CEX.io Review: Is CEX Safe & How To Use It? (2024)

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we recommended. Read about Affiliate disclosure here.

CEX

Product Name: CEX.io

  • Mobile app
    (4)
  • Buy/Sell Crypto
    (5)
  • Safety & Trust
    (5)
  • Staking Feature
    (4.5)
  • Fees
    (4.5)
  • Support
    (2.5)
4.3

Summary

CEX is a well-known & reliable U.S.A-based crypto exchange and broker to purchase Bitcoins, Ethereum, and other cryptocurrencies using bank transfer, Debit, or credit card. The markup is a little higher, but the ease of use & trust make it a reliable website for purchasing Cryptocurrencies. The exchange also boasts a working mobile app for Android and iOS. The staking feature is one of the newest additions that lets you earn interest on your crypto holdings. 

Pros

  • Standard fees
  • Regulated USA Exchange
  • Buy/Sell & Trade
  • Crypto staking feature

Cons

  • Support is super slow and could cause frustration
  • Is CEX.io a safe website to buy Bitcoin?
  • Is CEX legit?
  • Are CEX fees follows industry standard?

We will find an answer to all this in our CEX.io review guide

January 2024 Update: CEX support does not seem to be as responsive as it used to be, and also, certain aspects of website technology are broken, which is usually a big red flag 🚩 in the crypto exchange industry. For now, my recommendation is to avoid CEX and instead use alternatives like Kraken, Coinbase, or other USA-based exchanges if you are from the USA. Alternatively, use these global crypto exchanges if you are from outside the USA.

But before that, 

When it comes to the number of websites to buy bitcoins, there are plenty.

The real challenge is to find the trusted ones where you are safe, even after sharing your information & adding your financial details.

This is why we here at CoinSutra test and research the best websites, tools, and guides regarding Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to help you stay safe.

In today’s article, I’m sharing my experience & review of CEX.io.

I started using CEX.io 8 years back when I was looking for a place to buy bitcoins with a Visa debit card.

Now I feel like I have enough experience to share the pros & cons of this upcoming Bitcoin & Ethereum exchange.

So without further delay, let’s get started with our detailed review of CEX.

CEX Review: Legit Site To Buy Bitcoin, Ethereum and altcoins

First of all, CEX is a legit site that supports multiple currencies & locations. You can add funds using a Visa/Master debit or credit card, wire, and transfer. CEX offers services in the U.S. with MTL licenses that can serve 48 states

Here are some of the notable features of CEX:

  • Supports multiple cryptocurrencies
  • Support 109 cryptocurrencies and 229 trading pairs
  • Fiat currencies: USD, EUR, GBP, RUB.
  • Offers a fully functional mobile app.
  • 2-factor account authentication (security features).
  • Buy/sell/trade Bitcoin, Ether.
  • Buy Bitcoin using a credit or debit card.
  • Buy Ethereum using a credit or debit card.
  • CEX IO EU Limited provides card processing services to customers from the European Economic Area (EEA).
  • You can buy crypto worth $100 every day without verification

2024 Update: CEX has added more payment options apart from debit and credit cards. ACH, Domestic Wire Transfer, Faster Payments, Skrill, Epay, and Advcash.

They have also lowered the deposit fees for credit/debit cards. Wire transfers are free.

Here are different tiers offered by CEX, and you can start without verification.

Once you have created an account, the very first thing you need to do is get verified.

Depending upon your verification level, your account limit will be increased. (You can see the limit for various verification levels in the above chart.)

CEX Fees:

Fees play an important role when you picking any bitcoin exchange. Let’s have a look at CEX fees to understand how cheap or costly it is.

Transaction Fees:

You will start with 0.25% fees, and based on your 30 days trading volume, your fees will be adjusted. The below chart shows the updated cex.io trading fees.

Deposit/Withdrawal Fees

Overall, CEX fees are following industry standard and is not charging extra like many other CEX alternatives.

Adding A Card to CEX

If you are planning to buy Bitcoin using a credit or debit card, you can add the card by going to Deposit > Payment Card & adding a new card.

You can add as many cards as you want, as long as they’re in your name.

You need to take a selfie with the card. At times the compliance team might ask you to write down the date on a piece of paper & then take another selfie. If you have never done a KYC (“know your client”) for Bitcoin before, you might find it annoying, but after the first time, it’s ok.

Note: This step is necessary when you are buying crypto worth $100+. Anything below $100/day does not require verification.

This kind of verification measure is taken by all popular exchanges to ensure the integrity of the exchange & provide us with better service.

It can take up to 15 minutes to 1 hour for a card to be linked to your account.

Adding A Card on CEX

Here is a video guide to help you:

Buying Bitcoin & Ethereum on CEX

Once you are done loading funds to your account, click on Buy/Sell at the top to start buying Bitcoin or Ethereum.

You might notice the price of Bitcoin to be higher than the current price on other exchanges. This is because CEX takes a 7% fee for its service. Personally, I find this to be quite high, but at times (in desperate situations), it’s ok.

Here is how the buy/sell interface of CEX looks:

Buying Bitcoin & Ethereum on CEX

You can switch from BTC/ETH on the same panel.

You can either buy bitcoins based on a fixed price (100, 200, 500, 1000) or you can add your custom price as shown in the above screen.

Click on Buy and confirm the transaction. Your bitcoins will be credited to your CEX.io wallet immediately.

If it’s a considerable amount, I would suggest moving those bitcoins to a secure hardware wallet like the Ledger Nano X. If it’s a small amount, then you can move it to a mobile wallet like Trust wallet or Argent.

Other Features of CEX:

As the cryptocurrency market is growing, CEX is also adding many new features which are consumer-friendly.

Crypto saving and staking feature:

This feature is currently in beta, and it let users like us put our idle cryptos into some use. Depending upon the token/coin you are holding, you can stake it or put it in CEX.io saving account.

CEX.io offers both flexible saving and fixed saving accounts. They also plan to launch a Bitcoin saving account feature soon.

Staking allows you to receive rewards by just keeping coins and tokens in your account. By staking your coins, you let them work for you and increase your earnings while they’re sitting in your account.

Overall, this is a solid addition by the CEX team, as it would take them to the next level of the cryptocurrency exchange ladder.

CEX.io Exchange review – Final Thoughts

CEX.io is a trustworthy website to buy/sell Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDT, and other supported coins.

The interface is sleek, new, and user-friendly. They have been constantly adding new features which makes it future centric Bitcoin exchange.

They have taken care of security, and the support is pretty amazing- one thing that is not so common in the cryptocurrency industry.

The option to buy Bitcoin using your credit & debit card is one of their most used features, even after the 2.99% fee.  The mobile app is particularly I enjoy which makes it easier to interact with CEX on the move.

Since they support many countries, it’s an advantage for users from countries where it’s not so easy to buy Bitcoin.

Have you used CEX for buying, selling, and/or trading BTC/ETH?

How has your experience been?

Let us know in the comments section below. Want me to review any other website that sells Bitcoin? Let me know in the comments.

Like this post? Don’t forget to share it!

Here are hand-picked reviews that you should read next:

Was this helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

31 thoughts on “CEX.io Review: Is CEX Safe & How To Use It? (2024)”

  1. Sachin

    What about selling? Is there any problem in receiving money from CEX.io to your Indian bank account?

    1. Robert Green

      You can buy, but never get withdrawals,,, waiting more than 2 months for my $$ stay away

  2. zahir

    i have bought some bitcons by cex.is. do i need to transfer in bicoin wallet ??? what if i dont transfer in wallet and keep it in CEX.in? is ther any wallet you suggest ?

    1. Sudhir Khatwani

      If you don’t transfer you stand at the risk of losing BTC if CEX goes down.
      I recommend Ledger Nano S or Mycelium for a Bitcoin wallet. Ledger is much safe than any other.

      1. Prem Chandra Mishra

        how can we transfer BCT and ETH from CEX to other wallet ?

        1. Sudhir Khatwani

          By simply going to withdraw or send section and put there your BTC and ETH addresses in the wallet where you want to send respectively.

      2. Thomas Bahnsen

        Why not include other Cryptos (incl. ETH) on CEX.io rather than Exclusively focus on BTC, both in terms of wallet and in terms of fee structure?

        1. Sudhir Khatwani

          Sure will update in some time.

  3. Chandan Negi

    Hi ..You mentioned about 7% fee if we use “Buy/Sell” module. However if you use “Trade” module, fee charged is minuscule 0.2%. I am intrigued by this difference. is there a technical difference? would i not be better of using “Trade” function?

    1. Harsh Agrawal

      @Chandan
      Nice spot and let me also check and will update the article accordingly.

  4. cris

    how much does cex charge at card vrification?

  5. vinay k

    what is transaction fee from cex.io to other 3rd party bitcoin wallet

    1. Sudhir Khatwani

      It depends on the load on the Bitcoin blockchain no one can tell you exactly that…

  6. Chandan Negi

    Hi Harsh, please suggest if you were able to research on this. would love to see answer asap.

  7. anil kethireddy

    Hello Sir,

    Is there any transaction fees to transfer my ether from cex to hardware wallet. ?

    1. Sudhir Khatwani

      Yes you need to pay the network fee or transaction fee every time you change your address…

  8. Enmanuel

    what wallet do you recommend for XRP and multiples cryptos ? I did use CEX and was wonderful, but Ive mutiples coins, and Blockchain doesnt have support for many of my coins.

    1. Sudhir Khatwani

      Ledger Nano S for XRP and Coinomi and Exodus

      1. ashish panwar

        hi sudhir ,
        where can i sell my all xrp except cex.io. because they stopped withdrawal to my credit card for indian customer.i think they are fraud

        1. Harsh Agrawal

          @Ashish
          You can sell at Koinex, which is an Indian exchange. Meanwhile, I never had the issue with Cex withdrawal (Cryptos), haven’t tried the card withdrawal as I believe that’s limited to USA, Europe, and few countries.

          1. ashish panwar

            @ harsh,
            Last dec 17 i was able to withdrawal.but now they stopped u can try also u will getting same message as what i get.detailes are below
            Andrea
            Andrea (CEX.IO)

            Jan 24, 15:18 GMT

            Dear up111030041,

            Thank you for your request.

            We are sorry to inform you that withdrawals to VISA/Mastercard cards are blocked in India.
            As a workaround, please be informed that you can use bank or Crypto Capital transfer to withdraw your fiat funds.

            Thank you for understanding on the matter.

          2. ashish panwar

            @ harsh,
            Last dec 17 i was able to withdrawal.but now they stopped u can try also u will getting same message as what i get.detailes are below
            Andrea
            Andrea (CEX.IO)

            Jan 24, 15:18 GMT

            Dear up111030041,

            Thank you for your request.

            We are sorry to inform you that withdrawals to VISA/Mastercard cards are blocked in India.
            As a workaround, please be informed that you can use bank or Crypto Capital transfer to withdraw your fiat funds.

            Thank you for understanding on the matter.
            one more –koinex get easily withdrawal or taking time

  9. Ankit

    Hi,
    Doesn’t Foreign Exchange Management Act(FEMA) prohibit Indians from trading on foreign exchanges? As Indian law considers anything apart from INR as ‘foreign’, is buying from cex.io also prohibited under FEMA?

  10. Thomas Bahnsen

    You write about 7% fee for purchase of BTC, but maybe you could have written about the fee (structure) for other coins such as ETH too? If the fee for ETH is lower/none, then I would say that is quite relevant.

  11. saihan

    Hi, CEX.io is becoming a joke. Why is withdrawals taking so long. My withdrawal is showing as complete but still not in my account. If you can help it would be appreciated. My ticket is 561854

    1. Sudhir Khatwani

      Support is busy with pending tickets. Please wait or contact them again. This happening everywhere.

  12. hello, how to deposit btc on CEX?

  13. charly paz

    Hello, can I use Cex to sell monero? or what other platform you recomends me?

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe to stay updated

Learn Profitable Crypto Trading and receive our free resources to master automated bot 🤖 trading strategies.

(We respect your privacy.)

Coinsutra logo

CoinSutra provides general cryptocurrency and blockchain information for educational purposes only. Content on CoinSutra’s website and social media is not financial, investment, trading, or professional advice. Readers should conduct independent research and consult a licensed advisor before making investment decisions.

CoinSutra does not recommend or endorse specific cryptocurrencies, projects, platforms, products, exchanges, wallets, or other offerings. Opinions shared by CoinSutra writers are their personal views only and should not be relied upon for financial choices.

CoinSutra writers are not certified financial advisors or brokers. Cryptocurrency activities like purchasing, trading, holding, and selling have inherent risks. Readers should exercise due diligence before participating. CoinSutra and its writers are not responsible for any investment losses from acting on website or social media content. Visitors participate at their own risk.



Scroll to Top
32 Shares