Researched and last reviewed September 2026 · Written by the GiftMeCrypto research desk
An exchange gift code is the default — free, instant, and it removes the address-copying step that scares beginners. A voucher is the answer only when the physical object is genuinely part of the present, because it costs 6%–18%. And ask yourself honestly whether they wanted a gift card instead.
- Cheapest route
- Exchange gift code — free
- Most giftable
- A voucher, at 6%–18%
- For a child
- A custodial account
- Worst option
- A paper wallet for a beginner
- Honest alternative
- A gift card bought with crypto
The four routes
| Route | Cost | Recipient must | Keys held by | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exchange gift code | Free | Create an account to redeem | Platform, then them | Default choice |
| Prepaid voucher | 6%–18% | Redeem on the issuer's site | Issuer, then them | When the object matters |
| Custodial account you open | Free to low | Nothing, initially | You, as custodian | Best for a child |
| Hold and transfer later | Network fee only | Get a wallet eventually | You, until then | Needs your discipline |
Swipe sideways →
1. An exchange gift code — the default
Binance Gift Card generates a redeemable code for almost any listed asset, with a theme and a message, and no network fee because it settles internally. Robinhood does something similar for US recipients from around $1, delivered as an e-card by text or email. Coinbase offers claim links in supported regions.
All three remove the single biggest source of beginner error — copying a wallet address — and none of them costs anything. The trade-off is that the recipient will need to create an account on that platform, which for someone curious is a reasonable first step and for someone uninterested is a dead end.
2. A prepaid voucher — expensive, and sometimes right
The only route that produces something physical you can put in a card. That matters more than crypto people usually admit: a code in an envelope is a present, and a link in an email is an administrative task.
It is also the most expensive route on this page — 6% to 18% once the reseller margin, redemption fee and withdrawal network fee have all landed. For bitcoin specifically, a flat-fee voucher such as Azteco costs far less than a multi-coin brand. Full arithmetic on our voucher hub.
3. A custodial account — for a child, or a very reluctant adult
You open and manage an account for their benefit. This is the standard answer for a minor and is covered in detail on our gifting to a child page. For an adult it is usually not appropriate — an adult who wants crypto can open their own account, and holding it for them creates tax and ownership complications rather than solving them.
4. Hold it and transfer later
Buy the asset, keep it in your account, and transfer it when the recipient is ready. Cheap and flexible, and it depends entirely on you following through.
Choosing between them
- Ask whether they actually want crypto Not rhetorically. If what they want is to buy something, a gift card bought with crypto is a better gift and costs less. This question resolves a surprising share of cases.
- Ask how much friction they will accept Willing to create an account? Gift code. Not willing? Voucher, or hold and transfer.
- Decide whether the object matters If handing something over is part of the occasion, pay the voucher premium knowingly. If not, do not pay it.
- Pick the asset with them in mind A stablecoin cannot halve before they redeem it. See which coin to gift.
- Write the cost-basis note either way Asset, amount, your acquisition date and cost, gift date. Required in the US, useful everywhere.
Setting it up together is the real gift
The highest-value thing you can do for a first-time recipient is not choosing a clever route. It is sitting down with them for twenty minutes.
- Help them redeem it while you are both there, so it does not sit unredeemed for months
- Explain what they are holding, in one paragraph, without jargon
- Show them how to check the value without installing anything
- Warn them about the two scams they will actually encounter: fake support messages and "double your crypto" offers
- Hand over the cost-basis note and explain why it matters
A gift that gets redeemed, understood and remembered is worth more than a marginally cheaper one that sits in an inbox. Our scam guide is a reasonable thing to send them alongside it.
The most common failure I see is not choosing the wrong route — it is choosing a route with an onboarding step for a recipient who was never going to complete it. The code sits unredeemed, both parties feel mildly awkward about it, and eight months later it comes up in conversation.
So the question I would ask before anything else is the blunt one: does this person want cryptocurrency, or do I want them to want it? If the second, buy them a gift card for something they actually like and keep the crypto. That is a better gift and it costs less.