Safest and lowest cost place to exchange GBP/USD for BTC?

[davmp]

So I've been reading about BTC on and off for over a year now and I'd like to make the jump to actually, you know, owning some.  Even possibly starting to mine with a goal of moving on to using coins as a currency at some point.   But things move so fast around BTC that I'm thinking what I use to 'know' is now outdated, and even reading now there seem to be lots of little players and sites and stuff mentioned that I'm not quite sure whom to trust.  It seems like greed, human nature, and gov't dislike of unregulated currencies have all taken a toll on the services I previously read about and researched to the point most don't exist anymore.  Though I admit that could be due to faulty memory on my part?

Anyway, my question is what is the safest and lowest transaction cost way to acquire a few BTC if I'm starting with either USD or GBP?

Hopefully it isn't to follow all these posts about earning a Satoshi here or there by watching videos, gambling, or some such. :-)   And I've always had a rather large mental hurdle on using a site named after 'Magic The Gathering'.  Though they seem, if anything, to have gotten to be an even bigger 800lb gorilla than they were previously.   I see a number of comments about exchanging locally for cash, but it just seems illicit somehow to meetup at a coffe house or something to hand-over cash.

That said, I'm willing to be educated on the topic so if one of those is the consensus, I'll bite the bullet and give it a try.

Thanks!

[orymh]

If you have a US-based bank account that you're willing to link, I recommend Coinbase: https://coinbase.com/?r=51a5b0d3867ba8db8e00000c. They charge a flat 1% fee for buying or selling Bitcoins, and transfers to other Bitcoin addresses are free, so you can buy there and then move your coins to an exchange account or another wallet or whatever. In case it helps, I also have an article intended to get complete beginners started with Coinbase: http://www.bit-buddy.com/buying-bitcoins-on-coinbase.html.

[oblongmeteor]

You've got a few options:

-> bitbargain.co.uk
-> localbitcoins.com
-> speedybitcoin.co.uk
-> bittylicious.com

Some offer peer-to-peer purchases, others are businesses that sell directly.

[Magazine]

If you're in the UK, then use your online banking with LocalBitCoins and purchase from private vendors.

[Roger100]

I have used Bittylicious a few times and have found them to be a very reliable, super quick service. Now, if only i could sell them back to them...