Bitcoin Debit Cards Reviewed and Compared
By: Ofir Beigel | Last updated: 11/12/19
A debit card that can be loaded with Bitcoins – It’s as simple as it sounds. Using your Bitcoin debit card you can pay at any store while the charge is deducted from your Bitcoin balance (plus a fee of course). This post will cover the most popular active Bitcoin debit cards around.
Bitcoin Debit Card Summary
With the ongoing shortage of payment processors there aren’t a lot of options to choose from. UK residents should choose Coinbase, non UK European residents should go with Wirex and US residents should go with BitPay,
There is also a user generated card list that seems somewhat outdated and I cannot vouch for here.
If you want a detailed review about each card keep on reading. Here’s what I’ll cover:
- What are Bitcoin debit cards?
- Best Bitcoin Debit Cards
- New and Untested Bitcoin Debit Cards
- Inactive debit cards
- Conclusion – Which card should you choose?
1.Does Bitcoin have a Debit Card?
No, it doesn’t. Bitcoin isn’t controlled by anyone so it can’t issue its own debit card. However, you can get a 3rd party prepaid debit card which you can load with Bitcoin and then buy almost anything.
While not many businesses accept payments in Bitcoin (yet), most accept debit cards. With a Bitcoin debit card, merchants get paid in their own currency while you are charged in Bitcoin from your prepaid balance.
However there are downsides. First, when using a Bitcoin debit card, you’re basically giving someone else control over your coins (at least the ones you’ve deposited).
Second, this service comes with a price. Every payment you make entails both processing fees as well as conversion fees for paying with a foreign currency if you’re not using the card’s native currency.
2. Best (working) Bitcoin Debit Cards
On January 5, 2018 Visa suspended the activity of WaveCrest – the company providing most crypto credit cards out there. Many card issuers either suspended their services or work only in specific countries.
Today, there are only 4 active reputable companies that supply Bitcoin debit cards.
Wirex Bitcoin debit card
Pros: Multiple coins supported, established company
Cons: Available only in the EEI, relatively high maintenance fees
Previously known as E-coin, the company rebranded to Wirex in 2016. The company supplies a Chip & Pin visa debit card that can be loaded through your Wirex app (desktop or mobile). The card can be loaded with Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Ripple (XRP) and Litecoin (LTC).
Card balance can be converted to USD, EUR or GBP.
The card is available to all EEI residents and will soon be available in North America and Asia as well. The card is usable anywhere Visa is accepted.
There is a $2.5 for ATM withdrawal within Europe and $3.5 outside of it. Account management costs $1.5/month. The complete fee schedule can be viewed here.
Wirex also supplies a virtual card if you don’t need the actual plastic.
Keep in mind that some of our users have stated they have had issued withdrawing cash from certain ATMs and paying online with the Wirex card.
Coinbase Bitcoin debit card
Pros: Multiple coins supported, established company
Cons: Limited to 6 countries only
Coinbase, one of the leading Bitcoin exchanges around, is issuing its own Visa debit card for of the UK Spain, Germany, France, Italy, Ireland, and the Netherlands.
The card is linked to your Coinbase account and allows you to easily spend crypto held on Coinbase anywhere Visa is accepted.
The card is linked to the Coinbase app and through the app you can choose which coin will be spent. The card also offers multiple security features such as 2 factor authentication, instant freeze and more.
There’s a $4.95 fee for issuing the card, and ATM fees are 1%/2% (domestic/international). The complete fee schedule can be viewed here.
Here’s how to get your Coinbase card:
- Sign up to Coinbase
- Download the Coinbase mobile app
- Order the card from the app
Bitpay Bitcoin debit card
Pros: Well known company, no transaction fees
Cons: Limited to US residents only, Bitcoin only
For US residents there is the option of using Bitpay’s Bitcoin debit card. The card is available in all 50 US states. You must have a home address (no PO boxes), government-issued ID, and Social Security number to apply.
The card costs a flat fee of $9.95 and takes about 7 days to arrive in the mail. There are no transaction fees for the Bitpay card. Bitpay’s card supports Bitcoin (BTC), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Gemini Dollars (GUSD), USD Coin (USDC) and Paxos (PAX).
If you’re using the card outside of the US you will need to pay a 3% conversion fee. If you withdraw money from your card you will pay a $2 fee ($3 outside the US). There are also additional deposit and mailing fees which can be seen here.
Cryptopay debit card
Pros: Multiple currency support,
Cons: Russia only, relatively high fees
Founded in October of 2013, Cryptopay is a wallet and payment platform that also issues a Bitcoin debit card. The card is currently available in Russia only (European residents can use a virtual card). You can either order a physical card with a chip & pin, or a virtual debit card if you’re just into online shopping.
The card supports BTC, ETH, LTC and XRP.
The physical card costs $15 and is shipped for free worldwide. ATM withdrawal costs 1.5% with a $5 minimum.
The card has a monthly maintenance fee of $1 and a 1% commission for loading money. Non-verified you can load up to €1000 in your card. The complete fee table (in Russian only) can be viewed here.
TenX debit card
Pros: Low fees, multiple currency support
Cons: Very limited country support
TenX Pte. Ltd. is a Singapore based company that supplies a cryptocurrency wallet that is tied to a Visa prepaid debit card. The wallet supports BTC, ETH and LTC.
The card is available for order only in the following countries:
- Australia
- Hong Kong
- Malaysia
- New Zealand
- Singapore
There is a $15 fee for a physical card and a $1.5 fee for a virtual card. Maintnance fee is $10/year but it is waived if you spend more than $1,000 during the year. ATM withdrawals have a flat $3.25 fee by the company (however the bank may charge additional fees).
3. New and Untested Bitcoin Debit Cards
Aside from the companies mentioned above I have found several less known companies that claim to supply a Bitcoin debit card. However, these companies have very limited information about them online and should be treated carefully.
Bitnovo debit card
Bitnovo caters mainly for Spain residents. It allows users to buy Bitcoin and Dash through their mobile app, website or via vouchers that can be purchased in dedicated shops around Spain.
The company supports the purchases of several cryptocurrency and the card can be charged with the following ones:
- Bitcoin (BTC)
- Bitcoin Cash (BCH)
- Dash (DASH)
- Litecoin (LTC)
- Stellar (XLM)
- Ripple (XRP)
- Zcash (ZEC)
However it seems that unlike most debit cards, with Bitnovo you basically sell your coins the moment you move them to Bitnovo and your card gets only fiat funds.
This means that if you’d like to enjoy the volatility of your cryptocurrencies you’ll need to hold them until you actually want to purchase something before selling them in order to top off your card.
You can read additional Bitnovo reviews here.
PolisPay debit card
PolisPay offers a mobile wallet that can be connected with a crypto debit card. The company is still very young and is offering an open beta for people who want to try out the card.
There’s a $25 yearly fee for the card and 0% fees on ATM withdrawals. The complete fee schedule can be viewed here.
I would be very careful when using this card since the whole website seems to be very sketchy in how it looks and feels (e.g. links aren’t working, no information about the company, etc.)
4. Inactive Debit Cards
- Shift debit card
- XAPO debit card
- SpectroCoin debit card
- CoinsBank debit card
- ANXPro debit card
- TenX debit card
- Uquid (active but doesn’t accept new customers)
5. Conclusion – Which card should you choose?
With the ongoing shortage of payment processors there aren’t a lot of options to choose from like there were in the past. UK residents should choose Coinbase, non UK European residents should go with Wirex and US residents should go with BitPay,
In the end, most of these cards work more or less the same.
On a personal note, using a Bitcoin or crypto debit card is a great way to start realizing your crypto gains on a day to day basis. Hopefully, a suitable solution will be found and the previous companies will resume their services.
Have you had any experience with a Bitcoin debit card? If so, I’d love to hear about it in the comment section below.
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Seriously I’m still confused about most of bitcoin world talk jargon. Why would you need a bitcoin card so someone can ripp u off. Why can’t I just transfer bitcoin amount I made today, into my personal bank account. There are still alot of grey areas. I thought this system was so we are in control and not power hungry companies like banks.
Wirex was working great until last week when they decided to abruptliy and without notice close my account without no reason as to why. I was only asked to provide wallets and bank account so they can transfer my funds. Its been over a week now and no sign of my money. I know 10+ people to whom they did the same. More people had issues with cash withdrawals, in shop payments and failed transactions but money still deducted from balance. I don’t know whats happening but this is definately not how Wirex started off.
You missed quite a big one: TokenCard. Fees are very reasonable and the cards are shipping to Europe. It’s also the only solution trying to keep things decentralised, their wallet is non-custodial
Pretty good list of the available options, looks like the shift debit card has been discontinued. Could you also add Crypterium debit card to the list. Crypterium cards are available worldwide you **link removed**
It is not possible to withdraw cash with the Wirex card in EUR and many times companies refuse an online payment with it, which is highly frustrating.
malaysia can use ??
Bitpay stops cash transactions March 8th 2019
Cryptopay is only issuing cards in Russia at the moment.
Bitpay is not just BTC only.
Cryptocurrencies allowed to load your Bitpay debit car…
Bitcoin (BTC)
Bitcoin Cash (BCH)
Gemini Dollars (GUSD)
Paxos (PAX)
Circle USD Coin (USDC)
Just a heads up, anyway bitwala recently launched a Blockchain bank with associated MasterCard debit card. Unfortunately it’s only available to EU members and everyone has to be verified to open an account, check it out at bitwala.io