Zcash wallets: a beginner’s checklist
Understand ZEC wallets, receiving addresses, recovery phrases, and the checks to make before your first Zcash transfer.
Read the guide →LEARN ABOUT ZEC
Get to know the asset behind your rewards.
A practical introduction to Zcash: what it is, how its privacy options work, what kind of address receives your rewards, and how to read the market chart.
START WITH THE PRACTICAL BITS
A little clarity, one guide at a time.
Shielded vs. transparent Zcash, explained simply
Learn what Zcash shielded and transparent payments reveal, what unified addresses do, and why the complete payment path matters.
Read the guide →Before you start: a reward offer checklist
Check eligibility, costs, tracking instructions, and reward status before starting an offer or shopping through ZEC Rewards.
Read the guide →EXPLORE YOUR OPTIONS
Ways to get ZEC or ZEC exposure
Compare what you receive, what it costs, and how much work it takes. Choose a goal to narrow the view; no option is ranked or recommended.
Earn ZEC
Actual ZEC- What you receive
- Available rewards can be redeemed to a compatible address after confirmation.
- Costs
- No purchase required; eligibility and time vary.
Buy ZEC
Actual ZEC- What you receive
- Can generally be withdrawn to a compatible wallet if the exchange supports withdrawals.
- Costs
- Trading fees, spread and possible withdrawal fees.
Mine ZEC
Potential ZEC- What you receive
- Mining rewards depend on equipment, pool terms and network results.
- Costs
- Hardware, electricity, hosting, repairs and pool fees.
Buy ZEC fund shares
Price exposure through a security- What you receive
- Brokerage shares cannot be sent or spent as ZEC.
- Costs
- Brokerage costs, fund expenses, and possible premium or discount to underlying value.
Compare example costs
Enter your own assumptions. This estimates an exchange purchase fee and one year of fund expenses on the same dollar amount. It excludes spreads, premiums or discounts, taxes and price changes. Fund shares remain different from owning ZEC.
Enter an amount and both percentages to see the example. This is not a total-cost or return comparison.
Educational information only. ZEC Rewards does not provide investment advice or recommend buying, selling or holding ZEC or securities. We receive no fees for the options presented in this comparison. ZEC Rewards may earn commissions from eligible shopping activity elsewhere on the site; those arrangements do not determine this comparison. Check current provider terms and disclosures before acting.
01 / THE BASICS
What is Zcash?
Zcash (ZEC) is a digital currency that launched in October 2016. People can send it on the Zcash network without using a bank as the payment rail. Its defining feature is a choice between transparent and shielded transactions. Like Bitcoin, Zcash has a maximum supply of 21 million coins; that supply limit says nothing about what one coin will be worth.
A currency, not a points program
ZEC can be held in a compatible wallet and sent on its own network. Your ZEC Rewards account tracks eligible activity and confirmed rewards separately from any market price you see on this page.
Why people explore it
Some value the option to keep payment details private when they use compatible shielded tools. Others are interested in an open payment network. Actual privacy depends on how funds are sent, received, and stored.
Know the tradeoffs
ZEC's USD price can move sharply. Wallet and exchange support differs, and transparent transactions expose information on the public chain. Learn the address type and withdrawal rules before sending funds.
02 / PRIVACY OPTIONS
Transparent and shielded are different.
A transparent address works much like a public blockchain address: the sender, recipient, and amount of a transparent-to-transparent payment can be seen on chain. A shielded transaction can protect address and amount details using Zcash's privacy technology. Moving between transparent and shielded parts of the network may still reveal some information, so a shielded wallet alone does not make every activity private.
Public transaction details
Often called a t-address. Check that the wallet or service sending ZEC supports your receiving address before using it.
Protected payment details
Often called a z-address. Use a wallet that supports shielded ZEC to access these privacy features; support varies by service and transaction path.
For ZEC Rewards: The current redemption setup requires a compatible transparent Zcash address. Enter an address your wallet can receive at, and verify it carefully. This payout path does not provide shielded delivery.
03 / YOUR REWARDS
How ZEC fits into earning.
Earn through an available activity
Use the Ways to earn page to see what is live. An activity appearing in tracking is not automatically a redeemable reward.
Wait for confirmation
Merchants may need time to confirm eligible shopping activity. Your dashboard is the place to check reward status and any redeemable balance.
Check the receiving address
When ZEC redemption is available to you, use a compatible transparent Zcash address and confirm every character. Never enter a seed phrase or wallet recovery words into this site.
The market chart below is educational. Its price is not a guaranteed reward conversion rate or payout quote.
04 / MARKET EXPLORER
Compare ZEC with the broader market.
Choose another cryptocurrency and a time period. Each line begins at 0% so you can compare percentage performance; the figures above the lines show each asset's USD price. A higher percentage return during one period does not predict the next one.
Prices fluctuate and are separate from your confirmed reward balance. Historical performance does not predict future results.
05 / COMMON QUESTIONS
A few useful distinctions.
Is every ZEC payment private?
No. Transparent payments expose transaction details publicly. Shielded privacy depends on compatible addresses, wallets, and the complete transaction path.
Does a rising ZEC price increase my confirmed ZEC balance?
No. The number of ZEC and its USD market value are different things. A price chart is not a record of rewards earned or confirmed.
Can I receive ZEC Rewards at a shielded address?
The current redemption setup supports transparent addresses only. Always check your wallet's address compatibility before requesting a payout.
EARNING GUIDES
Learn how rewards move.
Shopping rewards have their own tracking and approval steps. Read these before an eligible purchase or when you are waiting for a reward.
SOURCES AND FURTHER READING
Go deeper when you want to.
This guide is original introductory content, with links to the Zcash documentation for technical details. Check those sources for updates.
External resources are for learning. ZEC Rewards does not endorse every view or forecast they publish.