Coinbase Card Review

Our Coinbase Card review

The Coinbase Card is a Visa card that allows spending from your Coinbase account balance. Although Coinbase markets it as a debit card, the cardholder agreement with Pathward, N.A. identifies it as a prepaid card. When you make a purchase, the amount is transferred from your Coinbase balance to the card account.

In our view, this card is a practical choice for Coinbase customers who wish to spend crypto or dollars directly without transferring funds first. The card has no annual, monthly, or foreign transaction fees, but the crypto rewards are optional, vary over time, and lack a fixed rate.

How the card works

When you make a purchase, Coinbase converts the selected balance to US dollars and loads it onto the card simultaneously. If you spend crypto, there is no card fee for the conversion. However, the crypto is converted at Coinbase's prevailing trading rate, and Coinbase applies a spread when buying, selling, or trading crypto. Spending from your USD balance avoids any conversion.

The card is issued by Pathward, N.A., Member FDIC, under a Visa license, with Marqeta, Inc. as the program manager. Users can opt for a virtual or physical card. Loading the card from your Coinbase balance incurs no cost.

Rewards

Crypto rewards are an optional Coinbase offer and only for card users in the US. You pick a crypto token from a rotating list of reward offers, and the reward rate is variable: Coinbase says to check the app for the current rate. Reward offers expire and can change, and if you do not choose a new one when an offer ends, Coinbase picks one for you. Rewards you have earned do not expire.

Because the rate is not fixed, we cannot give you a reliable rate for planning. If a predictable rate matters more to you, a credit card with a published rate fits better.

Fees and limits

The Coinbase Card has no annual fee, no monthly fee, and no fee to order the card. International transactions cost $0, and there is no Coinbase fee for ATM withdrawals, although the ATM operator might charge one. Replacement cards are issued without cost.

There are strict limits on the card. The daily purchase limit is $2,500, and the daily ATM limit is $1,000. The card balance cannot exceed $25,000.

Who can get it

The card is available throughout the US, except in Hawaii. There is also an EU and UK program for residents of specified European countries and the UK, with Paysafe Financial Services Limited as the issuer in the UK. In the EU and UK, the card cannot be added to Apple Pay or Google Pay.

There is no credit check and no asset staking requirement. A valid Coinbase account is necessary, and identity verification, which may include your Social Security Number in the US, is required.

The card cannot be used in certain countries such as China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Russia. Card management is done through the Coinbase app, which has a rating of 4.68 based on 1,797,818 ratings on the US App Store and 4.3 on Google Play.

Who it is for

In our view, the Coinbase Card is suitable for those who maintain their crypto or dollars on Coinbase and prefer a card with no fees. It may be less appealing to those who want a fixed reward rate or access to a credit line.

If a credit card on Coinbase interests you, the Coinbase One Card review describes how its bitcoin rewards increase with your balance. The Crypto.com Prepaid Visa Card review discusses a prepaid card with rewards linked to staked CRO, and the Fold Card review highlights a prepaid debit card offering bitcoin back.

For details on the exchange behind the card, refer to our Coinbase review. To compare all cards, begin with our crypto card comparison or the list of crypto debit cards.