Best crypto cards with no FX fee

What the FX fee is

The FX fee is a charge a card adds when you pay in a currency other than the card’s currency. It is separate from the exchange rate itself, and it normally appears in the issuer’s fee table. Some issuers put a similar charge into the rate as an FX markup. We read the FX fee and, where an issuer lists one as a fee, the markup too.

For a card to be on the list, a zero must be on file and nothing above zero may be listed. A card with any FX charge above zero is left out. A card where the fee is listed without a value is shown as not checked yet.

Zero is not the whole cost

A card with no FX fee has removed one cost, not all of them.

• Conversion spread. When a card sells your crypto to pay, the price it uses is rarely the market price. That conversion spread applies to every payment funded from crypto, at home or abroad.
• The network rate. The card network converts a foreign payment at its own rate for the day. You do not choose it.
• Out-of-hours markups. Some issuers list a higher charge, for example at weekends. Check the fee table for anything like that.
• Other fees. Top-up, ATM and monthly fees do not go away because the FX fee is zero.

Our guide to FX fees and markups abroad walks through how these add up.

Who it matters for

It matters most when the card’s currency and the shop’s currency differ.

• Travel. Paying in another country, and withdrawing cash there, is where FX charges show up most. The travel list ranks physical cards that list both an ATM fee and an FX fee.
• Online shops abroad. A shop that charges in a foreign currency triggers the same conversion, even if you never leave home.
• Home spending. If you mostly pay in the card’s own currency, the FX fee rarely applies, and other costs deserve more of your attention.

How this list reads fees

Fees can differ by country. Before you choose a country, the highest one counts, so a card is not placed on the list by its cheapest row. Once you choose a country, the row for that country is used. The Finder has no filter for this rule, so use the country selector there and compare the cost estimates.

Our ranking turns all of this into one estimated net cost. Fees we have not verified are left out and flagged, never counted as zero. The methodology explains how.

How many cards with no FX fee are in your country

Many cards are open only to some countries, so the list changes with where you live. Across all countries it ranks 16 cards. A few examples:

• United States: 8 cards
• Germany: 11 cards
• United Kingdom: 6 cards
• Brazil: 9 cards

Choose your country in the Card Finder to see the cards you can get, with a cost estimate for your own spending.