What is MoonPay and how does it work?

MoonPay is a crypto payments company that lets people buy and sell crypto with ordinary money, such as a debit card, Apple Pay or a bank transfer. Many people meet it without visiting its site, because wallet apps like Trust Wallet and Phantom use MoonPay to handle purchases. It acts as an on-ramp into crypto and an off-ramp back to cash.

What is MoonPay used for?

MoonPay is mostly used to buy crypto and send it straight to a wallet, or to sell crypto for fiat money. Its pricing disclosure lists card, Apple Pay and Google Pay payments, bank transfers and wires, and a MoonPay fiat balance for buying and selling.

Each order shows its fees as line items before you confirm. The disclosure names three main parts:

• a processing fee, which in the US can be up to 4.5% with a minimum on small orders, as of October 2026
• a network fee for sending the crypto, which varies with blockchain congestion
• a spread built into the quoted price rather than shown separately

Some partners add their own fee, and your bank may charge too. What are crypto fees explains these terms.

What is MoonPay and is it safe to use?

MoonPay is a licensed and registered business in several major markets, which is different from saying any purchase is risk free.

• United States. MoonPay USA LLC is a registered money service business. In June 2025 the New York Department of Financial Services granted it a BitLicense and money transmitter licences, and MoonPay said this let it serve customers in all 50 states.
• European Union. The Dutch regulator AFM authorised MoonPay under MiCA on December 30, 2024. France's AMF lists MoonPay Europe B.V. as licensed to provide crypto exchange and transfer services in France through an EU passport.
• United Kingdom. MoonPay says it is registered as a cryptoasset business with the Financial Conduct Authority.

On security, MoonPay says it encrypts transactions and data, is PCI DSS compliant for card data, and holds certifications including SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001. Its UK site also warns that crypto investing is high risk and that buyers should not expect protection if something goes wrong.

How does MoonPay work with Trust Wallet and Phantom?

Wallets connect to MoonPay rather than selling crypto themselves. Trust Wallet's help center says it does not buy or sell crypto directly. You tap Buy, pick a coin and amount, choose MoonPay as the provider, and complete the steps. MoonPay charges a conversion fee and a network fee, and Trust Wallet says it takes no fee. For problems with limits, verification or a missing purchase, Trust Wallet sends users to MoonPay support. More on the app is in what is Trust Wallet.

Phantom works the same way. In November 2024 Phantom added the option to buy crypto, including SOL, with Venmo through MoonPay, The Defiant reported. See what is Phantom wallet for how that wallet works.

Rules differ by country and change often. Check the provider's terms and your local regulator before you buy.