Coinbase’s Visa debit card will sync with Apple Pay and Google Pay, the crypto exchange said Tuesday.
Additionally, Coinbase said in a blog post it will begin offering cash-back spending reward features to waitlisters this week. The card is available across the U.S. (with the exception of Hawaii); a variation rolled out in European markets in 2019.
The debit card works by converting users’ cryptocurrency balances, like bitcoin, to fiat at point of sale, allowing them to essentially pay with crypto at any card-accepting merchant. Notably, it promises 4% rewards in Stellar Lumens and 1% in bitcoin. Most debit cards don’t have a cash-back program, let alone one in crypto.
But competition for crypto payments is picking up.
Mastercard and Gemini are preparing to unveil a crypto credit card with 3% bitcoin returns. And BlockFi, too, has a rewards-fueled crypto credit card in the works. As bitcoin becomes ensconced as an asset, not a medium of exchange, in the minds of most users, the spending enticements could move the needle on crypto payments despite unfavorable U.S. tax laws.
Coinbase said Tuesday that approved users can immediately begin using their cards with Apple Pay.