Coinbase Card [USA]
- Strong, high-authority company
- Popular card
- Does not have 3D security feature
-
Key Features
Visa or MC | |
---|---|
Debit or Credit | Debit Card |
Denominated In | $ USD |
Apple Pay | Enabled |
Monthly Fee | 0.00 USD |
Monthly Inactivity Fee | 0.00 USD |
Crypto to USD Crypto->USD Conversion Cost | ~4% |
Highest Cashback | 1% |
Entry-Level Cashback | 1% |
Entry-Level Cashback Monthly Cap | 750 USD |
Daily Spending Limit | 2,500 USD |
Daily ATM Withdrawal Limit | 1,000 USD |
Foreign Exchange Fee | 2.49% |
Crypto to Fiat Conversion | Auto on Every Purchase |
Crypto Asset Management | Custodial (stores crypto keys on your behalf) |
Supported Countries | United States |
Supported Cryptocurrencies | 1INCHAAVEABTACHACSADAAERGOAEROAGLDAIOZAKTALCXALEPHALGOALICE |
Coinbase Card Benefits and Rewards – for USA
The Coinbase Card’s rewards structure enables you to earn 1% back on all purchases.
Rotating Rewards: The program features rotating rewards to give customers more flexibility and the ability to choose the cryptocurrency in which they want to receive rewards. You can log into your Coinbase mobile app to see currently available rewards.
Available rewards change with time, and most rewards are offered at around a 1% cashback rate.
Reward Selection: After selecting the offer of a reward, it will apply across all your card spending, regardless of the cryptocurrency being spent. You can also switch your chosen rewards option anytime via the app.
Automatic Rewards: If you don’t select a reward by the time the next rotation launches, you will automatically receive the reward offering the highest crypto-back rate.
Rewards are issued once a transaction is completed, typically within 1-5 business days.
Note: ATM withdrawals, bill payments, and cashback transactions do not qualify for rewards.
Reality CheckAlthough other cards may advertise higher cashback rates, entry-level users with 1,000 USD in assets typically receive much lower cashback rates from those cards. When compared at the entry-level tier, Coinbase Card's 1% cashback offers more value:
Coinbase Card | Industry Average1 | |
Entry Level Cashback | 1% | 1% |
Entry Level Cashback Monthly Cap | 750 USD | 400 USD |
Coinbase Card is a Debit Card
Coinbase Card differs from a traditional debit card, where the balance is linked directly to your bank account.
Instead, with Coinbase, the card is connected to your chosen crypto coin balance on their platform. Since Coinbase doesn't offer a bank account with this card (while some crypto cards do), it means you won't be able to receive third-party payments, like fiat withdrawals from exchanges, for example.
It Comes in Both Physical and Virtual Forms
You can get Coinbase Card in either a physical or virtual version. The virtual card is instantly available online after completing KYC Identity Verification. Applying for and activating a physical card will replace the virtual one.
Wondering about the perks of each card type? Here are some highlights:
Physical Card | Virtual Card |
---|---|
ATM Withdrawals | No ATM Withdrawals |
Required for Car Rentals, Hotels | No Tangible Asset |
Useful When Phone Dies, or no Wifi | Apple Pay Enabled: Virtual but In-Store Ready |
Backup Payment Method | Instant Availability |
Useful:Since Coinbase Card supports Apple Pay, you can use this card in real life, whether you have the virtual or the physical version.
Crypto-to-USD Conversion Cost with Coinbase Card
Coinbase Card Converts Your Crypto on Demand
Coinbase Card offers instant conversion to USD at the time of purchase. This allows you to hold your crypto and exchange to real-life currency only when you need to. No need to pre-convert your cryptocurrencies or preload the card.
High Cost:Compared to the average ~1.8% crypto-to-fiat cost of other cards, converting crypto with Coinbase Card will cost you more (~4%). This means that you will get less USD for your crypto when using this card.
From all crypto cards we reviewed for North America, Crypto.com Card, Shakepay Card and Netcoins Card offer the cheapest crypto-to-fiat conversions (~0.75%, ~0.75% and ~1.1% respectively), while converting crypto with Coinbase Card will cost you the most, ~4%.
How Does Coinbase Card Compare to Other Crypto Cards?
Coinbase Card ranks #8 out of 63 amongst all the crypto cards we have reviewed so far. This makes it the absolute winner in its category.
We compared Coinbase Card with 10 similar crypto cards, available for the same geographical region. See the resulting pros and cons below.
Strongest Features Against Competitors
Here are the strongest features of Coinbase Card against its 10 competitors:
- Offers up to 750 USD per month in cashback for entry-level users (exceeding the competitors' 400 USD average).
- Supports 235 cryptocurrencies (while other cards support an average of 30).
- Solid company with a 10/10 brand authority score (the average for all competing cards is 6/10).
- Their customer service is very good with a 7.9/10 score (others score only 5.8/10 on average).
- Doesn't require preconverting of your crypto, converts needed amount automatically on every purchase (while 70% of competing crypto cards require you to preload card in advance).
- Offers all ATM withdrawals fee-free (which is generous compared to the average monthly 200 USD free withdrawal limit of other cards).
- Available for residents of United States.
Weakest Features Against Competitors
Compared to its 10 competitors, here are the shortcomings of Coinbase Card:
- Offers 1% cashback (while other cards give an average of 3%).
- Daily spend is capped at 2,500 USD (while other cards offer 11,500 USD daily spend limit on average).
- Their crypto-to-fiat conversion cost, including all related fees and spread, is quite high at ~4% (versus an average of ~1.8% with other cards.)
- Their fee structure is not so budget-friendly, with a score of 4/10 (average fee structure rating amongst other cards is 6.5/10).
Coinbase Card [USA] vs. Gemini Card vs. Wealthsimple Card
Coinbase Card
|
Gemini Card
|
Wealthsimple Card
|
|
---|---|---|---|
Monthly Fee | 0.00 USD | 0.00 USD | 0.00 CAD |
Crypto to Fiat Cost | ~4% | ~1.74% | ~3% |
Highest Cashback | 1% | up to 3% | 1% |
Entry-Level Cashback | 1% | 3% | 1% |
Daily Spending Limit | 2,500 USD | 25,000 USD | 5,000 CAD |
Daily ATM Limit | 1,000 USD | 1,000 USD | 1,000 CAD |
Foreign Exchange Fee | 2.49% | 0% | 0% |
Asset Management | Custodial | Custodial | Custodial |
Availability for United States | |||
Supported Cryptocurrencies | 235 | 53 | 57 |
Apple Pay | Enabled | Enabled | Enabled |
Customer Service | Great | Great | Great |
Brand Authority | Well-Known | Growing | Growing |
If you plan to use your card for daily purchases, then daily spending limit is an important consideration for you. Gemini Card offers the highest daily spending limit of 25,000 CAD. You will get lower daily limits with Coinbase Card and Wealthsimple Card.
Cashback rewards are a great way to earn back some of the money you spend on your card and is an important consideration as well. Out of the three, Gemini Card offers the best cashback rewards of up to 3%. The cashback rewards for Coinbase Card and Wealthsimple Card are not as high.
To make a good choice, look through all features, as it is an individual choice. If you will mostly do online transactions with this card, then Apple Pay availability may not be a very important feature for you. If you travel a lot, foreign exchange rate will matter. And so on.
Coinbase Card ATM Fees: The Real Cost of Cashing Out
Local ATM Withdrawals in USD
Here's a breakdown of the fees you'll face when making local ATM withdrawals with your Coinbase Card:
Starting with an initial amount of 200 USD in ETH, the ATM withdrawal with Coinbase Card will cost you a total of ~11 USD (5.5% of 200 USD), resulting in a final cash withdrawal of 189 USD in hand.
Doesn't Coinbase Card Offer Free ATM Withdrawals?
Yes, with Coinbase, all ATM withdrawals are free withdrawals. But this only refers to their ATM withdrawal fee.
International non-USD ATM Withdrawals
Things will get significantly worse for International ATM Withdrawals. If you're out of country and cashing out with your Coinbase Card, here's what it will look like:
For an international withdrawal using your Coinbase Card with an initial 200 USD in ETH, you'll incur fees totaling ~21.54 USD (10.8% of 200 USD), leaving you with 178.46 USD in the equivalent foreign currency.
Reality CheckCompared to other crypto cards, Coinbase Card is more expensive for both local and international ATM withdrawals:
Cost with Coinbase Card | Cost with Other Cards | |
Local ATM Withdrawals | ~11 USD (5.5% of 200 USD) | ~9.2 USD (4.6% of 200 USD) |
International ATM Withdrawals | ~21.6 USD (10.8% of 200 USD) | ~18.4 USD (9.2% of 200 USD) |
From all crypto cards that we reviewed, Netcoins Card, Crypto.com Card and Wealthsimple Card offer the cheapest local ATM withdrawals (2.6%, 4.2% and 4.5% of 200 USD respectively), while Gemini Card scores the worst, landing last on the list with a total local ATM withdrawal cost of 8.2% of 200 USD.
We Tested Coinbase's Customer Support
We asked Coinbase's customer support different questions, and then rated their responses to evaluate how good their support is.
Why should you Care:When you'll have a money-related question, like a missing deposit or being overcharged - having good support at that moment will be crucial for you.
Coinbase offers support via the following channels:
Web Form | https://help.coinbase.com/en/contact-us |
Location: Coinbase customer service reps are located in United States, Philippines and India.¹
Support Channel | Our Interaction | Score |
Web Form (replied in 19 min) | Replied with a list of requirements for disputing a card transaction. | High Competence Not Personalized Adequate English, Professional Tone 8.5/10 |
Web Form (replied in 3 d 20 h ) | Question was answered with AI-like reply at first, and only upon requesting clarification, a specialist agent stepped in. | Late Reply High Competence Highly Personalized Adequate English, Professional Tone 7.5/10 |
Web Form (replied in 5 h 43 min) | Good reply to a question of Apple Pay Availability. | High Competence Highly Personalized Adequate English, Professional Tone 9.5/10 |
Web Form (replied in 1 h 25 min) | Excellent and knowledgeable response to a question about contactless ATMs and FX Fees. | High Competence Somewhat Personalized Flawless English, Professional Tone 9.5/10 |
Web Form (replied in 7 h 11 min) | Didn't answer the questions asked. Seems like AI-assisted response. | Low Competence Somewhat Personalized Adequate English, Professional Tone 4.5/10 |
To summarize,
Competence and Problem-Solving: More often than not, Coinbase's customer service responses are highly competent, proving they're a company that takes your questions seriously.
Customer Love: Coinbase's support responses are personalized, addressing customers by name, but typically do not include other specific account details unless requested.
Reply Speed: Response times are inconsistent, ranging from as quick as 19 minutes to as slow as 4 days.
Overall Customer Service Rating: 7.9/10
This excellent score places Coinbase's Customer Service well above the crypto card industry average of 7.2/10.
Is Coinbase Card Available for Residents of United States?
Yes, this version of Coinbase Card was specifically designed for the residents of United States.
Coinbase Card [USA] supports: United States. Coinbase Card [EU] supports the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom.
To see our list of available crypto cards for 🇺🇸 United States, see this list. There are currently 11 cards listed there.
You may also be interested in this article: Crypto Cards for USA: The Best Options for Americans.