Gnosis Pay vs Solflare

Both cards serve EEA and UK users with true self-custody. Your funds remain in your personal wallet until the moment of purchase on both platforms. Neither requires depositing into a centralized exchange. This makes the comparison about economics, features, and ecosystem preference.

Gnosis Pay operates on Visa with Apple Pay support. Spending account is a Safe smart contract wallet on Gnosis Chain (Safe has $100B+ TVL). Every transaction settles on-chain with cryptographic proof. Cashback in GNO scales by holdings: 0 GNO = 1%, 1+ GNO = 2%, 10+ GNO = 3%, 100+ GNO = 4%, plus 1% OG NFT boost (max 5%). Zero fees on everything: no FX fee, no transaction fee, no gas fee (subsidized), no off-ramping fee. Personal IBAN for SEPA deposits. ENS name on physical card. No ATM withdrawals.

Solflare operates on Mastercard with Google Pay only (no Apple Pay). Spends USDC directly from the Solflare wallet with Solana-speed settlement. 1% FX on cross-currency transactions. 1% crypto reload fee (bank reloads free). 2% ATM fee. $30,000/month spending limit. $500/day ATM. No fixed cashback rate - rewards through "The Benefits" platform (raffle entries, ecosystem points). Direct cashback listed as "coming soon" as of February 2026.

Both have no annual fee. Both are limited to a single spendable asset (EURe vs USDC).

The financial gap between these cards is the largest among any self-custodial comparison on SpendNode.

Even at the base tier with zero GNO commitment, Gnosis Pay earns $360/year while Solflare earns $0 in cashback. A European traveler spending cross-currency on Solflare actually loses $360/year to the 1% FX fee with no cashback to offset it. Gnosis Pay at base tier earns $360/year with zero FX cost - a $720/year swing between the two cards.

At 10+ GNO (approximately $3,000 invested), Gnosis Pay's 3% tier earns $1,080/year - more than most custodial exchange cards. At 100+ GNO with OG NFT, the 5% rate ($1,800/year) is the highest self-custodial cashback available on any card.

Solflare's rewards are raffle-based and unquantifiable. "The Benefits" platform launched with a Porsche 911 GT3 raffle where every transaction earns draw entries. The expected value of raffle entries depends on participant count and prize pool - for most users, the per-dollar expected return is a fraction of 1%. Future airdrop distributions from Solana ecosystem partners could add meaningful value, but this is speculative.

The fee comparison further widens the gap.

Gnosis Pay charges 0% on everything. No FX fee, no transaction fee, no gas fee (Gnosis Chain gas is subsidized), no off-ramping fee. Non-EUR transactions incur only the Visa network exchange rate (typically 0.2-0.4%) - not a Gnosis Pay fee.

Solflare charges: 1% FX on cross-currency spending, 1% on crypto reloads (bank reloads free), 2% ATM after free limit. A European user spending $2,000/month with 50% cross-currency and occasional ATM use pays approximately $15-20/month in fees with nothing earned back.

For same-currency domestic spending with bank reloads, Solflare's effective cost is also $0 - but with no cashback return, the best case is break-even. Gnosis Pay at base tier still earns 1% ($240/year on $2,000/month) with the same $0 cost.

These cards serve fundamentally different user needs beyond spending.

Gnosis Pay's personal IBAN is unique among all crypto cards. European users can receive salary payments, freelance invoices, and SEPA bank transfers directly into their on-chain Safe wallet. This makes Gnosis Pay function as a self-custodial bank account - not just a spending card. For users building a life outside traditional banking, the IBAN is essential infrastructure. Combine this with programmable spending rules via Safe smart contracts (custom limits, multi-sig approvals, automated savings), and Gnosis Pay offers the most complete self-custodial financial toolkit in crypto.

Solflare's "The Benefits" platform turns card spending into Solana ecosystem participation. Every transaction earns raffle entries and ecosystem points. For SOL-native users who already use Solflare as their primary wallet, the card extends their existing DeFi activity to real-world spending. The integration with Solana's sub-second finality means transactions feel instant. And future airdrop eligibility from maintaining active Solflare card usage could be valuable for users positioning themselves across the Solana ecosystem.

On-chain transparency: Gnosis Pay settles every transaction on Gnosis Chain with a cryptographic receipt. Solflare processes through traditional card rails with Solana-speed wallet deductions. For users who need auditable, on-chain spending records (freelancers, DAOs, businesses), Gnosis Pay's architecture is unique.

Choosing Solflare over Gnosis Pay for European self-custodial spending without recognizing the cashback gap. A European user spending $2,000/month domestically earns $240/year on Gnosis Pay (1% base tier) versus $0/year on Solflare. Over two years, that is $480 in foregone cashback. At the 10+ GNO tier (3%), the gap widens to $720/year ($1,440 over two years). The raffle entries earned on Solflare have an expected value far below these guaranteed returns. How to avoid it: If you are in the EEA/UK and choosing between these two cards for primary daily spending, Gnosis Pay is the financially superior choice at every tier. Use Solflare as a secondary card specifically for Solana ecosystem engagement - not as your primary spending tool.

Dismissing Gnosis Pay's EURe-only limitation without considering the IBAN funding route. Many users see "EURe only" and assume complex DeFi bridging is required. In practice, the personal IBAN allows direct SEPA bank transfers from any European bank account into your on-chain wallet. For EUR-primary spenders (the majority of EEA users), funding is as simple as a bank transfer. Non-EUR spending incurs only the Visa network rate (0.2-0.4%). How to avoid it: If your income is in EUR and most spending is EUR-denominated, the EURe limitation is a non-issue. The IBAN makes Gnosis Pay function like a self-custodial bank account. Solflare's USDC requirement actually adds more friction for EUR earners - they must first convert EUR to USDC on Solana.

For European users wanting maximum self-custodial returns: Gnosis Pay at any tier. Even the 0 GNO base tier (1%) outperforms Solflare's zero guaranteed cashback by $360/year. The 10+ GNO tier (3%) at approximately $3,000 invested is the sweet spot.

For European users wanting self-custodial banking: Gnosis Pay with personal IBAN, Safe smart account, and on-chain settlement offers the most complete self-custodial financial infrastructure available.

For Solana ecosystem participants: Solflare as a secondary card for ecosystem engagement, raffle entries, and future airdrop eligibility. Accept that it returns $0 in guaranteed cashback today.

For iPhone users: Gnosis Pay supports Apple Pay; Solflare supports Google Pay only.

For users who want defined cashback from a self-custodial card but prefer neither ecosystem: consider MetaMask (1% cashback, 0% fees, 50+ countries, 9 assets) or ether.fi (3% cashback, staking yield, global).

Outlook: This comparison will shift when Solflare launches its direct cashback feature. If the rate is competitive (2%+) with reduced fees, Solflare could challenge Gnosis Pay for Solana-native Europeans. Until then, Gnosis Pay's combination of guaranteed cashback, zero fees, IBAN banking, and on-chain settlement makes it the dominant self-custodial card in Europe. Watch for Solflare's cashback announcement and any expansion of "The Benefits" platform beyond raffle-based rewards.