Keep three figures together: your total outlay, the quoted Bitcoin amount, and the costs charged separately. A service-fee estimate is not an exchange-rate quote.
Separate the different kinds of cost
A service fee pays for the purchase service. A spread is a difference between a reference market price and the exchange rate used in the offer. A network charge relates to sending the Bitcoin. Bank or card-issuer charges may appear outside the purchase quote.
Not every provider labels or collects these costs in the same way. Some charges may be included in the quoted total or deducted from the amount used to purchase Bitcoin. Read the offer carefully so you do not count the same charge twice or overlook a separate one.
How Fiat2Bitcoin’s wire service fee works
The wire service fee is 8% for a request below $100,000, or 5% for a request at or above $100,000. That rate applies to the full request amount. Separate requests are not combined, and this is not a marginal tax-style bracket.
For an illustrative $10,000 request, the service fee is $800, leaving $9,200 after that fee and before other charges. For a $100,000 request, the fee is $5,000, leaving $95,000 before other charges. These figures do not estimate how much Bitcoin you will receive.
The fee is rounded to cents, with half cents rounded up. Because the rate changes for the entire request at the threshold, the service-fee amount changes sharply there. Treat the schedule as information for an amount you already intend to purchase; a lower percentage is not a reason to spend more than you planned.
Card and ACH offers use a separate pricing process
Fiat2Bitcoin’s wire fee schedule does not apply to Changelly card or ACH offers. Read the selected provider’s current quote, including its exchange rate and stated charges. A price shown for one method is not evidence of what another method costs.
Ask your card issuer or bank about additional charges that the provider may not collect. For credit cards, specifically ask whether the purchase is treated as a cash equivalent and whether cash-advance fees or interest apply.
Use a complete comparison
Divide the total dollars you will pay by the Bitcoin you will receive to compare an effective dollar cost per Bitcoin. Include outside charges you know about, and use offers gathered close together because market prices change. This calculation compares offers; it does not predict a future market price.
For example, if an illustrative offer charges $1,000 and delivers a stated Bitcoin amount, an additional $25 bank charge makes the outlay $1,025. Comparing that offer as a $1,000 total would understate the cost. Do not invent a Bitcoin quantity when the provider has not quoted one.
Keep the quote you accept
Before acceptance, record the purchase amount, service fee, additional charges, Bitcoin quantity, destination, and expiry. If the quote expires or changes, review the new offer rather than relying on an earlier screenshot.
A saved estimate is useful for planning. An accepted transaction quote and a completion receipt serve different purposes. Keep both the price decision and the delivery record so you can reconcile what happened.
Sources & further reading
General payment information and purchase-specific details serve different purposes. Review the current offer and terms before proceeding.
- Changelly: Buying cryptocurrency and provider information
- CFPB: Cash-equivalent transactions and cash-advance charges
- Fiat2Bitcoin: Wire service-fee policy and estimator
Original Fiat2Bitcoin guide. Examples are illustrative; they are not live quotes or customer transactions. How we prepare our guides.