Head to head
Coinbase Card vs Ethena Pay
Both cards run on the same benchmark test, so this compares deducted cost rather than advertised rates.
| Metric | Co Coinbase Card | Et Ethena Pay |
|---|---|---|
| Overall rank | #20 of 35 | #1 of 35 |
| FX spread | 0% | 1% |
| Base cashback | Variable crypto rewards, rate shown in app (US only) | 4% |
| Custody | Custodial | Non-Custodial (no option to see keys until deleting account |
| Virtual card | Available in Coinbase App after activation | Yes, Free |
| Physical card | Free ($0 card purchase) | No |
| Spend limit | ||
| ATM withdrawals | $0 from Coinbase, ATM operator fees may apply | |
| Setup time | 10 minutes | |
| KYC steps | 5 | 5 |
| Score | Not rated yet | 8.5/10 |
Coinbase Card
Coinbase Card keeps it simple. No card fee, no Coinbase ATM fee, and $0 on international transactions according to the cardholder agreement. The catch is the spread. Spend USDC and it's close to free. Spend BTC or ETH and you pay Coinbase's spread on every swipe without ever seeing a fee line. Rewards are variable and US only, so check the app for the current rate.
Ethena Pay
Crypto Card Review: Ethena Pay I've been testing Ethena Pay for the last couple of days, and it feels (almost) premium. It's in Beta and nearly ready for public launch; here are my first thoughts. Positives: - Non-USD FX Fee: 1% (cashback negates and beats this) - 4% Cashback on all purchases is sweet (up to 5% w/Pro) - UI is possibly the best among all cards I've tested - Personal US/EUR/GBP IBAN accounts - Insights page showing spending by categories and earning breakdowns - 5% APY - Instant deposits with limited Fees Negatives: - Apple Only (for now) - Multiple "Coming Soon" features - Non-custodial, but no way to see your keys without deleting your account. Rating: 7.5/10 As soon as it's on Android and includes a few of its promised upcoming features, this will be a 9/10.
Who ranks these cards
I'm Tristyn Pawson, founder of ConsistenC.xyz. Over the last five years I've worked on marketing, development and growth across five crypto cards and neobanks, building at least three of them from scratch.
Alongside that I've run in-depth research on 20+ crypto banks to understand what actually makes someone keep a card in their wallet. These rankings reflect that: which problems are tolerable, and which ones are genuine deal breakers.
- Years in market
- 5
- Cards built on
- 5
- Neobanks researched
- 20+