In this post, I will explain why I use a virtual MasterCard inside Bitget Wallet for everyday payments. If you ever had a situation where you wanted to spend some of the gains that you made with trading or some other way in crypto, you might be wondering how to do it easily, without going through the painful process of checking out of an exchange, transferring it to a bank, answering to a long list of security questions before you actually get to use your own funds.
What if I told you that there is a solution to this issue which grants you real life access to your funds in a matter of seconds? With the integrated card service in Bitget Wallet, you can cover your expenses with crypto just like you would with a fiat based card issued by your bank. I have been using this service for some time, it has been exceptionally useful during travels and holidays – everything was instantaneous and snappy.
The best part: all transactions are free, up to $400. I will show you the best features and how to make it work, and as usual, I have a bonus program for you that can even make you some money if you use the card on a day-to-day basis. Now let’s dive into the details.
How it works
Inside Bitget Wallet, there is a feature called Pay, here you can apply for a virtual MasterCard, and in some countries, you can even ask for a physical card, if you absolutely need it. Obviously, you will need to pass a quick KYC to be eligible for one, but this is really a matter of minutes. Once you passed the requirements, you can top-up your balance, using the funds you have in your wallet.
You can use any type of asset, but the best one to use will be USDC on the Base network, as it is transferred in seconds, and transaction costs are literally zero.
This means that basically what you have in your Wallet, is a prepaid MasterCard that you can use anywhere, where MasterCard is accepted. This can be your local grocery store, you can pay for subscriptions and services, you can even withdraw cash with it, as long as the ATM you use can manage contactless cards.
To make it even more convenient to use, you can easily add this virtual card to your Google Wallet or Apple Pay, and just use it anywhere and everywhere across your registered devices.
Why BitgetWallet is the best
Fees
I just love the fact that the usage of the service is actually completely free, up to $400 worth of purchases. Every single transaction within this quota is refundable.
When travelling, this gives me a fantastic edge over a regular bankcard, especially when I spend in foreign currencies, the swap fees that are applied by the old brick & mortar banks are just insane. Using the card in Bitget Wallet, I never have the feeling of being ripped of by exchange rate differences or transaction fees.
Self-custody
One important aspect to all this is the feeling of self-custody. Inside Bitget Wallet, I have complete control over the card, I can check fees, set limits, reset my PIN, freeze it, I can do everything that I would be able to do with a regular card.
Also, my funds are easily manageable, as it is a prepaid service, I can easily isolate the funds used by the Card from my funds in my crypto wallet. I can only spend what top-up, I will never have a transaction tap into my other assets.
Privacy
The other important factor is privacy. With this service, I basically circumvent the traditional banking system, my bank has nothing to do with how I spend my own money, these transactions will never show up in my statements, so I get the privacy that I prefer to have. So if you are also want more privacy in your transactions, this is an easy solution. I can track all movements within the app, everything is shown there accurately, without appearing in an institutional statement.
Bonuses
Finally, the main reason I use the card feature in Bitget Wallet is the amazing bonuses and promotions that are popping up every now and then, and it is just so easy to grab some rewards, that it feels like a glitch in the system.
At the moment of recording there is a promotion called ODYSSEY, that distributes 200K worth of Stellar Lumens, and the qualifying criteria is so easy to meet. All you have to do is hold at least $200 on your card balance, spend at least $1 per day, and swap at least $10 worth of assets inside Bitget Wallet on the Stellar network.
This means that if maintain a balance of $200, you get 10 points each days. If you make a swap worth of $10 on the XLM network, you get another 10 points. If you make a card transaction with at least $1 in value, you get 40 points. You can easily make 60 points daily without breaking a sweat. You also get rewarded at certain milestones that you can reach, so basically you can get a slice of this 200K pie without making too much effort.
These types of promotions alone make it worth using the card. Interestingly enough, they never really get a whole lot of attention, so participating in it with a low number of other members makes it such a good deal.
Summary
Alright, this was my introduction to the card payment solution inside Bitget Wallet, I hope you found it useful. If you want to participate in the promotion, use the official links on this page, make sure you avoid scam links.
I believe that after using this payment method, it will become very easy to off-ramp from crypto, either by spending with the virtual Mastercard, or by withdrawing cash with it. Either way, this has simplified the lives of digital and blockchain nomads, there is no doubt about it.
Let me know in the comments if you also have some experience with crypto cards, and how it worked out for you.