Buying Crypto with Peer
Buy USDC and other tokens by paying a seller from a payment app you already use, such as Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, Revolut, Wise or PayPal. Peer verifies the payment privately, and the protocol releases the crypto from escrow to your wallet.
Before you start
- An account on a supported payment platform. The app lists the platforms and currencies available to you.
- A wallet such as Rabby or MetaMask, or an email, Google or X account. Signing in with email, Google or X creates a Peer wallet, and Peer pays its gas.
- A way to verify the payment: the Peer mobile app, or desktop Chrome or Brave with the PeerAuth extension. You can start an order in a phone browser, but you finish it in the app or on desktop.
1. Sign in
Go to app.peer.xyz/buy and select Log In. Connect a wallet, or sign in with email, Google or X.
2. Choose an offer
- Express (default): enter the amount under You send, pick your payment platform under Paying using and the token and chain under You receive. Peer shows the best quote; select View all quotes to compare offers across platforms.
- Orderbook: pick a seller's offer yourself, enter the amount and use the buy panel.
You can receive USDC on Base or bridge to another chain and token. The app lists the destinations available.
3. Review the quote
Open the quote details before you start:
| Row | Meaning |
|---|---|
| USDC price | The seller's rate, in your currency per USDC. |
| Frontend fee | All interface fees for the order. Hover the info icon for the breakdown (service, referrer, bridge relay). |
| Network fee | Gas to settle on-chain. |
| Arrival time | Estimated delivery time on the destination chain, for cross-chain orders. |
Rows with nothing to charge are hidden. Rates and fees change with the market; trust the values the app shows.
On Venmo and PayPal, a quote marked 14-day hold means your payout will be held unless you have enough stake. See Stake to Take.
4. Start the order
Select Start Order (Express) or Create Order (Orderbook). Confirm the transaction if your wallet asks. This locks the seller's crypto in escrow for you until the order completes, is cancelled or expires.
5. Pay the seller
The app shows the seller's payment details or a QR code.
- Send the exact amount in the order's currency, in one payment, from your own account on the platform you chose.
- Follow the platform notes shown with the payment details. For example, don't mark a Venmo payment as a purchase or send PayPal as Goods and Services: those payments pay out 10% less.
- Don't mention Peer or crypto in the payment note.
- Select I have completed payment.
Pay in the order's currency. On Revolut, Wise and PayPal a payment in another currency still counts, but loses 3%. See Partial Releases.
6. Verify the payment
Select Verify Payment. The PeerAuth extension or the Peer app opens your payment platform; log in if asked. If several payments are listed, select the one for this order.
Your login session is encrypted to Peer's verification enclave, which checks the payment with the platform. Nothing sensitive goes on-chain. See Privacy.
For PayPal, first choose Personal or Business under PayPal account type to match the account you paid from. The wrong choice makes verification fail.
7. Complete the order
Select Complete Order and wait for the confirmation. For a cross-chain order, also wait for delivery on the destination chain. Your orders are listed under Activity.
If something goes wrong
- Payment sent but not verifying: Handling Verification Issues.
- Sent the wrong amount or currency: Partial Releases.
- Anything else: email support@peer.xyz or ask in the Peer Telegram. Never share receipts or account details in public chats.