Why I Use Gemini As My Fiat Exchange &
Why You Should Consider It Too...
Some time ago it seems when I first drank the Crypto Kool-Aid as it were, I did what just about everyone does to try to get their hands on their first piece of that sweet, sweet Crypto. I went to Coinbase, as that seems to be the most heavily recommended fiat exchange out there in the Crypto-Verse. I completely understand why, it seems to be very, very simple for the amazingly green Noob that I was. All you need to do is make an account, attach a debit or credit card and Whamo! Your a Crypto investor now. Well, that wasn't the case for me.
When going through the steps that a 6 y/o could manage, when I got to the "ADD ACCOUNT" popup, this is where things started going down hill for me
.
I uploaded my debit card and began the verification process which basically consists of CoinBase charging you two small transactions of which you are to tell them the cent value of each to verify that it is your account and that you are in control of it. An example would be, Coinbase charges your card for $1.12 and $1 09, once the micro payments are visible to you in your online statement you then return to your login page and there you'll be asked to fill in the 00.12 and the 00.09 cents to prove your account is, well, your's. The full amount of the small one time transactions are credited back to your account within a couple of days depending on you bank.
So off I went...
Sounds Great!
Well not so great for me due to the fact that the fraud protection on my bank account tripped and denied both micro verification payments. My bank, I use Ally which I think they are awesome, called me immediately to discuss the seemingly fraudulent transactions. I talked with them to explain that it was me and they let me know that the charges would remain declined but that they would sorta "whitelist" Coinbase so that I would be able to use their service.
KOOL & The Gang, Right?
Not so much. Coinbase flagged my card so that I was not able to use it through the automated part of the platform. I reached out to customer support and still to this day I have yet to hear a word from them. I know that I could have used other cards, attached a bank accounts, tried to get customer support again, etc. To me it seemed like it should be easier or at the very least more rewarding once you get everything completed. I mean at the time they hadn't added BCH so you only had 3 Cryptos to chose from. I was green enough that I didn't know about free transactions to GDAX where I could have then transferred from GDAX to any other exchange to secure a position in pretty much any coin or token avalible.
Like I said, Green.
So after doing a bit more research I formed an opinion of my own on why Coinbase is so popular.
I think the number one reason is due to their referral program.
And that's a great way to build the exchange and for both sides or I guess I should say all three parties to benefit in the deal. Also, I feel it has to have some impact on recommending it due to the personal gain. Even though everyone it "gaining" I think if it were not for the referral program there would not be nearly the people pushing it as a great exchange. Just my personal opinion. I feel that if buying a few hundred dollars worth of the the four more well know currencies theyoffer just to dip your toe in, then Coinbase may be all you'll ever need.
Set aside the aforementioned problems that I had, which were bothersome but certainly with a little more diligence would have been easily overcome. What really hit home for me personally, was the exchange rate. It was never were I thought it should, granted I was new but I was learning fast and the exchange rate going by the exchanges I was using for due diligence such as Binace and even GDAX which many of you are aware I'm sure is owned by Coinbase.
With that being said, if your intentions are to wade out a little deeper in the digital asset ocean, you may want to take a look around at some of your options.
Other then the one I am using now I won't be getting in to all of them although, I will try to write posts on some a ones I have used.
Gemini
Gemini
My Exchange Of Choice
Gemini has been a great platform for me to make consistent deposits to add to my positions in the Cryptocurrency world. I was first shown their service by 
Getting an account set up is simple all be it not instant.
Once you fill out all your personal information there is a delay for verification of said information. For me it took about 36 hours.
I will tell you the best part for me when using Gemini, once approved and verified you can deposit your fiat and buy crypto instantly. Locking in at the current price. There isn't a delay so you are able to be invested right then. The only caveat is that you cannot move your crypto off of the Gemini exchange until the transaction clears between your bank and them. Which once again, is fine by me due to the fact that being able to lock in a price on BTC or ETH or whichever crypto is far move important to me.
Exchange GUI
The Graphic User Interface is clear and simple to navigate even for the relative new comer within a few short minutes of landing on it. Putting in a ### Market or ### Limit order is child play and it is kept very current and up to date with a 5 second refresh.
Another huge benefit to using Gemini in my opinion is there is a record of every transaction kept right on your dashboard which makes organizing your history super simple.
I hope this brief overview of Gemini helped you consider other fiat exchanges other than Coinbase. It has been a much better experience for myself and everyone that has taken me up on my advice.
Let me know what exchange you are having an enjoyable experience with.