Online gift certificate and personal Web account company Ecount launched the Webcertificate shopping card good at any brick-and-mortar merchant that accepts credit cards.

Recipients of Webcertificates have always been able to spend their Webcertificates at any online store, and now they can venture into the real world.

Webcertificates allow recipients to decide upon the gift they want without placing restrictions on either merchant or location.

Gift-givers purchase Webcertificate online; if the recipient wants to use the gift for an off-line purchase, he or she can then choose to have a pre-paid plastic card issued. The recipient receives a Webcertificate shopping card, which is a debit card that can be used at any merchant that accepts MasterCard. Any future Webcertificates the cardholder receives are automatically loaded into the recipient's Webcertificate Account, and are instantly available for online or off-line use.

Webcertificate.com, Ecount's first e-commerce product, was launched in late 1998 utilizing the company's exclusive transaction platform. Founded in 1997 as C/Base, Ecount is a developer of online cash gift certificates, and personal Web accounts at ecount.com.