The first time you walk up to a Bitcoin ATM, you probably want to know one thing: how long is this going to take and what is it going to ask me for. Five minutes is the honest answer for most people. Here is the whole process, from the moment you walk in to the moment the coins land in your wallet.

Before you go: get a wallet

The machine needs somewhere to send your Bitcoin. That somewhere is a wallet, and you’ll want it set up before you leave the house.

A wallet is an app on your phone that holds your Bitcoin and gives you a receiving address, a long string of letters and numbers with a QR code attached. Free options are everywhere. Athena machines work with any of them.

Set it up, write your recovery phrase on paper, and put that paper somewhere you’d put a passport. The recovery phrase is the only way back into your wallet if your phone goes swimming. Nobody can retrieve it for you, which is the point.

Open your wallet and find the button that says Receive. That’s the screen you’ll need at the machine.

Step 1: Find a machine

Use the locator to find the Athena ATM closest to you. It’ll show you the store, the hours, and directions.

Bring cash and a phone. Depending on the amount you’re buying and where you are, you may also need a government ID, so it’s worth having your license on you the first time.

Step 2: Start at the screen

Tap the screen and choose Buy Bitcoin. The machine walks you through it from there.

Step 3: Verify who you are

You’ll enter your phone number and get a text with a code. Type the code in.

Larger purchases ask for more: a photo of your ID, sometimes a quick selfie so the machine can match your face to the license. This is the same set of rules banks and money transmitters follow everywhere in the United States, and it’s why the process asks for anything at all. It takes about a minute.

Once you’re verified, you’re verified. The next visit skips most of this.

Step 4: Scan your wallet address

Open your wallet app, tap Receive, and hold the QR code up to the machine’s scanner. It’ll beep or flash when it reads it.

This is the step to slow down on. That QR code is the destination for your money, and Bitcoin transactions can’t be reversed once they’re sent. Scan your own wallet, on your own phone, that you set up yourself. Anyone who calls or texts you a QR code to scan at a machine is running a scam, full stop.

Step 5: Feed in your cash

The bill acceptor takes your cash one note at a time or in a small stack, depending on the machine. Watch the running total climb on the screen as it counts.

The screen shows you the Bitcoin rate, the fee, and exactly how much Bitcoin you’re getting before you commit to anything. Read it. If the numbers don’t look right, hit cancel and your cash comes back.

Step 6: Confirm and take your receipt

Press confirm. The machine sends your Bitcoin and prints a receipt with your transaction ID on it.

Keep that receipt. If anything ever looks wrong, that transaction ID is the first thing our support team will ask you for.

Step 7: Watch it arrive

Open your wallet. Your Bitcoin usually shows up as “pending” or “unconfirmed” within a couple of minutes, then settles into a confirmed balance as the network processes it. Ten to thirty minutes is normal. Network traffic can stretch that out, and the coins are yours the whole time regardless of what the label says.

What you actually walked away with

The Bitcoin is in your wallet, controlled by your recovery phrase. Athena doesn’t hold it, can’t freeze it, and can’t move it. That’s different from buying on an exchange, where the company keeps custody and you hold an IOU.

Your keys, your coins. It’s the reason a lot of people prefer buying with cash at a machine in the first place.

A few things worth knowing

• Fees. Every machine shows its fee on screen before you confirm. It covers compliance, cash servicing, armored pickup, and the physical machine sitting in that store.
• Limits. Daily limits depend on your verification level and your state. The screen tells you where you stand.
• Scams. Athena will never call you and ask you to send Bitcoin. Neither will the IRS, your utility company, a police officer, a judge, or anyone who says your Social Security number has been suspended. If a stranger is on the phone while you’re standing at the machine, hang up and walk away. That single habit prevents nearly every loss we hear about.
• Trouble. Call 312-690-4466 or email support@athenabitcoin.com with your transaction ID and we’ll sort it out.

Ready when you are

Find your closest machine on the locator, bring cash, and give yourself five minutes.