Summary
Netcoins Review
The bottom line is that Netcoins is a secure, easy to use platform for beginners to trade Bitcoin and major cryptocurrencies. They have 30+ altcoins, a Bitcoin rewards Card, and free Interac e-Transfers for quick deposits and withdrawals.
However, the drawbacks include a 0.50% trading fee and larger spreads compared to other Canadian cryptocurrency exchanges. You also won't find advanced trading features, recurring purchases, or a large selection of altcoins.
Despite being easy to use and highly secure, Netcoins is not the best or cheapest crypto exchange in Canada. Canada has many great crypto exchanges and if you want lower fees, more coins, or advanced trading, you can find all of that on VirgoCX.
Pros & Cons of Netcoins
- Free Prepaid Card with 3% Bitcoin cash back for 90 days then 1% afterwards
What Is Netcoins?
Netcoins is a Vancouver-based cryptocurrency exchange and their mission "is to make it easy for anyone to buy and sell crypto in a trusted environment."
The first impressions of Netcoins are a simple and clean user-interface. The platform is geared towards beginners and the key features include 35+ cryptocurrencies, a Bitcoin rewards card, and Interac e-Transfers. It's also owned by a publicly traded company which adds a layer of safety.
Originally, the company started out by providing a Virtual Bitcoin ATM service to over 170,000 stores across 3 continents. Eventually, they pivoted to what they are today, a cryptocurrency trading platform.
Background
- Headquartered in Vancouver 🇨🇦
- Founded in 2014
- Owned by BIGG Digital Assets (publicly traded company)
- 30+ employees according to LinkedIn
Who Owns Netcoins?
Netcoins is owned by BIGG Digital Assets, a public company on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE). BIGG Digital Assets owns, operates, and invests in a variety of cryptocurrency-related companies.
Key Features & Benefits
Netcoins key features include 35+ digital assets, an easy user-interface, a Bitcoin rewards card, and support for Interac e-Transfers. It's also a safe, regulated platform with a good reputation. The key things it's missing are lower fees (trading fees + spread), advanced trading, recurring purchases, and a wider selection of atlcoins.
Trading Dashboard
Regardless of your experience level, Netcoins makes it easy to trade Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies. As you can see in the screenshot below, they have a simple user interface that's also accessible on their mobile app. You can place Instant (market) orders or limit orders. On the downside, advanced traders will have to go somewhere else (like NDAX) because there are no charting tools, advanced order types, or pro trading features.
36 Coins Offered
Netcoins currently supports 36 cryptocurrencies. You'll find the large market cap coins like BTC, ETH, DOGE, DOT, USDC, SOL, SHIB, GALA, SAND, ADA, and more. You can view all supported coins on their home page.
While Netcoins can be a a good fiat on/off ramp as your starting point, you may want to use an altcoin exchange in combination with Netcoins for access to more atlcoins. You can also see my guide on how to buy any altcoin in Canada.
Netcoins Prepaid Mastercard
If you want to earn Bitcoin cash back instead of loyalty points or airmiles, Netcoins Pay might be worth checking out. It's a prepaid Mastercard that offers 3% Bitcoin cash back on your first 90 days, then 1% afterwards. Since it's a prepaid card there is no credit check or minimum income requirements. The card is completely free and comes in physical and virtual form.
Publicly Traded
Netcoins is on a small list of crypto exchanges that are publicly traded on the stock market. It's owned by a company called BIGG Digital Assets. Although most Canadian exchanges are safe, this might help you sleep better at night since it adds an additional layer of safety like public financial reports and regular audits. Other publicly traded crypto exchanges include Coinbase, Bitbuy, Coinsmart, and Wealthsimple.
Customer Support
Netcoins offers live support 7 days a week via chat, phone and email. You can also access articles and FAQs in their knowledge desk. We have not tested their customer service so we cannot vouch for the quality or speed of their responses.
- Phone: (1-844-515-2646)
- Live Chat or Open a Ticket: (https://netcoins.ca/contact-us/)
- Email: (support@netcoins.ca)
- FAQs: (https://netcoins.zendesk.com/hc/en-us)
Other Netcoins Features
- Ethereum staking coming soon
- Free CAD deposit and withdrawals with Interac e-Transfer
- Referral program: You both get $25 free when they trade $100 or more
- Deposit USD and set USD or CAD as the base currency for your account
- Price Alerts
- Credit card purchases (although it has high fees)
Opening An Account
How Long Does Netcoins Take To Verify?
Netcoins is one of the fastest places to open an account. I completed the entire process in under two minutes. Netcoins has an automated KYC process that allows users to get verified instantly. Once you fill out your name, address, and some other info, you should be instantly verified and ready to deposit and trade.
Fees & Spread
Fees are one of the most important things to consider when choosing an investment platform. However, looking at trading fees alone can be misleading. You must also look at the spreads which are often a hidden fee. So I tested 18 platforms on the same day and time. Here is how Netcoins performed.
All fees considered, Netcoins's Total BTC Purchase Fee was 1.24% (6th place out of 18). The Total BTC Selling Fee was 1.42% (8th place) and the BTC spread was 1.67% (11th place).
In Canada, NDAX.io had the lowest Total BTC Purchase Fee at 0.49%. VirgoCX was second at 0.66% and Newton was third at 0.69%. You can compare all platforms tested here.
Fee Type | Amount |
|---|---|
*Total BTC Purchase Fee | 1.24% (6th place) |
*Total BTC Selling Fee | 1.42% (8th place) |
Trading Fee | 0.50% |
CAD Deposits | Free |
CAD Withdrawals | Free |
BTC Withdrawal Fee | 0.00025 BTC |
Other Fees | N/A |
We tested 18 Canadian cryptocurrency exchanges at the same time to compare the true fees. This data was collected on Mar 2, 2022 at 4:41pm and is subject to change since spreads and prices change daily.
- Total BTC Purchase Fee = CAD Deposit Fee + Trading Fee + Reference Price Difference
- Total BTC Selling Fee = CAD Withdrawal Fee + Trading Fee + Reference Price Difference
You can compare all platforms from the price test on this page.
Price Test & Spread
Mar 2, 2022 | Prices |
|---|---|
BTC Spread | 1.67% (11th place) |
BTC Buy Price | $56,189 |
BTC Sell Price | $55,263 |
Ref. Price Difference | Buy: +0.74% Sell: -0.92% |
Reference Price (Google) | $55,774 |
Deposit & Withdrawals
Netcoins is a good fiat on/off ramp for Canadians. All CAD deposits and withdrawals are free of charge. They also have the convenient options of Interac e-Transfer and wire transfer. You also have the option to fund and withdraw USD.
Deposits
Type | Fee | Time | Limits (24 hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
Interac e-Transfer | Free | Nearly Instant | Min $10 - Max $10,000 |
Wire Transfer | Free | 0-3 Business Days | Min $500 |
🇺🇸 USD Wire | Free | 0-3 Business Days | Min $500 |
Credit / Debit Card (via Simplex a 3rd-party platform) | 3%-20% (min $10 USD) | Instant | Min $62 - Max $24,986 |
Withdrawals
Type | Fee | Time | Limits (24 hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
Interac e-Transfer | Free | 0-3 Hours | Min $10 - Max $10,000 |
Wire Transfer | Free | 0-3 Business Days | Min $1,000 |
🇺🇸 USD Wire | Free | 0-3 Business Days | Min $1,000 |
Crypto Withdrawal Fees
Type | Fee | Minimum Withdrawal |
|---|---|---|
Bitcoin | 0.00025 BTC | 0.0005 BTC |
Ethereum | 0.005 ETH | 0.001 ETH |
USDC | 40 USDC | 80 USDC |
XLM | 1 XLM | 2 XLM |
Security
Netcoins' parent company is a public company. They are also FINTRAC licensed and regulated as a Money Service Business in Canada and OSC regulated in Ontario. So if you use Netcoins, you'll be sure you're dealing with a legitimate company. They also have additional features like 2FA and have been operating since 2014 with no hacks.
Although Netcoins is considered safe, it's not ideal to hold coins with a third party. For maximum security, it's always recommended to store crypto on a hardware wallet like the Ledger Nano S or Keystone Pro Wallet.
In addition, Netcoins offers the following security features we found online:
User Security Features
Company Security Features
Netcoins Alternatives
Netcoins vs. Newton
Both platforms are easy to use but Newton has more to offer with lower fees. Netcoins has 35+ coins, 0.50% trading fees, and a 1.24% total BTC/CAD purchase fee when tested. Newton has 70+ coins, zero trading fees, and a 0.69% total fee.
Netcoins vs. Wealthsimple
Wealthsimple is better for stocks but Netcoins is the better choice for crypto. Wealthsimple has 50+ cryptocurrencies (versus 35+ for Netcoins) and more features to offer. However, the total BTC purchase fee was 2.94% (versus 1.67%) making it one of the most expensive crypto platforms in Canada.
Here are the best crypto exchanges for Canadians right now. We assessed 18 platforms across 60 variables and 1080+ data points.
