Coinbase Card vs Gemini Card

The cheaper card changes with your spending. The full fee, reward, availability and safety comparison is below.

Verdict

  • At $500 a month, Coinbase Card comes out $132 a year ahead. At $2,000 a month, Gemini Card comes out $48 a year ahead. At $5,000 a month, Gemini Card comes out $408 a year ahead.
  • Coinbase Card is a custodial card, so the provider holds your balance. Gemini Card is custodial as well.
  • On our safety check, Coinbase Card scores 75/100 (Good) and Gemini Card scores 64/100 (Good).
  • Overall, Coinbase Card rates 40/100 against 38/100 for Gemini Card.
  • Among the 25 countries we track, both cards are offered in 1: United States.

Net value per year at $2,000 a month (20% foreign spend, one $200 ATM withdrawal a month)

  • Coinbase Card · Crypto rewards≤ $0
  • Gemini Card · Base rate≤ +$48

≤ one fee is not published and counts as zero.

Crypto card comparison
FeatureCoinbase CardGemini Card
Countries offeredUnited States onlyUnited States only
Card networkVisaMastercard
CustodyCustodialCustodial
KYCFullFull
Top-up assetsUSDC
Top-up or conversion fee0%Not disclosed
FX markupNot disclosed0%
ATM feeNo card fee3% + $10
Annual fee (base tier)FreeFree
Card issuanceVirtual Not disclosed · Physical Not disclosedVirtual Free · Physical Free
CashbackVariable, not published1%
Apple Pay / Google PayNot listedApple Pay, Google Pay
Safety score75/100 (better)64/100
Overall rating40/100 (better)38/100
Get the cardGet Coinbase CardGet Gemini Card

Yearly cost at three spending levels

Monthly spendCoinbase CardGemini Card
$500≤ $0
Crypto rewards
≤ -$132
Base rate
$2,000≤ $0
Crypto rewards
≤ +$48
Base rate
$5,000≤ $0
Crypto rewards
≤ +$408
Base rate

Net value per year: cashback minus conversion, FX, ATM and fixed fees. US dollars, 20% foreign spending, one $200 ATM withdrawal a month. The card cost calculator runs the same comparison with your own habits.

Where the money goes at $2,000 a month

LineCoinbase Card
Crypto rewards
Gemini Card
Base rate
Top-up and conversion fees$0Not disclosed
Spending fees$0$0
Foreign exchange markupNot disclosed$0
ATM fees$0-$192
Annual, monthly and subscription fees$0$0
CashbackNot disclosed+$240
Net per year$0+$48

Fees

Coinbase Card charges 0% to convert or top up and Not disclosed on spending in a foreign currency. Gemini Card charges Not disclosed and 0%.

ATM withdrawals: Coinbase Card no card fee; Gemini Card 3% + $10.

A virtual card costs an undisclosed fee with Coinbase Card and nothing with Gemini Card. A physical card costs an undisclosed fee and nothing. Neither card has an annual fee on its base tier.

Cashback and rewards

Coinbase Card cashback: Variable, not published. Gemini Card cashback: 1%.

Coinbase Card tiers: Crypto rewards: rate not published.

Gemini Card tiers: Base rate: 1%.

Coinbase Card: Rewards are paid in a crypto you choose from a rotating list. Coinbase describes the rate as variable and shows it only in the app.

Gemini Card: 1% back on all other purchases. Higher rates apply by category - 4% on gas, EV charging, transit, taxis and rideshare (on up to $300 of spend a month, then 1%), 3% on dining and 2% on groceries (Costco, Sam's Club and Walmart are excluded). Rewards arrive instantly in bitcoin by default, or in one of 50+ other cryptos on Gemini. Some merchants pay 10% back through Gemini's merchant offers. The card carries variable APRs - purchases 16.74% to 34.74%, cash advances 29.74%, penalty APR 33.74%, based on a 7.00% prime rate on 25 September 2026.

Availability and KYC

Coinbase Card is offered in one country, including United States. Available in every US state except Hawaii.

Gemini Card is offered in one country, including United States. Gemini says residents of all 50 US states can apply. You must live in the US when you apply and for as long as the account stays open. Credit approval and a hard credit inquiry are required.

Coinbase Card needs full KYC and Gemini Card needs full KYC.

The card finder checks both cards against your country, KYC level and must-have features.

Limits, wallets and card types

Coinbase Card does not publish fixed spending or ATM limits.

Gemini Card does not publish fixed spending or ATM limits.

Coinbase Card does not list Apple Pay or Google Pay support, and Gemini Card works with Apple Pay and Google Pay. Gemini Card issues a virtual card you can use straight away.

Custody and safety

Coinbase Card scores 75/100. Licensing: issued by a bank or e-money institution regulated in a tier-one jurisdiction. The card is issued through Pathward, N.A.. 2025-05-15: Overseas support staff bribed by criminals copied customer data for under 1% of monthly transacting users. Coinbase said no passwords, private keys or funds were exposed. The user agreement says customer digital assets are held for customers, are not property of Coinbase and are not subject to claims of Coinbase's creditors.

Gemini Card scores 64/100. Licensing: issued by a bank or e-money institution regulated in a tier-one jurisdiction. The card is issued through WebBank. 2024-02-28: NYDFS fined Gemini Trust Company $37 million over the Gemini Earn program and unsafe practices. Gemini also committed $40 million toward Earn customers' recovery in the Genesis bankruptcy. 2024-06-14: The New York Attorney General settled with Gemini over Gemini Earn. Gemini returned about $50 million in digital assets to more than 230,000 Earn investors. 2025-01-13: A federal court entered a CFTC consent order against Gemini Trust over misleading 2017 statements to the CFTC about a bitcoin futures contract. Gemini paid a $5 million civil penalty. 2026-01-23: The SEC dismissed with prejudice its January 2023 case against Gemini over Gemini Earn. It cited the 100% in-kind return of Earn investors' crypto. The card is issued by WebBank and serviced by Gemini Constellation, LLC. Rewards sit in a custodial Gemini account held by Gemini Trust Company (New York and Idaho customers) or Gemini Moonbase, LLC, which is licensed as a money transmitter and registered with FinCEN as a money services business. No proof-of-reserves report was found. In 2026 Gemini closed its UK, EEA and Australian accounts; the US card is not affected.

Full reports: Coinbase Card safety check and Gemini Card safety check.

About each card

Coinbase Card is a custodial Visa card from Coinbase. It tops up with USDC.

Gemini Credit Card is a custodial Mastercard from Gemini.

Which card fits you

Coinbase Card fits if

  • Most of your spending is in your home currency, where its lower conversion fee counts most.
  • You live in United States, the only market it serves.
  • You weigh licensing and fund segregation heavily, since it scores higher on our safety check.

Gemini Card fits if

  • You spend in foreign currencies often, since its FX markup is lower.
  • You live in United States, the only market it serves.
  • You want a higher cashback ceiling (up to 1%).

Read more: Coinbase Card fees and details · Gemini Card fees and details

Coinbase Card vs Gemini Card: questions

Which is cheaper, Coinbase Card or Gemini Card?
At $2,000 a month with 20% foreign spending and one $200 ATM withdrawal, Gemini Card leaves $48 more per year. The result can change with your spending, so the comparison above lets you enter your own amount.
Can I use Coinbase Card and Gemini Card in the same country?
Yes, in 1 of the 25 countries we track, including United States.
Is Coinbase Card or Gemini Card safer?
Coinbase Card scores higher on our safety check (75/100 against 64/100). The score looks at licensing, custody, fund segregation, proof of reserves and incident history.
Which card has better cashback, Coinbase Card or Gemini Card?
Coinbase Card pays variable, not published and Gemini Card pays 1%. Caps, tier rules and fees decide what you keep, which is why the yearly figures above include both.

Sources

  1. Coinbase Card: fees · checked September 24, 2026
  2. Coinbase Card: availability · checked September 24, 2026
  3. Coinbase Card: cashback · checked September 24, 2026
  4. Coinbase Card: safety · checked September 24, 2026
  5. Gemini Credit Card: fees · checked September 28, 2026
  6. Gemini Credit Card: availability · checked September 28, 2026
  7. Gemini Credit Card: cashback · checked September 28, 2026
  8. Gemini Credit Card: safety · checked September 28, 2026