Let's be honest: "investing in crypto" sounds big, scary, and expensive. You hear stories of wild price swings and people investing thousands of dollars. As a beginner, it’s natural to feel intimidated and think, "I'll just sit this one out."
But what if you could start investing in Bitcoin with the spare change from your morning coffee? Not with a $1,000 investment, but with $0.50?
This is where "spare change" investing comes in, and Robinhood has a powerful, low-friction tool designed to do exactly that. It's called Round-Ups, and it's the easiest, lowest-stakes way to get started in the crypto world.
Think of it as the 21st-century version of a change jar, but instead of collecting physical coins, it automatically buys you a digital asset.
What Are Robinhood's "Round-Ups"?
The concept is incredibly simple. When you use the Robinhood Cash Card (their debit card) for your daily purchases, the Round-Ups feature will automatically:
- Round up your purchase to the nearest whole dollar.
- Set aside the "spare change" from that transaction.
- Invest that change automatically into an asset you choose.
Here's a real-world example:
- You buy a coffee for $4.30.
- Robinhood automatically rounds that up to $5.00.
- The $0.70 difference is set aside.
- Once your "set aside" change builds up, Robinhood automatically buys your chosen asset.
And the best part? You can tell it to buy Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), or another crypto Robinhood offers.
Why This Is a Perfect Strategy for Beginners
This isn't just a gimmick; it's a powerful investing strategy in disguise.
- It Automates Dollar-Cost Averaging (DCA): DCA is the strategy of investing a fixed amount of money at regular intervals, regardless of the price. Round-ups are a form of DCA. By investing small amounts every day or week, you avoid the trap of "timing the market" and naturally average out your purchase price over time.
- It Removes All Emotion: Crypto is volatile. Watching the charts can be a stressful rollercoaster. This method completely removes that emotion. You're not making a "big bet"; you're just... buying coffee. Your investment builds in the background without you even thinking about it.
- It's the Lowest-Friction Entry Point: This is the definition of "set it and forget it." You set it up once, and then you just live your life. It's the perfect way to get "skin in the game" and start learning how crypto moves without any of the high-stakes pressure.
How to Set Up Crypto Round-Ups on Robinhood
Ready to start? The setup takes about two minutes.
Prerequisite: This feature is tied to the Robinhood Cash Card, which is their spending debit card, not your main brokerage account. You'll need to have one of these cards to use Round-Ups.
- From your Robinhood app home screen, go to the Spending tab (the money icon).
- Find the "Round-ups" section and select it.
- You will be prompted to "Choose an investment" (or change your current one).
- In the search bar, type the name of the cryptocurrency you want, such as "Bitcoin" or "Ethereum."
- Select it and confirm.
That's it. Now, every time you make a purchase with your Cash Card, the spare change will be automatically earmarked to buy your chosen crypto.
Let's Be Honest: Will This Make You a Millionaire?
It's important to set the right expectations.
No. You will not become a crypto millionaire from $0.70 coffee round-ups.
But that's not the point. The point of this feature isn't to generate massive wealth overnight. The power of the round-up is that it builds the habit of investing. It proves that anyone can start, even with the smallest amount.
It turns your daily spending—a liability—into an automated savings and investment engine. And over the course of a year, you'll be shocked at how much you've accumulated in an asset you were once too intimidated to even buy.
This feature explains how Robinhood's debit card can help you invest.
Robinhood's new debit card lets users invest spare change
