Best Airdrops Crypto Cards 2026

Airdrop-linked crypto cards reward you with protocol tokens in exchange for spending activity. In 2026, the industry distinguishes between two models: pre-TGE points (speculative, converts to tokens at launch) and live token rewards (immediate, tradeable tokens). This page covers both, with verified data on each program's status, timeline, and earning mechanics.

2026 Airdrop Programs: Verified Status

How Airdrop Points Actually Accrue (Step by Step)

The word "airdrop" implies tokens fall from the sky. The reality is a transaction-level accumulation system tied to your card spending.

What happens when you swipe a KAST card at a coffee shop ($5 purchase):

1. Your card processes a $5 transaction. The MCC code (5814, fast food) is logged
2. KAST's backend records $5 in Season 5 "swipe mining" activity on your account
3. At Standard tier (2% points rate): 100 KAST Points are credited to your points balance
4. Simultaneously, 4% $MOVE cashback ($0.20) is deposited, this is a live token you can sell immediately
5. The 100 KAST Points sit in your account with zero redeemable value until TGE
6. At TGE (Q2-Q3 2026), 100 KAST Points convert to 100 $KAST tokens
7. You choose: 50% instant unlock (50 tokens liquid) or 25% instant + 75% vested over 24 months

The critical distinction: Step 4 gives you guaranteed, tradeable value ($0.20). Step 5-7 gives you speculative value that could be worth $0.001 or $1.00 per point. Nobody knows until the token launches.

xPlace works differently. Instead of flat point rates, xPlace uses XP multipliers tied to your card tier. Standard (0.5x) means a $100 purchase earns 50 XP. Platinum (6x) means the same $100 purchase earns 600 XP. The XP-to-token conversion ratio will be set at TGE (Q4 2026).

ether.fi works differently again. Spending earns Membership Points that determine your tier (Core, Luxe, Pinnacle, VIP). Higher tiers unlock better perks, but the points themselves do not convert to tokens. Instead, you earn ETHFI through staking and holding, which is already trading. There is no TGE event to wait for.

Tria uses activity-based multipliers. Season 2 awards XP at different rates depending on what you do - card spending, futures trading, and other platform activities each have their own multiplier. Unlike flat per-dollar rates, this rewards engagement across the ecosystem. The catch: Season 1 showed that accumulating XP is only part of the equation. Claiming required meeting additional conditions (25K XP + membership or trading volume), which caught many farmers off guard.

The Three Numbers That Determine Airdrop Card Value

Number 1: Guaranteed annual cashback (the floor). This is what you earn regardless of whether the TGE succeeds, fails, or never happens.

The SpendNode editorial team reviewed every program's guaranteed floor. KAST and ether.fi have the highest. xPlace's guaranteed cashback is the lowest, meaning you are more dependent on the TGE outcome.

Number 2: Speculative upside (the ceiling). What your accumulated points could be worth at TGE, based on historical DeFi token launches.

Reality check: SpendNode tracks historical TGE valuations, and most DeFi token launches in 2024-2025 fell in the conservative-to-moderate range (1-3% of user spend). Plan for 1%, hope for 3%, celebrate anything above 5%.

Number 3: Opportunity cost (what you sacrifice). The guaranteed cashback you give up by choosing an airdrop card over a pure cashback card.

At $1,000/month, KAST matches Coinbase on guaranteed cashback while adding speculative points at zero cost. At higher volumes, you sacrifice $1,000-$2,000/year in guaranteed cashback for speculative upside. The TGE must value your points above the sacrifice for airdrop farming to be profitable.

Live Token Programs: Immediate Value

ether.fi Cash: The Club (ETHFI Live)

Every $1,000 spent earns 3,000 Membership Points. Points determine your monthly tier (Core, Luxe, Pinnacle, VIP). Higher tiers unlock perks like lounge access, concierge, and boosted cashback. ETHFI staking also qualifies for higher tiers (15,000 ETHFI for Luxe, 100,000 for Pinnacle).

Unlike pre-TGE programs, ETHFI is already trading. You can stake, sell, or hold immediately. The 3% base cashback is paid in wETH or stablecoins, giving predictable value plus speculative upside from ETHFI appreciation.

Best for: Ethereum believers who want DeFi-native rewards with no TGE uncertainty. See our DeFi users guide.

COCA: Live Token Holding ($COCA Trading)

COCA operates a tiered holding system where higher $COCA balances unlock better rewards. No staking or lock-ups, just hold $COCA in your wallet with a 30-day grace period on downgrades.

Tiers: Starter (0 COCA, 1%), Standard (300 COCA, 3%), Standard+ (1,000 COCA, 4%), Premium (3,000 COCA, 5%), Premium+ (10,000 COCA, 6%), Elite (30,000 COCA, 8%). All tiers include 6% APY on stablecoin balances and 0-1% FX (0% on direct stablecoin pairs, 1% on indirect).

Best for: Users who want high cashback (up to 8%) plus yield, and are comfortable holding a live token. See our passive income guide.

Pre-TGE Programs: Speculative Points

KAST: Season 5 (Final Season Before TGE)

KAST is in its fifth and final rewards season before Token Generation. Points accumulated now convert to $KAST tokens at TGE. Season 5 runs through March 31, 2026. Earn up to 8% points on card spend (varies by tier). New in Season 5: 4% $MOVE token cashback on all tiers (live token, tradeable now). TGE targeted for Q2-Q3 2026.

Conversion at TGE: Instant conversion receives 50% of points as liquid tokens. Vested conversion: 25% instant + 75% vested over 24 months. The vested option is better if you believe the token will appreciate post-launch.

Best for: Users who believe in the KAST ecosystem and want maximum pre-TGE accumulation during the final window. See our beginners guide for a simple entry point.

Tria: Season 2 Live (S1 Claims July 31)

Tria is now in Season 2 of its XP rewards program. Everyone starts fresh. Spending and other activities earn Tria XP at different multiplier rates depending on the activity type. XP accumulated in Season 2 is expected to convert to tokens at a future TGE, though the conversion ratio and timeline have not been announced.

Season 1 claim conditions: The Season 1 snapshot was taken January 30, 2026. To claim Season 1 rewards, users must achieve 25,000 XP and either maintain an active card membership (Signature at $109/year or Premium at $250/year) or complete at least $25,000 in futures trading volume. The claim deadline is July 31, 2026. Many Season 1 participants did not meet the unlock criteria at snapshot, meaning their accumulated XP remains locked until they satisfy one of these conditions before the deadline.

Card tiers: Virtual (free, 1.5% cashback), Signature ($109/year, 3% cashback, lounge access), Premium ($250/year, 6% cashback, metal card, 0% ATM fees). All tiers are self-custodial via Account Abstraction with up to 15% APY on idle USDC.

Cautionary note: The Season 1 unlock requirements illustrate why airdrop farmers should read claim conditions carefully before farming. Accumulating points is only half the equation - meeting the unlock criteria is the other half. Users who farmed S1 XP but did not pay for a card membership or trade futures may lose their rewards entirely if they do not meet conditions by July 31.

Best for: Self-custody users who want a high guaranteed cashback floor (1.5-6%) plus speculative XP upside, and who are comfortable with conditional claim requirements.

xPlace: XP Farming (TGE Q4 2026)

XP multipliers by tier: Standard (0.5x, free), Silver (1x, $99/yr), Gold (3x, $299/yr), Platinum (6x, $599/yr). TGE expected Q4 2026. XP accumulated now converts to $XPLACE tokens. The team has been hinting at airdrop details but specifics remain limited.

Best for: Solana-native users who want ecosystem exposure and are willing to lock in a card tier for maximum XP earning.

MetaMask: Season 1 Closed, Season 2 TBD

MetaMask ran its first rewards season from launch through January 23, 2026. Season 1 point accumulation ended and the claim window closed on February 13, 2026. Unclaimed Season 1 points are forfeited. Season 2 has been mentioned but no official start date or structure has been announced. New users should wait for Season 2 announcement before optimizing for airdrop farming.

Solflare: The Benefits (Raffle Ended, Cashback TBD)

Solflare ran "The Benefits," a gamified rewards platform that included a Porsche 911 GT3 raffle. The raffle ended February 14, 2026. A direct cashback program has been referenced as "coming soon" but no launch date or rate has been confirmed. Until the next rewards program launches, the Solflare card earns no guaranteed cashback from spending.

Best for: Solana-native users who want self-custody spending now and are willing to wait for the next rewards program. Check back for updates on direct cashback launch.

Cards Without Airdrop Programs

Several popular crypto cards do not have airdrop or points programs. They pay direct cashback only:

• 1inch: 2% cashback in 1INCH/BTC/USDT. No XP system, no TGE. Direct token cashback only.
• Bleap: 2% USDC cashback. Explicitly no token planned. Pure stablecoin rewards.
• Gnosis Pay: 1-5% GNO cashback. GNO is already live, but this is direct cashback, not an airdrop program.
• Coinbase: Up to 4% cashback. No points, no TGE, no airdrop eligibility.
• Bitget: Up to 8% BGB cashback. Direct token rewards, no separate accumulation system.

These cards are the benchmark for "guaranteed value." When calculating whether airdrop farming is worth it, compare against the best pure cashback card at your spending level.

Named Scenarios: Real Airdrop Farming Math

Scenario 1: Erik, University Student in Helsinki

Setup: Computer science student. Monthly spending: $800. Cannot afford to stake or pay card fees. Wants maximum airdrop exposure for free.

Card: KAST Standard (free, 4% $MOVE + 2% points, no KYC)

Result: $384 guaranteed from $MOVE (tradeable immediately, covers 2 weeks of groceries). 19,200 KAST Points worth $19 (bear) to $960 (optimistic) at TGE. Total cost: $0. Total time managing: 10 minutes/month loading USDC. Erik sacrifices $0 versus Coinbase at 4%, making this a pure free bet on the TGE.

Scenario 2: Mei, Product Designer in Singapore

Setup: Monthly spending: $3,000. Comfortable with crypto. Wants diversified airdrop exposure across ecosystems.

Cards: KAST Standard (daily spending) + ether.fi Core (large purchases) + xPlace Standard (Solana ecosystem)

Result: $1,110/year guaranteed. Speculative upside: $420 (bear) to $2,100 (optimistic) from two separate TGE events (KAST Q2-Q3, xPlace Q4). If both TGEs hit moderate (3% of spend), Mei earns $1,110 + $1,260 = $2,370 total. If both fail, she still has $1,110. She sacrifices approximately $1,446/year versus putting everything on Bitget (7.1% net on $3,000/mo = $2,556/yr). The TGEs need to net at least $1,446 combined for the multi-card strategy to outperform pure cashback.

Scenario 3: Daniel, Crypto Fund Associate in Zurich

Setup: Monthly spending: $6,000. High spender who views airdrop farming as portfolio allocation. Willing to pay for premium tiers.

Cards: KAST Luxe ($499/yr, 8% points + 4% MOVE) + ether.fi Luxe (10K ETHFI, 3% cashback + perks) + xPlace Gold ($299/yr, 3x XP)

Result: $1,482/year guaranteed (after fees). Speculative upside at moderate TGE (3% of spend): $3,240 + $1,482 = $4,722. Compare to pure cashback: Bitget at 7.1% on $6,000/mo = $5,112/yr guaranteed with zero fees and zero TGE risk. Daniel needs the combined TGEs to net at least $3,630 for this strategy to beat pure cashback. At moderate outcomes, it is roughly break-even. At optimistic outcomes ($16,200), it massively outperforms. This is a calculated bet, not a guaranteed win.

Layer Stacking: Multi-Card Strategy

Budget version (2 cards, $0 cost): KAST Standard for daily spending (free, 4% $MOVE + 2% points) + ether.fi Core for large purchases (free, 3% cashback + ETHFI exposure). Total cost: $0. Total guaranteed: 3-4% blended.

Standard version (3 cards, minimal cost): Add xPlace Standard ($0/year) for Solana ecosystem XP on small purchases. Diversifies across three separate token launches/ecosystems.

Premium version (3 cards, fees apply): KAST Luxe ($499/yr, 8% points) + ether.fi Luxe (10K ETHFI stake) + xPlace Gold ($299/yr, 3x XP). Only justified above $5,000/month spending where the guaranteed cashback covers the fees.

The rule: Never pay more in card fees than the guaranteed cashback earns. Every card in your strategy should be cashback-positive on its own merits. The airdrop is the bonus, not the justification.

Six Mistakes with Airdrop Farming

1. Paying $5,000/Year in Card Fees for Speculative Points

xPlace Platinum costs $599/year for a 6x XP multiplier. At $1,000/month spending, you earn 72,000 XP annually. If $XPLACE launches at the conservative 1% valuation, your XP is worth $120. You paid $599 for $120 in speculative tokens plus $240 in guaranteed cashback (2%), netting -$239/year before the TGE even happens.

How to avoid it: Only upgrade tiers if the guaranteed cashback alone covers the annual fee. At xPlace: Gold ($299 fee) needs $29,900/year in spending at 1% cashback to break even. Platinum ($599) needs $29,950. Most users are better on the free Standard tier.

2. Missing Claim Deadlines or Failing Unlock Conditions

MetaMask Season 1 had a hard claim deadline (February 13, 2026). Unclaimed rewards are forfeited permanently. KAST Season 5 ends March 31. Tria Season 1 claims require 25,000 XP and either active card membership or $25,000 in futures trading by July 31, 2026 - many farmers who accumulated XP without meeting these conditions risk losing everything.

Cost if it happens: Months of farming, zero return. If you accumulated 50,000 KAST Points over 6 months (worth $500-$2,500 at moderate-to-optimistic TGE), missing the claim window means losing all of it. Tria S1 farmers who did not pay for a Signature ($109) or Premium ($250) membership may forfeit all accumulated XP.

How to avoid it: Set calendar reminders for every deadline. Read the full claim conditions before farming, not after. Some programs require more than just accumulating points - they require maintaining paid memberships or meeting trading volume thresholds. Follow official channels for updated requirements.

3. Over-Spending to Farm Points

A user who increases spending from $2,000/month to $4,000/month specifically to farm KAST points earns 48,000 extra points per year. At conservative 1% valuation: $240 in extra tokens. They spent $24,000 extra to earn $240.

How to avoid it: Farm airdrops on spending you would do anyway. If a purchase would not happen without the airdrop incentive, skip it. The points are a bonus on existing behavior, not a reason to create $24,000 in unnecessary purchases.

4. Ignoring Guaranteed Cashback for Speculative Points

KAST Standard earns 2% in pre-TGE points (speculative) plus 4% in $MOVE (live, tradeable). A user who focuses on the 2% points and ignores the 4% $MOVE is misweighting the uncertain over the certain. At $12K/year spending: $480 guaranteed ($MOVE) versus $240 speculative (points at conservative).

How to avoid it: Always calculate guaranteed value first. Convert $MOVE to stablecoins or fiat regularly. Treat the pre-TGE points as a free lottery ticket on top of your guaranteed returns.

5. Concentrating All Spending on One Pre-TGE Card

If you put 100% of $3,000/month spending on KAST and the TGE values points at 0.1% of spend, you earn $36 in tokens. Meanwhile, Bitget at 7.1% net would have earned $2,556 in guaranteed cashback. You sacrificed $2,520 for a $36 airdrop.

How to avoid it: Split spending. Use one card for airdrop farming (KAST or xPlace, smaller allocation) and one for guaranteed cashback (Bitget, Coinbase, or OKX, larger allocation). A 30/70 split limits your downside: 30% of spending farms airdrops, 70% earns guaranteed returns.

6. Holding Airdrop Tokens After TGE Without a Plan

Many airdrop tokens spike at launch, then decline 60-80% within 3 months as farmers dump their allocations. If you hold through the dump, your $1,000 in tokens becomes $200-$400.

How to avoid it: Decide before TGE: will you sell immediately, sell 50% and hold 50%, or hold everything? The most conservative approach is to sell enough at TGE to recover your opportunity cost (the cashback you sacrificed), then hold the remainder as a free position.

Tax Implications for Airdrop Tokens

Airdrop tokens create taxable events in most jurisdictions. The tax treatment differs between pre-TGE points and live token rewards.

Key insight: Pre-TGE points have no Fair Market Value, so they do not create a taxable event while accumulating. The tax event occurs when points convert to tokens at TGE. If you choose the vested option (25% instant + 75% over 24 months), you have 24 months of taxable unlock events to track. The instant option (50% liquid) is simpler from a tax perspective. See our tax-conscious guide.

Card Selection by Use Case

Immediate tradeable rewards (no TGE risk): ether.fi Core (3% cashback, ETHFI live) or COCA (up to 8%, $COCA live, self-custody). Both have tokens already trading.

Maximum pre-TGE speculation: KAST Season 5 (final farming window before TGE Q2-Q3 2026). Up to 8% in points plus 4% $MOVE cashback. Dual rewards: speculative + guaranteed.

Self-custody + high cashback + airdrop: Tria (1.5-6% cashback, 15% APY, Season 2 XP farming live). Highest guaranteed floor among airdrop cards for self-custody users.

Solana ecosystem exposure: xPlace (XP farming, TGE Q4 2026) or Solflare (next rewards program TBD). Both Solana-native with self-custody.

Self-custody + airdrops: Tria (Account Abstraction, S2 live), COCA (non-custodial, $COCA live), MetaMask (MPC wallet, S2 TBD), xPlace (Solana self-custody).

Beginners (first airdrop): KAST Standard ($0 fee, 4% $MOVE + 2% points, no KYC). Simplest entry point with guaranteed cashback as safety net.

DeFi users (on-chain maximizers): ether.fi Core (3% cashback, ETHFI staking, EigenLayer exposure). Most DeFi-native card. Combine with Gnosis Pay for multi-chain exposure.

Quick Verdict

The most valuable airdrop card is not the one with the highest point multiplier. It is the one where (Guaranteed Cashback + Conservative TGE Value - Annual Fee - Opportunity Cost) = Highest Positive Number. KAST with 4% $MOVE plus pre-TGE points offers the best risk-adjusted return at low spending levels: $480/year guaranteed on $12K, plus speculative upside at zero cost. ether.fi Core with 3% cashback and live ETHFI rewards eliminates TGE uncertainty entirely. Never sacrifice guaranteed cashback for speculative points unless you have done the break-even math. Farm airdrops as a bonus on spending you would do anyway, not as an investment strategy.