How to Convert Between Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and Bitcoin on AltQuick

Bitcoin Cash and Bitcoin are separate networks. A conversion on AltQuick is a trade between those two assets, not a rename of the same coins, and it only works if each transfer uses an address and a chain that belong together. This post covers official Bitcoin Cash address formats, how to convert in either direction on AltQuick’s BCH/BTC market, and how a Swap estimate differs from a limit on the book.

Two chains, two address families

On the official Bitcoin Cash site, Bitcoin Cash is presented as peer-to-peer electronic cash. BCH and BTC do not share a wallet balance, and some older Bitcoin Cash addresses can look like Bitcoin addresses.

Bitcoin Cash protocol documentation describes two common encodings:

• CashAddr, introduced so Bitcoin Cash addresses would not be confused with Bitcoin’s older Base58Check addresses. A main-net CashAddr may include the bitcoincash: prefix; after the colon, a typical receiving address starts with q (P2PKH) or p (P2SH). The official specification also allows that prefix to be omitted in some displays, because the checksum still covers the network.
• Legacy Base58Check addresses, which the same documentation still describes. Main-net legacy P2PKH addresses start with 1, and legacy P2SH addresses start with 3 — the same leading characters Bitcoin uses.

See the CashAddr encoding and address types pages, and the official CashAddr specification in the bitcoincash.org repository.

A CashAddr that includes the bitcoincash: prefix helps distinguish Bitcoin Cash. Legacy 1 and 3 formats overlap with Bitcoin and cannot uniquely identify the network. Confirm you are sending on the intended network, and confirm that the deposit or withdrawal form — or the Swap destination field, if you use Swap — accepts the address format your wallet generated. Do not assume every official CashAddr or legacy format is accepted, with or without the bitcoincash: prefix.

The AltQuick FAQ says the site cannot help if you withdraw to the wrong address, and asks users to use extreme care. It also says both BTC-Legacy and BTC-Bech32 are Bitcoin; that is not a promise that every format is accepted on every form. The withdrawal page warns you to double-check the destination because cryptocurrency transactions are irreversible. The deposit page tells you to check the whole address, that a deposit must be larger than the fee or it is not credited, and not to send from a smart contract, bridge, or DeFi app. Send only Bitcoin Cash to a Bitcoin Cash deposit address, and only Bitcoin to a Bitcoin deposit address.

Check the market, then convert in either direction

Immediately before you move coins, re-check the FAQ and the live system status page. Availability, fees, and minimums can change; this post does not state a fee amount or a confirmation count. Use the figures shown on those pages, and on the form, at the time you transact.

Open the BCH/BTC market. Bids are offers to buy BCH with Bitcoin. Asks are offers to sell BCH for Bitcoin. Read the live book. The market page can look empty until the book loads; wait for the live bids and asks.

The market form provides Buy BCH and Sell BCH, each with Limit and Market choices. A limit order lets you set a maximum buy price or a minimum sell price. If that price is already marketable against the live book, the order may fill immediately at your limit or better; any unmatched remainder may rest on the book, and an order that never becomes marketable may not fill. A market order executes against the best available opposite-side orders at the moment it is placed. AltQuick’s layout introduction says limit orders can be canceled and market orders cannot. If you need a price boundary, use a limit.

To convert Bitcoin to Bitcoin Cash, deposit BTC, buy BCH, then withdraw BCH. To convert Bitcoin Cash to Bitcoin, deposit BCH, sell BCH, then withdraw BTC:

1. Copy a receiving address from a wallet for the asset you will withdraw.
2. Sign in, open the deposit page, set the asset to the coin you are sending, and deposit only that asset to the address shown for it. If you are depositing Bitcoin Cash, read the current confirmation count in the FAQ, because it can change.
3. When the deposit is credited, open the BCH/BTC market. Use Buy BCH or Sell BCH, as a limit or a market order, with the fill behavior described above.
4. Withdraw the resulting asset on the withdrawal page. Paste the destination from your wallet, confirm the intended network and that the form accepts the format, compare the full string, and use Submit Withdrawal. The page’s withdrawal history includes a transaction ID (TxID).

A small test deposit or withdrawal before moving a larger amount can help catch a wrong asset, address, or format. It is not a substitute for those checks, and it is not a promise that a mistaken or mixed-chain transfer can be recovered.

If you use Swap instead of an account

AltQuick Swap does not require an account. The FAQ says Swap handles the withdrawal to a receiving address you enter, that each Swap trade places a market order on AltQuick, and that the received amount depends on market and network conditions at the time of the trade and is not a fixed quote. The Swap page states that Swap uses AltQuick’s market books. The public Swap API documentation lists BCH among Swap coins, and the live markets list has included BTC-BCH and BCH-BTC; confirm on the Swap page that the pair you want is offered before you deposit. Use Simulate on the Swap page’s Trade step (described in the FAQ) for an estimate at that moment, and review the live limits. This post does not state Swap or exchange fee amounts. The FAQ recommends an emergency address and strongly recommends one trade per address. For both addresses, confirm the intended network and that the field accepts the format your wallet generated. If you need a price boundary, use a limit on the account book.

A short checklist

• You are converting between two assets. Send BTC only to the Bitcoin deposit address shown, and BCH only to the Bitcoin Cash deposit address shown.
• A CashAddr with the bitcoincash: prefix helps distinguish Bitcoin Cash. Legacy 1 and 3 formats overlap with Bitcoin and cannot uniquely identify the network, so confirm the intended network and that the withdrawal or Swap form accepts the format your wallet generated.
• You re-checked system status and used the fee, minimum, and confirmation figures shown on the live forms or in the FAQ at the time you transacted.
• A marketable limit may fill immediately, with any unmatched remainder able to rest. A market order or Swap executes against the live book.

This is not investment, legal, or tax advice, and it is not a price forecast. Always read the live BCH/BTC book rather than assuming a fill.

FAQ

Can I treat a Bitcoin Cash address that starts with 1 or 3 as a Bitcoin address?
No. Official documentation still describes those legacy formats for Bitcoin Cash, but the same leading characters are also used on Bitcoin, so they cannot uniquely identify the network. A CashAddr with the bitcoincash: prefix helps distinguish Bitcoin Cash. Confirm the intended network and that AltQuick’s form accepts the format. The AltQuick FAQ says the site cannot help if you withdraw to the wrong address.

Does AltQuick accept every CashAddr or legacy format?
Not necessarily. Confirm the intended network and that the deposit, withdrawal, or Swap field accepts the address your wallet generated, with or without a bitcoincash: prefix.

Does a limit order always wait on the book?
No. If your maximum buy price or minimum sell price is already marketable against the live book, a limit may fill immediately at that limit or better. Any unmatched remainder may rest. A limit that never becomes marketable may not fill.

Is a Swap estimate a locked Bitcoin Cash or Bitcoin amount?
No. The FAQ says each Swap trade places a market order, and that the received amount depends on market and network conditions at the time of the trade. Use Simulate for an estimate at that moment, then compare it with the live book. A limit on the account market is the way to set a price boundary.

Sources

Sources were checked on November 9, 2026, America/Chicago.

1. Bitcoin Cash official site
2. Official CashAddr specification (bitcoincash.org repository)
3. Bitcoin Cash protocol documentation: CashAddr encoding
4. Bitcoin Cash protocol documentation: address types
5. AltQuick BCH/BTC market
6. AltQuick Bitcoin Cash asset page
7. AltQuick FAQ
8. AltQuick system status
9. AltQuick deposit page
10. AltQuick withdrawal page
11. AltQuick Swap
12. AltQuick Swap API documentation
13. AltQuick layout introduction
14. Hero image: official Bitcoin Cash horizontal logo, used unmodified from the Logos / Graphics page at bitcoincash.org (file: bitcoin-cash-logo-horizontal.webp). That page states these logos and brand assets can be used for display in online services, retail establishments, press or other promotional purposes. Copyright (c) 2017 bitcoincash.org.