Can You Buy Bitcoin on Fidelity? How to Buy BTC, Fees & More
Fidelity gives investors access to bitcoin through its investment platform.
The company offers both direct bitcoin investing and products that track bitcoin’s price.
These options are available through different types of Fidelity accounts and investment structures.
Fidelity offers two ways to gain Bitcoin exposure:
- Fidelity Crypto® accounts for direct crypto ownership, and
- Fidelity Wise Origin® Bitcoin Fund (FBTC), which is a spot-Bitcoin ETP.
Fidelity Bitcoin Eligibility
- Be a U.S. citizen
- Be 18 years or older
- Live in a state where Fidelity Crypto is available
- Permanent residents/non-U.S. citizens are not currently eligible for Fidelity Crypto.
How to Buy Bitcoin on Fidelity
Step 1: Open Fidelity Brokerage and Crypto® Account
First, you need to own a Fidelity brokerage account.
Then apply for a Fidelity Crypto® account via Fidelity’s website or mobile app.
Complete the crypto account application with required ID/KYC, such as
- SSN
- Government ID
- Selfie.
Step 2: Fund your brokerage account
Next, Deposit USD into the brokerage account via ACH/EFT or bank wire.
There are no Fidelity fees for incoming ACH or wire.
ACH transfers take 1–3 business days; wires arrive same-day if before 4 PM ET.
Once funds settle in your brokerage, use the Transfers tab to move cash to your Crypto trading account.
Step 3: Place a crypto buy order
In your Fidelity Crypto account
- Select Trade and
- Choose Bitcoin (BTC) from the list of supported coins.
- Specify a purchase amount either by USD or BTC quantity
- Review the trade details and
- Submit the order.
Step 4: Order execution & settlement
Once you submit, market orders execute at the current exchange price.
Limit orders execute when price conditions are met.
Your Trades will settle in seconds to minutes, and your Bitcoin balance will appear in the Crypto account.
You can view the transaction and the updated BTC holdings in Account Positions or your Crypto account summary.
What Account Do You Need to Buy Bitcoin on Fidelity?
- Fidelity Crypto Account: To buy crypto, you must open a Fidelity Crypto® trading account. You cannot buy actual Bitcoin or other crypto in a regular brokerage account.
- Linked Brokerage Account: A Fidelity brokerage account is required as the funding source. You deposit cash into the brokerage, then transfer it into the Crypto account.
- Account Types: Fidelity Crypto offers both taxable and retirement (IRA) crypto accounts.
Margin and Leverage:
Crypto trading is cash-only.
You cannot use margin balances to fund crypto trades, and margin trading is not offered in the Crypto account.
Only collected cash/EFT deposits can be moved into your crypto account.
Other Restrictions:
Fidelity Crypto is available
- Only to U.S. individual retail customers
- Crypto offerings are limited to the supported coins (currently BTC, ETH, SOL, LTC, plus Fidelity’s stablecoin FIDD).
- State rules apply
- Wealth management or advisor accounts must use (Fidelity Crypto for Wealth Managers which may have its own agreements.
How Much Does It Cost to Buy Bitcoin on Fidelity?
| Cost / Feature | Fidelity Crypto (Buy Bitcoin Directly) |
FBTC (Buy Bitcoin Fund) |
|---|---|---|
| What am I buying? | Actual Bitcoin | Shares of a Bitcoin fund |
| Cost to buy/sell | 1% trading fee per transaction | $0 commission at Fidelity* |
| Annual fee | $0 | 0.25% per year |
| Price | Bitcoin’s market price + 1% trading fee | Fund’s market price + normal bid/ask spread |
| Minimum | As little as $1 | Buy at least one share** |
| Can I move it to a crypto wallet? | Yes | No |
| Trading hours | 24/7 (with a daily maintenance window) | Stock-market hours |
| Tax form | Generally 1099-DA for reportable crypto transactions | Generally brokerage/security tax reporting |
| Best for… | People who want to own and move Bitcoin | People who want simple Bitcoin exposure in a brokerage account |
Tax considerations: Crypto sales are reported on Form 1099-DA; FBTC trades are reported on Form 1099-B.
Another thing to note is that Crypto trades trigger capital gains/losses like property. So, if you Convert crypt, it effectively sells a portion of holdings and is tax-reported.
Can a Regular Brokerage Account Buy Bitcoin?
No, Spot Bitcoin purchases require the Fidelity Crypto account.
If you only have the standard Fidelity brokerage or IRA account, you cannot directly hold actual Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies.
Fidelity’s brokerage accounts can buy crypto funds
- FBTC
- FETH
- FSOL or crypto-related stocks/ETFs, but not the coins themselves.
In other words, actual Bitcoin ownership must be done via the Fidelity Crypto platform. The crypto funds (e.g. FBTC) trade like any stock/fund and can be purchased in a normal brokerage account (including IRAs), providing indirect crypto exposure.
Fidelity Crypto vs. FBTC: What’s the Difference?
Definitions:
- Fidelity Crypto – A digital trading account where you own actual crypto coins held by Fidelity Digital Assets, a trust bank.
- FBTC (Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund) – A spot Bitcoin exchange-traded product and it issues shares that track Bitcoin’s price and trades on stock exchanges during market hours.
| Fidelity Crypto | FBTC | |
|---|---|---|
| What you buy | Bitcoin itself | Shares that track Bitcoin’s price |
| Do you own Bitcoin? | Yes | No |
| Where you buy it | Fidelity Crypto account | Regular Fidelity brokerage account |
| Trading | 23 hours/day, 7 days/week | Regular stock-market hours |
| Can you move the Bitcoin? | Yes, subject to Fidelity’s transfer rules | No |
| Annual fund fee | No fund expense ratio | 0.25% |
| IRA available? | Yes, through Fidelity Crypto IRA | Yes |
| Simple to use? | More crypto-specific | Very similar to buying a stock |
| Best for | People who want actual Bitcoin | People who want simple Bitcoin exposure |
Is Fidelity Crypto Available in Every State?
Fidelity Crypto accounts are nationwide for spot trading; but crypto IRA accounts are not available in California or Oregon.
Also, U.S. territories are excluded.
- Available: Crypto trading accounts are available in all 50 U.S. states. Crypto IRAs are available in most states except California and Oregon.
- Not available: Fidelity Crypto accounts are not offered in Guam, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands.
- Special case – Oregon: Crypto IRAs are not offered in OR, and Fidelity Crypto in Oregon cannot trade or deposit Solana (SOL).
Can You Transfer Bitcoin Into or Out of Fidelity?
You cannot directly deposit USD into a Fidelity Crypto account from your bank.
Instead, deposit cash into your linked Fidelity brokerage account, then transfer it in.
| Feature | Transfer Bitcoin Into Fidelity | Transfer Bitcoin Out of Fidelity |
|---|---|---|
| Is it possible? | Yes | Yes |
| From / To | External exchange or personal wallet → Fidelity Crypto | Fidelity Crypto → external exchange or personal wallet |
| What do you need? | Fidelity Crypto BTC deposit address | Recipient’s BTC wallet address |
| Where do you start? | At your external wallet or exchange | In your Fidelity Crypto account |
| Network | Bitcoin network | Bitcoin network |
| Fidelity fee | No deposit fee | Network fee applies |
| Transfer limits | No maximum deposit limit stated by Fidelity | Withdrawal limits apply |
| Important safety step | Verify the Fidelity deposit address before sending. | Fidelity requires you to add and verify the destination address before sending. |
| Test transfer recommended? | Yes | Yes |
| Can it be reversed? | Generally no | Generally no |
Is Buying Bitcoin on Fidelity Safe?
I would say buying Bitcoin through Fidelity is generally safe.
| Factor | Fidelity Bitcoin |
|---|---|
| Security | Cold storage and other security measures |
| Custody | Fidelity Digital Assets |
| FDIC insured | No |
| SIPC protected | No |
| Price volatility | High |
| Rehypothecation | No, according to Fidelity |
| Bitcoin transfers | Available |
| Overall investment risk | High |
Fidelity’s crypto custody is institutional-grade, and it can provide investors with institutional-level custody and security measures, but it does not eliminate the risks associated with cryptocurrency investing.
- All crypto in Fidelity Crypto accounts is stored offline in cold vaults.
- These facilities are hardened against hacks
- Fidelity performs all custody operations in-house
- It uses multi-factor authentication for account access and high-value transactions.
- Withdrawals require an authenticator app and identity verification
- Fidelity allows locking transfers for extra safety.
Fidelity Crypto and Bitcoin FAQs
Open a Fidelity Crypto® account, fund it, transfer cash to Crypto, and place a Bitcoin buy order through Fidelity.
Fidelity Crypto® is Fidelity’s cryptocurrency trading account for buying, selling, and holding supported cryptocurrencies.
FBTC is Fidelity’s spot-Bitcoin fund, so you own shares of a fund that holds Bitcoin rather than Bitcoin itself.
Yes, Fidelity offers Crypto IRAs that can hold cryptocurrency directly, but they’re currently unavailable in California and Oregon. Standard 401(k) plans generally can’t hold crypto directly.
Fidelity charges a 1% fee on crypto trades, while FBTC has a 0.25% annual expense ratio.
Fidelity Crypto currently supports Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, Litecoin, and Fidelity Digital Dollar (FIDD).
Yes, you can transfer supported crypto between Fidelity and external wallets, but Crypto IRAs can’t send crypto to external wallets.
No, there are no per-trade minimums, although withdrawal and cash-transfer limits apply.
Fidelity uses security measures such as cold storage and multifactor authentication, but crypto isn’t FDIC- or SIPC-insured.
Crypto sales are generally reported on Form 1099-DA starting in 2026, while FBTC trades are reported on Form 1099-B.
No, Fidelity doesn’t charge a separate deposit or withdrawal fee, but blockchain network fees may apply.
No, Fidelity Crypto doesn’t offer margin trading or direct shorting of Bitcoin.
If Fidelity Crypto isn’t available in your location, you can’t open an account there; California and Oregon residents can open taxable accounts but not Crypto IRAs.
FIDD is Fidelity’s stablecoin designed to maintain a 1:1 value with the U.S. dollar.
No, Fidelity doesn’t charge account-opening, inactivity, or custody fees for Fidelity Crypto.
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