Hello Narendra and welcome to Bitcoin Basics Lesson 1: Cryptocurrencies and

Bitcoin.

In Lesson 1 you will learn:

 Cryptocurrencies are decentralized digital currencies secured with cryptography

 Bitcoin is the top cryptocurrency due to its first-mover advantage
 Bitcoin was created by Satoshi Nakamoto
 Bitcoin is only in its infancy period with huge growth potential

Why cryptocurrencies?
Cryptocurrency is a new type of digital money used to exchange agreed-upon values. It
is just like regular currency, except it uses cryptography to secure transactions and
control the creation of its native currency.

In centralized financial systems—such as the U.S. Federal Reserve system—

government and banks control the supply of currency. They essentially "print" units of
this currency, which is called fiat. When centralized entities operate in this fashion often
times the "fiat" system can be inflationary. By contrast, a lot of cryptocurrencies like
bitcoin have a capped supply, although some digital assets do not. This means
currencies like bitcoin are produced by a cryptocurrency protocol at a predetermined,
set rate. The supply is capped at a specific amount. Bitcoin's cryptographic financial
system is built on a peer-to-peer, open source, and decentralized network. The currency
is not controlled by one person or organization, and their specifications are not easily
altered without consensus on the network.

The great thing about cryptocurrencies is that you can send and receive money
anywhere in the world at any given time. You don’t have to worry about bank hours,
formal permission or any other limitations. You can make and complete payments in
bitcoin without anyone’s personal information being tied to the transactions, therefore it
also protects against identity theft. The fees involved are usually also low, compared to
legacy systems like Western Union. Bitcoin payments are irreversible and secure,
meaning that merchants don’t have to worry about the cost of fraud.

Introducing Bitcoin
Bitcoin pioneered the field as the first decentralized cryptocurrency back in 2009 and
the decentralized control is by use of Bitcoin's distributed ledger, called the blockchain.
Bitcoin is by far the most popular digital currency and it has tens of thousands of
programmers and entrepreneurs around the world developing new services and apps.
Like most other cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin is not controlled by any single government or
central bank, and no one can decide who is allowed to send or receive money. Bitcoin
transactions are censorship resistant. This means that no one, including banks, or
governments, can block you from sending or receiving bitcoins.
Bitcoin was the first decentralized digital currency and has had time to gain acceptance
among both merchants and consumers. It is considered very safe compared to other
digital currencies, it has no third parties, and the protocol is open source (i.e. its code is
peer-reviewed by a large community of developers). It is also the first digital currency to
implement the blockchain as a core component. All these factors have helped attract
the open source developer community to the currency. The no-VAT ruling in Europe has
also helped to enhance the popularity and value of the currency, and today most
countries around the world allow bitcoin as a payment method. Many companies now
also accept bitcoin as a method of payment. From restaurants and coffee shops, to real
estate companies and online shops, Bitcoin is now accepted by a wide variety of
establishments. It also has a strong advantage over its competitors because of
important network effects like adoption-rate and developer mindshare.

The Past, Present, and Future

Bitcoin was created by an anonymous person or group who called themselves Satoshi
Nakamoto. Nakamoto published the invention on October 31, 2008, to the Cryptography
Mailing list called metzdowd.com. The research paper was called "Bitcoin: A Peer-to-
Peer Electronic Cash System". It was implemented in its first client and released to the
open source community in January 2009. The Bitcoin network came into existence on
January 3, 2009, with the release of the first Bitcoin software and the issuance of the
first bitcoins. Satoshi Nakamoto continued to collaborate with other developers on the
bitcoin software until mid-2010. Around this time, he handed over control of the source
code repository to the bitcoin developer Gavin Andresen. Nakamoto also transferred
several related domains to various prominent members of the bitcoin community, and
then stopped his involvement in the project. Prior to his absence and handover, Satoshi
Nakamoto made all modifications to the source code.

At first, the initial exchange rates for Bitcoin were set by individuals on online forums.
The first “famous” transaction was the infamous 10,000 bitcoin pizza purchase, worth
around 20 million USD eight years later. Today, however, most bitcoin exchanges are
made through online trading platforms. In 2013, several mainstream websites began
accepting bitcoin. Wordpress started in November 2012, followed by OKCupid in 2013.
In 2014 several major vendors started to accept bitcoin, including TigerDirect,
Overstock.com, Expedia, Dell, and Microsoft.

With bitcoin’s transactional volume increasing every day, a cap on supply, and an
ongoing reduction in bitcoins produced, bitcoin values should continue on an upward
trend. Compare this to most all fiat (paper) currencies which lose value every year due
to inflation.

The digital currency has not gone viral yet, and many of the apps, upgrades, and
protocols that will make it truly ready for common use are still being developed, so the
potential is still huge. We’ve probably only scratched the surface of what Bitcoin can do.

This ends today’s lecture and hopefully you now have a first grasp on what Bitcoin is
and why you should start learning about it and using it.

Tomorrow we’ll dig a little deeper into the world of Bitcoin and how it works in
practice.
Hi Narendra,

Welcome to Bitcoin Basics Lesson 2: Essentials of Bitcoin

In Lesson 1, you learned that Bitcoin is a decentralized cryptocurrency invented in 2009

by Satoshi Nakamoto and that it can be freely transferred between people all over the
world, without the control or the limitations imposed by conventional payments through
banks or government authorities.

In Lesson 2 you will learn:

 Bitcoin isn’t 100% anonymous

 Bitcoin wallets are used to protect and access your money
 Bitcoins are stored in a public ledger called ‘the blockchain’
 Bitcoin isn’t printed like regular money, it’s discovered, or ’mined’, by a network of
computers worldwide

Authority and Anonymity

As mentioned in Lesson 1, Bitcoin is not controlled by any third party. It's the first
decentralized peer-to-peer payment network and it’s solely powered by its users. Bitcoin
awards you freedom from government control, but at the same time it’s your own
responsibility to safeguard your money. There’s no formal entity to complain to if you
misspend BTC or lose access to your wallet’s password.

Bitcoin is pseudonymous rather than anonymous, this means that the value within a
wallet is not tied to real-world people or email addresses, but rather to specific bitcoin
address(es). Owners (those in control of bitcoin addresses) are not explicitly identified,
but all transactions are registered on a digital ledger called the blockchain. The
blockchain is public and all transactions are recorded and visible via tools known as
‘blockchain explorers’. Additionally, bitcoin exchanges, where bitcoins are traded for
traditional currencies, are often required by law to collect the personal information of
users.

How Can I Store My Bitcoin Safely?

To start using bitcoin you’ll need to use a bitcoin wallet. A wallet stores the information
necessary to handle your bitcoins. Wallets are often described as a place to hold or
store digital currency. But, bitcoins are inseparable from the transaction ledger, the
blockchain. A better way to describe a wallet is as “something that stores the digital
credentials for your bitcoins and allows you to access them”. Bitcoin uses public-key
cryptography, in which two cryptographic keys, one public and one private, are
generated. You could say a wallet is a collection of these keys.

There are also several types of wallets to choose from. Software wallets connect to the
network and allow you to spend bitcoins in addition to holding the credentials (the
cryptographic keys) that prove ownership. There are also online wallets that offer similar
functionality. In this case, the keys to access the money are stored with the online wallet
provider rather than on the user's hardware or software app. There are also physical
wallets that store the credentials offline, which could, for example, be just the keys
printed on a piece of paper in your pocket, or remembered in your head. Because a
piece of paper can't be hacked, this is the most secure method of storing bitcoins
(assuming your physical wallet can be kept safe).

The Blockchain
All bitcoin transactions are stored in a public ledger called the blockchain. It’s not
maintained by an authority, but by a network of communicating nodes and miners
running open-source bitcoin software. Transactions are sent to this network using
readily available software applications (such as wallet apps). These nodes can validate
transactions, add them to their copy of the blockchain (the ledger), and then forward
these additions to other nodes. The blockchain is a distributed database, which means
each network node verifies and stores its own copy of the blockchain.

As I explained before, bitcoin prices were first set by enthusiasts on bitcoin forums and
exchanged both offline and online. Nowadays everything has moved to online
exchanges where participants offer bitcoin buy and sell bids, just like on other
commodity exchanges.

The price is subject to the market forces of supply and demand which, at this point in
time, go hand-in-hand with the trends and whims of speculators. The price can move
suddenly and sharply up or down in response to news events.

Buying and Spending

You can buy bitcoins online from Bitcoin.com using a credit card, or by using an
exchange via a bank transfer of fiat currency. Bitcoin can also be purchased locally
using services like Localbitcoins or Bitcoin ATMs.

So where can you spend your bitcoins? Well, the currency is up and running with some
of the most popular ecommerce platforms and point-of-sale systems. Additionally,
hundreds of thousands of merchants and vendors, both online and offline, already
accept bitcoin for payments.

A Brief Word on Bitcoin Mining

In traditional money systems, governments simply print more money when they need to.
This leads to inflation which reduces the value of each unit of the currency previously
printed. But in bitcoin, money isn’t printed—it's discovered.

Computers around the world ‘mine’ for coins by competing with each other. To succeed
in mining you’d need a specialized mining computer, as they are much faster than your
regular laptop and specialized to complete mining work. Mining is competitive business
today and requires specialized equipment to earn return. Mining is the act of processing
and verifying transactions on the Bitcoin network and securing them into the blockchain.
Each set of transactions are processed into blocks, secured by the miners, and added
to the blockchain.

This ends today's lecture. Now you know a little more about bitcoin. Let’s recap:

 Bitcoin isn’t strictly anonymous

 You can make use of a wallet to protect and access your money
 Bitcoins are stored in a public ledger called the blockchain
 You can buy bitcoins online, with a credit card, at exchanges, or via ATM’s
 Bitcoin isn’t printed like regular money, it’s discovered or ’mined’ by a network of
computers worldwide

In the next lesson, we will discuss more about Bitcoin price.

By the way, If you would like to move ahead a bit, you can start using bitcoin
today by installing the Bitcoin.com Wallet on your computer or mobile device.
Hello Narendra,

Welcome to Bitcoin Basics Lesson 3: Bitcoin Exchange Rates

In Lesson 2, you learned that bitcoin is pseudonymous rather than anonymous and that
you can make use of a wallet to protect and access your money. You also learned that
bitcoins are stored in a public ledger called the blockchain, and that you can buy
bitcoins on exchanges, with a credit card, or by using ATMs. We explored how bitcoin
isn’t printed like regular money; it’s discovered, or ’mined’, by a network of computers
worldwide.

In Lesson 3 you will learn:

 Bitcoin has a value set by the laws of supply and demand

 Because of its current adoption phase and limited distribution, exchange rates
are often influenced by news
 Bitcoin has a fixed supply that is limited to 21 million units total

Bitcoin's Value
How is the value of bitcoin determined? Well, all currencies and commodities have an
exchange value, agreed upon by the seller and buyer. Bitcoin is a currency because it is
a limited medium which people have agreed possesses value. This agreement is no
different from ancient merchants who at one time did the same thing with materials such
as seashells, precious stones, gold, or silver. The difference between bitcoin pricing and
the pricing of paper money is that bitcoin’s value is set solely by the supply and demand
within the community. There is no governing body like a central bank e.g. The Federal
Reserve to influence or control the flow of money. Given that bitcoin is in its infancy, and
has yet to fully find its identity and function, the price is easily influenced by news and
rumours.

Large markets like the EU, China, Japan or the US may announce new bitcoin
regulations, either favourable or restrictive to bitcoin’s growth, causing the price to rise
or fall respectively. Other factors that can influence the value of bitcoin are internal
issues. Examples of this include miners’ conferences or a meeting to decide changes to
the Bitcoin protocol. The price may sometimes dip if an agreement on a subject cannot
be reached, or seems to be too far off.

Supply & Demand

The supply of bitcoin is limited to 21 million units. This was set according to the initial
design of the Bitcoin software, and this limitation is fixed into the bitcoin algorithm. As
more and more people come to use Bitcoin, the increased demand combined with the
fixed supply will force the price to go up. Because the number of people using Bitcoin in
the world is still relatively small, the price of Bitcoin (in comparison to a more traditional
currency) can fluctuate significantly on a daily basis. As more people continue to use
Bitcoin, the value of the network increases. In early 2011 one bitcoin was worth less
than one USD, but in early 2017 one bitcoin was worth more than one thousand USD. If
Bitcoin continues to grow, a single bitcoin could be worth more than a hundred
thousand dollars.

Due to the limited number of bitcoins in circulation, and the fact that new bitcoins are
created at a predictable and decreasing rate (currently 12.5 bitcoins on average every
10 minutes), the demand for bitcoin must follow the supply increase to keep the price
stable.

Like any other money, the value of Bitcoin will grow with more user adoption and trust.
This can be measured by its growing base of users, merchants, and startups. As with all
currencies, bitcoin's value is determined directly by people willing to accept them as
payment.

This ends today’s lecture. Now you know that bitcoin has a value set by the laws of
supply and demand, and because of its relatively early phase of adoption and limited
distribution, prices are easily influenced by news. You have also learned that the total
supply of bitcoin is limited to 21 million units.

Tomorrow you will learn more about how bitcoin wallets work.

If you want to stay updated on bitcoin prices, stop by Bitcoin.com!

Hey Narendra,

Uh oh, it looks like you missed a recent Bitcoin Basics email lesson. We hope you’re still
interested in mastering the revolutionary digital cash that is Bitcoin. (If you’ve already read
the email lesson, ignore this message.)

Please add this email address to your contacts so that future lessons can go straight to your
inbox (and not spam).

Bitcoin Basics is a 10-day lesson plan that should be followed in sequence beginning with
Lesson 1. If you skip a lesson or want to revisit certain concepts, you can find the entire Bitcoin
Basics 10-day course on our site for free.

When you complete the 10-day course, you’ll gain a solid foundation from which to manage,
store and spend Bitcoin.
Hello Narendra,

Welcome to Lesson 4. Today is all about how to safely store your Bitcoin (BTC) in a
bitcoin wallet.

Yesterday, you learned that bitcoin has its value set by the laws of supply and demand
and that prices are easily influenced because of Bitcoin’s relatively small, steadily growing
distribution. You also learned that Bitcoin's total supply cap of 21 million affects the price.

In today’s lecture, you’ll learn that there’s a wide range of choices when it comes to bitcoin
wallets. You will learn that bitcoin wallets do not actually “store” or “hold” bitcoins. Rather,
wallets store your private keys needed to handle the bitcoins you own which are stored on
the blockchain ledger.

Wallets
As mentioned above, you’ll need to get yourself a bitcoin wallet to store the private keys
necessary to access your bitcoins. Wallets are often described as a place to hold or store
bitcoins, but your bitcoins are actually stored on (and are inseparable from) the blockchain
transaction ledger. Your wallet is a tool that stores the digital credentials for accessing
your bitcoins and allows you to send or receive them. Bitcoin uses public-key
cryptography, in which two cryptographic keys, one public and one private, are generated.
A wallet is a collection of these keys. A public key is similar to your email address while
the private key can be understood and should be treated like a password to that email
address. Never share your private key with anyone.

You can choose from several types of wallets. They all share basic functionality. You
should pick a wallet depending on how you will use your bitcoins. For instance, do you
prefer to use the wallet on your mobile device? Perhaps you just want to store bitcoins
safely and hold for many years without spending? Will you use Bitcoin as a shopping
wallet and regularly spend/transfer them online and offline? Each of these purposes can
be best achieved with a specialized wallet. Remember, you can have more than one
Bitcoin wallet and choose which one to use based on the given circumstance.
Let's discuss some of the various types of wallets.

Software wallets connect to the network and allow you to spend bitcoins in addition to
holding the credentials (the keys) that prove ownership. They usually come in the form of
mobile applications downloaded from app stores.

Online wallets offer similar functionality but may be easier to use. In this case, credentials
are stored with the online wallet provider rather than on the user's own hardware and can
be accessed across each of your devices.

Physical wallets store the credentials offline. A simple “paper wallet” could be the keys
printed on a piece of paper that you hold in your pocket or more securely stored in a safe.

A hardware wallet is a product that holds your private keys securely on an electronic
device that can be accessed without an internet connection. There are various hardware
wallets to choose from including Trezor, Keepkey, and Ledger. The device acts as a
secure location for your private keys much like a paper wallet but is a far easier method
than paper for sending and receiving bitcoins. If the hardware wallet is lost or stolen it can
be restored using a 12-24 word phrase called a “seed.”

Security & Anonymity

If you choose to use services that store your private keys for you, such as an online wallet,
be aware that you are completely at their mercy regarding the security of your keys. Most
wallets, however, allow you to be in charge of your own private keys. This means that no
one in the entire world can access your “account” (i.e. your bitcoin addresses) without your
permission. It also means that no one can help you if you forget your password or
otherwise lose access to your private keys. If you decide you want to own a lot of bitcoin it
would be a good idea to divide them among several different wallets. Don’t put all your
eggs in one basket!

Wallets also have a wide variety of anonymity levels, from software wallets which only
store your keys, to more open wallets which displays sender/receiver name. Keep in mind
that even with software and physical wallets, data will be sent to nodes maintaining the
blockchain and the server may be able to view your IP address and connect this to the
address data requested. To improve privacy, most bitcoin wallets will automatically create
a new bitcoin address each time you want to send or receive a transaction, which makes it
more difficult to identify the sender/receiver.

To start using Bitcoin right now, just download the Bitcoin.com Wallet.

Download the Bitcoin.com Wallet

Or have a look over at Bitcoin.com's wallet page to to see some of your other options.

This ends today’s lesson where you have learned that there’s a wide range of wallet
solutions. You have also learned that bitcoin wallets do not store bitcoins, but rather secret
keys used to handle the bitcoins, stored in the blockchain ledger.
Hello Narendra,

Welcome to Bitcoin Basics Lesson 5: Transactions and the Blockchain

In Lesson 4, you learned that there’s a wide range of wallet solutions available to you as
a consumer. You also learned that bitcoin wallets do not actually store bitcoins, but
rather they store the private and public keys used to handle your bitcoins.

In Lesson 5, you will learn:

 A bitcoin transaction is a transfer of value via the Bitcoin network

 Bitcoin transaction records are not encrypted
 Transactions can be viewed by anyone using a ‘blockchain explorer’
 Transactions must be verified by miners on the blockchain network
 Miners are rewarded with bitcoins for doing verification work

Bitcoin Transactions on the Blockchain

The blockchain is a public ledger where every bitcoin transaction is recorded. The
ledger is maintained by a network of communicating computers running bitcoin
software. It operates without any central authority.

Transactions are sent to this network using wallet applications. Mining computers and
nodes try to validate these transactions. Valid transactions are added to their individual
copy of the ledger. Each computer will then broadcast their ledger additions to the other
nodes in the Bitcoin network.

The blockchain is a distributed database. This means that to achieve independent

verification of the chain, (the correct ownership of each and every bitcoin amount), each
participating computer stores its own copy of the blockchain and all of its transactions. A
transaction typically references previous transaction outputs as new transaction inputs
and dedicates all input bitcoin values to new outputs. As such they constitute a chain of
transactions. Therefore, it is also possible to “trace” a particular bitcoin back in time (to
check which addresses the bitcoin has “visited”).

To clarify: bitcoins don’t really ‘exist’ anywhere. There is no file with bitcoins in it.
Instead, there are records of transactions between different bitcoin addresses with
balances that can increase and decrease. And while each bitcoin transaction is
secured via encryption, the record of that transaction is not. This enables the ability to
browse and view every transaction ever collected in the blockchain using a hex editor.
There are also blockchain explorers online where every transaction included within the
blockchain can be viewed in human readable language.

A Practical Example of a Bitcoin transaction

Step 1: Submission of Transaction to the Bitcoin Network via Wallet
Alice wants to transfer bitcoin to Bob and they both have bitcoin wallet apps on their
smartphones. Bob opens his wallet, creates a new bitcoin address, and shares this
address with Alice. She pastes Bob's address into her wallet’s “Send to” field, she also
inputs the amount of BTC she wants to transfer. Alice’s wallet (also called a client) signs
her request with her private key corresponding to the address she’s transferring from.

Step 2: Verification
Now the bitcoin mining network goes to work. Connected computers all over the world
simultaneously verify all transactions, and compete with each other to earn newly
minted bitcoins as a reward. Bob and Alice’s transaction, once verified, will be added to
the next transaction block. Once the block has been found by a miner, their transaction
is confirmed, and can no longer be reversed. When this process is done, Alice and
Bob’s wallets will display that the transaction is complete. This verification process
ensures that the same bitcoins cannot be used for more than one transaction at a time.

This ends today’s lesson. You now know that transaction records stored in the
blockchain are not encrypted and can be viewed by anyone using a blockchain explorer
available online. You have also learned that transactions need to be verified by miners
on the blockchain network, who are then rewarded with bitcoins for doing the work.

Tomorrow's lesson will cover how you can earn some bitcoins of your own.
Welcome to the Bitcoin Basics Lesson 6: How to Buy Bitcoin!

In Lesson 5, you learned that bitcoin transactions are not encrypted and can be viewed by
anyone using a blockchain browser. You also learned transactions need to be verified by
miners on the blockchain network, who are then rewarded with bitcoins for verifying and
timestamping the transactions.

In Lesson 6 you will learn:

 Bitcoin is sold and purchased much like other currencies through exchanges using
a credit card, bank wire, Paypal, etc.
 You can also exchange bitcoins for goods and services with people directly, just
like you would with cash.

Buying Bitcoin and How Exchanges Work

Bitcoin can be bought and sold from various sources, online and offline, like any other
currency. You can purchase BTC online directly with a credit card, or use an exchange or
brokerage service that will enable you to buy bitcoin via a bank transfer. Some
applications also offer buying and selling bitcoin with PayPal and other online payment
processors. Some of these sites are full-service exchanges intended for institutional
traders, while others are simpler wallet services with limited buying and selling capabilities.

Most exchanges and wallets can store digital and fiat currency for you, functioning like a
regular bank account. Exchanges and wallets are the go-to option if you want to do regular
trading and speculating. Beware of the fact that total anonymity is difficult to achieve at
these sites. Also, there are setup procedures which usually involve supplying proof of
identity and detailed personal information. Bitcoin can also be purchased locally from other
people via marketplaces e.g. LocalBitcoins, and from Bitcoin ATMs that operate just like
the cash ATMs you see worldwide. These servicess offer higher anonimity, but tend to
charge higher fees.

This ends today’s lesson. You have learned bitcoin can be purchased and sold much like
other currencies through exchanges. You know you can exchange bitcoins with other
people directly, just like with cash.
Tomorrow you will learn more about where you can spend bitcoin and how you can
shop online.

If you have selected a wallet already, you could go and get yourself some bitcoin today
over at Bitcoin.com.

Buy Bitcoin with a credit card

Welcome to the Bitcoin Basics Lesson 7: How to Spend Bitcoin!

In Lesson 6, you learned that bitcoin can be sold and purchased just like other currencies
through exchanges. You also learned that you can exchange bitcoin with people directly,
just like with cash.

In Lesson 7 you will learn:

 Many merchants accept bitcoin as payment

 How to find places that accept bitcoin payments
 How to use bitcoin debit cards as payment in any store that accepts credit or debit

Where to Spend Bitcoin

Spending bitcoin is very similar to spending traditional money. However, since bitcoin is
not yet universally accepted, you just need to select stores that accept it. Luckily, there are
a bunch of them! Recent figures show that the number of retailers accepting bitcoin has
now surpassed the 100,000 mark. As more countries continue to recognize bitcoin as a
legitimate form of payment, these figures will continue to rise. The best way to find bitcoin-
friendly merchants is by browsing online marketplaces and using specialized search
engines that populate with large numbers of supporting establishments. For example, the
site Coinmap offers a visual way to locate bitcoin-friendly stores, restaurants, and services
around the world. The site also adds new locations regularly.

Bitcoin payments are easy to make online and offline. You just need to download a wallet
application for your desktop, tablet or smartphone. Then, during checkout at a store, you
will be presented with a code in text format or as a QR-code. This is a visual barcode
representing the store’s public key. You scan their code with the scanner on your wallet
application and confirm the total amount to be paid and then the transaction is complete.
In the case of purchasing online where no scan option is available, you can simply copy
and paste the public key address of the store into your wallet’s “Send to” field.

What Can You Buy with Bitcoin?

You can purchase just about anything with bitcoin ranging from goods to services. Bitcoin
can also be used to purchase larger items including cars, real-estate, and even precious
metals. Additionally, many merchants who accept bitcoin also give discounts for people
who pay with the digital currency. One example is Purse.io who offers 15% off on Amazon
purchases made using BTC. The most rewarding way to spend your bitcoin is by paying it
forward. Use bitcoin to tip the author of an article or blog post with the click of a button, or
donate to worthy causes including Wikileaks and the Foundation for Economic Education
(fee.org).

Spending with credit card

If there is a merchant that does not accept bitcoin, there are still ways to use your digital
cash to purchase the items you are interested in. Just use a bitcoin debit card. These
cards help bridge the Bitcoin world with the world of legacy finance. Using them is simple,
you can either buy bitcoin with your debit card or load a debit card with bitcoin to spend
anywhere that accepts credit cards. With this bitcoin debit card, you can now essentially
buy anything with bitcoin as any establishment that accepts credit or debit cards would
accept your bitcoin debit card as well. The merchant gets paid in their own currency by the
debit company and the charge will be deducted from your bitcoin balance.

There are several debit cards to choose from. Some cards can only be issued to certain
countries, and all have varying fees, so be sure to read up on all the options to choose the
best card for you. Two well-known choices in the U.S. are BitPay and Shift cards.

Best Practices for Using Bitcoin

To use bitcoin safely without worrying about being defrauded or losing your coins you
simply need to heed some practical advice. Follow these basic guidelines and you can go
bitcoin shopping online with confidence.

When seeking to use a shopping website for the first time, do a quick online search of the
store’s name. There are several clear warning signs that you can look for in the search
results to tell if a site is to be trusted or not.

 Never buy anything from a site that doesn't have SSL (secure sockets layer)
encryption installed. You'll know if the site has SSL because the URL for the site
will start with HTTPS:// (instead of just HTTP://). There will also be an icon of a
locked padlock visible, typically in the status bar at the bottom of your web
 browser, or next to the URL in the address bar—it depends on your browser.
 No online shopping store needs your social security number or your birthday
information.
 Never give out your bitcoin wallet login credentials or passphrase or private key(s).
 Always give out as little information as possible.
 Also, try to avoid using the same bitcoin addresses more than once. Generate a
new address for each transaction you receive. Luckily, many wallets do this
automatically.

This conclude today’s lesson. Hopefully you now feel confident enough to start
spending your bitcoin! A good place to start is the shopping search engine on
Bitcoin.com.

Shop Online Using Bitcoin