Head to head
MetaMask Card vs Ethena Pay
Both cards run on the same benchmark test, so this compares deducted cost rather than advertised rates.
| Metric | Me MetaMask Card | Et Ethena Pay |
|---|---|---|
| Overall rank | #21 of 35 | #1 of 35 |
| FX spread | 1% | 1% |
| Base cashback | 1% in mUSD (Virtual) | 4% |
| Custody | Self-custodial | Non-Custodial (no option to see keys until deleting account |
| Virtual card | Free, instant activation | Yes, Free |
| Physical card | Metal, $199/year (select regions, US live) | No |
| Spend limit | Virtual $10,000/tx, $15,000/day; Metal $20,000/tx, $30,000/day | |
| ATM withdrawals | Virtual 2%, $1,000/day; Metal free up to $1,200/month then 2%, $5,000/day | |
| Setup time | Virtual activates instantly | 10 minutes |
| KYC steps | 2 | 5 |
| Score | Not rated yet | 8.5/10 |
MetaMask Card
MetaMask Card is the self-custody pick from the biggest wallet in crypto. Your funds sit in your wallet until the second you tap. No exchange account needed. Virtual is free with 1% back in mUSD. Metal is $199 a year for 3%, but only on the first $10k, then it drops to 1%. Watch the fees: 1% cross-border on Virtual, and 0.875% if you spend wETH instead of a stablecoin. Spend a stable in your own currency and it's fee free.
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+