After deposits and withdrawals of steem was frozen on Polo, I had to search for alternatives, and here I found Changelly, which is awesome and I'll explain why and how to take most of it.
Why
It's fast as Shapeshift but with way better rates. The prices are almost as good as if you'd trade on Bittrex. Currently, 1 BTC will give you 1,359.873 STEEM. On Bittrex the best rate is 0.00072901 BTC, so theoretically you'd get this amount of steem with 0.99607519 BTC. You could think you can take a profit of 0.004 BTC, but no, because when you start trading there, the price fluctuates and you'll get it more expensive. And would you waste hours of trading for 0.004 BTC of 1 BTC? While on Changelly, you just pay and get your STEEM immediately.
The rule of thumb: if you don't want to buy much or you have plenty of time to waste (or just like trading) then use Bittrex, otherwise it's way faster and even cheaper to use Changely.
How
Just few clicks to exchange your crypto, but first you need to register on Changelly. Click Sign Up on the top of the page, enter your email and get the password there:
After you click Continue Signing Up, check your email inbox for the new generated password, so you'll be able to login (before or after you start exchanging).
Now indicate the amount you want to exchange (optionally chose to and from which currency) and click Exchange button:
Yes! It's that easy. Confirm the transaction and you're ready to transfer:
Indicate your STEEM address (the login you use on steemit) and optionally a memo:
Note that I put my login (crypto.girl) there as an example, you don't have to send me your funds, though I don't mind if you send a tip 😍
Memo isn't necessary if you transfer directly to steemit (unless you send me a gift and want to add your message to it). For other wallets there could be a hash to put in that field.
Then confirm that everything is correct (double check you steem address) and you'll get the bitcoin address to transfer to:
Pretty simple! If you don't have bitcoins, you can use your credit card there, but the rates for cards aren't that sweet.
Happy steeming! Don't forget to upvote the post and follow me for more info about cryptos 💰