Gnosis Pay vs MetaMask

Both cards keep your funds under your control until the moment of purchase. Neither requires depositing into a centralized exchange. But the self-custody implementations are technically distinct.

Gnosis Pay uses Safe smart contracts on Gnosis Chain. Your spending account is a programmable Safe wallet (Safe has $100B+ TVL securing smart accounts globally). Every card transaction settles on-chain with cryptographic proof. You can set custom spending rules, multi-sig requirements, and recovery mechanisms enforced by smart contract logic. The personal IBAN allows SEPA bank transfers directly into your on-chain wallet - making Gnosis Pay function as a self-custodial bank account. ENS name printed on the physical card. Zero gas fees (Gnosis Chain gas is subsidized).

MetaMask spends from your existing wallet on Linea, Base, or Solana L2s. The card connects to the MetaMask wallet that 30M+ users already have. Settlement uses traditional card processor infrastructure rather than on-chain verification, but the funds remain in your personal wallet until the transaction clears. No new wallet setup required for existing MetaMask users - the onboarding is the simplest of any self-custodial card.

For developers, DAOs, and anyone needing provable spending records, Gnosis Pay's on-chain settlement is technically unmatched. For everyday users who already have MetaMask installed, the wallet integration is frictionless. Both eliminate custodial counterparty risk.

Gnosis Pay operates on Visa. MetaMask operates on Mastercard. Both support Apple Pay. MetaMask also supports Google Pay. Both have no annual fee.

Both cards charge zero fees across the board. No transaction fee, no conversion fee, no FX fee (Gnosis Pay uses Visa network rate of 0.2-0.4% on non-EUR transactions). The difference is entirely in cashback structure: MetaMask offers flat rates, Gnosis Pay scales by GNO held.

At 0 GNO, the cashback comparison is a draw. Both Gnosis Pay base tier and MetaMask Virtual return 1% ($360/year at $3,000/month). MetaMask's Rewards points (1 per $1 spent) tip the balance - Season 1 distributed $LINEA tokens to active cardholders, and future seasons may distribute tokens from Base, Solana, or other partner ecosystems. Any airdrop value above $0 makes MetaMask's total return higher at equal cashback rates.

SpendNode's cost-at-spend model highlights the 1+ GNO tier (approximately $300 investment): Gnosis Pay jumps to 2% ($720/year) - double MetaMask Virtual. This is the lowest-cost cashback upgrade in the self-custodial card space. A single GNO token doubles your annual return from $360 to $720.

At 10+ GNO (approximately $3,000 investment), Gnosis Pay matches MetaMask Metal's 3% ($1,080/year) without a waitlist. MetaMask Metal is currently limited availability. Gnosis Pay's 3% tier is accessible to anyone willing to hold 10 GNO.

At 100+ GNO with OG NFT (approximately $30,000 + NFT), Gnosis Pay reaches 5% ($1,800/year) - the highest self-custodial cashback rate available on any card. This exceeds MetaMask Metal by $720/year. But 100 GNO represents a significant token concentration bet.

Reward currency risk matters. Gnosis Pay cashback is paid in GNO. If GNO appreciates 50%, your effective 3% tier becomes 4.5%. If GNO drops 50%, it becomes 1.5%. MetaMask cashback is paid directly, and Rewards points have uncertain but potentially significant airdrop value. Both carry speculative upside; Gnosis Pay's is more directly tied to a single token's performance.

Gnosis Pay: EEA, UK, and Switzerland only. No US, no APAC, no LATAM.

MetaMask: 50+ countries including the US, UK, EEA, and global markets. One of the most geographically accessible self-custodial cards available.

For the majority of the world's crypto users, this ends the comparison. US users, Asian users, Latin American users, African users - MetaMask is the only self-custodial zero-fee option. Gnosis Pay's higher cashback tiers are irrelevant if you cannot access the card.

Within Europe, both are available, and the comparison becomes genuinely competitive based on spending patterns and GNO conviction.

Gnosis Pay supports only EURe (euro stablecoin on Gnosis Chain). Users must hold or convert to EURe before spending. Non-EUR transactions incur only the Visa network exchange rate (typically 0.2-0.4%). The single-asset limitation is offset by the personal IBAN: European users can receive salary payments, freelance invoices, and SEPA bank transfers directly into their on-chain wallet. For users building a self-custodial financial life, the IBAN is essential infrastructure that MetaMask does not offer.

MetaMask supports 9 assets (USDC, USDT, wETH, EURe, GBPe, mUSD, amUSD, aUSDC, aBasUSDC) across Linea, Base, and Solana. The multi-chain, multi-asset approach means users can spend from whichever stablecoin or wrapped asset they hold without pre-converting. Aave-wrapped variants (aUSDC, aBasUSDC) allow spending directly from yield-generating positions - a feature unique to MetaMask among self-custodial cards.

Spending limits: MetaMask Virtual caps at $10,000/month. MetaMask Metal reaches $50,000/month. Gnosis Pay does not publish a hard monthly limit (verify in-app).

ATM access: MetaMask Virtual has 0% ATM fees. MetaMask Metal charges 2% ATM with $1,000/day and $5,000/month caps. Gnosis Pay does not support ATM withdrawals at all. For users who need cash access from their crypto card, MetaMask is the only option.

On-chain programmability: Gnosis Pay's Safe smart account enables spending rules, multi-sig approvals, and automated treasury management enforced by smart contract. A DAO could issue Gnosis Pay cards with spending limits controlled on-chain. MetaMask offers no comparable programmable spending infrastructure.

Both cards spend stablecoins at point of sale, creating minimal capital gains exposure. The tax treatment is effectively identical - EURe and USDC spending generates negligible taxable events compared to spending volatile crypto.

Holding 100+ GNO for the maximum 5% tier without calculating the opportunity cost of concentrated token exposure. 100 GNO (approximately $30,000) held to qualify for the 4% tier (plus 1% OG NFT boost) earns $1,800/year in cashback on $3,000/month spending. But that $30,000 in a diversified portfolio earning 8% annual returns generates $2,400/year - $600 more than the cashback premium over the 10 GNO tier ($1,800 minus $1,080 = $720 extra cashback). If GNO drops 20% during the year, the $6,000 capital loss dwarfs the entire $1,800 cashback. How to avoid it: The 10+ GNO tier (approximately $3,000, 3% rate) offers the best risk-adjusted return: $1,080/year cashback for a manageable token commitment. The jump from 10 GNO to 100 GNO costs 10x the capital for only 67% more cashback. Unless you are fundamentally bullish on GNO as an investment, the 10 GNO tier is the sweet spot.

Dismissing MetaMask's Rewards points as worthless because the value is unconfirmed. Season 1 distributed $LINEA tokens to active cardholders. At zero cost (points are earned on top of the standard cashback), any distribution value is pure upside. A user earning 36,000 points/year ($3,000/month spending) who receives even $0.01/point gets $360 in airdrop value - effectively doubling the 1% cashback to 2% total return. At $0.05/point, the airdrop value ($1,800) would exceed Gnosis Pay's maximum 5% tier cashback on the same spending. How to avoid it: Do not value MetaMask points at $0 or at speculative maximum. The rational approach is to treat them as a free option: the expected value is positive (Season 1 proved distributions happen) but the magnitude is uncertain. When comparing MetaMask 1% + points to Gnosis Pay 1% (base tier), MetaMask has strictly higher expected value at equal cashback rates.

For users outside Europe: MetaMask Virtual is the only option. 1% cashback with zero fees, airdrop potential, 9 assets across 3 chains, and 50+ country availability.

For European users without GNO holdings: MetaMask Virtual at 1% + Rewards points offers slightly higher expected value than Gnosis Pay's 1% base tier, with broader asset support (9 vs 1) and Google Pay compatibility.

For European users willing to hold 1-10 GNO: Gnosis Pay at 2-3% cashback outperforms MetaMask Virtual's 1% by 2-3x with zero fees, a personal IBAN, and on-chain settlement. The 10 GNO tier (approximately $3,000) is the best risk-adjusted tier.

For DAOs, developers, and programmable spending: Gnosis Pay's Safe smart contract integration is unique. No other card offers on-chain spending rules, multi-sig approvals, or programmable treasury management.

For premium self-custodial spending: Compare Gnosis Pay at 10+ GNO (3%, zero fees, no waitlist) against MetaMask Metal (3%, zero fees, waitlist). At matching rates, Gnosis Pay's IBAN and on-chain settlement add differentiated value. MetaMask Metal's wider geographic reach and airdrop points add different value.

Outlook: Both cards represent the frontier of self-custodial spending. Gnosis Pay's GNO-tiered cashback and on-chain settlement appeal to the European DeFi-native community, while MetaMask's global reach and multi-chain integration capture the broader Web3 audience. The key variables for 2026: MetaMask Metal availability expanding beyond the waitlist (which would give 3% cashback to global users), MetaMask Rewards Season 2 announcements (which could add significant airdrop value), and Gnosis Pay potentially adding multi-asset support beyond EURe (which would eliminate its biggest practical limitation for non-EUR spenders).