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January 15, 2020
UPayCard Review
It is a British-based company with its headquarters in London. UPayCard was established in 2013. Today, it regulates by the UK Financial Conduct Authority. The company is involved in activities like prepared payment systems and international payment transfers. Like its rivals, UPayCard Bitcoin debit card features an e-wallet that goes along with the respective virtual and physical cards. This one feature separates it from its competitors by giving it a competitive edge. They also issue both business and personal cards, making it a great investment for entrepreneurs interested in Bitcoin and also blockchain startups.
In the beginning, the company did face some setback due to its high fee structures. But it has learned from its mistakes and reduced their fees vastly.
In this brief review, we shall highlight the advantages and disadvantages of the UpayCard Bitcoin debit card and further learn what this debit card has in store for its users.
Advantages
- UpayCard Bitcoin debit card is mastered up with MasterCard, making it acceptable in 99% of the stores worldwide.
- The debit card has a user-friendly mobile app along with an e-wallet facility. This allows easy access to users as they can track their balance when on the go.
- UpayCard Bitcoin debit card is also very secure. Its customers can enable a two-factor authentication system and also a PIN-code/password.
- There are no bank transfer charges involved when transferring money amongst pay cardholders.
- A majority of their services are up for grabs free of cost. UpayCard doesn’t have a monthly maintenance fee. Setting up an account is also free of cost. Moreover, the user doesn’t have to pay any extra charge for inactivity and neither when topping up via bank transfer.
Disadvantages
- Despite being charge-free on top-up, there is still a 1% fee associated when dealing with Bitcoin.
- Sadly, UpayCard Bitcoin debit card doesn’t offer anonymity. The users must verify their identity, proof of address and other requisites in the Know your Customers section.
UPayCard debit card Charges
- Most of the services offered with UpayCard Bitcoin debit card are free of cost, but not all. When topping up with a MasterCard or Visa, users are faced with a setback of 1.2% to 2.9%.
- Transfer services like Wechat, Alipay or UnionPay costs about 1.2%.
- ATM withdrawals are quite expensive too. Jus the tracking of your balance on an ATM will charge you €1.
- No matter where you are, withdrawing cash will cost €3.5.
- When converting payments, there is a 3% standard foreign exchange rate with UPayCard.
Summary
- Physical card: Yes
- Virtual card: Yes
- Card type: MasterCard
- Mobile app: Yes
- Supported fiat currencies: EUR, GBP, and USD
- Supported cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin (BTC), Ripple (XRP) Ethereum (ETH), Litecoin (LTC) and 80+ other cryptocurrencies
- Anonymous: No
Final Word
When established, the company specialized in international money transfers and prepaid debit cards only. Today, they also feature Bitcoin as an option. The reason why UPayCard has such a big following is that customers are reassured of its services as it previously dealt in debit cards. On the downside, many still find its fees quite pricy and Bitcoin as the only cryptocurrency option as a limited opportunity.