How to Buy Ripple (XRP) in the UK?

• XRP is among the top 5 cryptocurrencies and has optimistic price forecasts for the upcoming years.
• More and more British people are investing in digital currencies.
• The option of how to buy Ripple in the UK comes in various ways, including buying with GBP (Cex.io, eToro, Bitstamp), with crypto, or buying without the ID (CoinSwitch, Changelly).

One of the top cryptocurrency by market capitalization, XRP has always been a choice for cryptocurrency traders in the UK. But there is another reason why they might consider investing in XRP.

The native coin of Ripple company, XRP is originally created to make real-time cross-border transactions between the world’s different fiat currencies cheaper and faster. The partnerships with the Santander bank, MoneyGram, and multiple remittance service providers fueled the institutional trust in XRP during the past years.

This is why various crypto industry experts predict XRP is going to survive the upcoming crypto regulations in the United Kingdom. And while more and more Britons are showing their interest in digital currencies because of the global pandemic, the question of how to buy XRP in the UK is worth considering. Follow this guide to know the best way to buy Ripple in the UK.

Where to buy XRP in the UK?

There are some fundamental steps you need to complete before buying XRP or any other digital currency, which includes choosing the right cryptocurrency exchange and setting up a cryptocurrency wallet.

Speaking about Great Britain, multiple options are available on where to buy XRP in the UK. The choice mainly depends on your personal preferences and needs. However, these are the following factors any crypto user should consider:

• Would you like to buy Ripple in GBP or in other digital currency?
• Are you willing to reveal your identity or buy XRP anonymously?
• Do you have a wallet to store XRP?

How to buy Ripple (XRP) with GBP?

One of the most convenient ways to get XRP coins is to buy them directly with British Pounds (GBP). However, different trading platforms charge differently on various payment methods.

In the list below you’ll find which ones accept GBP payments and how different are their deposit, trading, and withdrawal fees.

1. Cex.io

Cex.io allows instant XRP buying with VISA or Mastercard in GBP. The cryptocurrency exchange platform charges 0% fees for the GBP deposits via bank transfer and Faster Payments. The 2.99% fee applies for VISA and MasterCard deposit transfers while depositing via Skrill is the most expensive (3.99%).

A standard daily deposit at CEX.io is £100, however, it can be easily increased. The trading fees are based on 30-day trading volume and vary from 0.16% to 0.25% for trades under 5 Bitcoin.

Meanwhile, withdrawal fees differ depending on the cashing out method. The Faster Payments are the only option on CEX.io that allows XRP withdrawals with zero fees.

2. eToro

eToro is one of the best-known brands in the crypto community. The multi-asset trading and brokerage company present itself as the world’s leading social trading platform.

The platform allows buying XRP in fiat currencies, including the GBP. It does not charge for depositing funds but asks for a standard $5 withdrawal fee. Accordingly, eToro charges the monthly $10 inactivity fee after 12 months with no account and login activity.

According to its website, the minimum XRP withdrawal amount is 133 XRP coins. All the transactions come with a price of 0.25 XRP.

3. Bitstamp

Bitstamp is one of the oldest cryptocurrency exchanges that allow fiat to XRP trading. Based in Luxembourg, Bitstamp accepts GBP deposits via bank transfers, debit and credit cards, or Faster Payments.

GBP deposits via Faster Payments are free of charge on Bitstamp. Meanwhile, card deposits will be charged with a 5% fee including additional fees from card issuers. Despite that, Bitstamp’s fees are one of the lowest and only vary depending on the payment method.

The exchange applies 0.5% trading fees for under $10k of 30-days USD trading volume across all trading pairs. The fees decrease respectively to the growing amount of trading funds. Bitstamp also charges for 0.02 XRP on XRP withdrawals.

How to buy Ripple (XRP) with crypto?

Buying XRP with fiat seems the fastest and easiest way. The major cryptocurrency exchanges like Coinbase, Kraken, or Binance allow you to buy XRP with GBP. However, they charge higher fees for buying with traditional currencies compared to crypto.

This is the reason why purchasing XRP is more popular by first acquiring other digital coins (e.g. Bitcoin) and then exchanging it for the XRP. Crypto.com payment app is one of the best ways to buy Ripple (XRP) in the UK.

Crypto.com supports a wide variety of cryptocurrency-oriented services and is one of the most popular in the crypto community. It accepts GBP deposits directly via bank transfer, debit card, or credit card. And charges from 0.1% to 0.16% for transactions below $250k (~£192k GBP) and asks for a 1XRP withdrawal fee for XRP withdrawals.

Where to buy XRP in the UK anonymously?

Although buying XRP anonymously hints at something illegal in popular opinion, there are also legitimate reasons why someone might want to buy XRP without revealing identity.

For those who value their privacy and confidentiality or don’t have proof of identity, but would like to buy XRP in the UK, here’s a legitimate way to do it anonymously.

1. CoinSwitch

CoinSwitch is a cryptocurrency exchange aggregator, meaning that it does not run its own exchange, but integrates with the major crypto exchanges to allow users to exchange cryptocurrencies anonymously.

The unregulated CoinSwitch does not require users to create an account for trading digital coins. The platform is more focused on crypto-to-crypto transactions and supports over 400 cryptocurrencies across the exchanges. It also allows buying Ripple with a credit card, but only with USD, EUR, JYP and RUB.

The platform charges a fee (usually between 0% to 0.49%) based on the cryptocurrency exchange user chooses. The amount comes together with the amount charged by the exchange itself and with the undisclosed network fees. Conversion rates might also apply.

2. Changelly

Changelly is a cryptocurrency exchange that supports over 140 cryptocurrencies. It’s a non-custodial and easy to use a crypto exchange that allows you to buy XRP directly via bank transfer, credit and debit card, and even via Apple Pay.

The exchange charges the standard 0.25% trading fee for all transactions independently from their total order value. Changelly also charges a 0.25 XRP withdrawal fee for XRP withdrawals.

Furthermore, the exchange does not require identity verification for the new users, who can open an account only by providing a valid email address.

As you can see, trading fees slightly vary on different platforms. If the price is not the main factor for making a decision, have a look at other features each of the platforms apply: how long does it take to process a transaction, what are the transaction limits, or are there any geographical restrictions.

Set up the XRP wallet

Although there always is the ability to store XRP coins on a crypto exchange, it is not the safest option as cryptocurrency exchanges might get hacked. It is strongly recommended to transfer your coins to a private cryptocurrency wallet.

There is no official wallet for XRP coins issued by Ripple yet. However, various third-party crypto wallet providers allow XRP storage. Since there is a range of crypto wallets (from hardware ones like Ledger to online wallets like Exodus), you can choose the best depending on your personal needs and budget.

In summary: is it worth investing GBP in XRP?

Being the fourth biggest digital coin by market capitalization, XRP strengthened its positions during the past years. The Ripple company expanded its list of solid partnerships in the cross-border payments market and attracted the interest of institutional investors.

For those UK investors who’ve decided to hold some XRP coins, there are a variety of options of how to buy XRP.

The most simple way includes buying XRP directly via bank transfers or credit/debit cards. The option usually comes with higher fees. Despite that, users who are not ready to pay more always can buy XRP with Bitcoins or other cryptocurrencies on multiple digital asset exchanges. Those who value their privacy also can find legit ways to buy XRP in the UK without identity verification.