Crypto card fees explained

Annual or monthly fee

A subscription for the card or its tier. 22 of the 25 cards that publish one have a free entry tier; the paid ones charge $20 to $49.99 a year. Higher tiers often swap the fee for a token you hold or stake, whose price can move. Cards with no annual fee.

FX (foreign exchange) fee

A percentage added when you pay in a currency the card is not billed in. Most crypto cards bill in US dollars, so someone paying in rupees, dirhams or pounds pays it at home on every purchase, not only abroad. Across the 25 cards that publish it, it runs from 0% to 3% (median 1.2%). Cards with no FX fee.

Top-up fee

A percentage for loading the card, for example when you move stablecoins or crypto onto it. 23 of the 26 cards that publish it charge nothing; the highest is 1%. It applies to everything you load, so it works like a fee on every purchase.

Fee on every purchase

A percentage or a flat amount on each payment, sometimes called a conversion or spread fee. 6 of the 26 cards charge one. A flat fee hurts most on small, frequent purchases.

Small-purchase fee

A flat fee on purchases under a set amount. 3 of the 26 cards charge one; 1 only on purchases in a currency other than the card's; 1 gives some free each month. It adds up on coffees and other small, frequent purchases.

ATM fees

A flat fee, a percentage, or both, often with a free amount each month on higher tiers. Each card's review lists its ATM terms.