Crypto card fees explained

The fee types we record

Every card page on this site lists the fees in one table, using the same names. Here is what each of them means.

Fees for getting the card

• Card issuance. A one-time charge for the card. Some cards charge it only for the physical version, and the virtual one is free.
• Shipping. What it costs to deliver a physical card to you. It can depend on the country and on how fast you want it.
• Card replacement. Charged when a lost, stolen or damaged card is replaced.

Fees for keeping the card

• Annual fee. One charge a year for holding the card.
• Monthly fee. The same idea, charged every month. Many issuers publish only one of the two.
• Account monthly fee. A monthly charge for the account the card is attached to, separate from the card itself.
• Inactivity. A fee for leaving the card unused for a set period.

Fees for loading and spending

• Top-up. A top-up fee is charged when you add funds. Sending crypto on the blockchain also has a network cost that is not the card’s fee, so check which top-up network you use.
• Crypto conversion spread. The conversion spread is the gap between the market price and the price the card uses when it sells your crypto to pay.
• Foreign currency (FX). An FX fee is charged when you pay in a currency other than the card’s own.
• FX markup. An FX markup is a margin inside the exchange rate rather than a line item.
• ATM withdrawal. An ATM fee for taking out cash. The machine’s operator may charge its own on top.

Other

• Credit interest (APR). The yearly interest on borrowed balances. It only exists on cards that offer credit.
• Other fee. Anything an issuer lists that does not fit the types above.

Which fees the Finder counts

The Finder turns fees into one estimated yearly cost for your country and your spending. It counts these:

• Card issuance, spread over several years.
• Shipping, only when you need a physical card, spread the same way.
• The annual fee, the monthly fee and the account monthly fee.
• The FX fee and the FX markup, on the share of your spending that is in a foreign currency.
• The conversion spread and the top-up fee, on every top-up.

It does not count ATM fees, inactivity fees, replacement fees, credit interest or the other fee type. They appear in the card’s fee table, but they depend on how you use the card rather than on a normal year of spending, so the estimate leaves them out. If you plan to use ATMs a lot, read that row yourself.

The exact assumptions, including the default spending profile, are on the methodology page.

How “Not verified” works

When we have no fee row for a card, the page shows “Not verified”. We do not turn it into zero, and we do not guess.

This matters most for the fees the estimate needs. If one of them is missing, the Finder still adds up the fees we have, marks the figure as partial and names what it leaves out. A partial figure can look cheaper than the real cost, so complete estimates rank ahead of partial ones. If we know none of the main recurring or spending fees, the card gets no estimate at all.

One exception is written into the model. When an issuer lists a yearly fee and no monthly fee, or the other way round, we count the unlisted one as not charged, because issuers publish one or the other. The card page says so.

Some fees are normally not listed when they are free, such as top-up and shipping. When there is no row, the estimate leaves them out and lists them as left out.

The foreign currency fees in one paragraph

Paying in another currency can add an FX fee, a markup and a conversion spread, and the shop or machine can add a conversion of its own. We cover that path step by step in our guide to FX fees and markups abroad. The short version is to compare the whole path, not one line of the fee table.

How to compare two cards

• Pick your country and a spending profile close to yours in the Card Finder.
• Look at the recurring fee first, then the conversion spread, then the FX charges if you travel or pay in other currencies.
• Check what the figure leaves out. A card with a partial estimate is not cheaper than one with a complete estimate until the missing fees are known.
• Read the rows the estimate does not count, such as ATM and inactivity, if they fit how you use a card.
• Open the source link on each fee and read the issuer’s own wording, including any condition.

Conditions matter. A fee can be free up to a monthly amount, or only for a higher plan, or only in some countries. The conditions column on the card page says which.

If you want a starting point, the no annual fee list ranks 50 cards right now, and the no FX fee list ranks 16 cards. A card can be on both lists and still cost you through the conversion spread, so use them as a first filter, not a verdict.

Fees change. The data on this site carries a source and a last checked date, so check the date before you rely on a figure, and confirm the current fee table with the issuer before you apply.