Google Responds to Coin, Releases Physical Debit Cards for Google Wallet

Uncovered today by tech site Droid-Life was the long-awaited existence of physical debit cards for the Google Wallet online banking service. But more importantly, we found out that you can sign up for one starting today, and receive one as early as 10-12 days from now.

The discovery was made today when a user tipped Droid-Life off about their ability to order one starting this morning. As it turns out, they were right. All you need to get your hands on one is an account with Google Wallet, a verified identity with their system, and enough patience to wait roughly 10 days.

If you’re still in the dark about what this Google Wallet card will allow you to do, think of it as a complement rather to your existing debit or credit card. You can use it in ATMs, at banks, and “wherever MasterCard Debit is accepted.” As it’s a complement to your existing cards, it won’t replace it entirely – it acts more like a standing balance of your funds you’ve allocated to Google Wallet from those sources.

If that sounds just short of the greatest digital banking experience ever, order a card for yourself right here.

But how does this stack up to Coin, the recently unveiled “card to end all cards?”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=w9Sx34swEG0

In a way, it’s hard to compare. Coin has a very intuitive pitch for transferring money from your existing accounts to your Coin card, in that you use a Square-like dongle on your smartphone to facilitate an easy digital transfer. Google Wallet is almost entirely handled within the smartphone environment, but is largely similar in how it manages funds. Paypal is doing something similar with its mobile application, but is more niche in its focus on specific stores that support it.

With all of these options on the table, and none of them really gaining immediate traction with shoppers (especially Google Wallet), do any come off enticing enough to warrant your time and effort?

After all, they’ll be the ones handling your hard-earned cash.