What is Tangem wallet and how does it work?

Tangem wallet is a hardware wallet that looks like a bank card. A chip inside each card creates the private key and keeps it there. Users manage their crypto in the Tangem phone app and confirm actions by tapping the card on the phone, which connects through NFC, the short-range radio used for contactless payments.

How does a Tangem card work?

Tangem says the key is generated on the chip and never leaves it. The chip has a CC EAL6+ security certification, and the card needs no charging.

The phone acts only as a screen and does not store the keys, so a lost phone can be replaced by installing the app again and scanning the card. The open-source app also checks that a card is genuine.

Cards come in sets of two or three, each holding a copy of the same key, so they back each other up. Tangem suggests storing them apart. If every card is lost and there is no seed phrase, the funds cannot be recovered. For what to do if a device fails, see what happens if your hardware wallet breaks.

Does Tangem have a seed phrase?

It can, but it does not have to. A Tangem wallet can be set up without a seed phrase, relying on the backup cards alone. Tangem notes that, unlike a key kept on the chip, a written phrase can be copied or stolen.

Owners who want one can generate a 12- or 24-word phrase during setup or import an existing one. The rules are strict:

• The phrase is shown once, during setup, and is not stored on the card or in the app.
• A phrase cannot be added to a wallet that has already been created. Getting one means resetting the cards, which erases the wallet, and starting again.
• Anyone who learns the phrase can take the funds, whoever holds the cards.

How do you transfer crypto to a Tangem wallet?

The steps match moving coins to any cold wallet:

1. In the Tangem app, make sure the coin and network are added. Tangem says the wallet cannot receive a token or network that is not enabled.
2. Open the coin, tap Receive and copy the address.
3. Paste it into the sender and check the first and last characters.
4. Pick the same network on both sides.

The network step matters most. Tokens such as USDT exist on several networks, including Ethereum, Tron and BNB Smart Chain, and sending on the wrong one can make the funds lost or unreachable.

How do you transfer from Coinbase to Tangem?

In Coinbase, the user chooses to send the coin, pastes the Tangem address and selects the network enabled in Tangem. Ethereum, Base and Polygon all use the same address format, so a matching address does not prove the network is right. XRP transfers also need a destination tag.

The network fee goes to the blockchain, not to Tangem. Coinbase may briefly hold a withdrawal if its security checks are triggered.