What is CoinJar?
CoinJar is owned and operated by CoinJar Australia Pty Ltd (ABN 75 648 570 807). It is an established cryptocurrency exchange with headquarters in Melbourne. It was established in 2013 by co-founders Asher Tan and Ryan Zhou with its main focus originally being on the domestic Australian market. Since then it has expanded internationally into the UK, Europe, and several other countries.
The exchange allows users to instantly buy cryptocurrencies with a credit or debit card, has no deposit fees for BPAY and PayID, has low trading fees, plus there are no fees when you withdraw AUD to your bank account.
Is CoinJar safe?
90% of all user funds are stored in offline wallets located at geographically redundant locations. As far as we could tell, CoinJar’s servers have not been compromised.
CoinJar uses various industry standard security policies including two-factor authentication (2FA), data encryption, Transport layer Security (TLS), and periodic security audits by a third party.
Interestingly, they also use machine learning to detect suspicious behaviour, for example, fraud and account takeovers.
Who is CoinJar aimed at?
Given the fact that there are no fees when you withdraw AUD to a bank account, CoinJar is a strong proposition for Aussie traders. More specifically, CoinJar is tailored towards investors who are new to crypto and want an easy way to dabble in the market.
The fact that your crypto assets can also be spent using the CoinJard Card is an additional benefit — one that makes crypto a more active part of your everyday financial life.
Tradable coins
CoinJar’s exchange supports a substantial number of coins. In addition to favourites like Bitcoin (BTC/AUD), Ethereum (ETH/AUD), and XRP (Ripple) are altcoins like Chainlink (link/AUD), Stellar (XLM/AUD), Uniswap (UNI/AUD), and Basic Attention Token (BAT/AUD), among others.
If you want access to trade even more altcoins, consider another exchange like Digital Surge or Swyftx.
Funding your account
Once you have created and verified your account, you can deposit Australian dollars via PayID/NPP.
BPAY is also available, but funds can take up to 3 business days to clear. CoinJar is one of the few exchanges that accept credit card and debit card deposits, although American Express is not supported. Thankfully, there are many Visa and Mastercard cards that earn rewards points.
Notable features
CoinJar has several standout features. One of the notable mentions here is the fact that it allows for multi-currency deposits, which means that users can make their deposits in both cryptocurrencies and FIAT currencies, and they can even trade in different pairs of crypto to FIAT money. Furthermore, this is built upon by the mobile trading application, where traders have the opportunity to trade while they are on the move and access all of the features of the exchange on Android and iOS. CoinJar also has a reputation for its reliable customer support, custody and security, and customisable interface and layout.
CoinJar Bundles
CoinJar Bundles are collections of popular digital currencies, which you can purchase as a group. It is a feature aimed at beginners, or traders interested in passive portfolio diversification.
CoinJar Card
CoinJar has a crypto debit card product that can be used to buy goods and services from merchants that accept EFTPOS payments within Australia. Users can also use it to withdraw cash at ATMs.
For every dollar in transaction fees, you’ll earn 100 CoinJar points, which you can use to fund future trades.
A word of warning: being able to spend your crypto is useful, but it also means you can quickly deplete your position and lose out on potential gains for HODLing.
OTC trades
CoinJar supports OTC trades, giving users and institutions the opportunity to make off-exchange, over-the-counter (OTC) trades of AUD 50,000 and above.
Fees
Deposit fees are non-existent except for Blueshyft cash deposits (1.5% fee) and Instant Buy with Visa or Mastercard (2% fee).
There is a 1% conversion fee between digital currency accounts or between digital currency accounts and cash accounts.
In terms of withdrawal fees, a digital currency account to BPAY Biller has a 0.5% fee. There is a dynamic fee structure for sending Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and other cryptocurrencies.
CoinJar Pros
1. Extremely user-friendly interface that will make just about anyone feel at home almost instantly.
2. The CoinJar Card makes it easy to use your crypto, should you decide not to HODL.
3. Use a credit card or debit card to buy crypto, although American Express is not accepted.
4. Two-factor authentication and other security features.
5. Native mobile apps so you can truly trade on the go.
CoinJar Cons
1. Uncompetitive fees, especially for Visa and Mastercard deposits.
2. Limited crypto tokens to trade compared to other platforms.
HIGHLIGHTS
1. Buy and sell digital currency on desktop and mobile devices with a flat 1% fee.
2. Buy digital currencies using your Visa or Mastercard with a low fee of 2%.
3. Set up price alerts so you never miss a well-timed opportunity.