 Choose a service

Compare the total cost, availability in your state, and how you will move bitcoin to your own wallet.

Service	Focus	Recurring buys	After the purchase	Availability
Kraken	Multiple assets	Yes; check fee and spread	Held in account until withdrawal	Check country and state
Coinbase	Multiple assets	Yes; review preview	Held in account until withdrawal	Check country and state
River	Bitcoin	Fee-free after first 7 days	Held in account until withdrawal	US; check state
Bitcoin Well	Bitcoin	Country-specific options	Sent to your own wallet after settlement	US and Canada; check terms

Check current fees before ordering. A low trading fee may still come with a spread, payment fee, or withdrawal charge.

Step 2 Open and secure the account

Follow the service's identity check. It commonly asks for personal details, an ID photo, and sometimes a selfie.

Use a unique password. Turn on app-based two-factor authentication, a passkey, or a hardware security key where supported. Save the recovery codes somewhere safe. Privacy basics for bitcoiners explains the account protections.

Step 3 Link your bank

A bank transfer is often cheaper than a card payment, but the service may hold withdrawals while it settles. Check the fee and the waiting period.

If you use a card, check whether the issuer adds a cash-advance fee or blocks the purchase.

Step 4 Preview a small purchase

Before confirming, check the dollars you will pay, the fees, and the bitcoin you will receive. If the app offers a sats display, turn it on.

For reference, 0.00029 BTC equals 29,000 sats. Different label, same bitcoin.

Step 5 Check the cost and save the record

Use the sats converter on Fast Stats to compare your purchase with the market price at roughly the same time. The difference can reflect fees, spread, and price movement. It is a useful check, rather than an exact fee calculation.

Save the confirmation, date, dollars paid, sats received, and fees. Start the record now, while it is easy.

Step 6 Choose where to keep it

An exchange holds the keys to bitcoin in your account. You depend on the company to let you withdraw it.

A wallet you control gives you the keys and the responsibility for protecting them. Read how a bitcoin wallet works, then how to store sats safely before moving funds.

If you want a recurring buy

Choose a day and an amount that fits your budget. A regular purchase reduces the need to decide when to buy. It does not prevent losses.

The $25 a week chart shows one historical example. Your first 100,000 sats turns the process into a checklist.

Keep the tax record

In the US, buying bitcoin with dollars generally creates no taxable gain. Selling, spending, or exchanging it later can create a gain or loss to report. Keep your purchase cost and fees. Do I owe taxes on sats? explains the basics.

A small first purchase is enough to learn the screen. You can decide what comes next after that.