The folks over at Calgary-based Bitcoin Ventures have launched , their bitcoin ‘gift card’ service, allowing those unfamiliar with acquiring bitcoins to pick them up easily and hassle-free.
The service launched in Canada, where pre-loaded cards were available at the Remedy Café in Edmonton.
The product? Pay $55.50 with a card loaded with $50 in bitcoin (depending on the market rate, of course). There’s a hefty fee, but for some, that may be worth the convenience. And if that’s not enough, customers can purchase up to $1000 in CoinTap cards daily, or just over 1 BTC.
“Once you’ve redeemed your Bitcoins at Cointap.co, you can buy things with Bitcoins, trade them, sell them, hold onto them as an investment, or keep them in your electronic wallet for a rainy day,” said Ashley Fulks to .
Why not a bitcoin ATM?
With a growing number of bitcoin kiosks in Canada, why not just use a bitcoin ATM? Well, CoinTap’s mission is to be even easier than working an ATM. Just grab and go. Also, it’s a great way to gift bitcoin to a family member or friend without going through the hassle of generating a paper wallet.
It’s certainly convenient, but will it be popular amongst the masses? Further, will it help bring bitcoin into the mainstream? What do you think? ()