Prepaid bitcoin card specialist GogoCoin has announced a key partnership with Blockchain that will see the two companies coming together to issue a ‘white-label’ card that can help users quickly set up a bitcoin wallet.
The Blockchain cards are loaded with 2 mBTC, intended as giveaways to increase the user base of its wallet service.
Tom Longson, CEO of GogoCoin, told CoinDesk that he believes the cards will help encourage greater bitcoin adoption:
“It’s very simple, and designed to go as easily as possible so there are no complicated steps. You don’t have to understand bitcoin as much as you get something to work with immediately.”
Relationship with Blockchain
Longson says that the GogoCoin partnership with Blockchain is all about marketing, stating:
“Essentially people who are getting the cards are going into Blockchain wallets. So it’s a way to get more people to sign up for wallets as beginners, especially.”
Users who receive a Blockchain card follow the instructions on the back to go to redeem.bitcoin.com. Then they use the scratch-off code on the card to get 2 mBTC for the wallet.
Growth of Blockchain.info wallets over the past year. Source: Blockchain.infoThe partnership boosts Blockchain’s ability to utilize its bitcoin.com domain as a consumer-friendly onramp to BTC.
Longson, in turn, says that the partnership was a no-brainer for his company as well:
“It’s a great partnership. We’ve really liked what Blockchain has been doing for a long time. Their service is basically the longest-living, as far as I know.”
Longson says the white-label approach working with Blockchain.info helps everyone involved with virtual currencies:
“If Blockchain can give away cards, and that gets more people understanding what bitcoin is, that’s a win. That’s a win for us, that’s a win for Blockchain.info, that’s a win for the community at large,” he said.
Beginner’s fair
The Blockchain-branded cards were first introduced at the recent Bitcoin Beginner’s Fair.
The event was held at the San Francisco coworking space 20Mission. That space is host to regular bitcoin meetups and even held a Bitcoin Art Fair earlier this year to promote digital currencies.
“I don’t have the exact count [of attendees]. [But] I know that we gave about 300 cards away,” said Longson.
GogoCard has been working on its own branded cards for sometime now. Longson frequently gives $25 GogoCoin cards away at events to get people started with bitcoin.
Often times, events designed to introduce newcomers to bitcoin give out paper wallets. Longson says paper wallets are useful, but that they have limitations, saying:
“Less people actually redeem paper wallets. This is just because it is inherently more complicated.”
About GogoCoin
Longson also added that Blockchain product manager Dan Held is now working as an advisor for the startup.
In addition to Held, dogecoin creator Jackson Palmer and I Can Has Cheezburger? co-founder Eric Nakagawa also have come onboard with GogoCoin in advisory roles.
GogoCoin is San Francisco-based, and the company is currently working on its product at 500 Startups. It is one of five bitcoin startups incubating at the Mountain View accelerator.
Longson says that GogoCoin will be announcing some more key partnerships in the near future. He hinted towards getting GogoCoin cards into major retailers, although he could not name any at this time.
Getting cards of digital currency into the hands of the average person is what GogoCoin is all about.
According to Longson:
“What our cards really allow for people to do is get something nice and tangible and it gives a good feeling. Like, ‘I’ve got something that represents bitcoin’.”
Blockchain card image via Twitter