To buy a memecoin on Solana, you swap SOL for the token on an exchange such as Jupiter, using the token's contract address rather than its name. Do it in this order: decide an amount you can afford to lose completely, get the contract address from a source you trust, check its warning signs, then open jup.ag from a bookmark, paste the address, swap a small amount and check the route, price impact and fees before you sign. Most memecoins end up worth close to nothing, so this page explains the process. It is not a reason to buy, and it is not financial advice.
Before It Rugs is not affiliated with Jupiter or any wallet. These steps follow Jupiter's documentation at the time of writing (October 2026). Labels move, so check if something looks different.
Key point: In the UK, memecoins are unregulated. If a trade goes wrong, there is no Financial Ombudsman Service complaint and no Financial Services Compensation Scheme to fall back on. The FCA says there is "no safety net if things go wrong" (FCA).
Step by step: buying a memecoin
- Decide your amount first. Pick a sum you could lose completely without it affecting bills, savings or sleep. Write it down before you look at any chart, so excitement does not set it for you.
- Get the contract address from a trusted source. The contract address (CA) is the token's unique ID. Copy it, never search by name, and check it matches on two independent sources. Anyone can copy a name and picture. See copycat tokens.
- Check the token. Paste the address into our rug check to see its warning signs graded A to F. Then look at its RugCheck report and DexScreener page: mint and freeze authority, top holders, liquidity and age.
- Open jup.ag from a bookmark. Type the address yourself the first time and bookmark it. Never use a link from a message, reply or search advert.
- Connect your wallet. Use a separate trading account holding only what you are prepared to lose. See how to set up a Phantom wallet.
- Paste the contract address. On the Market tab, keep SOL under Sell, then click Paste CA next to Buy. Check the full address shown matches the one you checked, and read any token warnings Jupiter shows.
- Enter a small amount. Start well below the sum you wrote down. A first buy is also a test that the route works.
- Check the quote. Expand the rate line under Buy to see the Network Fee, the Platform Fee and the Route. Compare how many tokens you get for your amount with a much smaller amount: if the rate drops sharply, your trade is moving the price.
- Swap and read the preview. Click Swap, then read your wallet's preview before approving. You should see SOL going out and the token coming in, nothing else.
- Verify it arrived. Check your wallet, and the Activity tab in Jupiter's Portfolio drawer. New tokens sometimes land in a wallet's hidden or unverified list.
- Plan your exit now. Decide when you would take your stake back out and when you would accept a loss. See how to set a stop-loss on Jupiter and taking profits.
Jupiter's own swap guide follows the same flow (Jupiter docs).
Where do you find a token's contract address safely?
Copy it from the source you trust most, then confirm it matches somewhere independent, such as the token's DexScreener page reached by your own search. Never trust an address posted in replies, private messages or an unfamiliar Telegram group. Copycat tokens launch within minutes of a popular one, with the same name, ticker and picture.
Check the whole address, not just the first and last few characters. Scammers create lookalike addresses that match at both ends.
What should you check before you buy?
At minimum: whether the creator can still create more tokens or freeze yours, how much of the supply the top wallets hold, how much liquidity sits in the pool and how old the token is. Our guide to how to tell if a Solana token is a scam walks through the full check.
A clean result only means fewer visible red flags. Coins with good-looking numbers still collapse. Read can a safe-looking coin still rug? before relying on any score, including ours.
How do you buy pump.fun coins from the UK?
Pump.fun's own website has blocked UK users since December 2024, after the FCA added it to its Warning List. Coins that have graduated from pump.fun trade in a normal PumpSwap pool, which aggregators such as Jupiter can route through, so the steps above apply to them.
We do not suggest getting round the block. It exists because of the FCA warning, and you would have no UK protection at all. Coins still on the bonding curve are also where launch bots and insiders are most active. See what is pump.fun? and sniper bots on Solana.
How much should you spend on a memecoin?
Only money you could lose entirely, and keep each trade small compared with the size of the pool. Your own trade moves the price on the way in and again on the way out, so a large buy in a small pool costs you twice. See market cap, FDV and liquidity explained.
If you notice you are chasing losses or trading more to win money back, that is a sign to stop. In the UK, GamCare and the National Gambling Helpline offer free, confidential support for gambling-style harm.
What does a memecoin purchase cost?
| Cost | At the time of writing |
|---|---|
| Jupiter platform fee | Between 0% and 0.5% in the default Ultra mode, higher on volatile new tokens |
| Solana network and priority fees | Usually small, set automatically in Ultra mode, and paid even if the swap fails |
| Pool fees | Charged by the pool itself, for example PumpSwap's tiered fee |
| Price impact | How much your own trade moves the price, worst in small pools |
Jupiter shows its fees in the quote before you confirm (Jupiter fees). For slippage settings and why transactions fail, see slippage and priority fees.
Why can a buy work but a sell fail later?
Some tokens let you buy but stop you selling, through freeze authority, transfer restrictions or a pool that has been emptied. A successful buy proves nothing about your exit. See can't sell a Solana token? and mint and freeze authority.
Every swap is also a disposal for UK tax, including swapping back to SOL, so keep a record of each trade in pounds. See memecoins and tax in the UK.
Related
- How to set up a Phantom wallet safely for Solana
- How memecoin trading actually works (and why most people lose)
- How to set a stop-loss and take-profit on Jupiter
- Copycat tokens