Quote from: gadsdengraphics on October 10, 2014, 07:01:53 PM

The card is issued in Japan, and doesn't have my name on it (it says "TAYTWO POINTMEMBER").

One of these, right?

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The numbers aren't raised. The back is in Japanese. Shift sent a letter with the card explaining these issues, and it's important to understand that it is a BETA PROGRAM. I'm frankly amazed that they've managed to get them out the door so quickly at all. They're working on issuing personalized card with their own design, but didn't want to hold up the Beta program. Awesome

The card costs money. I've honestly forgotten how much, but I want to say it was around $50. ...

That's not a debit card. It's a prepaid card. Presumably it's been preloaded with some amount of money. Maybe they'll refill it from your Coinbase account if you use it. Maybe not. Here's the FAQ from the card issuer. There's a site where you can register the card, then read your balance. It may be that the people behind the Bitcoin scheme have already done that, and they're monitoring balances and refilling. Or not.

Incidentally, after one year, you'll be charged 1000 yen for that card.

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Their settlement system leaves much to be desired. I have two transactions pending right now, and my Coinbase account has not yet been touched. The funds are spent from my Bitcoin account when the transaction settles 24-48 hours later. If I wanted, I could buy $500 worth of stuff then empty my Coinbase account, sticking Shift with the difference. It *is* a Beta, but this must be fixed before releasing to the public. If Shift is to survive, they must be able to effectively manage their exposure.

They may not even know when that card is used.

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They ask for permission to spend unlimited funds from my Coinbase account.

What could possibly go wrong?