How to Choose a Crypto Card in 2026

1. Define Your Spending Goals

Before comparing cards, clarify how you plan to use one. Are you looking to spend crypto for daily purchases, or do you want a card primarily for travel? Do you hold Bitcoin exclusively, or a mix of tokens? Your answers will narrow the field significantly.

• Daily spending: Prioritise low FX fees and wide merchant acceptance.
• Travel: Look for cards with no foreign transaction fees and multi-currency support.
• Cashback maximisation: Focus on cards with the highest reward rates on your typical spend categories.
• DeFi integration: Consider self-custody cards that connect directly to your on-chain wallet.

2. Check Regional Availability

Not all crypto cards are available everywhere. Regulatory requirements vary by country, and many cards restrict certain jurisdictions. Before falling in love with a card's features, confirm it accepts customers in your country or state.

Sweepbase lists regional availability for every card. Use our USA, Europe, UK, or Asia category pages to find cards pre-filtered for your region.

3. Compare Fee Structures

Fees are where most of the real cost lives. A card with impressive cashback can still cost you more if it charges high issuance, annual, or FX conversion fees.

Key fees to compare:

• Issuance fee: One-time cost to get the card (many are free).
• Annual/monthly fee: Recurring cost, sometimes waived with minimum spend or staking.
• FX fee: Percentage charged on cross-currency transactions. Ranges from 0% to 3%+.
• ATM withdrawal fee: Per-withdrawal charge plus potential network surcharges.
• Crypto-to-fiat spread: The hidden margin on conversion at the point of sale.

For a deep dive, read our Crypto Card Fees Explained guide.

4. Evaluate Cashback & Rewards

Many crypto cards offer cashback in BTC, stablecoins, or the issuer's native token. Rates typically range from 0.5% to 8%, with higher tiers requiring token staking or premium subscriptions.

Things to watch for:

• Cashback currency: BTC and stablecoins hold value; volatile tokens may not.
• Caps: Some cards cap monthly cashback at a fixed dollar amount.
• Staking requirements: Higher tiers often require locking significant value in platform tokens.
• Net reward: Always calculate cashback minus all fees to find the true return.

Browse our cashback cards category to compare options side by side.

5. Choose Your Custody Model

This is a fundamental choice that affects security, control, and convenience.

• Custodial cards: The issuer holds your crypto. Simpler UX, but you don't control your private keys. If the platform goes down, your funds may be at risk.
• Self-custody cards: You hold your own keys in a non-custodial wallet. Crypto is only converted at the moment of purchase. More control, more responsibility.

Learn more in our Self-Custody vs Custodial guide.

6. Verify Network & Wallet Support

Most crypto cards run on Visa or Mastercard. Both networks offer near-universal acceptance, but there are differences in contactless limits, ATM network coverage, and Apple/Google Pay compatibility.

Also check which cryptocurrencies the card supports for top-up. If you primarily hold assets on a specific chain (Solana, Ethereum L2s, etc.), make sure the card can accept deposits from that network without requiring a centralised exchange bridge.

Browse by network: Visa cards | Mastercard cards