I am new to the world of crypto currency and while it's nice to see my wallet grow here it's all still just intangible numbers. I decided four days ago to go through the process of withdrawing some Steem Dollars to see how I go about converting them into a real spending currency.
While waiting the required three days to withdraw 37.292 SBD from my Steemit wallet I set up an account at Changelly.com, a crypto coin exchange. I also signed up to Wirex, a place I could deposit my Bitcoin. Wirex is kind of an online bank where you can apply for both a virtual debit card and a real plastic one. The virtual card can be used to make online purchases, the real one can be used in shops and to withdraw cash at an ATM. You load your card up either from your bank account or from your bitcoin wallet.
Once my SBDs had cleared I visited Changelly.com and put in an order to exchange to bitcoin. For 37.292 SBD they would give me 0.023856 bitcoin. With the help of their instructions and with great advice from from 
I made sure to enter my bitcoin address into the order and waited nervously for the exchange to take place. A message flashed up at the top of the screen to say that they were having issues with Poloniex and exchanges were slow at the time. I must have bitten all my nails to the bone as I anxiously waited a full 20 minutes, but finally the exchange was made and within a few minutes deposited into my Wirex account, after taking a little commission of 0.00099411 bitcoin.
I loaded up my Wirex account, transferred some freshly deposited bitcoin to my virtual card and placed a small online order with my regular vaping flavours supplier - I am happy to report that the order went through without a hitch and will be delivered on Tuesday.
It truly feels like I have gone through a rite of passage and I have finally entered into the murky and oftentimes confusing world of crypto currency. Did I make a good exchange for 0.023856 Bitcoin? Probably not, but in terms I can understand I had loaded £54.25 into my account. Steemit and it's earning potential is now that much more real to me. If you are a newbie like myself and not dipped your toe into these waters I would recommend going through the process with a small amount of Steem Dollars. Once you have done it successfully you will understand it all a little better.
Click the picture to read about my steemgigs service - English proof reading - if you need help with spelling or grammar
