: While the actual "buy" button was instant on many apps, the initial Identity Verification (Know Your Customer) process could take anywhere from a few hours to several days during peak traffic in late 2017.
According to 2017 market data and reviews, the following platforms were the most prominent: Payment Methods Reputation Broker/Trade Platform Wire, Debit/Credit Card CoinMama Credit/Debit, MoneyGram CEX.IO Trading Platform Wire, Credit/Debit BitStamp Trading Platform Wire, AstroPay Kraken Trading Platform Wire (SEPA/Swift) Source: Infinite MLM Blog Speed Bottlenecks fastest way to buy bitcoin 2017
: Linking a bank account via ACH typically required a 3-5 day waiting period for funds to clear before they could be used to purchase coins. : While the actual "buy" button was instant
: Sites like LocalBitcoins and Paxful facilitated direct trades between individuals. Using local payment methods like domestic wire transfers or even cash-in-person often bypassed the multi-day waiting periods of centralized exchanges. Top Exchanges & Platforms of 2017 Using local payment methods like domestic wire transfers
: For those with physical access, Bitcoin ATMs provided one of the quickest ways to convert cash into Bitcoin. Users could scan their wallet QR code and insert banknotes to receive funds almost instantly, though fees ranged significantly from 3.1% to 17.6%.