Guide
How to gift crypto to someone without a wallet
To gift crypto to someone without a wallet, give them a Satchel by link. A Satchel is an NFT on NEAR that is a wallet, with its own Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana addresses. They open the link and connect a NEAR wallet to claim it, and every coin inside comes with it.
The usual ways to gift crypto
Most guides list the same four options. Each one trades something away.
A gift card
A crypto gift card is a code for one platform. The receiver makes an account there and redeems it. It is easy to wrap, but the coins live with the platform, and the platform decides which coins you can give.
Set up a wallet for them
You create a wallet, send coins to it and hand over the seed phrase. The receiver gets a real wallet at once. But you saw the seed phrase, so you could still move the coins. Some guides say plainly that making keys for someone else is not best practice.
A pre-loaded hardware wallet
A hardware wallet keeps keys on a device the receiver holds. Whether you keep a copy depends on who set it up. A device has to reach them, it costs money, and it usually covers the coins you chose at setup.
A link from a single app
Some wallet and exchange apps send crypto by link. The receiver opens the link inside that app. These gifts tend to cover one chain or one app's tokens, and the receiver usually needs an account in the app first.
How the options compare
The question to ask is who could still move the coins after the gift. This table sets the options side by side.
| Option | Giver can keep a copy of the keys? | Receiver needs a wallet first? | Chains |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gift card | Not applicable: the platform holds the coins | Usually an account on that platform | Whatever the platform sells |
| Set up a wallet for them | Yes: you saw the seed phrase | No, but you set it up for them | Your choice |
| Hardware wallet | Depends on who set it up | A device must reach them | Whatever the device supports |
| Link from one app | Depends on the app | Usually an account in that app | Usually one chain or one app's tokens |
| Satchel by link | No seed phrase exists for its addresses. Until it is claimed, the link can claim it | Not before. They connect a NEAR wallet to claim | Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana in one gift |
No option is best for everyone. A gift card suits someone who already uses that platform. A Satchel suits a gift that spans three chains, where you don't want to keep a copy of the keys.
Give a whole wallet by link
A Satchel is an NFT on NEAR that controls its own Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana addresses. Whoever owns the NFT controls the coins. Giving the NFT gives the whole wallet. Here is how a gift by link goes.
- Mint a Satchel or open one you own, then add coins to it. Anyone can add coins to its addresses, so friends can chip in too.
- Choose Give by link, then review. Your browser makes a one-time secret and builds the link. The secret sits after the # in the link, so it never goes to a server.
- Create the link. Your wallet asks you once. The Satchel moves to a fresh NEAR account made for the claim, and 0.02 NEAR goes along to pay gas.
- Send the link in a message or as a QR code. Keeping a copy of the link in your browser is off by default.
- The receiver opens the link and connects a NEAR wallet. The Satchel and any leftover NEAR move to their wallet, and the coins inside go with it.
If the receiver already has a NEAR account, skip the link. Use Give and enter the account name. The Satchel and everything inside move in one NEAR transaction.
Not sure what a Satchel is? The questions page answers the basics, and Satchel #1 is a live example you can open.
What to know before you send a link
A Satchel gift has sharp edges. Read these before you send one.
- The receiver connects a NEAR wallet to claim. They don't need an account beforehand, but they do need a NEAR wallet at the moment they claim.
- The link works like cash in an envelope. Whoever holds it can claim the Satchel and everything inside, and that includes you.
- You can't cancel a link once it is out. A lost link can't be replaced either.
- Gifts skip the buyer's check. Giving doesn't wait for clean history, so give only to someone you trust.
- You still trust NEAR's signer network, which makes every signature. Satchel is new and hasn't been audited.
Gifts of crypto can have tax consequences, and the rules differ by country. Satchel gives no tax advice. Ask a tax professional, or start with Bankrate's guide to gifting crypto.
What the receiver gets
The receiver becomes the only owner. Every spending allowance you set ends when the Satchel changes hands, and the coins inside move with the token.
The addresses stay the same after the gift. The signature record stays with the Satchel too, and the new owner can read it on the Activity tab.
That record is what makes a sale checkable. To see how, read the guide to clean history. To compare this design with other NFT wallets, read ERC-6551 and token bound accounts.
Questions and answers
How do I gift crypto to someone without a wallet?
Give them a Satchel by link. The link carries a one-time secret. They open it, connect a NEAR wallet and claim the Satchel with its Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana addresses.
Can I send bitcoin to someone without a wallet?
Yes. Put bitcoin in a Satchel and give it by link. The receiver needs no Bitcoin wallet, only a NEAR wallet to claim it.
Can I cancel a gift link?
No. The link works like cash in an envelope: whoever holds it can claim, including you, until it is claimed. There is no way to cancel it or replace a lost link.
Does a gifted Satchel get the clean-history check?
No. Gifts skip the buyer's check, because giving doesn't wait for it. Only a sale shows the check. Give only to someone you trust.
Can I gift crypto for Christmas with a Satchel?
Yes. Add coins to a Satchel, create a link and put it in a card, as text or a QR code. Whoever holds the link can claim it, so keep it private until the day.
Is gifting crypto taxable?
It can be, and the rules depend on your country. Satchel gives no tax advice, so ask a tax professional.
Try it yourself
Open a Satchel and read its record, or browse the Satchels for sale.
Related guides
- Clean history: check a Satchel's signatures before you buyClean history is the buyer's browser check that no signature a Satchel made before a sale can still move its coins. What it checks, and what it doesn't.
- Can you sell a crypto wallet?Handing over a seed phrase doesn't sell a wallet, because the seller can keep a copy. An NFT that is a wallet can change hands without that risk.
- Crypto wallet with a balance for sale: what to check firstWallets with a balance for sale are a known scam pattern. What a buyer can check first, and how a Satchel's record makes that check possible.
- Can I give my crypto wallet to someone else?The usual answer is a new wallet and a transfer. With a Satchel you give the NFT to another NEAR account and its Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana coins go too.
- ERC-6551 and token bound accounts, compared with SatchelERC-6551 gives an NFT an account on one EVM chain. How that compares with a Satchel's native Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana addresses and its clean history.
- NEAR Chain Signatures in practice: an NFT that signs on three chainsA worked example of NEAR Chain Signatures: how a Satchel contract derives addresses per token and records each signature request before it is made.
- QuestionsEvery answer about keys, chains, selling, giving and fees, grouped in one place.
- Contract factsThe contract account, its access keys, the code it runs and commands to check them.