How to buy crypto under 18

How to buy crypto under 18

Robert McDougall 

June 2, 2023

Cryptocurrency

Key Takeaways

  • Many popular crypto exchanges have age restrictions and do not allow users under 18 to sign up and buy/trade cryptocurrencies.
  • There are crypto exchanges that do not require ID verification, allowing individuals under 18 to purchase crypto anonymously.
  • Bybit is my recommended exchange for buying crypto if you're under 18, offering various payment options, low trading fees, and no ID verification.
  • Other options include MEXC, Weex, KuCoin, Margex, PrimeXBT, and Bisq, each with their own features and benefits for users 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.

Please note: If you are under 18, speak to your parents or guardian about any investments you make. You need to do your own research, and never invest more than you can afford to lose. Also remember that what you see on this site does not constitute financial advice, and is purely informational content to help educate readers.

In this article, I have gathered the best crypto exchanges where under 18s can buy crypto. 

The Top Places to Buy Crypto if you're under 18

  1. Bybit: #1 exchange to buy crypto under 18
  2. MEXC: Best site to buy crypto if you're under 18 in the USA
  3. Weex: Best for fee-free spot trading, margin market depth, and copy trading
  4. KuCoin: Buy a wide range of coins
  5. Margex: Best for margin trading
  6. PrimeXBT: Best for CFD trading
  7. Bisq: Best decentralized Bitcoin exchange 

Reviews of the best crypto exchanges to buy crypto under 18

I have tested out hundreds of crypto exchanges in my years in the crypto industry, and in my experience, these are the best platforms that do not require ID, which means that you can use them to buy crypto anonymously if you're under 18. Read through my list below and decide which one is suitable for you. You can also read the detailed reviews under each one.

#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 the lowest you will find. In fact, it is FREE for spot trading, and if you like trading futures, it is free for makers, and only 0.01% for takers. If you are unfamiliar with the terms maker and taker, click here.

For those who want to do more than buying crypto, for example, if you want to trade to 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 my FREE crypto trading course that is designed for beginners. I used screenshots from my personal MEXC account so you can easily follow along. 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 this 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
  • Zero fees for spot trading and 0.0/0.01% 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. Weex: Best for fee-free spot trading, margin market depth, and copy trading

If you want to do more than simply buy crypto, but you want to trade crypto, then Weex is an excellent choice for you. Weex does not require any identity verification, so you can trade anonymously, which is great if you are under 18.

For those who like to trade on the spot, the good news is that Weex does not charge any fee at all, whether you are a maker or taker! This is an excellent way to maximize your profits as you are not paying any commissions to the exchange. Also, Weex's liquidity is extremely high, even more than MEXC and Bitget, so whether you are making small or large trades, you don't need to worry about your orders being filled. Slippage is also kept to a minimum, and the exchange even compensates you if the slippage ends up being higher than a certain threshold.

Weex also specializes in futures trading, where you can trade USDT perpetual, inverse contracts, and simulated contracts, with low fees of 0.02/0.06% (maker/taker). There are 30+ trading pairs available, and while it is not the widest range of coins, they are the most popular assets.

When you use Weex, you can trust that your funds are always secure, as they have top-notch security, and even have a user protection fund with 1,000 BTC in reserve. If the exchange is hacked, users will be paid out from this reserve fund. Weex also holds several regulatory licenses (US MSB, Canada MSB, and SVGFSA) so you know they are allowed to operate legally in various jurisdictions across the globe.

The main downside is that you cannot buy crypto directly using fiat with Weex. However, if you are just looking to trade, you can buy crypto using another exchange on this list, then transfer it to Weex and start spot trading with 0 fees.

Pros
  • Spot trade with zero fees
  • Trade futures with low fees (0.02/0.06%)
  • High liquidity and minimal slippage
  • Holds several regulatory licenses around the world
  • Copy professional traders with one click
Cons
  • Cannot directly purchase crypto with fiat

#4. 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.

I have bought crypto on KuCoin easily using fiat currency, and there are plenty of payment options available, eg: 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
Cons
  • No live chat support

#5. Margex: Best for margin trading

Margex is next on my 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

#6. 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

#7. Bisq: Best decentralized Bitcoin exchange 

Bisq rounds out my 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 my 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. 

Marketplacefairness.org provides all its content for informational purposes only, and this should not be taken as financial advice to buy, trade or sell cryptocurrency or use any specific exchange. Please do not use this website as investment advice, financial advice or legal advice, and each individual's needs may vary from that of the author. This post includes affiliate links with our partners who may compensate us. 

To read our terms of service please click the link.


Tags


You may also like

Swyftx vs CoinSpot

Swyftx vs CoinSpot
>