Let's say you need some cold, hard cash, but all you've got is a big, fat pile of STEEM or SBD.
For most of us that means you need to go to a crypto exchange and trade those Steemit funds for something like Bitcoin or Ethereum to then sell at an exchange like Kraken or Coinbase.
For those of you who sell Bitcoin on exchanges like those know that it takes a few days for the legacy banking system to clear a Bitcoin sell.
But what if I told you that you could get that cash within a matter of minutes instead of days?
Well, here's my "4 Step Process" for getting those funds in CASH super fast.
What you will need:
- A Steemit account with some funds
Obviously, you've got to have some funds to start with. - A Coinbase account
This is where you will transfer your Bitcoin to when you exchange it. The reason it must be Coinbase is because of the next step. - A Shift debit card
The Shift card debits your affiliated Coinbase account for Visa transactions. They only use Bitcoin, and only from a Coinbase account. - A local bank or credit union account
In order to get the cash fast, you're going to have to go to a physical location.
and now...
Without Further Ado!!!
- Exchange your STEEM/SBD on for Bitcoin.
I explain how to do this easily and very quickly using @blocktrades in this post:
BlockTrades: My Exchange Of Choice For STEEM DOLLARS And How To Exchange SBD For Bitcoin - Enter your Coinbase address as the receive address.
@blocktrades is very fast, and whenever I've done this in the past it hasn't take very long to get into my Coinbase address... a few minutes, tops. - Be at your local bank/credit union with your Shift card ready.
You'll be able to use the Shift card with your Bitcoin loaded on it via Coinbase at your bank to withdraw cash. - Use your Shift card to get a "cash disbursement" at your bank.
Most banks will not charge for this, so make sure to do it in the bank and not at the ATM. The Shift card has a very low exchange rate compared to crypto exchanges.
And there you have it!
I know this might sound like a bit of an arduous process, but if you've ever tried to send or receive money via wire transfer, you know that it can take days or even weeks, so this process would actually allow you to send Bitcoin to someone via Coinbase and they can cash it out instantly at their bank the same day, hour, or minute.
Theoretically, you could do all the earlier steps while waiting in line at the bank.
You're basically turning your bank into a LocalBitcoins meetup :D
New technology over old infrastructure.
Cars used to have to deal with horse roads -- until they made car roads, which are preferable to cars and horses.
The Internet used to be run over phone lines -- until they started running phone calls over the Internet, which is preferable for both calls and online activities.
Cryptocurrencies have to deal with the legacy banking system -- until the legacy banking system is run on blockchain technology, which is preferable for both cryptocurrencies and legacy banking.
We just have to deal with this for a few more years. Our grandchildren will look at Banks and Credit Unions in the same way that we look at horse roads or dial-up connections.
I hope, one day, to be able to spend my Steemit earnings at the store and pay bills with it. But in the meantime, this is a technique that can help you.
What do you think?
Have you ever needed to exchange your Bitcoin or Steem Dollars for cash FAST and didn't know how to do it until now?
Share your thoughts below.