I have had a very strong fascination with crypto debit cards for a while now. Ever since I heard it was a thing I scoured the internet tying to learn as much as I could and to also try and pin down the card that I believed would be right for me. While undergoing this process I decided to review these cards here and create a blog about all the good and bad incentives that crypto cards have going for them.

To start it off I figure I would begin with a card that has been seemingly shoved in my face as of late. Coinbase's Debit Card. A long time user of Coinbase I was intrigued to learn that Coinbase had actually come out with their own card and was excited to discover what interesting utilities Coinbase would provide through their card. To my dismay however the results were less than what I could have expected.

Reasons why this card should be worshiped

• Does what a debit card ought to 

All in all, Coinbase's debit card completes all the functions to actually be *called* a debit card. It allows instantaneous payment with stored currencies anywhere in the world. In addition, it comes with all the added security of Coinbases systems, which if you took the time to acquire their debit card then clearly you trust enough to protect your money.

• Mobile App

Technically Coinbase's app came before they acquired a debit card, but nonetheless it is a useful interface for checking and evaluating a users current amount of currency as well as allowing to purchase more on the fly. This not only allows more versatility for the average user but gives people the ability to change which currency they currently want to sell in any given transaction.

• Extremely Fast Payments

Suffice it to say, the card also has extremely fast payment times. The overall Coinbase system is extremely streamlined at this point and allows for purchases to be processed on a dime.

Reasons why this card should die in a fire

• Boring as all Hell

For a crypto card in a growing market of other cards, Coinbase offers very little in regards to any hard reason to choose there card above others. They offer no rewards incentive, no cash back, nothing to set it above it's competitors. This may not seem immediately like all that negative of a reason to dislike a card but in the world of crypto, a world that involves processes like staking and DSR, having none of these options be compatible with your card can seriously kill any business you would hope to drum up.

• High Fees

Coinbase as an exchange has been known for pushing rather high fees on it's clientele and that hasn't seemed to have changed with it's debit card. Coinbase charges one of the highest exchange fees at 2.49% and on top of that it adds the additional physical card fee for purchasing the card. For any long term use I would hate to rely on this card given how much id be losing out on.

Does it look good in your wallet?

• Short answer - yes

From a design standpoint Coinbase has actually come out with a rather sleek looking card. The solid blue finish on the card simplifies it greatly and the choice to have the Coinbase logo and name be featured vertically instead of horizontally is an interesting new touch on a card that aims to sell an interesting new form of currency. Its obviously not an altogether *fancy* card, but it definitely likens itself to the tech company apples card, potentially in an attempt to reference its similarly strong tech background. 7/10 As good as it probably could get.

Summary

In summary, this card is not one that I would recommend to people unless they were the hardest of Coinbase fanboys. With high fees and not a lot of other incentives to get the card, id be hard pressed to get it over the other alternatives on the market. While it is admittedly not a bad looking card, id rather get the card and then let it expire just so I could have something cool in my wallet rather than ever actually use it.