Author: kudryavchikovaaktiviza82

If you are looking for a cheap, easy, Paypal-friendly virtual debit card with no extra stress, Coinizy might be the right solution for you. The philosophy behind Coinizy is to enrich the demographics that are generally without bank access (such as teenagers and underprivileged adults) the ability to spend and receive with a debit card cheaply and reliably. Coinizy is great for first-time bitcoin users, who may still be asking questions like, “Where can I spend bitcoin?” or “What are bitcoins?”

About Coinizy/Kardiz

Coinizy was first launched in 2014 and has been operating in Vancouver, Canada since then. It was founded by veteran entrepreneur Yannick Losbar, whose professional knowledge of digital currencies and the payment industry led him to understand the problem that many people without bank accounts and cards face. He has chosen bitcoin to launch his solution—by allowing everyone access to a debit card, he believes that people will become empowered with the opportunity.

Several advisors work with Coinizy to help keep the company moving forward, stepping up with the latest developments in blockchain technology. One high-profile but unnamed advisor is listed with over fifteen years of experience in fintech; not much else is known about this advisor or the others though.

What Services Does Coinizy Provide?

Coinizy doesn’t believe in opting for a plastic card and focuses solely on providing virtual VISA debit cards for its users. This virtual card is as good as any plastic card, with its own CVV code, 16-digit card number, expiration date, and cardholder name, enabling it to do any online purchases a regular card could accomplish.

After registering, you will have access to your Coinizy card in less than ten seconds. Every account can have a maximum of three cards, and if they require a new card, they are allowed to remove or delete an existing card six times for each account.

The great thing about Coinizy debit cards is that they are easily compatible with PayPal, which can sometimes make you go through hoops to get your card working. The card can be funded directly from your PayPal balance, but it also accepts funding from alternative payment providers like gaming sites and Forex, after your account has been verified.

Coinizy supports users from 130 countries around the world, making it easy to get into bitcoin trading. This excludes the US, India, and most countries in the Middle East and Africa. Almost every other place in the world works smoothly with Coinizy.

While you cannot buy bitcoins directly from Coinizy, you can load your bitcoin debit card from your internal account for free. The website also helps users find where they can buy bitcoins using PayPal or credit cards, so there’s no added hassle of figuring it out on your own.

As an unverified user, you have a maximum of 2500 USD withdrawal limit. You also cannot receive your funds from third parties if you are not verified if the sender of the funds does not share the same name as you, the receiver.

As for verified users, they have less or no limitations when it comes to purchases, lifetime loading, or daily withdrawals. The only maximum limit you have to deal with as a verified user is a maximum load of 20,000 USD per day to your card.

As it is available on both iOS and Android devices, the Coinizy wallet is accessible and easy to use with its cross-platform abilities.

How Much Does Coinizy Cost?

Coinizy is free and quick, and activating and ordering your card can be done in just five minutes. They charge a monthly maintenance fee of 1 USD, and virtual cards are charged a one-time fee of 0.5 USD. Actually using the Coinizy will surprisingly accrue you zero fees, making it a very good deal for those who prioritise every cent of their dollar. Their only recognisable fee is the 3% currency exchange rate, which is standard across the market.

Talking about the Bitcoin exchange rate, Coinizy uses their own exchange rates. From our calculations, they have an average margin of ~5% on top of the Bitcoin Average price.

How Is Coinizy’s User Experience?

Coinizy’s target audience is those who wouldn’t otherwise have access to debit cards or bank accounts, so they try to keep their user experience easy to understand, young, and playful. They have a very pleasing site that is filled with cartoon infographics and drawings, teaching users how to go about the bitcoin debit card process. Available in both French and English, the site does a great job of guiding its users through its system.

However, their site may be a little annoying to bitcoin veterans. Their FAQ isn’t totally transparent with their answers and there is no search function available on the site. However, if you have any concerns they do offer a live chat service available ten hours per day, for every day of the week. Email queries are guaranteed to have responses within a maximum of two days, although there have been reports about unanswered support e-mails and slow response time.

Conclusion

There aren’t many downsides to registering with Coinizy. They have a clear message: they want to provide their services to the target market that doesn’t regularly have access to debit cards. And they reflect this message in their services and fees: they are completely compatible with PayPal and have no limits for online shopping. Their fees are average as well when compared to competitors. The only downside may be that you can’t buy bitcoins directly from Coinizy, meaning you have to buy bitcoin from another platform before you can begin with Coinizy.

Without this option to buy bitcoins instantly, Coinizy does a good job of teaching you how to buy bitcoins with a credit card, or buy bitcoin with a debit card. You won’t be left wondering how to buy bitcoin or sell bitcoin online with their instructions. The company also has a very weak online presence, but this should have little to no effect on your user experience. And if you do not deal in USD, you may be turned off by Coinizy’s USD-only currency option.

Summary:

• Great for students and people with no bank accounts
• Low fees
• Can’t buy bitcoins back with card balance
• USD-only

Pros And Cons

• Easy to set up, clean interface
• Works with a broad range of online stores/services
• Cheap cost for card issuance
• Great limits for Unverified Accounts

• Limited to Online Payments only
• Does not offer option to store Bitcoins
• There are scam complaints found on the web
• Recently changed their name from Coinizy to Kardiz

While most bitcoin debit card providers you can find unfortunately don’t include US residents for regulatory issues, Shift Card is unique in that it is the first bitcoin debit card available on the market specifically meant for US-based users. US-based users can finally use their cryptocurrencies both on the Internet and in-stores at the millions of merchants worldwide who accept bitcoin, simply by connecting their Dwalla or Coinbase accounts to their Shift Card.

About SHIFT

In 2015, a company called Coinbase joined forces with Shift Payment to fulfil something that was lacking in the US market: a well-known and easy to use bitcoin debit card. In 2014, 22 million dollars were raised by Shift through seed funding. With headquarters based in San Francisco, California, Shift was heavily funded by several large venture capitalist firms including Scrum Ventures, Kapor Capital, and CRMC Venture Capital.

Shift’s two founders are both well equipped with financial and cryptocurrency knowledge. The first co-founder, Meg Nakamura, has spent over a decade studying financial services, especially in relation to risk strategy management. She helped found the data management service provider 3taps (with clientele like eBay and Indeed) and has also invested in several innovative businesses.

Eugene Otto is an expert in Computer Engineering, having played a role as the lead developer and engineer at several successful apps, platforms, and startups. His background in commerce comes from co-founding NiceMetrics, which focuses on emerging markets and P2P commerce possibilities.

What Services Does Shift Provide?

Because of the many restrictions existing in the United States when it comes to providing financial servers, it has always been difficult for bitcoin debit card providers to legally operate for US residents. Most card providers thus ignore the US entirely and simply offer their services for international clients. However, Shift is unique in that it is the first bitcoin debit card provider to have complied with all the requirements and restrictions, allowing US residents to spend bitcoin through debit cards. To become a card user at Shift, users must be in one of the 46 US states that allow the card; this includes every state except Hawaii, Georgia, Connecticut, and Minnesota. And because of these restrictions, Shift’s payment services are not available to users in the rest of the world.

As for its functionality, Shift’s system is pretty simple: after loading your Shift account with funds, you can spend your money right away. Shift sends out VISA issued debit cards that are safe to use and widely accepted; anywhere that accepts the VISA card will accept your Shift VISA card without any issue. For those who do not want physical bitcoin debit cards, Shift also offers virtual debit cards.

Another thing unique about Shift is that they do not charge you for topping up your account; whatever fees you pay for loading your account will be charged by your chosen provider, either Dwolla or Coinbase. As for limits, Shift has a tough limit of 1000 USD per day, and an ATM withdrawal maximum limit at 500 USD per day for Dwolla users or 200 USD a day for Coinbase users; these are very low max limits when compared to other cards on the market. If you need to increase your spending threshold in a day, you are encouraged to contact the Shift Support Team which can temporarily help you out in special circumstances.

Because of tight regulations, Shift users can only use their services after supplying Shift with enough personal information. This includes the home address, date of birth, and Social Security Number, and this data is safely stored in Shift’s encrypted servers. Shift keeps its data extra secure by routing their website traffic through SSL, which stops third parties from hacking into their connection. Employees are under no circumstances allowed access to any of Shift’s users’ private data.

After placing your order, you can expect to receive your card in about five to seven days as long as you are in the US. Activate your card through the site or with the Shift Help Desk; your PIN will be automatically set to the final 4 digits of your phone number that you registered with, but this can, of course, be changed with their customer support hotline.

The Shift app is available for both Android and iOS, making it accessible to the widest audience possible. Users can always be notified of their finances with the transactions appearing as notifications, keeping everyone updated immediately. Shift is also merchant-friendly, as it helps with a full payment service system. With Shift’s interface, merchants can access customer spending patterns through real time analytics.

How Much Does Shift Cost?

Shift charges roughly below average prices when compared to other cards on the market, which is especially interesting since it has little-to-no high-profile competition in the US market. The card costs just 10 USD, with no monthly or annual renewal or maintenance fees. Withdrawals cost 2.50 USD if domestic and 3.50 USD if international; these fees may be higher depending on the bank of the ATM.

There are also no fees for either online or offline transactions, except a standard 3% currency exchange fee when buying a product internationally in a different currency.

How Is Shift’s User Experience?

Shift’s tight and neat website gives you all the information you need with just a few clicks, and there is no chance of you accidentally wandering somewhere that may confuse you or lead you to another site. The information is readily available and only takes a few seconds to understand. And if there is ever any issue that a user runs into, all he has to do is call their customer service which is free of charge, or send a ticket through their quick ticket system that their customer support responds to as soon as possible.

Conclusion

The best thing about Shift is that it has opened the bitcoin debit card market to US residents, making the effort in getting around all the rules and regulations to provide this service. While their fees are lower than most of their competitors, the downsides to Shift are its restriction to the US market and that you have to link with a third party to access your account—Coinbase or Dwolla. However, if you don’t mind using Coinbase or Dwolla and if you don’t plan on leaving the US anytime soon, Shift is the perfect solution for US residents looking for a bitcoin debit card.

Summary:

• Almost no fees!
• Requires you to connect to a Dwolla or Coinbase account
• Doesn’t provide a wallet
• Can only be used by US residents
• Virtual cards and physical cards cost the same

Pros And Cons

• Serious & trustworthy company
• Cheap fees
• Simple to use

• Available only for clients from U.S.A
• Requires FULL customer information
• Relatively LOW limits

When you need a bitcoin debit card that allows simple and affordable money transfers anywhere and at any time, Wirex may be the card you’re looking for. Wirex fuses the traditional banking services that you are used to with the digital currency systems of the 21st century. Working exactly the way you would expect a normal debit card to work, the Wirex card gives you the freedom of travel while accessing and using the flexibility and security of bitcoin blockchain technology.

About Wirex

Wirex was once called E-Coin and could be found at E-coin.io, but the team behind E-Coin began a rebranding in late 2014 that reshuffled their entire image. Wirex’s founding team is composed of professionals from several fields—Pavel Matveev has led countless high level IT projects for investment banks around the world over the last decade; Dmitry Lazarichev has all the experience attainable from the financial world; and Georgy Sokolov is an internationally renowned salesman with expertise in the US and European markets.

After conceptualising the idea and creating the foundation of their E-coin platform, it took their team just four months to get their systems online. Two years later and after a careful rebranding, Wirex has slowly been finding more and more success in the digital currency market.

Wirex has also recently announced the completion of $3 million in Series A funding obtained from the SBI Group, a leading financial services firm in Japan.

What Services Does Wirex Provide?

Wirex gives users the opportunity to choose from two different types of bitcoin debit cards: either a plastic VISA card (with working pin and chip) or a virtual VISA card. These cards can transact with GBP, EUR, or USD, and they are accepted worldwide, in all establishments that accept regular Mastercard and VISA debit cards. This includes over 99% of the debit card market, allowing you to use your bitcoins wherever you may need.

After ordering your card, it can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few days to get it in your mail, depending on where you are located in the world and whether you chose standard delivery or expedited delivery. While Wirex delivers their cards to over 130 countries worldwide, because of certain legislation issues, they are unfortunately not accessible for US citizens, in India, and some Arabic countries.

To convert your bitcoins to base currency, the Wirex app makes it simple: it takes nothing more than a few touches on your phone with the Wirex app available to both Android and iOS users. For maximum security, Wirex’s app requires two levels of authentication: the initial user-chosen password and afterwards, a special authentication code generated on the user’s smartphone. This ensures the highest level of security for your funds with Wirex.

Wirex also allows users the ability to purchase bitcoins directly with bank transfers, as well as other payment service providers such as PayPal. You will be able to track your money instantly—no banking hours or holidays delaying you from getting your money. Blockchain technology is designed to support immediate money transfers.

How Much Does Wirex Cost?

To buy the physical debit card itself, Wirex charges just 17 USD. The virtual cards cost 3 USD with a 1 USD fee every month. Your account is also charged every time you load your card—3 USD with direct bank transfers, or a 2-3% fee with alternative payment methods such as PayPal.

The number of times you can load your card per day is limited to five times a day, and for every transaction, you can load a minimum of 10 USD up to a maximum of 2500 USD. However, these numbers only apply to transactions from your bitcoin account; if your source of funds comes from a traditional bank or an alternative payment service provider, you are limited to two transactions per day and a maximum of 5000 USD (for bank-sourced funds) or 500 USD (from alternatively-sourced funds).

When using your funds on your card, there is no limit to the number of times you may transact through POS terminals per day, while there is a maximum of two ATM withdrawals per day, 2000 USD max. Wirex has no restrictions on the amount of money you may withdraw for the entirety of your ownership of the card.

When setting up your account, Wirex will ask you to provide Proof of Residence and Proof of Identity documents to verify each user. All of your basic personal details are required on the documents, including your full name, the ID’s expiration date, a recent photo and your date of birth. Your Proof of Residence documents (electric bills, Internet bills) cannot be older than 3 months, and the bills or tax statements must show your declared address. If your documents are not in English, you are required to provide an English translation of them. Wirex does not handle the verification process; instead, your documents are identified by a bank, and this can take anywhere from 7-10 business days.

If you would not prefer to disclose your identity or if you wish to use your account before your identity is verified, some of Wirex’s services can be used, though your experience will be limited. You will only be able to withdraw a maximum of 1000 USD per day (and a maximum of 2500 USD for the card’s lifetime), at a maximum of two ATM withdrawals daily. Despite these restrictions, your POS usage and online payments are surprisingly left unrestricted.

If travelling abroad with the Wirex card, your account will be charged a 3% fee if a currency conversion is required. This applies if the currency of your transaction is not the same as your base currency. Wirex does not display the prices they use for conversions on their website.

How Is Wirex’s User Experience?

The overall design and style of Wirex are pleasing to the eye, with calming shades of teal and blue green on top of a minimalist design that keeps the user experience simplified. The website tells you most of what you need to know and teaches its audience the current reality of bitcoin debit cards. The Wirex app also allows users to send in tickets, enabling simple communication with their customer support system.

Bitcoin exchange rates are available on the spot, so customers can see exactly how much they will get loaded on their cards before confirming transactions. The rates themselves are close to market averages most of the time.

It’s also worth mentioning that Wirex was first to introduce 2-way bitcoin debit cards, meaning that customers are able to both keep a balance in BTC and FIAT. Users are able to exchange cryptocurrencies to traditional currencies and vice-versa at any time.

Conclusion

While not perfect, Wirex is a clear solution for those who often find themselves in different corners of the globe without a reliable and easy way of transacting payments. With both Android and iOS support, free shipping worldwide, and the support of three major currencies, there aren’t many downsides to using Wirex.

Moreover, most customers have had only good reviews for Wirex. The pricing schedule is better than most other cards, and many users are satisfied with their VISA experiences. For those who travel frequently and want to use bitcoin on the go, Wirex has been an easy solution. One problem with Wirex is the slow delivery time of their cards, which also excludes US citizens from participating. There have been no reported instances of scams associated with Wirex or E-coin, suggesting a high level of company policy.

Summary:

• Best customer support, with 24/7 support that can help you in tricky situations
• Easy to use, high-quality user experience with their app and website
• Below average fees
• They ship to the most countries worldwide amongst their competitors
• They offer unnamed cards if you wish to be anonymous, though there are limits

Pros And Cons

• Multiple card options (EUR, USD, GBP)
• Available on both WEB & iOS / Android
• 2-Way debit cards
• User-friendly approach

• Cards are available only in 130 countries
• Card delivery takes more time in remote countries
• Limited functionality for Unverified customers

WageCan focuses on serving merchants, freelancers, cryptocurrency miners, and international workers. Their main target audience is those who want to buy and sell in bitcoin online without hassle or problems. They want cryptocurrency trading to become as easy as purchasing with a normal debit card, making it the ideal card for anyone who wants to switch over completely to bitcoin spending.

About Wage Can

WageCan has been working in the blockchain based payment industry since 2014 out of Taiwan and Hong Kong. When starting WageCan, their founders wanted to fill the market gap presented by the location-limited nature of cryptocurrency exchanges from existing blockchain payment solutions. They wanted to provide a service that could be accessed without a tedious registration process by anyone around the world.

There are three main founders of WageCan, the first of which is their current CEO, Franky Hu. Hu has been working as a software engineer for several projects over the last decade, including Zoaks which is a design firm for mobile applications. He is the software guru of WageCan, having been a player in the bitcoin industry since 2013.

Rovers Yang is WageCan’s CTO and has over a decade of work experience in software engineering and IT infrastructure development. His experience beyond coding for the financial industry makes it easy for him to adapt to whatever solution WageCan tries to provide. His passion in blockchain technology is reflected in the fact that he himself is a cryptocurrency miner.

Finally, Brya Cheng serves as WageCan’s COO, and is primarily focused on their application development and web development programming.

What Services Does WageCan Provide?

WageCan focuses on offering their services towards cryptocurrency miners who want to receive their funds directly to a bitcoin debit card, international workers who need to access ATMs oversees, and freelancers who are looking for low fees. Whatever blockchain based payment solution you may need.

WageCan’s cards are like every other card, in that they can be used for ATM withdrawals worldwide, for purchase at local shops, and online shopping. If you need to deal in multiple currencies (EUR, GBP, USD, or bitcoin), WageCan lets users order multiple cards that deal in different base currencies, for whatever combination of currencies they need. WageCan emphasises freedom when deciding how to use your cards—a new one for freelancing jobs, or another one for personal usage and another one for work. WageCan supplies both virtual and physical cards.

Any nationality can register with WageCan, which is another surprising difference from other cards. There are no restrictions for residents from certain areas. Depending on your location, the shipping could take anywhere from 1-2 weeks; if you need it sooner, they offer an expedited shipping option.

WageCan allows you to fund your card through several platforms. Cryptocurrencies can be added directly from the blockchain; users can also use the Android or iOS application to load their balance from there or through the site.

WageCan offers two different cards: the Silver Card, which limits ATM withdrawals to three per day at a maximum of 1000 USD per withdrawal, as well as the lifetime limit of 12,000 USD; or the Universe Card which has no lifetime spending or loading limit, and a single withdrawal limit of 2500 USD daily.

WageCan offers bonuses to miners and companies; companies who refer their customers to WageCan can potentially receive daily bonuses through the system.

How Much Does WageCan Cost?

WageCan’s fees depend entirely on your type of card, either the WageCan Silver Card or the WageCan Universe Card.

The Silver Card is the more limited option of the two, with the offered currencies limited to EUR and USD. While offline and online shopping is free of charge with no extra fees, you have to deal with a 1.5% currency exchange rate for international transactions and withdrawals, if your base currency doesn’t match the transaction currency.

Your withdrawals have a fee of 1.5% (or a minimum of 7 USD). It costs 10 USD per transaction every time you transfer your balance to another provider, and users have to pay 2 USD per month for an account management and maintenance fee if the account has not been used for twelve months straight. This means it is easy for users to forget about their cards and be charged fees unknowingly.

The less limited option is the Universe card, which has base currencies of GBP, EUR, and USD. The card will cost you anywhere from 0.05 to 0.08 BTC, depending on the type of shipping you choose. At this price, it is generally much higher compared to its competitors; the virtual card at 0.4 BTC is astronomically priced when compared to the averages in the market. The monthly fee of 1 USD is lower than the Silver Card’s 2 USD per month. You are charged 3.50 USD for every international ATM withdrawal and 2.50 USD for every domestic withdrawal. Surprisingly, the Universe’s currency exchange fee is higher than the Silver’s currency exchange fee, at 3% like most competitors.

How Is WageCan’s User Experience?

WageCan’s website is professionally built, with a single theme kept in mind throughout the design that gives it that smooth aesthetic that defines the best websites out there. While it may be difficult to find the information that you need right away—prices are hidden under certain tabs, and you can only see the limits after you have registered—you are granted discounts as a new user. With WageCan, you can buy your first physical bitcoin debit card for a paltry 0.025 BTC.

Registering on their site requires you to provide your phone number, nationality, date of birth, and name. And if you have any issues with their site, they have a Zendesk ticket help platform that helps them process all enquiries properly.

Conclusion

WageCan’s philosophy is admirable, as it aims to help freelancers and international workers who travel around the world, helping people to uproot themselves financially. While their services are generally good and on par with market standards, their fees can be sometimes much higher than their competitors, especially when it comes to buying their cards. Information is also hard to find on their site, but this can be solved through a few minutes of searching.

Summary:

• Impressive founders who know what they are doing
• Available in the three major currencies: GBP, EUR, and USD
• Very rewarding affiliate program
• Expensive cards and expensive added fees
• Hard to find information

Pros And Cons

• Multiple currencies (EUR,USD,GBP)
• Multiple card options
• Professional company management

• Lots of added fees
• Document verification required