X app code points to a physical card coming to X Money

Summary

X’s plans for a payments service may extend beyond the digital realm, new data suggests. According to findings from mobile app intelligence firm App Sensa, the X app has been updated over the past few weeks with several references related to a physical debit card, which can be customized with your X username. Dozens of new strings of code in the X app reference various actions you can take with the new debit card, including checking its shipping status, activating your card after it arrives, reporting your card lost or stolen, locking the card, setting a PIN, and more. Multiple strings also include the terms “physical_card_option” as well as just “physical,” the data indicates. Image Credits:App Sensa The news follows X CEO Linda Yaccarino’s January announcement that Visa would be the company’s first partner for the X Money service, which will allow users to instantly fund their X Wallet accounts via Visa Direct. She explained that the new service would enable peer-to-peer (P2P) payments by connecting with users’ debit cards and would offer the option to instantly transfer funds to your bank account. Yaccarino also noted that this would be the “first of many” big announcements about X Money arriving this year. This suggests that X is on a path that will see it more broadly competing with other digital banks and payment services in the near future. Image Credits:App Sensa To support its venture into payments, X has been registering for money transmitter licenses across the U.S. for over a year. As of December 2023, the company was licensed for payment processing in a dozen states. It has since increased its registrations to include 40 states, plus Washington, D.C. There are other references in the X app’s code that tell us more about how this new payment card may work. For instance, some strings refer to “cashback” and others to “deferred debit.” It also appears you may be able to cancel your virtual card independently of the physical card and vice versa. Plus, the c...