Went to buy some EOS today, and as I was checking my options, I realized https://changelly.com/ supports EOS now!
So what I did to handle the transaction was I bought some DASH on Bittrex, sent the Dash into the Changelly transaction, and got an output of EOS into my Metamask wallet which already has the EOS key registered.
I am not sure I saved a dime, but I certainly saved 40 minutes of hassle and multiple transactions, with the risks of something going wrong like Bitfinex not confirming a deposit or withdrawal. Had I used bitcoin at all I may have done worse because network fees are ridiculous these days. (Exodus wants to charge $23 to send Bitcoin!)
To buy EOS on Bitfinex, first I would have to send my Dash to Bitfinex. Then I would have to wait for a confirmation of my transaction at Bitfinex. Then I would have to sell my Dash for Bitcoin. Then I would have to use Bitcoin to buy EOS. Then I would have to withdraw my EOS into my Metamask wallet.
With Changelly, it turned that entire process into 1 step. Send my Dash to the Changelly address they give, and then I can walk away and forget about it. The final conversion was 8.758 DASH for 1,026.22121764 EOS.
My Dash was trading for 198.00 USDT on Bittrex. So my EOS pricing would be $1.689 per EOS which is competitive. It is not a steal but I am fine with it in this case. If I wanted to penny pinch, I wouldn't bother being in crypto anyway since network fees are getting absurd with Bitcoin, and coinbase charges something like 4% to convert to cash.
Anyway, it's a decent alternative I think, considering the speed and less hassle. Increasingly, I am noticing how doing things with crypto trades can often result in multi-hour processes of hopping funds between exchanges, and then hitting a bottleneck with a wallet systems being disabled on an exchange or a deposit not confirming in time. Worst case, this could land you in a customer support ticket, and your funds could be frozen for days (weeks on poloniex).
I also should mention Exodus does a conversion in their wallet system, which I aught to try sometime. I just did not try it this time because my Exodus EOS key is not registered.