This post has been sponsored by BC Bitcoin, but I’ve produced this review myself and I have full editorial control of what is said (just like everything else on quickpenguin.net).
Buying cryptocurrency should be a simple process in the UK.
But it’s not uncommon for people to run into roadblocks of all sorts. When that happens, it can be a long and frustrating experience if you can’t get help from the cryptocurrency exchange you’ve chosen.
And while there are more options than ever in the UK, there aren’t many that have great customer service.
In this post, I’m going to cover some of the cryptocurrency platforms that provide the best customer service in the UK and can be trusted with your hard-earned cash.
Things to Consider
Here’s what I looked at when I was comparing the customer service of these places in the UK:
- How are they rated on Trustpilot? Are these reviews legitimate?
- How can you reach them? Can you get them on the phone?
- Do they respond to customer service requests promptly?
- What’s the quality of their responses? Are they actually helpful?
Best Cryptocurrency Customer Service in the UK
BC Bitcoin
| Trustpilot Rating | 4.9 out of 5 (350+ reviews) |
| Support Hours | 08:00 – 23:00 (Monday – Sunday) |
| Response Time | Less than 2 minutes |
| Contact Methods | Telephone, Live Chat, Email / Contact Us Form, WhatsApp, Twitter |
BC Bitcoin is a UK-based cryptocurrency brokerage which was established in October 2017 by a team of veteran traders and investors.
It allows you to buy more than 110 cryptocurrencies – including Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Ripple (XRP) – with a quick and simple UK bank transfer. Even if the cryptocurrency you’re after isn’t shown on their website, more are available if you get in touch with them. They also now accept debit and credits cards, as well as EUR deposits via SEPA bank transfers.
But the thing that separates BC Bitcoin from the pack is their customer support. You can reach them any day of the week between 08:00 and 23:00 via email, live chat, social media, WhatsApp, and even by phone. (Better yet, they actually pick up the phone.)
Phone support isn’t something anyone else on this list does. They all force you into submitting a ticket or talking to them via live chat. Sometimes you just want to talk to a real person.
Once you’ve registered, the whole experience is quick and painless. And if you need a hand, they seem extremely responsive (under two minutes via live chat) and helpful.
Learn more about them in my review, or head over to the BC Bitcoin website to get started.
Cryptomate
| Trustpilot Rating | 4.7 out of 5 (500+ reviews) |
| Response Time | About 20 minutes |
| Support Hours | 10:00 to 22:00 (Monday – Sunday) |
| Contact Methods | Live Chat (Limited), Email / Contact Us Form |
Cryptomate is another UK-based cryptocurrency platform that’s been around since 2015. It works by connecting you with registered brokers who are looking to sell cryptocurrency to you or buy it back.
It currently supports about 30 cryptocurrencies, but they’re adding more all the time. This currently includes favourites like Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Ripple (XRP) – but also harder to get cryptocurrencies like Monero (XMR).
One thing I like about Cryptomate is that you can buy up to £200 per order without needing to verify your identity. On the flip side, I’m not sure how they’re getting away with this – and all the emails I sent to them for clarity have been ignored.
Regardless, there’s lots of positive feedback about it on Trustpilot. To sum it up, people like that it has a simple interface, requires no registration, and is quick. Negative reviews (like the one below) centre around how expensive they tend to be (up to 7% for some cryptocurrencies, which isn’t competitive).
It’s also worth pointing out that their live chat isn’t really live. It feels more like a ticketing system (i.e., email) and you shouldn’t expect a real-time conversation with them. It seemed a little slow to me too – in my most recent test, I had to wait about 20 minutes to get a response.
Check out my full review for more details, or head on over to their website to check it out for yourself.
Coinmama
| Trustpilot Rating | 4.2 out of 5 (200+ reviews) |
| Response Time | About 6 hours |
| Support Hours | 07:00 – 24:00 (Sunday – Thursday) |
| Contact Methods | Live Chat (Limited), Email / Contact Us Form |
Coinmama is a cryptocurrency brokerage that was established in 2013. It’s headquartered in Israel, but has more than 2.2 million users across more than 188 countries that it’s available in (which includes the UK).
It only allows you to buy 10 cryptocurrencies – but this does include all the popular choices, including Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Ripple (XRP). You can make purchases with a bank transfer (via SWIFT, SEPA, or Faster Payments) or a credit/debit card. I would caution strongly against using a credit or debit card though, as I was charged about 14% in fees when I tested it out.
Although there’s a live chat function on the site, you won’t be talking to a real person if you use this (just a bot). You’ll have to email them or submit a support ticket to get in touch with a human. Their support hours are a little strange (no support on Friday or Saturday) and it took a while to get a response to a simple request from them. But when I did get a reply, it was friendly and helpful.
Most of the reviews on Trustpilot are positive, with many highlighting how good Coinmama’s customer service is.
They have some negative reviews, which seem to be about accounts being blocked without any explanation. This can happen in other places and is usually when the platform detects suspicious activity of some sort.
Check out my review for more details, or head on over to their website to learn more.
CoinCorner
| Trustpilot Rating | 3.7 out of 5 (450+ reviews) |
| Response Time | 6 Minutes |
| Support Hours | 09:00 – 17:30 (Monday – Friday) |
| Contact Methods | Live Chat, Email / Contact Us Form |
CoinCorner is a cryptocurrency broker that was founded in 2014 in the Isle of Man. They have more than 200,000 registered users across the 47 countries they support.
Unlike the other options I’ve mentioned, CoinCorner only supports Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), and Ripple (XRP). You’re also only able to deposit and withdraw Bitcoin (BTC). This functionality doesn’t exist for the other cryptocurrencies.
This is quite disappointing – and is something you’ll see mentioned in their Trustpilot reviews too. (People, rightly so, want to take custody of their own cryptocurrency.)
Another thing you’ll find complaints about are CoinCorner’s fees, which are some of the highest I’ve come across.
When I last checked, you would be charged somewhere between 3% and 10% in fees if you were buying Bitcoin (BTC) with funds deposited using a UK bank transfer. You should expect to be quoted towards the top end of this as a new user.
Customer support is only available during normal working hours (Monday to Friday), which means you won’t get a response if you send a ticket over the weekend. However, CoinCorner’s response time during support hours was great (just 6 minutes when I sent a simple query).
Check out my review for more information, or head straight over to their website and check out what CoinCorner has to offer.
Coinbase
| Trustpilot Rating | 1.9 out of 5 (2500+ reviews) |
| Response Time | More than 10 hours |
| Support Hours | 24/7 |
| Contact Methods | Live Chat, Contact Us Form |
Coinbase is a well-known name in the cryptocurrency space. They’ve been around since 2012 and are a reputable cryptocurrency broker that allows you to buy, sell, and store 23 cryptocurrencies. This includes favourites such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Ripple (XRP).
And while Coinbase does offer newcomers a simple and easy way to get started, they are renowned for having poor customer service. Their Trustpilot rating is something out of a nightmare, with 75% of reviews rated 1 out of 5.
Some of this is just spam, but there are numerous reviews which complain about frozen funds and that their customer service is extremely slow. Below is just one of the many that I came across.
This really sucks, but it’s not much of a surprise. With more than 35 million customers across 100 countries, it seemingly just doesn’t have enough customer service agents to handle the demand in a prompt manner. This is made worse by the fact that they recognised the problem back in 2017, but have failed to address it.
Head over to Coinbase’s website to learn more about what they offer.
Summary: What’s the Best Choice?
BC Bitcoin is an all-round good choice to buy and sell cryptocurrency in the UK. But their excellent customer service is what sets them apart from the ever-growing number of alternatives out there.
Here’s why I think that:
- You can get in touch with them every day of the week between 8:00 and 23:00. This is longer than any of the other options I’ve looked closely at.
- There are six ways that you talk to BC Bitcoin. This includes over the phone, which isn’t a contact method for most UK alternatives.
- They’re responsive, with a response time of under 2 minutes when I reached out via live chat. If and when you need help, it’s immediately there.
Nowhere else comes close, especially considering you can buy or sell almost any cryptocurrency with BC Bitcoin.
You can learn more about them in my BC Bitcoin review or click the link below to head over to their website and get registered.
What Do You Think?
What platform do YOU think offers the best customer service in the UK?
Comment below and let me know (and why)!