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Remove Coins from the Card Wallet

Emptying the Card Wallet with the sweep function is the easiest way to get your stored coins off the card. The sweep function of your wallet app sends all coins of the imported private key to the address of your wallet app. This support article explains how you can use the Blue Wallet to sweep and transfer your coins from your Card Wallet to your Blue Wallet app. Please contact the manufacturer of your chosen wallet to find out whether and how they support the emptying of imported private keys.

Empty the Card Wallet in 10 easy steps

What you need:

  1. A Card Wallet
  2. A Chainlock Visual Cover
  3. A safe place
  4. A secure computer or smartphone
  5. A wallet app

  1. Contact the manufacturer of your wallet app

    Ask the manufacturer of the wallet app how to empty private keys using the sweep function. In case of doubt, the manufacturer's explanation trumps our explanation here.

  2. Visit a safe place

    Go to a safe place where there are no cameras that could accidentally pick up the Card Wallet private key.

  3. Launch Wallet App

    Start the wallet app and prepare it for the private key import.


  4. Uncover Private Key

    Scratch off the security seal covering the private key on the back of the Card Wallet.

  5. Import Private Key

    Import the private key of the Card Wallet into your wallet app using the QR code.

  6. Start Sweep

    Start the sweep function if the wallet does not do so automatically.

  7. Select transaction fee

    If your wallet app allows it (e.g. Electrum, Mycellium), set the transaction fee high enough to safely get into the next block.


  8. Cover Private Key

    Cover the private key of the Card Wallet with the Chainlock Visual Cover or another opaque label or tape.

  9. Check Transfer

    Check with a block explorer like Blockchain.com and in your app whether the coins have arrived at your wallet app address and the transaction is confirmed. All coins should be on the address of the wallet app, the Card Wallet should be empty.

  10. Send Coins

    You can now send your coins using the wallet app. Note that all coins are now on your wallet app address, so keep the recovery seed safe.

After the removal

Don't continue to use the card wallet after importing
Be aware that the special offline security (cold storage) of the Card Wallet is lost when importing the private key. After the import, the Card Wallet is only as secure as the computer or smartphone you used for the import (hot storage). For security reasons, we therefore recommend that you no longer use an empty Card Wallet. Coins that you still want to keep for a long time should be sent to a new Card Wallet. The Card Wallet is designed for highly secure long-term storage of cryptocurrencies! If you want to use your coins more often, other, more flexible but less secure products may be more suitable for you.
Use safe devices
Make sure your computer or smartphone is virus-free and secure. A freshly installed device that's never been connected to the internet would be best.
Keep the wallets
For safety reasons, be sure to keep the empty Card Wallet and the recovery seed phrase of the used wallet app after a successful sweep. It can also be necessary for tax reasons to be able to proof ownership of a previously used Bitcoin address in order to benefit from tax advantages for a long holding period.
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Secure sending of coins using an air-gapped offline computer

Our security experts can import the private key and sign the transaction on an (air gapped) offline computer so that the Card Wallet's offline security (cold storage) is maintained even after a private key import. This makes it possible to send partial amounts from the Card Wallet without compromising the security of the remaining coins.

Accessing the coins on the Card Wallet is a very security-critical process. It is the only moment in the Card Wallet's use cycle when hackers can gain access to your coins. The more effort is put into this process, the more secure it can be. How high your need for security is depends on the value of your deposit. If your coins have a relatively low value, a simple import into a smartphone wallet may be sufficient, but if the value is high, a more secure procedure or even the technical support of one of our employees on site may be recommended. If you have any questions on this subject or are interested in such a service, you can always contact Card Wallet support.