[header] How to receive bitcoin [title] Learn about how bitcoins work. [step] To understand bitcoin wallets, you first need to understand that they don't hold actual currency. Rather, they give you a key to represent those bitcoins or two keys, actually. 
Think of them as a bank account number and a serial number. The bank account number, called an address or public key, changes each time you use it, and it tells others how to find you.