Buy Direct Quick Facts You can buy securities on this web site. You can buy securities via our automated phone service. It's toll-free. We deduct the purchase price from your bank account.

Convenient and quick, Buy Direct allows you to buy Treasury bills, notes, and TIPS here on the worldwide web or on our automated phone system at 800-722-2678. Before we go further, one quick aside: You also can buy securities from us by completing and mailing a paper form. In fact, if you're not already one of our customers, you will have to fill out a paper form before you can buy. Now, back to our subject . . . When To Buy With Buy Direct, you can make noncompetitive purchases of Treasury bills, notes, and TIPS during the hours of 8 a.m. to 12 midnight Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, excluding Federal holidays. Generally, bids for a particular security must be submitted prior to 12 noon Eastern Time on the day the security is auctioned. To be sure of the deadline for a particular security, check the auction announcement for the security. How To Buy To purchase a security using Buy Direct, here's what you will be prompted to do (these instructions apply to both web and phone, unless otherwise noted): If you're using the phone, after calling 800-722-2678 wait for the prompt and then press "1" for "buy or reinvest securities." Indicate you want to purchase securities. Enter your account number. (On the web, this step comes before the one above.) Enter your Social Security Number or Employer Identification Number. Choose the security you wish to purchase. Choose the amount of money you wish to invest. The minimum amount is $1,000. The maximum amount in a single auction is $5 million for any particular bill, note, or TIPS. Bids must be made in multiples of $1,000. If using the web, choose the security's issue date. If using the phone, you won't have this option; you automatically will receive your chosen security at the next available issue date. If you're buying a bill, choose the number of times you wish to reinvest the security. Your options range from zero to eight times for a 13-week bill and zero to four times for a 26-week bill. Once your transaction is complete, the system will immediately give you a confirmation number. Record this number for your records. The Way To Pay With Buy Direct, we deduct the purchase price from your bank account when we issue your security to you. Non-Competitive Bids Only In Buy Direct, your bid for securities must be a noncompetitive bid. If you bid noncompetitively, you are guaranteed to receive the security you want, and in the amount you want. On the other hand, to submit a competitive bid to us, you must use a paper form called a tender. A competitive bid can be rejected in whole or in part. (NOTE: The tender allows investors to bid either way: competitively or noncompetitively.) Warning! When using Buy Direct on the worldwide web, never use your browser's "Back" or "Forward" buttons. Instead, use the navigational buttons at the bottom of each page. Other Services Buy Direct is just one part of Electronic Services for Treasury Bills, Notes, and Bonds, an array of convenient options we offer over the web and phone. Frequently Asked Questions about Buy Direct Go to Buy Direct (Part of Electronic Services for Treasury Bills, Notes, and Bonds)