Bitcoin Wallets

The bitcoin wallet is the application that is used to send and recive the cryptocurrency. A wallet is basically two things; a public and a private key. These keys are how you send and recieve bitcoin. To revice bitcoin all you need to do is share the public key. The string of characters on our donation page is the public key for our donation wallet.

The private key is to be kept secret and is only used to send bitcoins. Most wallets take care of this for you and will not show your private key on the screen. Simply type in the key for the user or merchant you wish to send bitcoin to (or scan a QR code) and the appliation will take care of the rest.

What to look for in a bitcoin wallet:

• Security
• Make sure the app asks for at least a pin to send bitcoins. 
• This is very important in the case that your phone or tablet is stolen. 
• Make sure you can back up your wallet or have the ability to log into that same wallet from another source.
• Block Chain 
• Make sure all transactions are on the block chain.
• If you are sending and recieving bitcoin and the are never recored on the block chain they might as well not even exist. 
• Having bitcoin trading off this public ledger leaves room for fraud.
• Usability
• Everyone has a different level of understanding when it comes to bitcoin.
• Find a wallet that fits your lifestyle.
• Make sure it is easy for you to use; but still following the above bullets.

Bitcoin Wallets:

• AirBitz (Android and iOS) - recomended for new users
• login with multiple devices
• 100% on the blockchain
• Lots of security
• BlockChain.info (Android and iOS)
• Web access
• 100% on the blockchain
• Lots of security
• MyCelium (Android only)
• 100% on the blockchain
• Great for the tech savy
• Lots of security

BitPay : A Great Option for Businesses

BitPay is a great place to start accepting bitcoins for any business; both large and small. Their main focus is to make it easier for businesses to get started accepting bitcoin. They take care of the back end while you are rewarded with the extra sales of the Bitcoin community.

Companies that currently use BitPay to accept bitcoin inlclude Microsoft, Newegg, Wordpress and many more.

Settlement payments happen automatically, every business day. BitPay collects and deposits all payments processed from the previous business day directly to your bank or bitcoin wallet, according to your settlement preferences. - BitPay

For the United States, it only takes about two business days to get the bitcoins accepted converted to USD and deposited into the bank account of your choice. However, if you would like to keep the bitcoin they will deposit the amount in to your bitcoin wallet with a much higher turnaround. If you would like some percentage of the sales to be in USD and some in bitcoin, BitPay will do this for you as well.

If you have an online store, BitPay has integration with many eComerce platforms including PayPal, Shoppifiy, and Magento. The best part is they have a free plan that includes unlimited processing, instant conversion, retail POS solutions, and email support. They also provice a Business Plan as well as an Enterprise Plan. BitPay is proud to be a "Garden without walls" saying that they are "relentlessly dedicated to providing open, resilient technology and infrastructure."