Share this article
CoinJar Launches Bitcoin Debit Card Trial
CoinJar is testing a bitcoin debit card for use at ATMs and over 800,000 retail terminals across Australia.
Updated Mar 6, 2023, 3:34 p.m. Published Sep 18, 2014, 11:00 a.m.
CoinJar is set to begin a national trial of a bitcoin-to-debit card system called Swipe, which can be used to pay at any store that accepts electronic payments and to withdraw cash at some ATMs.
The Australia-based exchange and payment processor's debit cards will work on the country's electronic funds transfer at point of sale (EFTPOS) network, which is supported by all major banks and has 826,769 payment terminals nationwide.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
"CoinJar Swipe is our way of making bitcoin accessible to everyone," Asher Tan, CEO of CoinJar, told CoinDesk, adding:
"Swipe lets CoinJar customers spend their bitcoin at any retail outlet that accepts EFTPOS, or withdraw cash from EFTPOS-compatible ATMs. It's all part of CoinJar's plan to build a simple, usable bitcoin ecosystem."
According to the Australian Payments Clearing Association (APCA), over 17 million transactions take place via the country's ATM and EFTPOS terminal network per day.
Testing, testing
About 100 CoinJar users will participate in the trial over the next couple of weeks before the company makes the service available to its entire 30,000-strong user base.
Customers will load bitcoins manually onto their debit cards, which will be converted into Australian dollars and incur CoinJar's standard 2% fee. There is no extra charge for using the EFTPOS feature.
The cards are planned to be issued by local company Emerchants.
Benefits of bitcoin
Tan said the card scheme was more about getting more people using bitcoin and understanding its benefits, and that CoinJar wasn't expecting to make much of a profit from the project.
Those benefits included instant and almost free transfers from anywhere in the world (which could benefit freelance workers), to easy payments between individuals. Users can receive bitcoin, load the EFTPOS card and be out spending within minutes, Tan said.
CoinJar has processed about A$50m (US$44.8m) in transactions so far. The company also offers a bitcoin wallet and an iOS app. As well as updating the iOS app for iOS8, it will also launch a new app for Android in the near future.
Image via CoinJar
More For You
L1 tokens broadly underperformed in 2025 despite a backdrop of regulatory and institutional wins. Explore the key trends defining ten major blockchains below.
What to know:
2025 was defined by a stark divergence: structural progress collided with stagnant price action. Institutional milestones were reached and TVL increased across most major ecosystems, yet the majority of large-cap Layer-1 tokens finished the year with negative or flat returns.
This report analyzes the structural decoupling between network usage and token performance. We examine 10 major blockchain ecosystems, exploring protocol versus application revenues, key ecosystem narratives, mechanics driving institutional adoption, and the trends to watch as we head into 2026.
More For You
Bitcoin trails polar opposites, gold and copper, as 'fear and AI' trade lifts tangible assets
Gold and copper have outperformed other major assets this year, with gold rallying more than copper.
What to know:
- Gold and copper have outperformed other major assets this year, with gold rallying more than copper.
- Bitcoin has underperformed, failing to attract both fear-driven and AI-driven investment, highlighting a shift towards tangible assets.
- The divergence in performance between gold and copper reflects market bets on both AI-driven growth and systemic financial fears.
Top Stories
