Best Physical Cards Crypto Cards 2026

A physical crypto card is the bridge between your digital assets and the real world. Tap it at a coffee shop, insert it at a gas station, or slide it into an ATM to withdraw cash. The merchant sees a normal Visa or Mastercard transaction. Your crypto balance decreases. Cashback arrives in your wallet.

We track 25+ physical crypto card variants across 15+ issuers. They range from free plastic cards with no cashback to $10,000/year premium metal cards with 8% rewards and airport lounge access. At $3,000/month spending, the difference between the best and worst physical card exceeds $3,400/year in net returns.

Three Numbers That Matter

25+ physical cards from 15+ issuers - Covering metal and plastic, Visa and Mastercard, custodial and self-custody. Physical is required for ATM access and chip-and-PIN merchants.

5-21 days shipping - The wait for a physical card. Every issuer listed here also offers a virtual card within minutes, so you can start earning cashback immediately while the physical card ships.

$3,400+/year gap - The net return difference between the best physical card (8% cashback, $0 fees) and the worst (0% cashback, 3% FX) at $3,000/month. Material (metal vs plastic) does not determine value. The fee structure does.

Every Physical Crypto Card Compared

Metal vs. Plastic: Is the Premium Upgrade Worth It?

Physical crypto cards come in two materials, and the price gap is significant:

Plastic cards (15+ variants). Free to $25 one-time fee. Typically 5g weight, standard chip-and-PIN, contactless NFC. Cards from Coinbase, 1inch, Bitpanda, Kraken, Ledger, and RedotPay are plastic. Functional and effective.

Metal cards (10+ variants). $50/yr to $10,000/yr (or staking requirements). Stainless steel construction, 15-22g weight, premium feel. Cards from Crypto.com (Royal Indigo+), ether.fi (Luxe/Pinnacle/VIP), Ready Metal, KAST (premium tiers), Avici Signature, and Wirex Elite.

The honest assessment: metal cards do not perform better at terminals or ATMs. The premium is about tier benefits (higher cashback, lounge access, larger ATM limits) and status. If two cards offer the same cashback rate and one is metal, the metal card is not worth an annual fee premium for functionality alone.

Every Metal Crypto Card Compared

Upgrade Break-Even Math

The question is not "is metal better?" but "at what spending level does the upgrade pay for itself?"

Best upgrade value: Ready Lite to Ready Metal breaks even at just $286/month. At $1,500/month spending, the upgrade earns $528/year net after the $120 fee - a 440% return on the annual fee. This is the most accessible metal card upgrade in the market.

ether.fi tier upgrades are free if you accumulate enough Membership Points through spending or stake ETHFI. No annual fee at any tier. The only "cost" is the staking requirement, which carries token price risk (see below).

KAST premium tiers require high volume. The X Card ($1,000/year) needs $2,778+/month to beat the free Standard card. The Solana Gold ($10,000/year) needs nearly $14,000/month. These are designed for high-net-worth users and crypto businesses, not typical cardholders.

The Staking Requirement Trap

Several metal cards require you to stake (lock) tokens to access or maintain your tier:

• Crypto.com: Royal Indigo/Jade Green requires $4,000 CRO stake locked for 180 days. Icy White/Rose Gold requires $40,000.
• ether.fi: Luxe requires 15,000 ETHFI stake (approx. $15,000-$25,000 at 2026 prices). Pinnacle requires 100,000 ETHFI.

The risk: your staked tokens can lose value while locked. If CRO drops 50% during your 180-day lock, you cannot sell. Your "free" metal card effectively cost you $2,000-$20,000 in unrealized losses. This happened to thousands of Crypto.com users during the 2022 bear market.

How to evaluate staking cards: Calculate the guaranteed annual cashback value at your expected spending level. If the cashback alone does not justify the staking requirement's opportunity cost (what you could earn by deploying that capital elsewhere at 5-8% APY), the metal tier is not worth it. Only upgrade if you would hold the token anyway regardless of the card benefit.

When metal is genuinely worth it: When the tier upgrade includes meaningfully better economics without staking risk. ether.fi Luxe (metal, 3% cashback, free) vs ether.fi Core (plastic, 3% cashback, free) - the metal card is free if you earn enough points through spending alone, no staking required. Ready Metal at 3% with 0% FX vs Ready Lite at 0.5% with 1% FX justifies the $120/year upgrade at any spending level above $286/month - and the fee is flat cash, not a volatile token stake.

ATM Withdrawal: The Physical Card Advantage

The one thing a physical card does that a virtual card cannot: withdraw cash from an ATM. This matters for:

• Travel in cash-dependent regions: Parts of Southeast Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Eastern Europe still rely heavily on cash. A physical card with a decent ATM allowance is essential.
• Emergency access: Even in card-friendly countries, ATM access provides a backup when POS terminals go down or shops do not accept cards.
• Local currency at interbank rates: Combined with 0% FX fees, ATM withdrawals can be cheaper than airport currency exchange (which typically charges 3-10% markup).

Most physical crypto cards offer $200-$800/month in free ATM withdrawals before charging 2% on the excess. At $500/month cash needs, the free allowance covers most users.

Three Spending Scenarios

The Cash-Dependent Traveler: $2,500/month (30% ATM)

Profile: Travels in cash-heavy regions, needs reliable ATM access, wants no FX fees.

Best pick: Ready Metal - 3% STRK cashback, 0% FX, $800/mo free ATM, metal, self-custody.

Ready Metal wins for cash-heavy travelers thanks to its $800/month free ATM allowance (highest among budget-friendly options) combined with 0% FX and 3% cashback. The $120/year annual fee pays for itself within one month of heavy ATM use. ether.fi Core is the runner-up with the widest global coverage.

The European Daily Driver: $3,000/month

Profile: EEA-based, uses the card for everyday purchases, values self-custody and 0% FX.

Best pick: 1inch for custodial simplicity or Ready Lite for self-custody on a budget.

For European everyday spending, 1inch leads with 2% cashback and 0% FX on a free Mastercard. Bitpanda is the simpler custodial option at 1%. For self-custody advocates willing to pay for it, upgrading to Ready Metal ($120/yr but 3% cashback and 0% FX) makes more sense than Ready Lite if spending exceeds $500/month.

The Premium Status Seeker: $8,000/month

Profile: Wants the best physical card experience: metal, lounge access, highest cashback, willing to stake or pay annual fees.

Best pick: Depends on staking appetite. KAST premium tiers for raw cashback. ether.fi Pinnacle for self-custody with perks.

At premium spending levels, KAST X Card leads on raw cashback if the $1,000/year fee is justified by the 5% return ($4,800/year). ether.fi Pinnacle is the self-custody premium choice with metal construction, 3% cashback, and no annual fee. Avici Signature is for users who prioritize crypto-backed credit (borrow against collateral, no taxable disposal) over cashback.

Common Mistakes with Physical Crypto Cards

Mistake 1: Waiting for the physical card instead of using the virtual one

Cost: $60-$240 in missed cashback during 2-3 weeks of shipping.

Many issuers provide a virtual card instantly while the physical card ships. Users who wait for the physical card before starting to spend miss weeks of cashback. At $3,000/month with 4% rewards, three weeks of waiting costs $180.

How to avoid it: Add your virtual card to Apple Pay or Google Pay immediately after signup. Start earning cashback from day one while the physical card is in transit.

Mistake 2: Exceeding the free ATM allowance without tracking

Cost: $50-$300/year in ATM overage fees.

Most physical crypto cards charge 2% on ATM withdrawals above the free monthly limit. A user who withdraws $1,500/month on a card with a $200/month free limit pays 2% on $1,300, or $312/year. Many users do not realize they have exceeded the limit until they see the fee deducted.

How to avoid it: Know your card's free ATM limit before your first withdrawal. Plan larger, less frequent withdrawals to stay within the allowance. If you consistently need more than $800/month in cash, consider a second card with a higher ATM limit.

Mistake 3: Not reporting a lost physical card immediately

Cost: Potentially your entire card balance if the card is used before it is frozen.

Unlike a virtual card protected by biometric authentication, a lost physical card with contactless enabled can be used for small purchases (under the contactless limit) without PIN verification. Some cards allow up to $100 per contactless tap.

How to avoid it: Freeze your card immediately through the issuer's app the moment you notice it is missing. Most apps (Crypto.com, Bybit, Coinbase, MetaMask) have a one-tap freeze button. Report the loss to the issuer within 24 hours to limit liability.

Mistake 4: Choosing a physical-only card without checking virtual availability

Cost: 2-3 weeks of zero usage while waiting for delivery.

Some users sign up for physical crypto cards without checking whether a virtual card is also available. If the issuer only provides a physical card (no virtual option), you cannot spend until it arrives in the mail. This is increasingly rare but still applies to some legacy cards.

How to avoid it: Confirm virtual card availability before signing up. Most modern crypto cards (Coinbase, ether.fi, KAST, Bitpanda, 1inch, Gate.io, Kraken, Ledger, Ready, Wirex) offer both virtual and physical.

Tax Implications

Physical crypto card transactions have identical tax treatment to virtual card transactions. The card material does not change the tax event.

ATM withdrawals have a unique tax consideration. When you withdraw cash from an ATM using a crypto card, the conversion from crypto to fiat occurs at that moment. This is a taxable disposal event. If you withdraw $500 and your crypto has appreciated since purchase, you owe capital gains on the appreciation. This catches many users off guard because ATM withdrawals feel like "accessing your own money" rather than a taxable event.

Stablecoin loading minimizes ATM tax impact. If you load your card with USDC or USDT, ATM withdrawals convert stablecoins to fiat at approximately 1:1, generating negligible taxable gains.

For jurisdiction-specific guidance, see our country guides for the US, UK, Germany, and Australia.

What Changes Next for Physical Crypto Cards

Biometric cards. Fingerprint sensors embedded in physical cards are entering the crypto card market. This would combine the security of biometric authentication (currently only available through mobile wallets) with the universal acceptance of physical cards. Early pilots are underway from Mastercard partners.

Dual-interface metal. Current metal cards sometimes have NFC range limitations due to their material. Next-generation metal cards use improved antenna designs for reliable contactless taps at the same distance as plastic cards.

On-demand physical cards. Some issuers are testing instant physical card printing at partner locations (airports, coworking spaces), allowing users to get a physical card in minutes rather than waiting for shipping. This would eliminate the virtual-first waiting period entirely.

Declining cash dependency. As contactless payments and mobile wallets become universal, the unique advantage of physical cards (ATM access) becomes less critical. The trend is moving toward virtual-first, physical-as-backup. However, for travelers and users in developing markets, physical cards remain essential for the foreseeable future.