In late 2022, I went all-in on Bitcoin—not just as an investment, but as the base layer of my financial system.

By 2025, most of my money flows had shifted into a Bitcoin-native framework. I stopped chasing only cashback or airline miles. Instead, I focused on building a setup where every dollar I spend helps me accumulate Bitcoin—automatically and passively.

Cash App: Fee-Free Bitcoin DCA + 4% HYSA

Every paycheck, I direct deposit $150 into Cash App, and it's 100% auto-converted into Bitcoin.
There are no fees or spreads when buying Bitcoin this way, which is incredibly rare.

Cash App also offers a free high-yield savings account (HYSA) paying 4% APY, available to users who direct deposit at least $300/month.

I use this as my short-term liquidity bucket, while the rest of my direct deposit gets converted straight into BTC.

Cash App also supports the Lightning Network, which means you can use it as a custodial hot wallet for real-world BTC payments—like at Steak ‘n Shake.

Tips:
If you’re just getting started, Cash App is a seamless entry point into Bitcoin.
If you're on a W-2 salary, you can split your direct deposit—sending a portion to your traditional checking account, and a portion to Cash App for automatic BTC conversion and 4% yield, all within the same paycheck.

You don’t need to open a separate HYSA or pay extra fees—it’s all in one app.

Join me on Cash App—when you send anyone $5 or more, you’ll get $5. Enter my code when creating your account: P839HHK

Credit Cards: Maxing Out Fiat Rewards

While Bitcoin is my endgame, I’m not ignoring the rewards that traditional finance still offers.
In fact, I’ve built a system where I earn points and cashback from top credit cards—then pay them off through Fold and earn Bitcoin on the payoff (we’ll get to that later!).

Here are four cards that form the core of my reward-earning rotation, in order of complexity:

Discover IT – Rotating 5% Cashback

This was one of my first cards, and it still has value—especially in the first year, when Discover matches all your cashback.

• 5% cashback on quarterly rotating categories (up to $1,500/quarter)

• Categories often include groceries, gas, PayPal, restaurants, and Amazon

• Cashback match your first year

• No annual fee

• Great starting credit card for beginners

Get your @Discover Card from my link and we'll each get a $100 statement credit when you make a purchase in the first 3 months. Terms apply.

Capital One Savor – Entertainment + Dining Cashback

A solid card with some competitive cashback categories:

• 3% cashback on entertainment (concerts, select streaming services, etc.)

• 3% on dining and groceries (if you don’t already have Amex Gold—see below)

• No foreign transaction fees

• No annual fee

This is a great credit card for those starting out that don’t want to dish out an annual fee.

Hey! I love my Capital One Savor card and I think you will too! You could earn unlimited rewards on every purchase with a card that fits your lifestyle. I can get a bonus if you apply through my referral link.

Gemini Credit Card – Real-Time Bitcoin Rewards

This is my most recent card—and it’s one of the few that pays out Bitcoin directly1 instead of points. This card is perfect if you are already stacking BTC:

• 4% back in BTC on Gas, Transit, Rideshare, and EV Charging, up to $300 a month

• 3% back in BTC on dining

• 2% back in BTC on groceries

• 1% back in BTC on everything else

• BTC deposited instantly into your Gemini account after each purchase

• No foreign transaction fees

• No annual fee

I’m currently taking advantage of a limited time $200 sign-on bonus after spending $3,000 within three months of opening the account. This card plays a valuable role in my Bitcoin-native stack—especially when I want BTC back in real time.

Use my referral code to sign up for The Gemini Credit Card and get an extra $50 in crypto! Check out offer and benefits.

Chase Sapphire Preferred – Travel + Transfer Partners

My main travel card. It earns Ultimate Rewards (UR) points, which are super flexible within the Chase ecosystem:

• 2x points on travel and 3x points on dining

• 1.25x redemption boost via the Chase travel portal and 5% back on Chase Travel

• Access to transfer partners like Hyatt, United, and Avios

• $95 annual fee

• Annual $50 hotel credit

• No foreign transaction fees

• Sign-Up Bonus (see link below)

This card is especially useful for turning sign-on bonuses into high-leverage travel, like free flights or hotel nights.

If you use the yearly hotel credit, this card only has an effective annual fee of $45.

Earn 60,000 bonus points with either Chase Sapphire® card. I can be rewarded if you apply here and are approved for the card.

American Express Gold – The Food Powerhouse

The Amex Gold is my go-to card for restaurants and groceries. It earns:

• 4x Membership Rewards (MR) at restaurants worldwide

• 4x at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25k/year)

• Access to transfer partners

• $325 annual fee

• No foreign transaction fees

• Sign-Up Bonus (see link below)

• Comes with a suite of credits:

  • $10/month Uber Cash

  • $10/month dining credit (Grubhub, Cheesecake Factory, etc.)

  • $7/month Dunkin credit2

  • $50 semi-annual Resy credit3

Despite the $325 annual fee, I get $424 in usable credits, plus 4x points on most food I buy. With how often I cook and dine out, this card pays for itself. While a lot of people reject the “coupon-book” approach for modern credit cards, it’s clear that Amex and other companies are adopting this playbook more, so if it fits your typical spending, you can get a lot of value from the card. The Amex Gold acts like a more premium version of the Capital One Savor.

Here’s my Amex referral link. Use it and we could both earn rewards if you are approved and get a Card. Check out offers and Card benefits.

How This All Comes Together

Now that I’ve earned my cashback, points, and BTC card rewards... here’s where the magic happens:
I pay it all off through Fold—and earn even more Bitcoin on top of the rewards I already stacked.

Fold: The Engine That Ties It All Together

This is where everything comes together.

Fold isn’t just another Bitcoin app—it’s the hub of my entire personal finance strategy. I use it to convert fiat spending into Bitcoin rewards from multiple angles: paying bills, buying gift cards, and even paying off my credit cards.

Here’s how I extract maximum value from Fold:

Fold+ ($99/year): Unlocking the Real Rewards

Fold+ is the premium service they offer, and it’s absolutely worth it if you’re serious about maximizing Bitcoin rewards.

Why? Because it unlocks ACH rewards—which means you get Bitcoin back just for paying bills and making bank transfers.

Here’s how it works:

• If you spend $5,000–$9,999.99 on Fold in a given month (gift cards, debit card purchases, BTC buys), then the next month you’ll earn:

  • 0.5% back in BTC on your first $2,500 of ACH payments

  • 0.25% back after that up to your total spend amount

• See this link for more details on ACH rewards

I make sure I hit these thresholds monthly—usually with a combination of bitcoin buys and gift card purchases.

Fold Debit Card: Bitcoin on Everyday Spending

If you prefer debit over credit, Fold has its own debit card that gives Bitcoin back on all purchases.
While I mostly use credit cards for their higher rewards, I’ve tested the debit card and it’s solid—especially when paired with wheel spins (more on that below).

No Fees for Buying or Selling Bitcoin

Fold+ members get fee-free BTC4 buys and sells—which is incredibly rare.
While I don’t trade often, it’s nice to know that if I need to convert, I’m not losing a chunk of money to fees that can add up compared to other exchanges.

Gift Cards: Instant Sats Back on Spending You Already Do

Fold lets you buy gift cards from major brands like Amazon, Uber, DoorDash, and Starbucks—and get instant sats back (up to 10% depending on the brand).

I regularly use these for recurring spending and even stack them on top of my credit card rewards. It’s basically a cheat code:

• Buy a gift card

• Get BTC back

• Use the gift card instead of your credit card (or resell it)

• Boost your monthly Fold spend total to unlock better ACH rewards next month

Spin the Wheel: Free Daily Bitcoin Rewards

Every day you use your Fold card, you unlock a free spin of the Fold Wheel—a gamified way to earn Bitcoin, bonuses, and even surprise rewards.

In May 2025, I even won a free Bitcoin Conference ticket just by spinning. Later, I was sent an exclusive offer to secure a 2026 ticket, which I took.
These spins may seem like a gimmick—but they pay off. I’ve won sats, gift cards, and referral boosts just by staying active.

Paying Rent with Amex Send + Venmo + Fold = Bitcoin Back

One of the most overlooked opportunities in personal finance is turning rent payments into rewards—and with Fold, I’ve figured out a reliable way to earn Bitcoin back on my rent.

Here’s the method:

1. Use Amex Send to pay rent through Venmo or Paypal.

   • Amex Send lets you send money to friends (or your landlord) fee-free via Venmo.

   • Since it’s processed as a purchase, it doesn’t count as a cash advance, and doesn’t incur fees or interest.

   • I use the Amex Gold card for this— you can use Send & Split on any Amex card after connecting your Venmo/PayPal account.

2. Pay the Amex Statement Balance in full by the due date.

   • I pay off my Amex via ACH on my Fold account.

3. Fold gives me Bitcoin back on that ACH payment—up to 1% depending on my Fold+ spend tier for the month.

It’s a circular but powerful flow, where I can get a small amount of BTC back for expenses that I normally do not use a credit card for.

You can also use this trick for splitting bills with friends, reimbursing someone, or sending money to a trusted partner—it’s not just for rent.

Note: Always double-check your Venmo settings and make sure Amex Send is available to you. It works best with trusted connections, not unknown business accounts.

Why Fold Works

Fold rewards you for spending and paying bills—things you’re already doing.
Combine that with:

• Credit card payoffs

• Rent payments via Amex Send → Venmo → ACH

• Gift card purchases

• Referrals

• Wheel spins

…and you’ve got a system where your entire fiat lifestyle becomes a Bitcoin rewards engine.

Join Fold and start earning Bitcoin on everyday spending

Final Thoughts: Start Where You Are

You don’t need to go all-in on Bitcoin tomorrow to benefit from the ideas I’ve shared here. In fact, most of this system can be adopted gradually:

• It’s okay to start small—a single credit card, a $50 direct deposit to Cash App, or just experimenting with Fold gift cards.

• Not everyone is a credit card person. If you’re new to personal finance, I’d recommend building a strong foundation first. Credit cards can be powerful tools—but only when used responsibly.

• Your finances don’t need to be Bitcoin-centric to gain value from this guide. Whether you’re stacking sats or just looking for smarter ways to manage money, these principles still apply.

I built this system over time—by testing, iterating, and refining what worked. Hopefully, you can take pieces of it and make it your own.

Thanks for reading. If you have questions or want to chat about any of this, feel free to leave a comment or reach out!

Happy New Year BITROCKS subscribers and new readers!

I spent the holidays all cozied up at home.

Every year, my family has a tradition where “Santa” writes everyone letters and we read them aloud and have a laugh or two.

This is the second year where “Santa” mentioned my obsession with Bitcoin.

In fact, in my letter from 2023, “Santa” congratulated me on my gains (I put the majority of my net worth in Bitcoin late 2022), but advised me that I should consider some diversification in my investments.

Looking back, I understood why “Santa” said those things. A few weeks before Christmas Day in 2023, I rolled-over a Vanguard 401k to a Bitcoin IRA (which is hilarious given that Vanguard doesn’t let their clients invest in the Bitcoin ETFs at the time of writing of this article). I didn’t invest in traditional assets like the S&P outside of my 401k. I was unemployed and about to go into 2024 job hunting so there was some uncertainty about my financial future. If I needed to, I was willing to liquidate some Bitcoin for living expenses (just like you would spend regular money to rent, eat, and life your life).

Why was I willing to hold on to my bitcoin? Because I already understood that Bitcoin is the best long-term savings technology that humans can use to preserve their purchasing power without getting debased by government money printing and debt issuance.

When you change the base currency in which you save in, bitcoin wins over fiat currencies like the US dollar any day of the week.

Saving in bitcoin has outperformed all of the traditional investing strategies since BTC had an exchange rate with the USD.

The S&P 500 had its best year in a long time yet BTC still outperformed the traditional passive investing that your typical financial advisor would recommend.

This raises a big question: How the **** have I been outperforming financial advisors for the last two years???

2024 was a fantastic year for bitcoin. Spot ETFs were approved almost a year ago, a major US presidential candidate spoke at a bitcoin conference last summer, and now US states are introducing legislation for a strategic bitcoin reserve, and rumor has it that countries are thinking about buying bitcoin and adding it to their reserves, similar to gold.

Bitcoin adoption is happening at an accelerating pace, and most people still think bitcoin is only used by criminals, terrorists, and drug dealers1.

It’s 2025, and bitcoin is much more than that; it’s the new global currency that is taking the world over by storm. The biggest use case for bitcoin: simply holding and protecting your money from debasement.

Bitcoin IS the new way to save money, and if you aren’t wearing the life vest, you will sink on the fiat ship like the Titanic.

My message is simple: Study bitcoin and get an allocation in 2025.

Here are some of the topics I want to discuss this year, for both newcomers to Bitcoin and veterans:

-Dollar Cost Averaging vs Lump Sum Strategy

-Bitcoin’s cyclical cycles and what to expect during the post-halving year2

-Bitcoin stacking goals

-Best Bitcoin on-ramps (exchanges) for US residents

-Taking self-custody of your coins

-Bitcoin maximalism3

-Bitcoin equities/proxies and altcoins and whether you should “diversify”

-Integrating Bitcoin with your personal finances

-Preparing and hedging for a Bitcoin bear market4

Feel free to reach out and send me any questions you might have about Bitcoin and I’ll write responses, and maybe I can start a running Q&A series too!

Lastly, I want to wish Bitcoin a happy 16th birthday! The genesis block was mined January 3rd, 2009. Bitcoin is a teenager now! The Lindy effect is very much in play.

Thanks, and I’m looking forward to writing more on here to talk everything Bitcoin!

Bitcoiners around the world were celebrating, up until the price flash crashed in minutes down below $92,000 on most exchanges the following day with a swift recovery, creating the “Darth Maul” daily candle.

Now, if you are a bitcoin veteran, this kind of swingy price action is normal during bitcoin bull markets, but it may seem scary for newcomers who are not used to this kind of volatility.

I remember the first time I saw Darth Maul reveal his double-sided red lightsaber in The Phantom Menace, and I was taken aback, and I bet Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were too.

But, I want to point out that Darth Maul candles have happened for bitcoin before, specifically here when bitcoin first broke the $10,000 price point in November of 2017, the last time bitcoin added another zero:

Following the breakout above $10,000, bitcoin went up to $11,000 before going back down below, then continued its way upward through December.

Now, I could find every Darth-Maul candle in bitcoin’s history, as there are many, but let’s talk about why I expect these kinds of daily price moves for bitcoin moving forward.

While there are people like me that buy spot bitcoin no matter the price action, some cryptocurrency exchanges let their users trade with leverage.

Leverage means that you are entering positions with borrowed money, but you are taking significantly more risk because if the price of the underlying asset drops too much, your position gets liquidated and you lose everything.

When bitcoin rallied above the $100,000 price mark, many retail traders opened leverage long positions on bitcoin.

As bitcoin went back down into the $9x,xxx price range, short-term spot selling caused a cascade of leverage long liquidations, with 163,587 traders suffering over $900 million in losses according to Coinglass, with 80% of the positions long.1

The lesson? Don’t play with leverage.

It’s high risk, and gambling.

When it comes to trading bitcoin, you won’t win.

Stick to a dollar-cost average strategy if you are new to bitcoin, and don’t let the volatility scare you.

Bitcoiners who have bought spot bitcoin consistently have been winning.

Riding bitcoin's wild price swings is like piloting the Millennium Falcon through an asteroid field—chaotic, unpredictable, and not for the faint of heart. Yet, just like Han Solo, seasoned bitcoiners know that with enough grit and faith, they'll navigate the turbulence and come out the other side, engines roaring, ready for the next adventure.

Americans who save in US dollars have lost nearly 22%1 of their purchasing power since 2020.

Having money that loses its purchasing power over long periods of time alters our incentive to save. Why hold a form of currency that melts like an ice cube when you can just spend it right now?

In order to beat inflation, you have to own assets to survive. For most people, passive investing strategies such as index funds tend to be the default choice. The S&P has delivered an average annual return of 10%2 before inflation.

Those with higher net worths turn to real estate, but for younger Americans who are just starting their careers, this is out of reach.

Commodities like gold and silver can be an option as a historically good store of value, but they tend to underperform the stock market in the long-term.

Instead of “investing,” what if you could save in a different currency that didn’t inflate…

What if you were to stop using the US dollar?

That seems impossible. Our entire economy runs in dollars. Even I still use Venmo to pay my friends back for dinner.

I’ll revise the question: What if you were to stop using the US dollar as long-term savings?

If only a new form of money/currency existed where your purchasing power increased over time…bitcoin.

Maybe you start by saving $100 in bitcoin every week and you don’t touch it for at least 10 years.

There’s a great website that prices all everyday items in bitcoin instead of dollars:

Let’s look at some items priced in bitcoin at the time of the writing of this article.

Groceries have gotten cheaper in bitcoin terms:

The S&P 500 priced in bitcoin:

Median New House in the US priced in bitcoin:

For the majority of goods, services, and assets, everything has gotten cheaper over time when priced in bitcoin.

Bitcoin is the asset of the 21st century, and there isn’t a better time to start studying bitcoin and using it as long-term savings technology.

That’s quite the sentence to start my first post on the BITROCKS Substack, but I truly mean it.

My name is Rocco Costanzo and I’m 25 years old. I graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2022 with a B.S. in Statistics. I currently work as an actuarial1 analyst.

I have a lot of hobbies, but little did I know that after graduating college I’d stumble upon one of my biggest obsessions: Bitcoin.

When I started my first full-time job, I knew that I needed to save money and invest. I took finance electives while I was in college and was ready to start my investing journey with a portfolio with my own hand-picked stocks. People called me the “finance guy” while I was in college.

When I actually sat down during the first few months of my first job to do research on investing, I took a deeper dive into Bitcoin. All of a sudden, I felt this paradigm shift. Bitcoin challenges our current financial system, which is dominated by fiat currencies that can be endlessly printed and debased by governments. The United States dollar is what people think about when they think of money, but when I think of money, I think of Bitcoin.

Many people have written books, blog posts, and twitter threads that talk about why Bitcoin is important and why you should care. If you are new to Bitcoin and are looking for resources, here are some of my recommendations for books to get started:
The Bitcoin Standard by Saifedean Ammous (2018)
Broken Money by Lyn Alden (2023)
Resistance Money by Andrew Bailey, Bradley Rattler, and Craig Warmke (2024)

This is not an exhaustive list of all the amazing Bitcoin books that are out there, but the ones above I think are a great place to start!

However, if I had to summarize why Bitcoin is important and why you should care in a single sentence:

Bitcoin is decentralized, scarce, transparent, immutable, borderless, censorship-resistant, digital, programmable, trust-less, and resilient.

I think money should have all of the properties discussed in the above sentence. Does the US dollar have all of those properties?

(it doesn’t)

So, the default assumption that I will be making in all of these BITROCKS posts is that Bitcoin IS MONEY and the goal is to accumulate as much bitcoin as you can, not dollars.

One thing that I have noticed in the Bitcoin space is that there aren’t a lot of bitcoiners that talk about how they have integrated their personal finances with bitcoin. A lot of new bitcoin holders make mistakes when they first start buying. Some buy too much and capitulate during bear markets, while others don’t buy enough. Many people fall for phishing scams and lose their bitcoin forever. Using centralized exchanges can put your bitcoin at risk, but self-custody can be difficult to set up without guidance. Some newcomers buy other cryptocurrencies to chase higher returns, when they should be accumulating bitcoin instead. Doing your personal finances in bitcoin is complex and can be daunting, especially since bitcoin isn’t normally accepted as a medium of exchange in most places, so by default bitcoiners still have to use their fiat currency for most everyday transactions.

In recent years, Bitcoin has transformed from a niche digital asset to a global financial force, and now institutional adoption, with US Spot Bitcoin ETFs being approved earlier this year2. Some financial advisors are now allowed to recommend the Bitcoin ETFs for their clients3! Bitcoin is here to stay, whether you like it or not.

Getting a true sense of where the Bitcoin market stands today means looking beyond just price charts and headlines. It’s about digging into the data, spotting trends, and watching for key market signals. I’ll be diving into the metrics and insights that give Bitcoin its unique rhythm, from on-chain data that shows us real-time network activity to the broader economic factors that can sway its value. Using a data-driven approach, I’m here to bring you a clearer, more grounded view of where Bitcoin is, especially in relation to its observed price cycles.

Whether you’re new to the Bitcoin ecosystem or a seasoned enthusiast, I hope this Substack will offer valuable perspectives that will help your Bitcoin journey. I can’t wait to get started.


In the meantime, pump it up with me on Spotify:

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