How we rank crypto cards

We rank 11 crypto cards by the effective cashback you actually keep, not the marketed headline. Here is exactly how that number is calculated and where our data comes from, so you can judge (and cite) it.

The effective cashback rate

For your monthly spend we run each card's real earning rules (stacking cashback bands and per-tier spend caps), then subtract every cost that hits in year one, and divide by your annual spend. Two cards can advertise the same rate yet leave you with very different amounts; the effective rate is what actually lands in your account.

Costs we subtract

• Fees: annual, monthly and one-time card costs.
• Spend & reward caps: boosted rates that only apply up to a monthly cap are modelled band-by-band, not as a flat headline.
• FX / conversion:a foreign-transaction markup on spending outside the card's base currency, plus any per-purchase conversion fee. We use a base-currency model verified against each card's binding terms, and apply it based on the region you select.
• Staking cost: where a tier requires locking a volatile native token, we take a deliberately conservative view and assume that capital loses 15% of its value over the year. If a tier can instead be unlocked by spending enough, we use that path and lock no capital.

Region & FX

FX is region-dependent: a card that settles in USD costs a US spender nothing but adds ~1% for someone spending pounds or euros. We pre-select your region from your location (you can change it) and fold the right FX cost into every ranking.

Our data & how we verify it

Card terms are researched from each issuer's official fee schedules, cardholder terms and help centres, then cross-checked against multiple independent reviews. Where sources conflict we lean conservative and flag it. We re-verify when a card changes its program. For example, we recently corrected one card's advertised cashback after confirming the headline rate applied to a discontinued plan paid in a near-worthless token.

How we stay independent

We may earn a commission when you sign up through links on this site. This never affects the rankings. Cards are ordered purely by the cashback you'd earn, computed by the same engine for every card. We are not a card issuer; always confirm the latest terms with the provider before signing up, and treat nothing here as financial advice.

Questions about a specific card? See its review or read about us.