MoonPay doesn't hold your money—you move it yourself through your bank
MoonPay is a payment processor that lets you buy cryptocurrency with a bank transfer or card. Once you own the crypto, MoonPay's role ends. To get money back into your bank account, you sell the cryptocurrency on an exchange (like Coinbase or Kraken), withdraw the dollars to your bank, and that's where the actual transfer happens. MoonPay itself has no "withdraw to bank" button because MoonPay never holds dollars—only the record that you bought crypto through them.
The path is: sell your crypto on an exchange → request a withdrawal to your bank account → wait for the bank transfer to settle. The speed and fees depend on which exchange you use and which bank you have, not on MoonPay.
Key Takeaways
- MoonPay is a purchase gateway only—it processes your initial buy but does not hold your cryptocurrency or dollars afterward.
- To move money to your bank, you must first sell your cryptocurrency on a separate exchange platform.
- Bank transfers from exchanges typically take one to three business days, depending on your bank and the exchange's processing speed.
- Fees come from the exchange's withdrawal fee and your bank's incoming wire fee, not from MoonPay.
- Your cryptocurrency lives in a wallet or exchange account you control, not in MoonPay's system.
Where your cryptocurrency actually sits after you buy it
When you buy crypto through MoonPay, the dollars leave your bank and the cryptocurrency arrives in one of two places: a wallet you own, or an exchange account you created. MoonPay tells you which one during checkout. If you chose a self-hosted wallet (like MetaMask or a hardware wallet), the crypto is yours to move anywhere. If you chose an exchange like Coinbase, the crypto sits in your Coinbase account.
This matters because you can only withdraw dollars from the place where the crypto currently lives. If your Bitcoin is in a MetaMask wallet, you cannot withdraw directly to your bank—you have to move it to an exchange first, sell it there, then withdraw. If it landed in Coinbase, you can sell and withdraw from Coinbase without moving it.
Check your MoonPay receipt or confirmation email. It will say something like "Sent to: [wallet address]" or "Sent to: Your Coinbase account". That tells you where to go next.
Selling your cryptocurrency on an exchange
If your crypto is in a self-hosted wallet, you need to move it to an exchange that lets you withdraw to a US bank account. Coinbase, Kraken, and Gemini all do this. Create an account on the exchange, verify your identity (this takes minutes to a few hours), and then transfer your crypto from your wallet to your exchange deposit address.
Once the crypto arrives at the exchange (usually within minutes for Bitcoin or Ethereum, though it varies), go to the "Sell" or "Trade" section, choose the amount you want to convert to dollars, and confirm. The dollars appear in your exchange account balance when ready. You now have a dollar balance sitting at the exchange, not cryptocurrency.
If your crypto is already at an exchange like Coinbase, skip the transfer step. Go straight to the sell screen, sell what you want, and your account balance updates to show dollars instead of crypto.
Requesting a withdrawal to your bank account
Once you have a dollar balance at the exchange, find the "Withdraw" button—usually in the account menu or under a "Funding" section. Select "Bank Account" or "ACH Transfer" as the destination. The exchange will ask you to confirm the bank account you want the money sent to. This must be a US bank account in your name.
Enter the amount you want to withdraw. The exchange will show you its withdrawal fee (often $0 to $10 for ACH transfers, though some exchanges charge more). Confirm the withdrawal. At this point, the dollars leave the exchange and enter the banking system.
You will receive a confirmation email with a reference number. Save it. The exchange will also show the withdrawal as "pending" in your account history.
How long the money takes to arrive
An ACH transfer from an exchange to your bank typically takes one to three business days. This is the standard US bank-to-bank transfer speed. Weekends and holidays do not count as business days, so a withdrawal requested on Friday afternoon may not arrive until Wednesday.
Some exchanges offer faster options—Kraken has a "Priority" withdrawal that can arrive the same day, though it costs more. Coinbase offers next-business-day delivery through its when ready Cashout feature, also for a fee. Check what your exchange offers before you request the withdrawal if speed matters.
Your bank may also add a day or two if it processes incoming transfers in batches. Call your bank's customer service line if the money does not arrive within four business days of the withdrawal request.
Fees you will pay
You pay two separate fees: one to the exchange for withdrawing, and possibly one to your bank for receiving a wire or ACH transfer. The exchange fee ranges from $0 to $25 depending on which platform you use and how you withdraw. Coinbase charges $0 for standard ACH withdrawals. Kraken charges $5. Gemini charges $0.
Your bank may charge an incoming wire fee if the exchange sends the money as a wire transfer rather than an ACH transfer. This is usually $10 to $15 and appears on your bank statement. ACH transfers are free to receive at most banks. Ask your exchange which method it uses before you withdraw, or call your bank to ask what it charges for incoming transfers.
MoonPay itself takes no fee for the withdrawal because MoonPay is not involved in the process. The fee you paid to MoonPay was when you bought the crypto—that was already deducted from your purchase amount.
What to do if your crypto is stuck in a wallet you cannot access
If you bought through MoonPay and chose a wallet option you no longer have access to (a lost password, a deleted app, a hardware wallet you misplaced), the cryptocurrency is still there—but you cannot move it without the wallet credentials. This is not a MoonPay problem; it is a wallet security problem.
If the wallet is a well-known one like MetaMask, you can recover it using your seed phrase (a list of 12 or 24 words you should have written down when you created the wallet). If you have the seed phrase, you can restore the wallet on any device and regain access. If you do not have the seed phrase and cannot remember the password, the crypto is effectively locked away and cannot be recovered.
Contact the wallet provider's support team to ask about recovery options, but be aware that legitimate wallet providers will never ask for your seed phrase or password. If someone claiming to represent the wallet asks for these, it is a scam.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I withdraw directly from MoonPay to my bank account?
No. MoonPay only processes the purchase of cryptocurrency. Once the transaction is complete, your money is in crypto form, not dollars. You must sell the crypto on an exchange and withdraw from there.
How much does it cost to move money from MoonPay to my bank?
MoonPay charges nothing for the withdrawal itself. You pay the exchange's withdrawal fee (usually $0 to $10 for ACH) and possibly your bank's incoming transfer fee ($10 to $15 if it is a wire). The total is typically $0 to $25.
What if I bought crypto through MoonPay but do not remember which exchange it went to?
Check your MoonPay confirmation email. It will list the destination wallet address or exchange account. If you have the wallet address, you can search it on a blockchain explorer like Etherscan to see where the crypto currently is. If it went to an exchange, log into that exchange with the email you used for MoonPay.
Can I withdraw to a bank account that is not in my name?
No. Exchanges require the bank account to be in the same name as your verified account. This is a federal anti-money-laundering requirement. If you need to send money to someone else, withdraw to your own account first, then transfer it to them separately.
What happens if the exchange I used goes out of business?
Your cryptocurrency is still on the blockchain and in your wallet—it does not disappear. You can move it to another exchange or wallet using your private keys or seed phrase. Your dollars in the exchange account are at risk, which is why it is best to withdraw to your bank as soon as you have sold the crypto.