Article Summary
This article explains how to fund a bitcoin send with your cash balance or a linked bank account, including fees, minimums, and what happens if a send fails.
You can fund a bitcoin send with your cash balance or a linked bank account, even if you do not hold any bitcoin. River buys bitcoin for the amount you enter and sends that bitcoin to your destination in one step.
Above images are for demonstrative purposes only.
Step 1: Start a send
To send bitcoin at river.com, click "Transact" in the bottom-left corner of your River homepage, then click "Send bitcoin." If you are using the River app, tap "Send" on your homepage.
Step 2: Enter destination
Enter a bitcoin address, Lightning invoice, LNURL-Pay, or Lightning address in the "Bitcoin destination" field, then click "Continue." If you are using the River app, tap "Continue."
To send bitcoin with River Link instead, please see this Help Center article.
Step 3: Enter amount
Enter the amount you would like to send in USD or BTC. On river.com, click "Switch currency" to change between the two. If you are using the River app, tap the currency switch icon.
The minimum is $0.25 when you fund your send with your cash balance and $10 when you fund it with a linked bank account. Standard send minimums also apply, such as 0.0001 BTC for on-chain sends.
Step 4: Choose funding method
Below the amount, click the line that begins with "Using" to open "Funding method," then choose "Cash balance" or your linked bank account. If you are using the River app, tap the same line, then tap "Cash balance" or your linked bank account.
Your bitcoin balance is selected by default. On river.com, if the selected funding method cannot cover the amount you entered, River suggests an alternate available method that can cover the amount you are sending. If you are using the River app, open "Funding method" and choose an option that can cover the amount.
Step 5: Review and send
On river.com, click "Continue" to open "Preview send." Choose "Standard" or "Priority" under "Network fee," review your total, then click "Send now." If you are using the River app, tap "Continue," choose your send speed, review your total, then tap "Send now." If River asks for your two-factor verification code, enter it to continue.
Your total includes River's standard buy fee and spread on the bitcoin purchase, plus the network fee for the send speed you choose. These are the same fees you pay on a regular buy and a regular send. For more information on River's fees, please see this Help Center article.
Step 6: Bitcoin send initiated
You will receive a confirmation once your send has been initiated. For more information on tracking your send, please see this Help Center article.
Please note:
- Each send uses one funding method. You cannot split a send between your cash balance and a linked bank account.
- If ForceField is on, bitcoin you send using cash counts toward your ForceField send limit.
- When you fund a River Link with cash, River's buy fee and spread apply to the bitcoin purchase, and the River Link itself stays free. If the River Link is canceled or expires, the bitcoin returns to your bitcoin balance, not your cash balance.
Who can send bitcoin using cash?
If your account can send bitcoin on River, you can fund a send with your available cash balance (or your available bitcoin balance).
How much you can send from a linked bank account, or from cash that is still in its holding period, depends on your instant withdrawal limit and your available balances. For more information on instant withdrawal, please see this Help Center article.
Any funding method that cannot cover your send is unavailable in "Funding method." If none can cover it, you will not be able to continue.
What if my send fails?
If River buys the bitcoin but the send fails, the bitcoin stays in your bitcoin balance and you can try the send again. You are not charged a network fee for a send that fails.
If the bitcoin buy is cancelled before it completes, nothing is bought or sent. If you used a linked bank account, your bank is not charged. River will send you an email if this happens.
How will this show up on my account?
A send funded with cash appears as two linked items in your activity: a bitcoin buy and a bitcoin send. Your account statements list both, each described as a "Cash-funded bitcoin send." CSV exports list the buy and the send as separate rows.