You now have Bitcoin, on a piece of paper
what now?
Hold up! Do you have an android phone? Go here instead! If not, keep reading
Right now you have a piece of paper with some funky looking squares. You were told it holds bitcoin.
If you’re new to virtual money, this should help get you started.
You have this (a bitcoin paper wallet)! This paper is holding onto some bitcoins ready to be taken!
To send and receive Bitcoin, you use a wallet. With a Bitcoin Wallet, you can send and receive bitcoin to anyone in the world.
“Hold up. What is a wallet?”
Oh right, well let’s use an comparison to something you might already understand.
There are many different bitcoin wallets available for you to choose from. Although ideally, a bitcoin wallet available on your phone is handy!
While there are many options available, for this tutorial I’m using GreenAddress.it
I used a mobile browser for the tutorial, but feel free to do this from a laptop with a webcam! The account will still be usable on your phone.
Using the web browser on your phone (safari, chrome, internet explorer, etc), navigate to GreenAddress.it and setup your first Bitcoin Wallet in 4 Steps!
Congratulations! You now have your first Bitcoin Wallet! Now let’s load this with the bitcoin from your paper wallet!
Click the top left corner to activate the Menu
We want bitcoin! So click Receive Money
Scroll to the bottom, the private key from your paper wallet will be entered in the Private key in WIF format field
There is no way I am spending my time typing in all those numbers and letters!
Whew! I wouldn’t either!
On your mobile phone, do you have a Barcode Scanning app? Open this scanner. If your on a computer, you can use your webcam!
Scan the private key QR code that is on the paper wallet (that’s the funky square on the right). This should give a string of numbers and letters.
You can then copy and paste this text into Green Address!
Voila, done.
Great! What can I do with my bitcoin now?
