ether.fi Cash vs KAST

Nikita (@0xVishnya) asked a good question on X: which crypto card is more useful on its free tier, ether.fi or KAST? We checked every line of the comparison against both companies' help centres and the ether.fi app on 18 October 2026, and updated what has changed since.

Free tiers, feature by feature

Cashback: ether.fi pays twice as much, in a token

On US dollar spending, ether.fi Core pays exactly double KAST Standard up to $2,000 a month, and keeps paying after that:

There are two catches. ether.fi pays in ETHFI, locked for 7 days, so the dollar value depends on the token price when you sell. KAST pays in USD. And ether.fi's euro bands are much smaller: 3% on only the first $800 of euro spending, then 1% to $1,500 and 0.1% after.

Heavy spenders should know one more thing. ether.fi gives you Luxe free in any month you earn 5,000 points, and card spending earns 1,000 points per $1,000. At $5,000 a month you'd move up to Luxe and earn 3% on all of it, about $1,800 a year. KAST's paid tiers cost $1,000 or $10,000 a year.

Spending abroad

ether.fi charges no FX fee on USD or euro purchases, and the base rate plus 0.5% on other currencies on Core. SpendNode measured about 1.7% all-in on a Core card. KAST charges 0.5% to 1.75% depending on where you live, plus $0.10 on non-USD purchases under $25, but nothing on 16 Latin American currencies until the end of 2027. In Europe ether.fi is cheaper. In Latin America, KAST is.

Bank transfers

Both give you bank details. ether.fi is cheaper to fund: $0.50 + 0.10% by ACH against KAST's $2, and €0.90 by SEPA against KAST's 0.5% (€5 on a €1,000 deposit). ether.fi also takes GBP, AUD, MXN, COP and AED, though AED stopped working for UAE residents on 9 October 2026. KAST is stronger for Latin America, with free SPEI and Argentine peso deposits, and can pay out to many more currencies.

Idle money: KAST's Reserve beats ether.fi's vaults, for now

KAST's USD Reserve pays 8% in rewards on the free tier. On $5,000 left in the account, that's about $400 a year. KAST says the boosted rate ends on 30 June 2027 or when Reserve deposits reach $100 million, and that these are rewards, not interest. ether.fi's Earn vaults showed 1.04% to 5.87% on 18 October, with no lockups, and the rates change daily. Nikita's post notes ether.fi's yield vaults aren't offered in the US, UK or Canada.

ether.fi has something KAST doesn't: Borrow Mode. You can pay with a stablecoin loan against your ETH, BTC, tokenized stocks or gold instead of selling them. The app advertised 1.43% when we looked. It's useful, but a falling market can liquidate your collateral.

Custody is the real difference

With ether.fi, your balance sits in a smart account you control through your login. You can move it without asking anyone, though exporting a private key isn't available yet. With KAST, the company and its licensed partners hold your money. Its terms treat deposits as a sale to KAST, allow freezes without notice and cap its liability at $500. That isn't unusual for a custodial app, but it's worth knowing. See who can freeze your crypto card money?

What's changed since Nikita's post

• ether.fi ATM limits went up. The post listed $1,000 a withdrawal and 5 a day. ether.fi's help centre now says $5,000 a withdrawal, 5 withdrawals and $25,000 per 24 hours on every tier.
• ether.fi's Core card cost. The post says $60 including shipping. The app now says the card is free plus a shipping fee, and the card fee table lists $50 for a Core physical card.
• The issuer checks out. DefiLlama lists Third National as the issuer of both cards, and both run on Rain's platform, so they share the same weak points. A backup card on a different platform, such as Wirex or Baanx, spreads that risk.
• Two KAST claims we couldn't confirm. Nikita mentions a KAST self-custody mode for some users that turns off the Reserve, and PayPal payouts that land on the card. Neither appears in KAST's help centre yet.

Who should pick which

Pick ether.fi Cash if you hold crypto, spend mostly in USD or euros, want the higher cashback, and are happy to be paid in ETHFI. It's also the one to pick if you'd rather borrow than sell.

Pick KAST if you get paid in dollars, want cashback and rewards in plain USD, live or spend in Latin America, or want a card that works in more countries. Just keep only what you need in it, because it's custodial.

For most crypto holders, ether.fi Cash is the more useful free card: higher cashback that keeps earning past $2,000, no FX on USD or euros, cheaper bank deposits, big ATM limits and borrowing, all in self-custody. KAST wins if you want stable USD rewards, the 8% Reserve on idle dollars while it lasts, Latin American spending or wider country coverage. Since both run on Rain with Third National as issuer, holding both doesn't protect you from a platform problem. Pair either one with a card on a different platform.