Live Market

The chart shows the market price on a public exchange. That is the reference, not the quote. When you trade at the counter, staff pull the live market rate at that moment, add one trade fee, and put both numbers on screen together before you agree to anything. What you approve is what appears on your receipt.

The reason we show the market price at all is that it is the number you should be checking us against. Anywhere you trade Bitcoin, the true cost is the fee plus the spread, which is the gap between the market price and the price you were actually given. A quote can carry a small advertised fee and a large spread. Add both and compare that figure.

California makes this checkable at kiosks too: the law requires a machine’s receipt to state the spread against a licensed exchange price. Our guide to the California kiosk rules explains how to read it.

• Time. Bitcoin trades around the clock. A quote is good for the window we state when we give it; if the market moves while you decide, you get a fresh quote rather than a quiet fill at a worse price.
• Size. Large trades are priced as one number through the OTC desk rather than filled in pieces on an order book.
• Direction. Buying and selling are quoted separately. Both are available at the counter, which is unusual: most Bitcoin ATMs in California cannot buy from you at all.
• The coin. Majors quote tightly. Thinner markets move more, so call ahead on (888) 811-2646 if you are trading something less common.

None of the prices on this page are a recommendation. We are a trading counter, not an adviser, and we do not forecast where any of this goes next.