Ten days ago my Bitpay VISA Debit Card arrived.

First order of business (after activating it), was to get some of my crypto odds and ends turned into Bitcoin. That took a few days, but I finally had a decent balance to work with loaded onto the card. Small fees apply to the 'top off' transaction, so I did one lump sum deposit from each external source.

Oddly, the most difficult part was trying to decide on the first purchase. I'd been dithering over it for long enough, so I did some comparison shopping for a few items we needed. Some were too pricey. Some were too close to my available balance. I didn't want a fee to cause an overdraft, because that would trigger an additional fee.

I finally settled on three reversible washable cotton rugs. The ones with the no-skid backing wear out too fast, plus I can put these kind in the dryer. Surprisingly, this style is hard to find and often expensive. These three will be replacing my threadbare ones. Yay!

So, I entered my order just like normal, including the Bitpay Card info as you would a regular debit card. Then, I hit the 'Place Your Order' button and hoped for the best.

Next thing I saw was this:

Woohoo! Halfway there... now, it was only left to see if the payment would be accepted and the amount deducted from the balance. Also, I was curious to see if any fees would be assessed.

Good news across the board!

The payment was accepted, the balance reduced, and no additional fees were charged. This part of the process mirrors my experience with my bank debit card. I couldn't be more pleased with the whole process. The only real test left is to try it at a physical store. I'll let you know how that goes in a future post.