We bought and sold $50 worth of Bitcoin - here's how it works
This is what the Coinbase app looks like on an iPhone.
When you first open the app, you're presented with the latest price of Bitcoin, which you can sort depending on the desired timeframe, and the change since that period. You can see how wild the latest moves have been in the chart below.
I happen to be one of the many who have never traded Bitcoin before, so there is a certain level of wariness in buying into the cryptocurrency world.
However, Coinbase's interface makes it simple to enter the basic personal information it needs to create your account.
User-friendliness quickly hit a snag. In putting in my address, the app didn't recognize I had already selected it from the autofill menu. I couldn't proceed unless I switched to the desktop app.
So switch I did. From the desktop portal I could easily enter more identifying info.
The final step before getting to enter my financial information was the two-step verification for security, which Coinbase quickly sent to my phone.
I decided to give the app another try and opted to use my debit card to buy the Bitcoin.
Entering all my information was just as straightforward as everything else. The problem was I couldn't exit this screen. Neither the 'Buy' nor 'Not now' options registered. I had to press the X and start all over.
Ultimately (and frustratingly), it was back to the desktop. So far, the actual process of buying Bitcoin was simple — the app itself was my only nemesis. My $50 ended up buying 0.0524 of one Bitcoin.
No looking back! (Until I sell, of course.)
Oh... It appeared the price was falling pretty fast the morning I decided to buy. I went back to try again, doing my best to outrun the falling price.
I own Bitcoin! Well, a small fraction of Bitcoin. But now this means I could theoretically sit on my tiny pile of cryptocurrency and hope it amasses value.
Instead, I decide to sell off immediately (but not before shedding a single tear for the 12 cents I've already had to part with).
To sell off the Bitcoin, Coinbase only allows users to pair their bank account with the app. A credit or debit card won't suffice.
So I scroll through the options to pick my bank.
And we're back to the desktop. (When I tried to sell the Bitcoin, the app told me either the amount was invalid or I couldn't pay with the given method. I didn't understand what that meant and didn't want to enter a wrong number.)
Luckily, the online experience is much smoother. My bank account showed up right where it should have and I sold the Bitcoin just like I bought it.
Since it wasn't linked to my debit card, the transaction needs a few days to process before the money gets transferred.
A small hiccup: When I went to sell the Bitcoin, I had to estimate the amount. The numbers were inconsistent in certain places depending on the Bitcoin value or the USD value. I ended up with one penny leftover.
When I tried to close the account, that penny proved to be an issue. As much as I tried to send the lone cent with addresses I found around the Internet, Coinbase didn't let me. Here's to hoping Bitcoin skyrockets and my investment quadruples in value.
Oh, and a final thing: When I tried to buy lunch after all this, my card got declined. My bank had blocked the card after the initial purchase.
Apparently, I wasn't the only one who was wary about going into all this.
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