The Best Web3 Crypto Cards For Different Use Cases

The crypto market has long moved beyond a model where a user first sells assets on an exchange and only then spends fiat from a traditional card. More and more people want to spend crypto without exchange, pay for everyday expenses directly from a wallet, use stablecoin spending, and on-chain payments where they previously had to rely on a bank and other Web2 payment solutions.

Here, Web3 payments form a separate infrastructure layer between the wallet and familiar payment networks. Web3 crypto cards link a card to a self-custody wallet and allow you to pay online and offline without moving assets entirely under the control of an exchange or a bank. For some users, this is a working crypto card without bank scenario where access to traditional cards is limited; for active DeFi participants, it is a way to connect on-chain strategies with everyday spending.

However, Web3 crypto cards themselves differ noticeably in architecture and trust model: in one case, the card connects to a DEX and debits funds directly from the wallet's on-chain balance; in another, the provider uses its own liquidity pool and multiple counterparties; in a third, the setup is more centralized and linked within a CEX. How close a solution is to DeFi determines the payment route, the final fees, and the point at which not only opportunities but also constraints and risks arise.

Below is a closer look at what options Web3 offers today, and at what stage in each of these cases the payment moves off the on-chain layer onto familiar payment networks, and how this may affect the risk profile and everyday scenarios.

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What Are Web3 and DEX Crypto Cards

Web3 crypto card connects everyday card spending to a wallet-based setup where you hold crypto assets and manage them through Web3 workflows. You keep a familiar way to pay at the merchant, while you continue to operate in the wallet logic: you hold assets on addresses, you manage access via on-chain actions, you track state via on-chain data. Such a card solves the spending task for a user who already relies on stablecoins, on-chain payments, and a wallet as a working environment.

DEX crypto cards are one type of Web3 crypto card and tie the spending setup to DEX liquidity. You keep a portfolio of assets in your wallet and rely on DeFi liquidity markets at the moment the system needs to convert an asset into a form suitable for card settlement. This enables you to spend crypto without exchange, where spending starts in the wallet and doesn't require a preliminary step through a centralized exchange layer.

How Web3 Crypto Cards Work

This scheme involves a wallet, a smart contract layer, the card provider, the processor, the payment network, the acquirer, and the merchant. The wallet holds your assets and provides a signature for actions that move funds if you use a non-custodial crypto card model and keep keys on the wallet side. In this model, you authorize the use of assets with a wallet signature, and the system relies on that signature as the source of authority. The smart contract layer defines the rules for fund movement if you use a decentralized crypto cards model and move conditions and constraints into smart contracts. In this model, the smart contract checks the rules before funds move and allows execution only within the defined boundaries. The card provider runs the card side and links card events to the Web3 side, while the processor and the payment network deliver authorization and clearing to the merchant.

The flow starts on the merchant side: the merchant sends an authorization request through the payment network. The card provider receives the request via the processor and maps it to your wallet and to the selected funding source setup. Next, the provider initiates the Web3 part of the operation within the product's architecture. The wallet signs the transaction if the model builds spending around the user's signature and relies on the non-custodial crypto cards approach, where you hold the keys and authorize the use of assets with a signature. The smart contract executes the logic if the model relies on a contract layer and uses a decentralized crypto cards approach, where the smart contract applies rules and constraints before funds move. The provider receives confirmation of the result from on-chain data and returns the authorization decision to the payment network, and the merchant receives the response through the standard card channel.

DEX crypto cards add a segment to this route that converts the wallet's source asset into the asset the system uses for settlement. You hold the source asset in the wallet, the system relies on DEX liquidity within DeFi, and then it connects the output of that segment to the rest of the Web3 execution.

Web3 Cards vs Centralized Crypto Cards

Centralized crypto cards are designed differently and built around the platform's internal balance. You transfer assets to the platform, the provider maintains accounting and controls payment execution within its infrastructure, then it completes the card payment at the merchant. This approach increases dependence on the platform's availability and on its internal execution rules.

The difference shows up in three places. Control of funds remains with the wallet in the Web3 model and with the platform in the centralized model. The liquidity path runs through the wallet's on-chain setup in the Web3 model and through the provider's internal ledger in the centralized model. The user experience changes through debit timing predictability, confirmation delays, and response to failures, because each model relies on a different set of infrastructure points.

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Key Features to Look For in a Web3 Crypto Card

When choosing the best Web3 crypto cards, evaluate a groups of parameters: network and wallet compatibility, identification model, and the security and custody model. Then match each parameter to your scenario: which ecosystems you use for Web3 payments, how you manage liquidity in DeFi, what volumes and operation frequency you plan, and what level of operational risk you are willing to take.

Supported Blockchains and Wallet Compatibility

First, match the supported networks with the ecosystems where you actually hold assets and transact. Evaluate coverage of EVM and non-EVM networks as a separate characteristic, because different address formats, different token models, and different ways of signing actions affect whether you can run a single coherent Web3 payments setup without constant cross-network transfers.

Check how the provider implements crypto card linked to a wallet. See which wallets it supports, which connection methods it allows, and how it handles multiple addresses and multiple wallets. If you separate setups by task, check in advance whether you can link a dedicated address for spending and keep a separate address for DeFi crypto cards operations and trading actions.

KYC vs No-KYC Considerations

Immediately determine which identification mode you are willing to accept, then check which functions and limits it unlocks. Providers typically offer tiers from a basic profile to full KYC, and each tier affects card issuance, top-ups, withdrawals, availability of online and offline payments, thresholds by amount, and operation frequency.

Match identification requirements with your geography of use and with how you build the payment setup. If you want to spend crypto without exchange in the form of regular spending from a wallet-based setup, check whether the provider allows this mode in your country and under what limits it sets. If you rely on the crypto card without bank model, check whether the provider will require banking rails at the issuance, top-up, or servicing stage, and what alternatives it provides.

Security and Custody Model

If you keep keys on your side, factor in the risks of losing private keys, seed phrase leakage, phishing, malicious extensions, address substitution, and confirmation errors in on-chain payments. Add the risk of the smart contract layer when the product uses a decentralized crypto cards approach and moves part of the rules and execution into smart contracts. Consider the risk of provider compromise on the card side, because the provider operates the processing and the operational servicing setup.

Next, evaluate where signature control lives in the card model. In a custodial model, the provider holds keys in its infrastructure and signs operations on its side, so the primary risk concentrates on provider account compromise, flaws in its access controls, and incidents in its infrastructure. In the non-custodial crypto cards mode, private keys remain in your wallet, and the provider doesn't gain the ability to sign critical actions without your cryptographic authorization, so risks shift toward the security of your wallet, device, and the action confirmation process.

Hybrid models often use MPC to split signature control across devices or participants and reduce the risk of a single point of compromise. Social recovery adds a recovery setup via trusted participants or predefined rules. Match the model to your threat profile: who participates in recovery, which conditions trigger recovery, and how you limit damage if one element is compromised. 

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The Best Web3 and DEX Cards for Different Use Cases

Below are the most notable providers that aim to bridge the gap between Web2 and Web3 payments, but each represents a different format and set of capabilities that may be a better fit for different users and different scenarios.

MetaMask Card

MetaMask Card bridges the practical gap between the DeFi wallet and paying at the merchant: you hold assets in MetaMask and route spending through Mastercard. You add the card to Apple Pay or Google Pay and pay wherever the merchant accepts card payments, keeping the wallet as the primary point for managing assets.

MetaMask splits the product into two versions. Virtual offers 1% cashback and targets an everyday spending mode that requires basic functionality and a fast start. Metal offers 3% cashback and comes with zero foreign transaction fees in supported markets, which makes this format relevant for spending across multiple currencies and for scenarios where you regularly pay outside your base jurisdiction.

For assets, MetaMask supports mUSD, amUSD, wETH, EURe, GBPe, USDC, aUSDC, aBasUSDC, and USDT. For networks, MetaMask ties spending to Linea, Solana, and Base. At the moment of payment, the card converts tokens into the local currency of the transaction and charges a small fee per transaction, so you understand in advance that the spend will go through conversion within a card payment.

For availability, MetaMask offers the following markets where the card is available: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, the European Union, Mexico, and the United Kingdom.

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Gnosis Pay Card

Gnosis Pay Card builds spending around a Safe Smart Account and keeps funds in a self-custody perimeter, while enabling payments via Visa Debit. You spend supported stablecoins at the usual merchant acceptance point and keep settlement 1:1, where a EUR 10 purchase = 10 EURe or the equivalent. For currency conversion on purchases, Gnosis Pay doesn't add its own markups and applies the Visa exchange rate. For card payments, the product doesn't charge transaction fees.

In terms of economics and limits, there are specific operating boundaries here. For issuance of a physical card, you pay a one-time card order fee of 30.23 EURe, 30.23 GBPe, or 30.23 USDCe. If you lost the card or faced theft, the replacement fee is 4.99 EURe, 4.99 GBPe, or 4.99 USDCe. The daily spending limit is 8,000 in the card currency, and a single transaction is capped at 5,000. For cash withdrawals, the daily withdrawal limit is 500, and the Single Withdrawal Limit is 250. For ATM usage, a fair usage policy applies: you can withdraw cash up to 5 times per month or up to a total of 200 in the card currency, after which Gnosis Pay charges 2% for each subsequent withdrawal in the current month. For contactless tap-to-pay on the physical card, a limit of 50 in the card currency applies, Apple Pay and Google Pay aren't subject to this limit.

Gnosis Pay separates network costs by action type. Card transactions don't incur gas fees. Gas fees appear when you move funds on-chain, for example, from Safe to another wallet.

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Coinbase Card

Coinbase Card translates everyday spending into a Visa debit format while also keeping a focus on rewards. You pay wherever the merchant accepts Visa debit cards worldwide, and choose the funding source: cash or crypto. Coinbase builds the model around earning crypto back on every purchase and offers rotating crypto rewards, where you can switch the reward asset at any time. Examples of the rewards set include XLM, BTC, DAI, AMP, ETH, ALGO, RLY, and DOGE.

Regarding fees, Coinbase states that it has no hidden fees, zero monthly fees, and no annual fees. To get started, Coinbase provides a fast start via a virtual card and the option to order a physical card. For funding, Coinbase offers linking a bank account and setting up direct deposit into Coinbase with zero transfer fees. In eligibility, Coinbase includes no credit check and no requirement to stake your assets to become eligible.

On operational security, Coinbase adds the following set of controls: 2-factor authentication, card freezing, pin change, and 24/7 support.

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Coinbase One Card

There is another solution from Coinbase, namely Coinbase One Card, which builds a credit card model inside the Coinbase One subscription and ties it to Bitcoin back. You receive rewards of up to 4% Bitcoin back on every purchase, and Coinbase links the rewards rate to the volume of assets you hold on Coinbase. The cardholder's economics include no annual fee with Coinbase One and no foreign transaction fees.

In payment infrastructure, Coinbase runs the card through the American Express network and adds a set of cardholder benefits under American Express, including Retail Protection, Extended Warranty, Return Protection, Amex Offers, Amex Experiences, as well as insurance options for travel and car rentals. However, availability is somewhat limited and covers only the United States, excluding U.S. territories. The access model is also tied to the subscription: the card is exclusively available to Coinbase One members, and membership starts at $49.99 per year.

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Bybit Card

One of the most well-known, multifunctional crypto cards is the Bybit Card, which ties spending to the Bybit Funding Account and covers the classic scenario of spending an exchange balance through card infrastructure. The card runs on the Mastercard network and supports Google Pay, Samsung Pay, and Apple Pay, while Apple Pay is currently not available for AIFC users. At the point of sale, the system performs automatic conversion of crypto to fiat. You set preferred payment priority for supported cryptocurrencies through the Card Dashboard.

 For assets, the list depends on the region and user eligibility. The base list includes Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), XRP, USDT, USDC, TON, MNT, and BNB. For the Asia Pacific, the list includes BTC, ETH, XRP, MNT, BNB, USDT, USDC, and TON. For AIFC, the list includes BTC, ETH, XRP, USDT, USDC, and TON. For EEA (European Economic Area) and Switzerland, the list includes BTC, ETH, XRP, USDT, USDC, and TON.

Bybit has regional fees and limits; however, in all cases, there is no annual fee, inactivity fee, or card cancellation fee. The card issuance or replacement fee for a physical card is 29.99 USD for AIFC and 1 USDT for Asia Pacific. The foreign exchange fee is 0.5% for EEA & CH, 7% for Argentina, 1.5% for Brazil, and 2% for Asia Pacific. The crypto conversion fee is 0.5% for Argentina, 0.9% for Brazil, and Asia Pacific. The ATM withdrawal fee is 2% after the monthly free allowance, and the free thresholds vary by region, including the first 100 EUR per month free for EEA & CH and the first 100 USD per month free for Asia Pacific. 

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Conclusion

As you can see, the gap between Web2 and Web3 in everyday payments is shrinking rapidly, and more and more key players are offering increasingly convenient and beneficial solutions. However, it is important to consider the differences in architecture, specific characteristics, and risks that always come with the opportunities. And of course, you need to map all of this to your individual usage scenarios so that the solution you choose is the most effective for you. Stay informed, gain more insights from our guides for beginners and professionals, and stay tuned for the latest updates and opportunities in the new economy, crypto industry, and blockchain developments!