Comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of the six major Bitcoin debit cards

Perhaps in 2025, the majority of people in the mainstream world will use Bitcoin like they use PayPal. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and Bitcoin has made great progress in the past seven years. However, Bitcoin’s advanced peer-to-peer payment system is still based on debit card technology from the 1950s.

Today, we compare the six best performing Bitcoin debit cards on the market.

BitPlastic

If you look at the BitPlastic website, you’ll see a tagline that reads: “The World’s Only Bitcoin Debit Card.” BitPlastic is the first Bitcoin debit card that I’m aware of, and they launched the service back in 2013.

The BitPlastic debit card comes with a Bitcoin wallet, an online shopping card (which allows you to accept Bitcoin payments on your website), and PayPal transactions. This debit card does not require any identity verification. Their web service is also compatible with TOR. BitPlastic actually encourages you to use the service with a pseudonym and TOR email. Because it does not require your ID information, your name will not be printed on the card. This is a double-edged sword, because you can withdraw money from ATMs anonymously, but you may have a hard time finding an offline merchant willing to accept a nameless card for checkout.

Many websites also cannot process an anonymous card. BitPlastic uses Visa, but if you lose your card, you lose your Bitcoins.

The cost of using this debit card is not cheap. It costs 0.25 BTC (now equivalent to $150), so it is by far the most expensive debit card you can buy. Its daily ATM withdrawal limit is $200. The ATM withdrawal fee is $1.5, but there is also a 5% conversion fee for converting Bitcoin to cash.

Moreover, currently BitPlastic only provides the option of trading Bitcoin against the US dollar.

As the world’s first Bitcoin debit card, BitPlastic deserves respect, but the market has evolved a lot and BitPlastic should update the description on its website.

Shift

Shift has connections with Coinbase Wallet, Dwolla, and Visa, so it has a solid user base.

Shift is the first Bitcoin debit card in the United States. Its benefits include a flexible mobile app, free domestic transactions, and no conversion fees from Bitcoin to fiat. The card is priced at $10.

But the card has its problems. It only supports customers in 45 states in the United States. Without verification, the daily limit is $1,000, but if you submit verification documents and contact them, your limit can be increased. Dwolla account users have a daily ATM withdrawal limit of $500, while Coinbase users have a limit of only $200.

Shift is a good debit card, but it can only be used in the United States, and it only supports the US dollar as a legal currency. In addition, it has a spending limit...

Wirex

Since last year, Wirex has been renamed E-Coin Card. Wirex's advantages include a flexible mobile app, which supports multiple currencies (US dollars, euros and British pounds), and there is no limit on online shopping with Wirex.

Potential downsides include monthly SMS notification fees, higher-than-average debit card fees for the Wirex card ($17 for the physical card and $3 for the virtual card used for online purchases), and a $1,000 ATM withdrawal limit and a $2,500 maximum load before verification; after verification, both ATM and card load limits are removed.

In my personal experience, the ATM limitations are the same as last year. The customer support for E-Coin cards is also terrible now, it may have changed since the rebranding, but I still feel a little disappointed.

Wirex is also the only Bitcoin debit card that uses Mastercard, not Visa. In some markets, Mastercard is considered a rival to Bitcoin, and Bitcoin users may not want to support Mastercard, while Visa is a larger network.

XAPO

Xapo is another veteran of the Bitcoin community, and the company began operations as early as 2013. Xapo provides services in major markets, including China, Japan, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

XAPO does not offer services in most African countries (except South Africa) or the United States, mainly due to regulatory barriers.

The advantage of Xapo is that you have your own Bitcoin wallet and Xapo "vault", and they are free to use. Xapo's vault function has good security, it uses advanced encryption technology and offline storage technology.

A Xapo account also allows you to buy Bitcoin directly in five currencies, and the card can also convert Bitcoin into US dollars, pounds or euros.

Potential issues include: higher costs ($20), depending on your location, it may take 35 days or more to receive your card (faster in Europe), and after a year of use, users are required to pay fees. Its ATM restrictions are the same as Wirex. Each ATM transaction limit is $200, and before identity verification, the daily limit is $200 and the total limit is $1,000. After identity verification, all restrictions are removed.

CryptoPay

If you search the term “Bitcoin debit cards” on Google, the CryptoPay card is at the top of the list. Does that mean it’s the best? Wait, let’s compare them.

The advantages of the CryptoPay card include access to three major currencies, which you can use to purchase the card, or Bitcoin, and free shipping worldwide, with European users getting it even quicker, in about five business days.

The card costs $15, which is slightly above the market average, and if you're in a hurry, they also offer a 3-day expedited shipping service, but it can cost up to $75. Similar to Wirex, if you use a "virtual" card to pay online, you'll have to pay $2.50 per month, and it also charges a 1% recharge fee.

BitPay

Finally, let’s look at the latest Bitcoin debit card product on the market, the BitPay debit card. This card has only been around for three months, and I’m one of its users.

The advantages of the BitPay Card include: without verification, its limits are the highest in the market, with each card holding up to $25,000 in funds, and a daily withdrawal limit of $3,000, with a limit of $750 per withdrawal. Therefore, in general, users do not need to verify their identity at all.

The card requires no documentation and costs $9.95 to open. You can deposit Bitcoin directly onto the card, and there is no fee to change your PIN (most cards cost $1).

Of course, the BitPay debit card has its drawbacks. It’s currently only available to U.S. citizens. In addition, you can only purchase it with Bitcoin, not fiat currency.

My personal experience is that this card is exactly what I want in a Bitcoin debit card. It converts Bitcoins to USD in less than 60 seconds.

Of course, the pros and cons of debit cards for you depend on your location and nationality. If you are an American, the advantages of the BitPay card are the greatest.

For consumers in other countries, XAPO has proven itself to be one of the best solutions currently on the market.