Shift Releases US Bitcoin Debit Card, Not Available In Every State

Bitcoin debit cards have been promised many times before, and a few have made it to market. In the US, every previous version either didn't work or arrived with restrictions attached. This one breaks that pattern. Removing domestic transaction fees addresses a core complaint about competing products. The card appeals to customers who want to spend bitcoin at regular stores without converting to dollars first. It also works for people who occasionally need to turn bitcoin into cash without paying too much.

Coinbase posted about the launch, but how much work the company did on the product behind the scenes remains unclear.

The card works in some US states but not others. Virginia hasn't approved it yet. Colorado offers a puzzle: one user reported the card wasn't available there, even though Coinbase operates its main exchange in Colorado. Virginia faces the opposite problem—Coinbase does business in the state, but Coinbase Exchange, which handles high-volume trading, isn't offered to its residents. Virginia is one of fourteen states where the Exchange doesn't operate.

Different states impose different financial rules. That constraint likely explains why Shift can't launch everywhere right now. The company hasn't said whether state regulations are specifically the reason, though.

A Shift Payments representative hasn't responded to questions about which states the card is available in. ZapChain's Daniel Cawrey posted his own experience ordering the card. [Coinbase has partnered with ZapChain for a digital goods marketplace.] We asked Shift to detail all supported states and will update this story if they respond.