If you’re skeptical about Bitcoin because it’s not something you can physically hold, you might be interested in a new debit card that allows you to spend regular currency, loyalty points, and digital money wherever it’s accepted.

Founded by Meg Nakamura and Greg Kidd,Shift Payments aims to turn Bitcoin and other altcoins into something more useful for the masses by connecting traditional money and loyalty points to digital currencies.

The idea for Shift began with Nakamura and Kidd’s investment in Ripple Labs Inc., an open source payment network, and Marqeta Inc., an advanced payment card platform. In November 2013, Kidd and Nakamura already had a working prototype of Shift which allowed them to spend their Ripple balances. They then applied to Y Combinator, a premier startup accelerator, got accepted and are now testing their technology in the wild.

At present, 100 people are testing out their Shift debit cards which can be used to pay for things using Bitcoin and Ripple. In the long run, Nakamura and Kidd hope to integrate bank accounts and loyalty programs into Shift. There’s also an accompanying mobile app that lets users quickly select which type of currency they want to use for payment.

Shift is said to be working with an undisclosed payments processor to authorize digital currency transactions, and is also looking for bank partners to start integrating bank accounts. The idea of having a universal payments card in your wallet that can even be used offline is quite promising, but the duo quickly realized there are many obstacles to overcome, especially when it comes to integrating bank accounts.

“We learned very quickly that no bank here in the U.S. is willing to take that leap and actually support something like this. They were just too nervous and no one was willing to take that reputational risk,” Nakamura stated, adding that banks elsewhere in the world had been more receptive.

Despite this drawback, Nakamura remains positive that US banks will eventually work with Shift once they see its potential.

On Twitter, beta testers have proudly displayed their Shift cards and shown how they’re using them to pay for meals and beers, with some planning on a Bitcoin shopping spree.

Image credit: Shift Payments