Bitcoin Debit Card Review: How to spend that cash

One of the hottest tools to mainstream Bitcoin adoption is slowly being rolled out across the international consumer market: the Bitcoin debit card looks set to inject some serious convenience into transacting with digital currency. As promised, and fresh off of the release of the ANX debit card, Cointelegraph is here to bring you a review of all the major BTC debit cards available on the market right now.

Introduction

Making international payments with fiat debit cards has never been cheap. Banks have been routinely slammed for their unscrupulous fees, which include high rates of commission, poor exchange rates and other hidden charges.

In recent years, private firms have sought to corner the market by offering prepaid debit cards which can be loaded with fiat currency and spent like a bank-issued debit card. Aside from offering protection against serious unauthorized use, these prepaid cards often attract considerably lower charges, but remain somewhat costly to use on a daily basis.

Now, the introduction of Bitcoin functionality to the market unleashes the potential for international transactions to become infinitely more flexible and affordable.

The Bitcoin debit card market is only just setting off, but already several providers are on the cusp of releasing them, with one already shipping its first shipment. Competition is fierce, and Cointelegraph would like to present a review of the current offerings to help readers thinking of trying the technology make an informed decision.

At the time of writing, there are three providers of debit cards which are available internationally without geographical limits on residency or spending. As such, these will form the main offerings under review, with several other providers listed separately in another comparison. Cards will be given marks to facilitate easy understanding of our findings; see below for more information.

Xapo

Wallet and cold storage provider Xapo is currently taking pre-orders for its international Bitcoin debit card, which is expected to be initially released this month.

Flexibility

• The debit card will be available to anyone, regardless whether they have an account with the company (a Xapo wallet is required, however, as this is the means by which funds are linked to the card).
• Xapo states that the card can be used in any POS terminal in any country and online, and has confirmed that ATM withdrawals will also be implemented immediately. 

Cost and fees

• There is a one-off charge for ordering a card of US$15, which covers manufacture, shipping and Xapo’s other expenses.
• There are no other fees associated with using or funding the card.
• Businesses are paid in the local currency, the conversion into which is done at the point of sale using the live Bitcoin exchange rate. There is no marking to suggest that the card is linked to Bitcoin funds.

Security and support

• Xapo is based in San Francisco.

More information can be found here.

ANX

Flexibility

• The cards are available to any ANX customer (except those in China) and can be used to purchase items through conventional credit card payment system such as online retailers or physical retail stores.
• Perform cash withdrawals via an extensive ATM network spanning over 200 countries.
• Automatically link your ANX bitcoin exchange account and bitcoin wallet to your ANX debit card.
• Funds can be loaded from the ANX account in any of the exchange’s 10 supported fiat currencies, but are stored on the card in USD only. Note that Bitcoin is the only cryptocurrency available for loading the card; Litecoin, Namecoin, Peercoin and Dogecoin are not currently supported.
• At present, funds must be loaded manually by sending a support request to ANX, but customer loading is shortly to be added. Replenishing the card funds takes approximately 1 day.

Cost and fees

• The card itself does not attract a charge, but shipping costs vary depending on country and shipping speed, with a minimum of 0.04BTC (approximately US$25).
• There are various charges associated with using the card, as follows:

Security and support

• ANX is registered and based in Hong Kong.
• The card is bank-issued and has PIN functionality. The PIN number is sent with the ANX debit card in a sealed, tamper proof envelope.
• The card can be loaded with between US$100 and US$3,300. Note that US$3,300 is the maximum which can be loaded per year onto the card, and the lifetime maximum is US$9,900 (each card is valid for 3 years). Customers may simply order another once these limits are reached, however, and up to 5 cards may be ordered.
• In the event of a lost or stolen card, funds are partly protected by the PIN, but not from unauthorized online use (note that despite being a visa debit card, it is not supported by the Verified by Visa program).
• A new card will then need to be ordered and a request for a balance transfer submitted to ANX.

More information can be found in the FAQ section of ANX’s website.

BitPlastic

Flexibility

• The BitPlastic Visa debit card can be used in any country at Visa-accepting outlets: POS terminals, ATMs and online. BitPlastic also offers a ‘virtual Visa’ for online-only transactions.
• Funds are loaded onto the card in BTC using the BitPlastic wallet balance. Fund replenishment takes an average of 24 hours.
• The maximum ATM withdrawal amount is US$160 per day, but multiple cards may be used concurrently. The maximum online and POS spend is US$1,000 per day.
• BitPlastic offers an online banking feature for cards, allowing users to view statements and obtain information.

Cost and fees

• The card incurs a deposit of 0.25BTC (approximately US$156), which is refunded if the card is loaded with US$3,500. Note however that cards can only be loaded with this amount before expiring; see below.
• BitPlastic is vague about usage fees, stating that these vary from 6%-8% for loading and that ATM withdrawal fees are “about US$1.50 per transaction”. No information is given about possible POS fees or declined payment fees.

Security and support

• BitPlastic does not provide company details but offers email support for all queries. It is part of the “Bitcoin Network”, a group of 50 or so Bitcoin startups owned by a figure called Dr. Michael Moriarty.
• Visa debit cards have PIN functionality, but the PIN is delivered only via email.
  Any loss or theft means that the card cannot be replaced. The number can be found to spend any funds online (as the PIN is not required) but there is no protection against unauthorized use and no funds transfer facility.
• BitPlastic also takes no responsibility for card usage problems such as blocks, advising customers to “call the bank to attempt to unblock your card, which might or might not be successful.” Bank information is available via the online banking feature supplied with the cards.

More information can be found here.

Developing options

There are other debit cards available, albeit subject to more limited use than those discussed above.

Diamond Circle

• Australian Bitcoin ATM company Diamond Circle offers debit cards available for use in its ATMs and at merchants displaying its logo, which is currently a somewhat limited number. It is likely that acceptance will increase in future.
• Cards can display balances in 9 fiat currencies and are contactless for POS transactions.
• Costs are low, with the card incurring a one-off fee of AUD$5.
• More information can be found here.

Cryptex

• The Cryptex debit card is a Bitcoin-enabled UnionPay payment card. The card is suitable for ATM and POS transactions internationally, with Cointelegraph reporting on more details from its unveiling at the New York Inside Bitcoins Conference in April.
• Fees are still unknown, but UnionPay’s regular fees involve both processor and currency conversion fees totally at least 5.5% of the transaction amount.
• More information can be found here.

Virtex

• Canadian exchange Virtex is trialing a beta version of their debit card, which is available to Canadian citizens only.
• The cards can be used at “most ATMs in North America and many POS terminals” according to Virtex, as well as at “some” international ATMs.
• The beta stage sees reduced card load and transaction amounts. Fees are provisionally indicated at around CA$1.50 per CA$500 withdrawn.
• More information can be viewed and requested here.

Coinjelly

The exchange is looking to begin offering international debit cards in the near future and is currently in the process of finalizing details. Official details have yet to be released, but more information can be found from the community here in the meantime. 

Did you enjoy this article? You may also be interested in reading these ones:

• Contactless BTC Debit Cards go International
• ANX Issues World’s First Bitcoin Debit Card
• Bitsource expands Payment Options to include almost anything
• CoinCashCard Lets You Transfer BTC Funds Directly to Your Debit Card
• Cryptex Card: The Bitcoin ATM Debit Card
• What Can I Do With My Bitcoins?

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