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Having your credit cards all suddenly disappear is something people usually fear. But now it's something you can eagerly look forward to, thanks to Coin, a new credit-card sized wonder-device that will effectively store all of your plastic in one place.
The device has had early adopters salivating for about a year now, but it just debuted at tech festival Techcrunch Disrupt, making its planned late summer ship date all the more real.
So what is Coin, exactly? It's the size of a credit card, it looks like a credit card, and most importantly, it swipes like a credit card. But really, it's multiple credit cards stored on an electronic gadget that lets you toggle between each, eliminating the need to carry around a bulky wallet. Much of the beauty of the gadget is in its simplicity. Uploading cards, for example, is done with by simply swiping them through an iPhone attachment and then snapping a photo of each. Once uploaded, Coin lets you toggle among cards with the push of a button, allowing you, for instance, to pay for gas with the company card, then buy groceries with your cash back card, then pay for dinner with your travel rewards card.
As with any great concentration of power (in this case, purchasing power), there's potential danger. What if you leave Coin behind, losing not only one card, but, effectively, all your cards? Never fear: the device uses a Bluetooth signal that syncs with your phone, meaning if the two get separated (e.g., You leave the card with the check), you'll be immediately notified.
While first shipments are still a couple months away, Coin is accepting pre-orders now. Order now, and it may be one of the last time you actually need to dig out of one of your credit cards.
Interesting!
How does Coin get paid? Do you buy the device once or is there a subscription involved? Does Coin charges retailers/credit card companies?
given a choice, i would happily opt for wallaby over coin. Here are my reasons;
coin is just a card stasher, wallaby is intelligent. it has a brain of its own to determine the best rewards credit card to use
coin is an electronic device, with it comes its own downsides, charging, not big enough display etc. wallaby is just another card
coin is useless if you have only two or three cards. the claim of loading hundereds of cards into it is a joke considering a screen so small with no way to index or scroll like in a iphone contacts. wallaby is a good fit as long as you collect rewards on a card.
coin's acceptance by retail shop is a huge question, but wallaby is just another card.
but wallaby is not something you can just order and buy, so verdict:coin. :)