SYDNEY — An Australian company is trialling a bitcoin EFTPOS card, allowing customers to spend the digital currency in retail stores. CoinJar, a Melbourne-based bitcoin platform, is taking the next step to make bitcoin more accessible to the public with the release of Swipe cards.

CoinJar Swipe cards are initially being tested on 100 bitcoin users of all levers, from early adopters to everyday consumers. The CoinJar account will allow customers to covert bitcoin into Australian dollar, ready to spend using their new plastic.

The cards will let you buy your groceries, withdraw cash at any EFTPOS ATM and pay your bills just like a regular bank card.

With 11 million bitcoin flying around the world and a market cap at $6.1 billion bitcoin globally, CoinJar placed itself as part of the evolution. The company has already processed more than $50 million worth of bitcoin transactions on the platform in the past 12 months for more than 30,000 customers.

The CoinJar card in action.

An estimated 500,000 Australians are already using bitcoin, yet many others are confused by the whole concept.

“Swipe demystifies bitcoin and makes it accessible to everyone through a secure platform," CoinJar CEO Asher Tan said.

Tan told Mashable the bitcoin world is for people who want ultimate control over their money.

"It is not controlled by a bank or other other third parties, but by a network of computers worldwide backed by strong encryption that verify transactions multiple times to ensure that no fraudulent transactions occur," Tan said. "This means nobody has total control over your money but you."

So how do regular Australians start paying with bitcoin? It is easier than you think. Anyone with a bank account can convert their Aussie dollars into bitcoin using a platform such as CoinJar. The current rate of conversion is 1 bitcoin = $506.94 AUD.

The service will set you back a two per cent exchange fee, which is a small price to pay for the amount of street cred you'll score.