Bitcoin: Basics for International Transactions

Bitcoins are exchanged online in a fashion similar to cash, but the anonymous currency works differently than most real forms of currency. Bitcoin is becoming a great method to exchange cash for services, and more credit card merchant services are beginning to show gradual acceptance of it.

When you sign up for a service, such as Bitcoin Core, you will receive a digital wallet tied to an account. You can login to this account from any desktop or mobile device, and it comes with an address. That address is used to transfer bitcoins to and from your wallet.

Many retailers are beginning to accept currency from digital wallets, but not every retailer is working with Bitcoin just yet. If you’re not going to exchange your bitcoins for cash, you should prepare yourself to do a little bit of research on who might accept what form of currency. Also, remember that Bitcoin is the most popular form of cryptocurrency, but others exist. That said, not every form of cryptocurrency is as acceptable or even remotely stable as Bitcoin is.

You can buy Bitcoins using your currency’s exchange rate, or you can set up a system to mine for them. Mined Bitcoins take time to find, and require some technical knowhow to setup, but they can provide a steady stream of Bitcoins for your wallet.

Each transaction is recorded to a central ledger system. This system not only tracks how many Bitcoins were spent, but it uses a sophisticated algorithm to verify ownership of a coin and record the transaction taking place. Every transaction abides by these rules.

Desktop clients must download the entire blockchain, which is always growing. Mobile users utilize a streamlined form of Bitcoin’s blockchain, instead relying on nodes to pass information on behalf of the user. This results in an accurate ledger without consuming too much data to use the service.

Another amazing innovation is that Bitcoin wallets have multiple methods for backup. You can take your records offline, back them up to another digital device and use multiple signatures to help verify your transactions.

Excited about Bitcoin yet? Make sure you purchase your currency from a reputable exchange, or invest through a mining operation that you trust. Make some phone calls and try out this exciting new form of currency. You could be investing on the ground floor of a historic new form of cash.

Blog submitted by Charge.com. Find out why Charge.com was rated the #1 merchant provider on the Web for six years running, and how affordable it can be to accept credit cards online, at Charge.com.