Casa Blog - Bitcoin Security Made Easy

Editor’s note: Bitcoin purchases are no longer available through the Casa app as of January 2023. We recommend that you use an alternative purchasing platform.

Casa is the best way to secure your bitcoin. Now, it’s also the simplest way to buy it.

For the first time ever, you can easily buy bitcoin and have it secured instantly in your Casa App—either Casa multisig or your free Casa Wallet.

Overview

  1. Purchase bitcoin in seconds with Apple Pay straight from Casa App, the secure home for your bitcoin.
  2. Your bitcoin is immediately protected by Casa’s superior security model, so you can rest easy.
  3. Your keys, your bitcoin - not bitcoin IOUs from an exchange or custodial service.

From the moment you tap 'Buy' - your bitcoin is in your control, secure in your Casa App. No more middlemen. No more jumping through hoops to purchase on an exchange and move funds to your own wallet. It’s never been easier to buy bitcoin and keep it safe.

Buy bitcoin safely - in seconds

For too long, purchasing Bitcoin has been a complicated, multi-step process.

Every stage added more friction to what should be a simple transaction: from wiring money to an exchange on the other side of the world, to sending proofs of ID that companies can use to spy on you or spam you, to slogging through endless technicalities. It’s no wonder so many people give up on bitcoin before they’ve even owned any.

Here are the steps to buying bitcoin on a typical exchange:

  1. Complete KYC registration - handing over scans of your photo id and utility bill.
  2. Send fiat money to the exchange.
  3. Wait multiple days for your registration to complete and for funds to be added to your account.
  4. Navigate a complicated trading interface - while dodging all the fake versions of bitcoin.
  5. Either leave your bitcoin on the exchange, where it’s at risk of theft or insider fraud, or ...
  6. Manually withdraw by sending it to your personal self-custody setup for secure storage.

Casa takes the friction out of bitcoin buying - making it as simple and secure as any other online or mobile transaction. All you need to do is:

  1. Buy bitcoin with Apple Pay on your iPhone (Android coming soon).
  2. Within seconds, bitcoin is automatically deposited to a secure wallet that only you control.
Bitcoin purchased with Casa is deposited directly into your secure Casa storage in seconds.

By purchasing bitcoin through Casa, you are secure by default. You are in control by default. It’s your bitcoin, and no one else’s.

Casa’s mission is to make bitcoin easier for anyone to use; we’re removing the barriers to bitcoin mass adoption. Whether you’re buying your first bitcoin or are a professional at stacking sats, it’s the same clean, simple, and secure process—with the added peace of mind that your money and your keys are always completely in your control.

We’ve worked with our purchase partner Wyre to keep KYC as minimal as possible - for both your convenience and your safety. Casa never stores KYC data (it’s kept by Wyre), and you don’t need to KYC to use Casa App for security. It’s completely up to you: only opt in if you want to purchase bitcoin. And this has absolutely zero impact on existing or future pseudonymous clients. As always with Casa, you’re in complete control. More info in the FAQ below.

It’s time for bitcoiners to take control

Today, we often think of bitcoin’s hard supply cap as its key feature, but self-custody is just as critical. Self-custody empowers you with full and exclusive control over your money, so no one can take it away. It’s the new frontier of how we interact with our money, and it changes everything.

Bitcoin: More Than an Inflation Hedge
Bitcoin held in self-custody runs on an entirely separate financial system than the traditional one, making it a systemic hedge.

In the past, far too many bitcoin investors have avoided or given up on self-custody because it was too difficult or risky. Casa fixes this.

When done right, holding your own bitcoin is far more secure than keeping bitcoin on an exchange. Casa helps you do it right, with an experience that’s just as easy as a custodial app. With the new ability to buy bitcoin through Casa, you are secure by default with every purchase—the way bitcoin should be.

Because we as consumers—and as a community—demand the assurance and security that comes from holding our own keys, other financial services in bitcoin will adapt to enable a self-custody model.

Casa is building for a world where self-custody is the default, so you always have control over your wealth.

Getting started couldn’t be easier. Simply download Casa App on iOS (Android purchases coming soon!) and start buying bitcoin securely in seconds.

FAQ

What are the fees and purchase limits?
Fees are market standard for debit card payments and charged by our partner Wyre:

  • $.30 per transaction + 2.9% for US cards (or 3.9% for international cards)
  • Each purchase also includes a mining fee, since this is a real on-chain transaction

Our current purchase limits:

  • $250/day
  • $1,500 total before additional KYC is required
  • Limits will be increasing soon, but this is a great way to get someone started buying their first bitcoin!

How does Casa handle KYC?
KYC data is handled by our purchase partner Wyre and not stored by Casa.

We’ve worked with Wyre to keep KYC as minimal as possible—for both convenience and safety. There's no document upload required - all information is submitted and verified through Apple Pay and processed through Wyre. Once live, Android users will need to supply basic billing information to Wyre, confirming their card and protecting against fraud. Once the $1,500 limit mentioned above is met, you will need to complete some additional KYC with Wyre to continue making purchases (we’ll be enabling this soon).

You don’t need to KYC at all to use Casa App for security, without buying bitcoin. It’s completely up to you: only opt in if you want to use this feature, and it changes nothing about our Privacy and Data Protection Policy. This has absolutely zero impact on existing or future pseudonymous clients - and as always with Casa, you’re in complete control.

Introducing Casa’s “Privacy and Data Protection Policy”
We aim to set an entirely new precedent for the way user data is handled. To achieve this, we’ve created our privacy and data protection policy in such a way that we collect as little information about you as possible in order to protect your personal sovereignty and safety.

What states and countries do you support?
Almost all US states and many countries, with more coming soon. Here's our full list of supported and restricted locations.

What if I want to make larger orders?
We’ll be adding options for users to increase their limits soon. Diamond clients can reach out to their Client Advisor for white-glove support with our OTC network, a service we’ve been offering our clients for ~2 years now.

What if I don’t want to use the new buy bitcoin feature?
You don’t need to; nothing changes! You can continue using Casa App as you always have without needing to submit any additional info.

Can I sell bitcoin with Casa?
You can only buy bitcoin; we may enable you to sell at some point in the future. In the meantime, HODLing is good for you.