[IkmoIkmo]

The 1% fee is separate from the debit-card, it's just a way to buy bitcoin which isn't super easy and frictionless everywhere in the world. Of coure this is improving rapidly globally.

So why buy bitcoin in the first place? Well, bitcoin itself represents a financial system with much more autonomy, as, if you'd like, you could store your money yourself (and not with Xapo, after buying bitcoin there) instead of e.g. at a bank.

This may not sound like a big deal for people in OECD countries, but look at Cyprus where many lost funds in their banks after the government essentially seized them. Look at places like Argentina with high inflation rates, there are numerous places with rates beyond 15-25% for whom owning bitcoin may be a better solution.

And then there's the fact that bitcoin allows cheap transfer of value once you have it. Perhaps not great to buy some orange juice in the US, but if you're remitting money back home (global average of 9%), paying 1% is a bargain as crazy as that sounds.

And lastly there's the general idea of simply supporting a nascent bitcoin ecosystem. It's not much different from people spending 10% more on a fair-trade product, or a product that has harms animals less. It may be exactly the same quality, more expensive, yet attractive for more ideological supporting reasons.