Lava Card
by Lava (Visa; issued via Rain) · Updated 2026-07-02
Based on your monthly spend, edit it on the home page.
At a glance
- Network
- Visa
- Custody
- custodial
- Card type
- credit
- Form
- physical
- Mobile wallets
- ✓ Apple Pay✓ Google Pay
- Tokens
- USDCBTC
- Availability
- Most countries (Visa; 150+), United States
- KYC
- Required
- Funding
- Stablecoin (USDC) 24/7Bank transferDirect depositBorrow against BTC (BLOC)
- Spending limit
- Not published
- ATM limit
- Not published
Spend without sellingBLOC (Bitcoin Line of Credit)
Borrow USD against your Bitcoin (up to ~50-60% LTV) to spend via the Lava Visa without selling; ~6.5%+ interest plus a separate 2% annual capital charge (~7-8%+ all-in).
Pros
- 0% FX markup from Lava on top of Visa's wholesale rate (Visa's own ~1% cross-border fee still likely applies on non-USD spend)
- Cashback paid in real Bitcoin: 3% (US) base, 5% at partner merchants
- No annual fee and no minimum spend
- Flexible funding: stablecoins (USDC), bank transfer, direct deposit, or borrow against BTC
- Backed by an established issuer (Rain) and a well-funded platform
Cons
- "Self-custody" branding is disputed. Lava moved BTC collateral to a custodial cold-storage vault (Sept 2025); the USD card balance is custodial too
- International cashback is only 1%; the headline 3% is US-only
- Cashback is paid in BTC (volatile) rather than a stablecoin
- Key details undisclosed: ATM access/fees, spending limits, cashback caps, virtual-card availability
- No lounge, travel insurance, purchase protection or concierge perks
Cashback plans
- CashbackBest for you3.0% effective3.0% on the restNo fee· paid in BTC ⚠
Fees
- FX markup
- Lava adds 0% of its own markup, but Visa's ~1% cross-border assessment likely still applies on non-USD spend (USD spend is 0%)
- ATM
- Not published
- Spending (crypto→USD)
- 0% (spend a pre-funded USD balance)
- Funding / top-up
- Stablecoin (USDC) 24/7, bank transfer, or direct deposit, no fee disclosed
- Issuance
- Not stated (likely free)
- Monthly
- $0 (no annual fee)
Perks & benefits
- Idle-balance yieldIdle USD balance earns yield (rate undisclosed); BLOC lets you borrow USD against BTC (~5%) without selling
We may earn a commission if you sign up through our links, but it never affects our rankings or the cashback math.
Sources & how we verify this
Researched and verified 2026-07-02 from lava.xyz + Bitcoin Magazine + launch press, with the custody controversy independently reported (Blockspace, Gizmodo). This is the Lava Card from lava.xyz (a Bitcoin-backed Visa secured credit card), NOT 'Lava Network' (the LAVA-token/airdrop project); they are unrelated companies. Visa, secured credit (spend a pre-funded USD balance), issued via Rain (bank sponsor undisclosed). CUSTODY: marketed as self-custody, but a Sept 2025 change moved BTC collateral to a custodial cold-storage vault and the USD card balance sits on-platform, modeled as custodial. CASHBACK is region-dependent and modeled region-aware: 3% for US, 1% for international (via regionRates); the 5% partner-merchant rate (Amazon/Apple/Netflix) is category-specific and not modeled. Paid in BTC. FX (re-verified 2026-07-04): Lava's own markup is a confirmed 0%, but its Visa issuer Rain passes through the ~1% Visa cross-border assessment by default and no source confirms Lava absorbs it, so non-USD spend is modeled at 1% (USD stays 0%), mirroring how Tria is handled after its founder confirmed the 1% is charged by Visa not the card. Medium confidence; a true 0% all-in remains possible but unproven. VERIFY before publishing: cashback caps (none published), ATM access/fees, spending limits, virtual-card availability, US-state eligibility, exact issuing bank, and the idle USD-yield rate. No referral program found.
Card terms are researched and illustrative, so always confirm the latest with the issuer. Nothing here is financial advice.