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Spend Bitcoin like you spend money: Chimera Card is coming 

  • Writer: Wirex Team
    Wirex Team
  • 15 hours ago
  • 2 min read
chimera card

If you’ve ever thought, “Bitcoin is great… but can I actually use it day-to-day?”, you’re not alone. 


That’s exactly what Chimera Wallet is building — and with help from Wirex, they’re launching the Chimera Card, a Bitcoin-funded debit card designed to make spending Bitcoin feel normal: tap, pay, done. 


And the best part? It’s built around self-custody, so you don’t have to hand over control of your Bitcoin just to use it. 


So what is the Chimera Card? 


The Chimera Card is a debit card you can fund directly from your Bitcoin wallet — either using Bitcoin on-chain or the Lightning Network. 


Once funded, you can pay at 80M+ merchants worldwide anywhere cards are accepted (think supermarkets, coffee shops, hotels, online stores — the usual). 


It’s meant to solve a simple problem: turn Bitcoin into something you can actually spend, without jumping through hoops. 


Why this matters: self-custody + real-world spending 


A lot of “crypto cards” have a catch: you typically have to move your funds into a custodial account first. That can be fine, but it’s not what many Bitcoin users want. 

Chimera is going the other way. 


With Chimera, the idea is that users stay in control of their assets, with private keys managed by the end user. The goal is to eliminate the “what happens if the issuer fails?” worry and reduce commingling risk — while still letting you spend normally. 


What you can do with it 


Here’s what the Chimera Card is built for: 


  • Fund it directly from your wallet (Bitcoin or Lightning) 

  • Pay anywhere cards are accepted around the world 

  • Convert Bitcoin to fiat at checkout at the current market rate, with transparent pricing 

  • Use Apple Pay and Google Pay for easy contactless payments 

  • Travel easily, with FX support and ATM access 


In short: it’s designed to feel like a normal bank card — just powered by Bitcoin. 


A quick note on fees (because everyone cares) 


If you reserve the card during the pre-order period, you get a permanent discount: 

  • 1.5% transaction fee for pre-order customers (instead of 2% standard) 

  • No monthly fees 

  • No top-up fees 

  • Pre-order fee: 20 CHF (one-time) 


That “permanent fee protection” is the main perk of getting in early. 


Why Wirex is involved 


Launching a card product globally isn’t simple. You need card issuance, banking rails, fiat settlement, compliance — the whole boring-but-essential infrastructure that most people never see. 


That’s where Wirex comes in. 


Wirex provides the behind-the-scenes setup through its Banking-as-a-Service platform, which is basically a toolkit for launching payment products faster — so Chimera can focus on the wallet and user experience instead of stitching together multiple partners. 


When is it available? 


Chimera says both virtual and physical cards are expected to be available by the end of Q1 2026. 


Pre-orders are already open for a limited time. 


 

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