Issuance fee · also Card issuance fee, Activation fee
One-off fee charged by the issuer to mint and ship a physical or virtual card. Distinct from the recurring annual fee.
Crypto card glossary
29 terms you will meet when comparing crypto debit and credit cards: fees, custody models, reward tiers, regulation, payment networks, and account flow. Each entry links to the guide or category page that goes deeper.
Fees
Annual fee · also Yearly fee, Recurring fee
Recurring yearly fee for keeping a card active. On crypto cards this is often waived in exchange for a minimum stake or spend tier.
FX fee · also Foreign-exchange fee, Cross-currency fee
Surcharge applied when a transaction is settled in a currency different from the card account currency. Typically 0–3%.
Example. A €100 purchase on a USD card, at an example rate of $1.0772 per euro, converts to $107.72. A 1% FX fee adds $1.08, so it settles at $108.80.
Card-spend fee · also Transaction fee, Spend fee
Fee charged per purchase, separate from the FX fee. Sometimes advertised as "0% FX" while a 1–2% card-spend fee is applied at settlement.
ATM withdrawal fee
Fee charged when withdrawing cash. Typically a fixed amount plus the network operator fee. Some crypto cards waive it up to a monthly ceiling.
Real fees
Total cost per dollar spent after netting all stacked fees (issuance, annual, FX, spend, ATM). A better comparison metric than any single fee in isolation.
Custody
Custodial card
Card where the issuer holds the underlying crypto in a pooled wallet on behalf of the cardholder until the moment of spending.
Self-custody card · also Non-custodial card
Card where the cardholder retains control of the private keys and the issuer only drafts funds at the moment of purchase. The user bears key-management responsibility.
Hybrid custody
A custody model where some balances are held by the cardholder and others (such as fiat float) are held by the issuer.
Rewards
Cashback · also Card rewards, Spend rewards
Percentage of each purchase returned to the cardholder, often paid in the issuer’s native token. Tiers may depend on stake or spend volume.
Staking tier
Cashback level unlocked by locking a minimum amount of the issuer’s token. Higher tiers typically unlock higher cashback rates and perks.
Welcome bonus · also Sign-up bonus
One-off reward paid to new cardholders after meeting a qualifying condition: usually a first spend, a first deposit or KYC completion.
APY on balance · also Yield, Earn rate
Annualised percentage yield paid on card or collateral balances. Typically funded by the issuer lending out or staking the deposited assets.
Regulation
KYC · also Know Your Customer
Regulatory process where the issuer verifies the cardholder’s identity, usually with a government ID, a selfie and sometimes proof of address.
AML · also Anti-Money Laundering
Regulatory framework that requires issuers to monitor, report, and in some cases block transactions associated with money laundering or terrorist financing.
No-KYC card
Card that can be loaded and used up to a low balance ceiling without identity verification. Typically has tight regional and transaction-size limits imposed by regulators.
MiCA · also Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation
EU regulation that governs crypto-asset issuers and service providers across the 27 member states. Its stablecoin rules apply from 30 June 2024 and the rest from 30 December 2024. Sets licensing, disclosure, and custody standards.
FinCEN · also Financial Crimes Enforcement Network
US Treasury bureau that sets AML/KYC requirements and registers money services businesses, which is where US crypto exchanges and many card program managers register. The card itself is usually issued by a bank.
FCA · also Financial Conduct Authority
UK financial regulator. It authorises the banks and e-money institutions that issue UK cards, registers crypto firms for anti-money-laundering purposes and polices crypto financial promotions. A full UK crypto-asset authorisation regime starts on 25 October 2027, with applications opening on 30 September 2026.
Networks
Visa card
Card issued on the Visa payment network, one of the two global card schemes crypto cards run on. Crypto cards can be Visa Debit, Visa Credit, Platinum, Signature, or Infinite tiers.
Mastercard card
Card issued on the Mastercard payment network. Broadly comparable acceptance to Visa. Tiers include Standard, Platinum, World and World Elite.
Virtual card
Non-physical card number issued instantly for online purchases. Often used alongside a physical card for e-commerce, subscriptions, or one-off payments.
Physical card
Plastic or metal card shipped to the cardholder. Needed for ATM withdrawals and for in-person payments where a phone wallet is not accepted. A virtual card added to Apple Pay or Google Pay can pay contactless without one.
Card network · also Payment network, Scheme
The global payment infrastructure that routes authorisations, settlements, and disputes between merchants and issuers. Visa and Mastercard are the dominant networks for crypto cards.
Account flow
Top-up · also Load, Fund
Process of adding crypto or fiat to a card account. Supported top-up methods vary by issuer: wire, card deposit, crypto network transfer or in-app swap.
IBAN · also International Bank Account Number
Standardised identifier for a bank account in 80+ countries. Some crypto card issuers provide dedicated IBANs so cardholders can receive fiat transfers into their card account.
SEPA · also Single Euro Payments Area
European low-cost euro transfer rail. Free or near-free for SEPA-area accounts. Widely supported by EU crypto card issuers.
Chargeback
Consumer-initiated dispute through the card network that reverses a transaction, typically for fraud, non-delivery, or merchant error. Time-limited, often to 120 days from the transaction.
Spending limit
Per-day, per-week, or per-month ceiling on purchase volume. Often separate from the ATM withdrawal limit and raised after additional KYC.
If a term is missing or out of date, email contact@sweepbase.net. We add new terms as they become relevant to cardholders. The scoring formula that turns these terms into card ratings is on our rating methodology page.