How to buy crypto under 18 | Is it legal or illegal?
How to buy crypto under 18
If you’re under 18 and you want to buy crypto, you might be wondering whether it is legal or illegal to do so. In most countries, there is no specific law making it illegal to buy crypto when you’re under 18. However, many of the best crypto exchanges have their own regulations, banning anyone under the age of 18 to sign up and buy or trade Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
The good news is that there are various crypto exchanges that do not require KYC (Know Your Customer) verification, so you can easily purchase crypto without ID, even if you’re under 18. However, you should consider the risks of buying crypto, as it is an extremely volatile asset, and you could quickly lose all of your investment. If you are under 18, you should speak to your parents about any investments you make. You need to do your own research, and never invest more than you can afford to lose. Also keep in mind that what you see on this site does not constitute financial advice, and is purely informational content to help educate readers.
In this article, we have gathered the best crypto exchanges where under 18s can buy crypto.
The Top Places to Buy Crypto if you’re under 18
- Bybit: #1 exchange to buy crypto under 18
- MEXC: Best site to buy crypto if you’re under 18 in the USA
- KuCoin: Buy a wide range of coins
- Margex: Best for margin trading
- PrimeXBT: Best for CFD trading
- Bisq: Best decentralized Bitcoin exchange
Reviews of the best crypto exchanges to buy crypto under 18
We tested out a number of crypto exchanges, and found the best ones that do not require ID, which means that you can use them to buy crypto anonymously if you’re under 18. Read through our list below and decide if any are suitable for you, and you can also read the detailed reviews.
#1. Bybit: #1 exchange to buy crypto under 18
Bybit is the best crypto exchange to buy crypto if you’re under 18. It is a global platform that has amassed over 10 million users, and exceeds $10 billion of trading volume each day. You can buy crypto easily, directly using a credit/debit card, bank transfer, or even Google Pay and Apple Pay. There are a handful of coins you can purchase directly using fiat currency, including the most popular ones, such as BTC, ETH, and USDT. If you want to access the full range of Bybit’s 280+ coins, you can buy USDT and simply trade it for the coin of choice.
Trading fees on Bybit are low, at just 0.1% for spot trading, so you can quickly get your hands on the cryptocurrency you want, at a low price.
If you are from the US, you won’t be able to access Bybit, since the platform blocks IP addresses from the USA. If you are set on using Bybit from the US, you can use a VPN to circumvent this system. Bybit does not require any ID verification, so you can trick the exchange by changing your location to an accepted country, for example Australia.
Pros
- Massive crypto exchange established in 2018, with 10 million+ users
- Buy crypto using credit/debit card, Google Pay, Apple Pay, or bank transfer
- Extremely low trading fees
- 24/7 live chat support
- No ID verification required, so you can buy crypto if you’re under 18
Cons
- Not available in the USA unless you use VPN
#2. MEXC: Best for buying crypto in the USA for under 18s
If you live in the US, the best place to buy crypto is MEXC. You can buy crypto with a credit card, debit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. Not only that, but you can trade a huge range of 1,520+ coins, which is more than you will find anywhere else. The trading fees are very low, at just 0.0/0.1% for spot trading, and 0.0/0.03% for futures trading.
For those who want to do more than buying crypto, for example, if you want to trade, so you can make higher profits, the Copy Trading feature on MEXC is a great place to start. If you don’t have much experience in trading, this will help you get started. You can choose a successful trader to copy, and then MEXC will help you automatically make the same trades as that person. This enables you to learn how to make profitable trades, without having to watch the markets or conduct your own research.
If you want to learn how to trade for yourself, take a look at our FREE crypto trading course that is designed for beginners. We used screenshots from MEXC so you can easily follow along. You will learn everything from the basics, to understanding chart patterns and conducting technical analysis. You will become a pro day trader in no time!
If you sign up with MEXC, use our unique link, which gives new users $30 USDT FREE plus 10% off all trading fees, which leaves more money and crypto in your pocket.
Pros
- FREE $30 USDT plus 10% off trading fees
- Over 1,520+ coins, and 2,114 trading pairs
- Buy crypto with debit/credit card, Google Pay, and Apple Pay
- Low fees of 0.0/0.1% for spot trading and 0.0/0.03% for futures
- Copy Trading supported so you can learn how to trade by copying the best investors
Cons
- Limited range of cryptocurrencies to buy directly using fiat
#3. KuCoin: Buy a wide range of coins
If you are under 18 and want to invest in a wide range of cryptocurrencies, KuCoin is the best crypto exchange for you. As one of the largest cryptocurrency platforms in the world, it boasts 700+ coins to trade, so you will definitely find a crypto asset you want to invest in.
You can easily buy crypto on KuCoin with fiat currency, with plenty of payment options available, for example credit cards, debit cards, prepaid cards, Apple Pay, and even more local options. If you want to trade your crypto, this is easy to do, and the fees are only 0.1%. If you pay your trading fees using KuCoin’s native token (KCS), then you receive a 20% discount, making the fees an extremely low 0.08%.
If you are under 18 and want to use a trading bot to profit from crypto volatility while you are asleep, then KuCoin is excellent for you. It has its own FREE trading bots built into the exchange. There is no need to muck around with linking an external bot to the platform. KuCoin currently offers Spot Grid, Futures Grid, Smart Rebalance, DCA, and Infinity Grid bots.
KuCoin has plenty more options and features available, which you can read about in our article here, and if you want to compare KuCoin against the #1 exchange Bybit, you can read this comparison article.
Pros
- Buy crypto using fiat with a wide range of payment methods
- More than 700+ coins
- Low trading fees of 0.1%
- Free trading bots built into the exchange
- Crypto lending, crypto borrowing, and staking supported
#4. Margex: Best for margin trading
Margex is next on our list for those who are under 18 and want to buy crypto. It is easy to buy crypto without any ID, and you can simply buy crypto with your credit card or debit card. Besides buying crypto, Margex is great for those who wish to margin trade. With top-notch security, Margex is the best place for margin trading. Not only do they store 100% of users’ assets in cold storage, but they also utilize a unique system to prevent price manipulation. This innovative system (MP Shield) combines liquidity from over 12 providers, uses AI algorithms, and continually monitors for any suspicious trading.
The one major downside to buying crypto on Margex is that only 13 coins are available on the exchange. For those looking to buy the largest and most popular cryptocurrencies such as BTC, ETH, SOL, and LTC, this will not pose any issue, but for those who ant more coins, we suggest you choose another platform.
If you would like to buy crypto with Margex, sign up with this link and receive $100 bonus FREE, plus 15% of your first deposit amount as a bonus. Learn how it works and redeem this offer by clicking here.
Pros
- Buy crypto using credit/debit card without ID
- Excellent customer support
- Best exchange for margin trading
- Extremely secure, with safeguards against price manipulation
- Welcome offer of $100 bonus FREE, plus 15% of your first deposit as bonus
Cons
- Only has 13 coins to buy or trade
#5. PrimeXBT: Best for CFD trading
You may want to consider other options than buying crypto directly, and PrimeXBT is a platform that lets you buy CFDs (contracts for difference). What this means is that instead of buying the cryptocurrency itself, you are buying contracts that will make you money based on the price of the crypto. This means you can even bet on the price to fall, if you think the market is dropping. Not only that, but you can buy CFDs for other markets besides cryptocurrency, including forex, indices, and commodities.
If you are interested in this, but are not confident in your own trading ability, PrimeXBT’s Covesting tool (copy trading) makes it simple. You choose to follow one of the most profitable investors, and PrimeXBT will automatically make the same trades as that investor, without any input from you. You can profit from the market easily, just by mimicking what the experienced traders do.
PrimeXBT’s trading fees are really low, at only 0.05%, but you must remember that you are margin trading CFDs. Margin trading can be extremely risky, so make sure you do your own research first, to see if it is something right for you, and never invest more than you can afford to lose.
Pros
- Invest in 40+ different coins, 50+ forex pairs, 11 stock indices, 5 commodities
- Covesting lets you copy the trades of successful investors
- CFD trading means you can bet on prices to rise or fall
- Live chat support on hand
Cons
- You do not own the actual cryptocurrency
- Margin trading is risky
#6. Bisq: Best decentralized Bitcoin exchange
Bisq rounds out our list of the best places to buy crypto if you are under 18. It is a decentralized exchange, where you can buy Bitcoin anonymously, without even the need to provide your name. It uses Tor, and is extremely secure, with no crypto or fiat funds held on the server.
There are over 15 methods of payment, but the thing to keep in mind is that you can only Bitcoin directly using fiat. To access the other 125+ coins that are available on Bisq, you need to first buy BTC, then trade it for the coin of your choice. The good news is that the trading fees are low, only 0.05% for makers and 0.35% for takers.
However, since it is a decentralized platform, it is not suitable for beginners. On the other hand, if you are quite tech savvy, then you may find Bisq to be the right exchange for you.
Pros
- Fully decentralized Bitcoin exchange
- Buy and trade anonymously
- Extremely secure, with no crypto or fiat funds stored on the server
- More than 125+ cryptocurrencies supported
- Over 15+ payment methods accepted
Cons
- Not suitable for beginners
Frequently Asked Questions:
Can you buy cryptocurrency if you are under 18?
There are no laws prohibiting buying cryptocurrency if you are under 18, however many crypto exchanges will have age restrictions. There are some crypto platforms that do not require ID verification, so you can use them to buy crypto if you are under 18. See our list above to find a suitable exchange for you.
Bybit (read review) is our top choice to buy crypto if you are under 18. Bybit is not available in the US, so if you are a US resident, we suggest our next best option, MEXC (read review).
How can a minor buy crypto?
A minor can buy crypto using an exchange that doesn’t require ID verification. Read our article above to find the best option for you.
How do I get a crypto wallet under 18?
You can use decentralized soft wallets that do not require KYC, such as Metamask, Trust Wallet, and Atomic Wallet. Alternatively, you can purchase a hardware wallet, such as Trezor or Ledger.
Can I use Coinbase under 18?
Coinbase changed their rules on July 25, 2017, and implemented a new policy where users must be over 18. If you want to buy crypto under 18, have a look at the exchanges above to find one that is suitable for you.
Can I use Binance under 18?
Binance does not allow under 18 users to sign up. Since they require ID verification, you won’t be able to use Binance if you are under 18. To buy crypto using an exchange like Binance, read our list above. Bybit (see review), MEXC (see review), and KuCoin (see review) are exchanges similar to Binance, and they do not require KYC, so you can sign up if you are under 18.
Can I use Kraken under 18?
No, you need to be over 18 to use Kraken. If you wish to use a crypto exchange and you’re under 18, have a look at our list above to find one that is best for you. You can use Bybit (see review), MEXC (see review), or KuCoin (see review) to buy crypto if you’re under 18.
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