Coinbase confirmed today that people who use its crypto debit card, called Coinbase Card, are allowed to make payments with it by using the Apple Pay and Google Pay apps on their smartphones.
The exchange’s official blog reads: “You can now use your Coinbase Card with Apple Pay and Google Pay to make it even easier to spend crypto at home and on the go,” mentioning that US users will be able to “earn up to 4% in crypto rewards.”
Coinbase Card has been available in Europe for some time, but US citizens could only apply for a waitlist – up until now. Beginning this week, Coinbase will “select customers” in the US who will be the first ones to receive their cards.
These users will receive an invitation through email and will need to complete a short application form after which they’ll be able to start using the card through Apple Pay and Google Pay. They can use the card instantly through the phone without having to actually have the physical card.
“Plus, Apple Pay and Google Pay use tokenization to keep your card information safe and enable secure purchases,” the exchange added.
In order to make the payments, Coinbase Card will draw and convert the needed cryptocurrency from the user’s balance. Except for the ones that use the USDC stablecoin, all other crypto debit card transactions will charge a fee of 2.75%.
But US users can also receive crypto rewards based on their purchases, which could make that fee non-important; you can receive a 1% reward in Bitcoin or 4% in Stellar Lumens. This feature isn’t available in Europe.
“This is just the beginning—we’ll continue to build more ways for you to maximize crypto rewards and easily use crypto in your everyday life,” Coinbase finished.