Buy Boost, Explained Simply

What Is Buy Boost?

Buy Boost is an option you can turn on when you take out a loan on Lantern. Normally, when you borrow against your crypto, we send the loan amount to you in cash. With Buy Boost turned on, we use that money differently: instead of sending it to you, we automatically use it to buy more of the same crypto you're borrowing against, and add that new crypto to your account as extra collateral.

In short: a normal loan gives you cash. A Buy Boost loan gives you more crypto.

How Does It Work?

When you take out a loan with Buy Boost turned on:

1. You choose how much to borrow, just like a normal loan.

2. Instead of that amount landing in your bank account, Lantern uses it to buy more crypto on your behalf.

3. The crypto we buy is added to your collateral automatically.

4. Your loan is now backed by your original collateral plus the crypto we just bought.

You end up holding more crypto than you started with, and your loan is larger too, since it's now backed by more collateral.

Why Would Someone Use It?

Buy Boost is popular with people who already want to buy more crypto and would rather not send in new cash to do it or don’t want the hassle of dealing with multiple exchanges. Instead of depositing extra money to buy more BTC, ETH, XRP or another supported asset, you can use your existing collateral to do it in one step.

What Should I Watch Out For?

A few things to keep in mind before turning Buy Boost on:

• You won't receive cash. This is the most common point of confusion. If you're expecting a deposit into your bank account or wallet, you won't see one — the loan proceeds go straight into buying crypto for you.

• Your loan is bigger. Since you're borrowing more to buy more, you'll owe more interest over the life of the loan.

• It only works with your loan proceeds. Buy Boost doesn't add any extra money of its own — it's simply a different way of using the money you're already borrowing.

How Much Extra Can I Borrow With Buy Boost?

Every asset on Lantern has a normal maximum loan-to-value, or LTV — basically, the most you can borrow against your collateral. Buy Boost raises that maximum for the portion used to buy more crypto. Here's how the limits compare:

Your interest rate doesn't change, and there's no extra fee beyond the standard 1% fee that applies to any crypto purchase on Lantern.

How Do I Turn On Buy Boost?

1. Start a new loan in your Lantern dashboard.

2. Choose the crypto you want to use as collateral.

3. Toggle on Buy Boost before submitting your loan.

4. Confirm your loan amount and terms.

5. Once your loan funds, we'll automatically buy more crypto for you and add it to your collateral. You'll see the new crypto in your account, not a cash deposit.

Frequently Asked Questions

I took out a loan with Buy Boost, but I never received my loan funds. What happened?

This is expected, and it's the most common question we get. When Buy Boost is turned on, your loan proceeds are never sent to you as cash. Instead, we automatically use them to buy more crypto and add it directly to your collateral. Check your collateral balance in your dashboard — you should see the new crypto there, even though your cash balance didn't change.

Is Buy Boost a separate loan?

No. It's a feature you can add to a normal Lantern loan. You still have just one loan but Buy Boost just changes what happens to the money you borrow.

Does Buy Boost cost extra?

No. Your interest rate stays the same. The only fee is the standard 1% fee that applies whenever you buy crypto on Lantern, same as it would if you bought crypto by depositing funds directly.

Can I turn Buy Boost off after my loan is already funded?

Once your loan is funded, the crypto purchase has already happened and can't be undone. If you'd like to reduce your risk afterward, you can repay part of your loan early to lower your loan-to-value ratio. Reach out to our support team if you'd like help with this.

Which cryptocurrencies work with Buy Boost?

Buy Boost is available on all crypto Lantern supports for lending, including BTC, ETH, SOL, XRP, and LTC, among others. Each asset has its own boosted limit — see the table above.

Is Buy Boost right for me?

Buy Boost can be a good fit if you already plan to buy more crypto and want to do it using your loan proceeds instead of cash you already have on hand. It's probably not the right choice if you were expecting to receive cash from your loan, or if you'd rather keep a bigger safety cushion in case prices drop.