You from the US right? Isn't coinbase pro the cheapest though of all to buy btc? What about binance US?
I've done it and now I have bitcoin.
Binance wouldn't confirm because I need an ID with the same address as my proof of address. I've moved recently. It would take some time before I could get a replacement ID with a new address on it - by postal mail, and 1 to 3 weeks, not to mention finding a day that I can commit the whole day to the DMV, unless I can do it online.
Coinbase was a pretty good option though. Although I got approved in full at several vendors including Kraken and LocalBitcoins, the risk didn't seem to justify the marginally lower costs. Even at thousands of dollars, it's just a few dollars extra in fees - although I don't know about the other fees like withdrawal.
But still, Coinbase seemed like the best option. I was going to wire transfer, because I didn't have a compatible personal account. Instead, I woke up early, withdrew some cash out of an existing bank (in person), got into a bank and opened a new personal account, deposited the cash, it was set up immediately with me in person and ready to use, as well as the funds available immediately since the funds were deposited in cash (physical dollars).
Then I just linked the bank account in coinbase, bought bitcoin, and two minutes later I had bitcoins.
I feel more comfortable with my money in Coinbase than others with less liquidity, not to mention the others like Kraken could only accept a wire transfer.
Of course, this doesn't count the 8 hours yesterday trying to get approved as well as last minute research on which website to pick to buy bitcoin, nor the 8 hours the previous week doing the same research and attempts.
LocalBitcoins couldn't even do it because the sellers, which still sold at a big markup, wanted an inordinate amount of personal info, and even then, wouldn't do it if you had less than 10 or 30 trades, which means for the first trade, you'd have to choose the most expensive and most sketchy seller and possibly lose your money - and your identity. Big risk.
So in summary I used Coinbase after verifying, creating a new personal account, depositing cash, and connecting to Coinbase to instantly purchase bitcoin.
Anonymous? Impossible. The government assured that you will not be able to anonymously buy bitcoin, not within one day with legitimate platforms and not back alley shady deals.
The nice thing is that Coinbase let me deposit and buy bitcoin immediately, without any additional wire fees (didn't use wire transfer), although it won't allow me to withdraw for up to 9 days. But that's fine in my case. For day trading on the same day from scratch, I don't even think that would be possible with anyone based on my experience.
But I had to physically open a personal bank account, they don't accept business accounts, which wouldn't connect and you can't wire transfer from a business account. So a big hassle, but now I can buy bitcoin easily, and I did so within a half a day.