RE: STEEM Visa Card: Hell Yeah: Commerce Is Starting To Emerge On The Steem Blockchain!!!! This Is A Big Deal!!!!
Definitely an interesting development. There are other VISA/Crypto cards out there, but most were hit by Wavecrest being decredited/rejected, so I'm not sure where they are now in terms of coming to market.
There's also Monaco card, which wasn't partnered with Wavecrest and not affected by the withdrawal of that service. I don't think there are any sign-up fees, but there may be a 1% transaction fee and the Monaco card will be available to more than just USD (7 fiat currencies, I think). However, I'm not sure, but I think you need to transact in MCO (Monaco Coins) on the card.
Still, I'm sure a catch-all, multicurrency, multi-crypto card must be on the horizon, as it'd have a massive take-up.
One of the things holding crypto back is that it's not easy to get into, or spend. Once these cards tale off, it could make crypto more accessible to the masses.
Without a doubt this is only a step. Far from the ultimate ideal but a move in the right direction.
It does remove one of the challenges with crypto....what to do with it, at least for US people.
There will be more advancements as the industry grows. We are still in the very early stages and a lot of products need to be developed before we see mainstream use.