Crypto card glossary

Cards and payments

Crypto card

A Visa or Mastercard debit, prepaid or credit card that lets you spend crypto or stablecoins. The shop receives normal money; the card company converts your balance behind the scenes.

Prepaid card

A card that spends a balance you load in advance. Most crypto cards are prepaid: you top up with stablecoins or crypto, and the card spends that balance.

Debit card

A card that spends money from an account you already hold, such as a wallet or a stablecoin account, rather than a separate preloaded balance.

Secured credit card

A credit card backed by collateral you lock up. Avici and ether.fi's borrow mode work this way: you spend against crypto you've locked, then repay.

Virtual card

A card number that lives in an app, used online or added to Apple Pay or Google Pay. It usually arrives instantly and costs little or nothing, but can't be used at most ATMs.

Physical card

A plastic or metal card posted to you. You need one for ATMs, some hotels and car rentals, and shops without contactless phone payments.

Card issuer

The licensed bank or e-money institution that legally issues the card, such as Third National, Lead Bank or Monavate. It sits behind the app you sign up with.

Program manager

A company that runs card programs for apps on an issuer's licence, handling compliance and settlement. Rain, Bridge, Stripe, Baanx and Paera are examples.

Interchange

The small fee a shop's bank pays the card issuer on each purchase. It funds much of the cashback cards can afford, and it's capped low in Europe.

Settlement

The step after you pay when the money actually moves between the issuer, the network and the shop's bank. Crypto cards convert your balance in time for settlement.

Fees and FX

FX markup

An extra percentage a card adds when you pay in a currency different from your balance. It's on top of Visa or Mastercard's own exchange rate.

Cross-border fee

A fee for paying a merchant in another country, even if the currency is the same. Some cards charge it separately from FX, like Tuyo's 1% abroad fee.

Conversion fee or spread

What it costs to turn crypto into the money the card spends. It's often 0% for stablecoins in the same currency and 0.5% to 2% for other crypto.

Per-payment fee

A charge on every purchase, like Kolo's 1% or Pionex's 1% on Visa. It applies even at home, so it matters more than an FX fee for everyday spending.

Dynamic currency conversion (DCC)

When a shop or ATM offers to charge you in your home currency instead of the local one. It usually comes with a poor rate, so choose the local currency.

ATM allowance

An amount you can withdraw each month without the card's own fee, like Bleap's €400 or COCA's $250. The ATM owner can still charge.

Cashback and rewards

Cashback cap

The most cashback you can earn in a month, or the spending that earns the full rate. Solid's 3% stops at $50 a month, which is about $1,667 of spending.

Reward tier

A level that sets your cashback rate, usually unlocked by a subscription, a token lock or a balance you keep with the provider.

Token lock or staking requirement

Holding or locking the provider's own token to unlock better rates. It adds the risk that the token falls in price.

Promotional cashback

A rate the provider says is temporary or subsidised, like Pionex's 1%. Expect it to change.

Money in and out

Top-up

Adding money to a card balance, usually by sending stablecoins or crypto on a supported network, or by bank transfer.

Blockchain network

The chain you send a coin on, such as TRON, Solana, Ethereum or Base. The same coin on different networks is not interchangeable, so match the network your card lists.

Gas or network fee

The fee the blockchain charges to process a transfer. It's fractions of a cent on some networks and several dollars on Ethereum.

IBAN

An international bank account number used for euro (SEPA) and other transfers. Some crypto cards give you a personal IBAN so you can receive salary into the app.

Virtual account

Bank details, such as a US account and routing number, that turn incoming transfers into stablecoins in your app.

Off-ramp

Turning crypto or stablecoins back into money in a bank account.

Custody and risk

Self-custody

You control the wallet and its keys. The card can only pull the amount of each purchase, and the company can't move your other funds.

Custodial

The company holds your crypto or stablecoins and shows you a balance. Easier to use and recover, but you rely on the company staying solvent.

Liquidation

When collateral is sold automatically because its value fell too far against what you borrowed. A risk with crypto-backed credit cards.

Program wind-down

When a card program closes, as Solflare, Cypher and Gnosis Pay's own card did in 2026. You usually get time to withdraw funds, but the card stops working.

Coins and rules

Stablecoin

A token designed to hold a steady value, usually one US dollar (USDC, USDT) or one euro (EURC, EURe). Stablecoins are the cheapest thing to spend with most crypto cards.

KYC

Know your customer: identity checks with an ID and often a selfie. Every card on this site needs KYC because a regulated issuer sits behind it.

MiCA

The EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation, which licenses crypto service providers across the EU. Bit2Me, Deblock and Revolut's EEA crypto entity hold MiCA licences.

E-money institution (EMI)

A licensed firm that can hold customer money and issue cards but isn't a bank. Customer funds are safeguarded, which is not the same as deposit insurance.

New to crypto cards? Start with how crypto cards work or crypto card fees explained.