Which is cheaper, Coinbase Card or Uphold?

At $2,000 a month with 20% foreign spending and one $200 ATM withdrawal, Coinbase Card leaves $72 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 Uphold in the same country?

Yes, in 1 of the 25 countries we track, including United States.

Is Coinbase Card or Uphold 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 Uphold?

Coinbase Card pays variable, not published and Uphold pays variable, not published. Caps, tier rules and fees decide what you keep, which is why the yearly figures above include both.

Coinbase Card vs Uphold: Crypto Card Comparison of Fees, Cashback and Safety

Crypto card comparison
Feature	Coinbase Card	Uphold
Countries offered	United States only	United States only
Card network	Visa	Visa
Custody	Custodial	Custodial
KYC	Full	Full
Top-up assets	USDC	USD, USDC, USDT, BTC, XRP
Top-up or conversion fee	0%	Not disclosed
FX markup	Not disclosed	1.5%
ATM fee	No card fee	$2.95
Annual fee (base tier)	Free	Free
Card issuance	Virtual Not disclosed · Physical Not disclosed	Virtual Free · Physical $4.99
Cashback	Variable, not published	Variable, not published
Apple Pay / Google Pay	Not listed	Apple Pay, Google Pay
Safety score	75/100 (better)	64/100
Overall rating	40/100 (better)	35/100
Get the card	Get Coinbase Card	Get Uphold

Yearly cost at three spending levels

Monthly spend	Coinbase Card	Uphold
$500	≤ $0 Crypto rewards	≤ -$18 Essential
$2,000	≤ $0 Crypto rewards	≤ -$72 Essential
$5,000	≤ $0 Crypto rewards	≤ -$180 Essential

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

Line	Coinbase Card Crypto rewards	Uphold Essential
Top-up and conversion fees	$0	Not disclosed
Spending fees	$0	$0
Foreign exchange markup	Not disclosed	-$72
ATM fees	$0	Not disclosed
Annual, monthly and subscription fees	$0	$0
Cashback	Not disclosed	Not disclosed
Net per year	$0	-$72

Fees

Coinbase Card charges 0% to convert or top up and Not disclosed on spending in a foreign currency. Uphold charges Not disclosed and 1.5%.

ATM withdrawals: Coinbase Card no card fee; Uphold $2.95.

A virtual card costs an undisclosed fee with Coinbase Card and nothing with Uphold. A physical card costs an undisclosed fee and $4.99. Neither card has an annual fee on its base tier.

Cashback and rewards

Coinbase Card cashback: Variable, not published. Uphold cashback: Variable, not published.

Coinbase Card tiers: Crypto rewards: rate not published.

Uphold tiers: Essential: rate not published; Elite ($99.99 a year): rate not published.

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.

Uphold: For the first 3 months after activation, the Essential card pays 2% in XRP (up to $120) and the Elite card pays 4% on crypto and metals and 3% on fiat and stablecoins (up to $300). Uphold does not publish the rate after that period. The Elite card also removes the FX and ATM fees.

Availability and KYC

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

Uphold is offered in one country, including United States. Available to US residents in US states and Washington D.C. Not available in Louisiana, New York or US territories.

Coinbase Card needs full KYC and Uphold 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.

Uphold does not publish fixed spending or ATM limits.

Coinbase Card does not list Apple Pay or Google Pay support, and Uphold works with Apple Pay and Google Pay. Neither card issue 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.

Uphold scores 64/100. Licensing: holds a licence or registration outside the tier-one list (Uphold HQ Inc. is a licensed money transmitter (NMLS ID 1269875)). No incidents or enforcement actions found in the last 36 months. Uphold publishes its assets and liabilities in real time on its transparency page. Funds in the USD account are held at Cross River Bank, Member FDIC, with pass-through insurance up to $250,000 when certain conditions are met; crypto balances are not covered.

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

About each card

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

Uphold Debit Card is a custodial Visa card from Uphold. It tops up with USD, USDC, USDT, BTC and XRP.

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.

Uphold fits if

You spend in foreign currencies often, since its FX markup is lower.
You live in United States, the only market it serves.

Coinbase Card vs Uphold