Hello, I just received a Shift Card, it seems like a good idea, but I haven't used it yet, because "who spends their bitcoins?" There is a $9.99 fee to get the card, but no fees to use it for payments, but a $2.50 fee for ATM dollar withdrawals. So the recipient when using the card gets US dollars, not bitcoins, and there is not a fee for the bitcoin to dollar conversion, which is great!
Keep in mind that when you use it for a payment or ATM withdrawal you will need to keep records so you can know how much you will owe for capital gains taxes, if any, since you are essentially converting back to fiat.
It is basically a VISA debit card linked to your Coinbase balance. Not the ideal solution, because I would like to pay directly from my own independent wallet, but it will do for now! The FAQ does state they are working to implement other funding sources. Right now there is Dwolla, which despite me visiting their site, I can't really determine what that is.
https://www.shiftpayments.com/card
My card looks different than the photo below. It is blue with a smart chip and no numbers on the front (VISA number on the back). If you're looking for a bitcoin payment method, check it out! Let me know if you have any experience using it, or have run into problems.
