Wondering what percentage does a bitcoin kiosk charge? Cash still dominates day-to-day spending, and when you need money instantly, an automated teller machine is the simplest route. Bitcoin’s original design targets electronic cash, so exchanging cash and crypto fits naturally. The scarcer piece is the crypto kiosk itself: they’re concentrated in cash-heavy markets and busy venues, and availability varies by city.
Using a Bitcoin kiosk lets you buy—and at some kiosks, sell—digital coins for cash on the spot and send them to your wallet. That speed carries a premium: typical kiosk fees range from 5% to 20% depending on the kiosk brand, operator policies, location, and direction of trade. In practice, many markets cluster around an average near 12% on buys, while sell fees are often lower on average (commonly in the 5%–10% band). As a reference, purchasing $200 in BTC with a 12% surcharge adds $24, whereas major online platforms often charge under 1% per transaction.
How Crypto Kiosk Fees Are Determined?
- Exchange-rate margin. Operators pull a reference price via API calls, then add an 8%–15% buffer to cover risk and profit.
- Service and processing fee. This helps pay for machines, upkeep, cash collection, and compliance operations.
- Network (blockchain) fee. Blockchain congestion can push transaction costs to about $2–$5 or higher to secure timely confirmation.
- Blended pricing (percentage plus flat fee). Many kiosks combine a percentage with a small flat add-on, which can matter more on smaller buys.
Bitcoin kiosks tend to price in the cost of immediacy: cash handling, physical maintenance, fraud risk, and compliance overhead are bundled into a wider spread than you typically see online.
Buying Versus Selling
- Buying (typically 8%–15%). Most kiosks are buy-only because customers commonly convert spare cash into crypto.
- Selling (typically 5%–10%). True two-way kiosks are fewer. Dispensing cash requires vaulting, float control, and frequent reloads, which raises costs and risk.
Regulatory Note: Know-your-customer and anti-money-laundering requirements differ by jurisdiction and, in the United States, by state. Some machines request phone checks or other identification, while others permit smaller limits with lighter verification.
Ways to reduce out-of-pocket cost include:
- Compare operators and nearby locations before you insert cash, since spreads can vary widely even within the same city.
- If a flat fee is listed, consider whether a slightly larger transaction makes that flat add-on a smaller share of your total.
- Check network conditions when possible, since higher blockchain congestion can raise the network portion of the cost.
- If you do not need cash-based speed or privacy, compare the all-in total against an online exchange or card-based on-ramp first.
Fee Snapshots From the Field (Illustrative)
Illustrative fee quotes reported for several major operators are summarized below; exact pricing varies by machine, location, and market conditions.
| Operator | Buy Fee (%) | Buy Flat Fee | Sell Fee (%) | Sell Flat Fee | Buy/Sell Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CoinFlip | ~7.1% | ~$3 | Not listed | Not listed | Buy-only (typically) |
| RockItCoin | ~18.7% | ~$1 | ~16.3% | ~$1 | Two-way |
| Athena Bitcoin | 10%–25% | Not listed | ~5% | Not listed | Two-way |
| Bitcoin Depot | ~20% | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Buy-only (generally) |
| Coinme | 6.99%–20% (noted globally) | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not specified |
Based on the example quotes above, CoinFlip is often among the lower-fee options for purchases where it’s available, while two-way machines can carry materially higher spreads. Your “lowest fee” option can still change by address, limits, and the specific screen-quoted rate at the time you transact.
Quick Fee Calculator
To estimate what you might pay as a customer—or what you might collect as an operator—adjust the buy or sell amount and tweak the percentage, flat add-on, and blockchain cost to see the effective rate per transaction.
Example for $100: On a buy with a 12% kiosk surcharge, you would pay about $12 in percentage fees. If the machine also adds a $3 flat fee and the network portion is $2–$5, the total cost is commonly around $17–$20 for a $100 transaction (and could range from about $5 to $25+ depending on whether the machine is closer to 5% or 20%, and whether a flat add-on applies).
Example for $1,000: At 12%, the percentage portion alone is about $120. With a $1–$3 flat fee and a $2–$5 network portion, a typical total might land around $123–$128, while common outcomes can range from roughly $50 to $200+ depending on the quoted percentage and whether pricing is percentage-only or includes a flat add-on.
How much Bitcoin you get for $100 depends on the all-in fees and the reference Bitcoin price. A simple way to estimate is: Bitcoin received = (cash inserted − total fees) ÷ reference BTC price. For example, if you insert $100, pay $17 in total fees, and the reference price is $50,000 per BTC, then about $83 converts into BTC, or roughly 0.00166 BTC.
How to Estimate Fees: Kiosk Fee = Amount × (Kiosk % ÷ 100) + Flat Fee. Total Fee = Kiosk Fee + Blockchain Fee. Example: On $200 with 12% and no flat fee, Kiosk Fee = $24. Add a $0.50 network fee and Total Fee = $24.50.
The Business Side: Operating Kiosks Versus Running an Exchange
For operators, that 5%–20% convenience spread can underpin a solid business, especially when paired with an online exchange.
- Run both exchange and kiosk. Use an exchange for low-fee digital flow and kiosks for walk-up cash demand. Pricing and accounts live on the exchange, while kiosks convert cash-first users who skip sign-ups.
- Consider unit economics by location. Foot traffic, rent or revenue share, and armored cash logistics largely shape margins.
- Ensure compliance and monitoring. Essential for scale. Choose software that embeds robust controls and reporting.
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If you are weighing kiosks, also weigh an exchange business to reach users without physical overhead.
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Bottom Line
Crypto kiosks deliver instant cash-to-crypto and crypto-to-cash, but the fee premium is significant. They can be worth it when you value speed, cash access, or local availability more than minimizing fees; they are often not worth it for larger or repeat purchases where an online exchange’s lower spreads can outweigh the convenience.
For companies, combining a kiosk network with a white-label exchange can maximize reach and unit economics; a digital-first path keeps overhead low while preserving control.
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