Yearly cost at three spending levels
| Monthly spend | ether.fi Cash | Fold Card |
|---|---|---|
| $500 | ≤ +$162 Core | ≤ -$126 Free plan |
| $2,000 | ≤ +$648 Core | ≤ -$306 Free plan |
| $5,000 | ≤ +$540 Core | ≤ -$666 Free plan |
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 | ether.fi Cash Core | Fold Card Free plan |
|---|---|---|
| Top-up and conversion fees | Not disclosed | -$264 |
| Spending fees | Not disclosed | $0 |
| Foreign exchange markup | -$72 | Not disclosed |
| ATM fees | Not disclosed | -$42 |
| Annual, monthly and subscription fees | $0 | $0 |
| Cashback | +$720 | $0 |
| Net per year | +$648 | -$306 |
Fees
ether.fi Cash charges Not disclosed to convert or top up and 1.5% on spending in a foreign currency. Fold Card charges 1% and Not disclosed.
ATM withdrawals: ether.fi Cash not disclosed; Fold Card $3.50.
A virtual card costs nothing with ether.fi Cash and nothing with Fold Card. A physical card costs an undisclosed fee and nothing. Neither card has an annual fee on its base tier.
Cashback and rewards
ether.fi Cash cashback: 3% to 4%. Fold Card cashback: None.
ether.fi Cash tiers: Core: 3% on the first $2,000 a month; Luxe: 3% on the first $10,000 a month; Pinnacle: 3% on the first $50,000 a month; VIP: 4% on the first $50,000 a month.
Fold Card tiers: Free plan: 0%; Fold+: rate not published.
ether.fi Cash: Membership levels also add category cashback (10% to 30% on AI, streaming and food, capped monthly), travel discounts and account balance protection against smart contract exploits of $10,000 to $500,000, which is not deposit insurance.
Fold Card: Card purchases earn bitcoin only with a Fold+ membership ($10 a month or $100 a year, 90-day free trial). Rates are merchant and category "Boosts" shown in the app; no base rate is published. Both plans earn bitcoin on gift cards (Amazon 2% free, 2.5% Fold+) and on ACH bill pay (up to 0.5% free, up to 1.5% Fold+). The rewards account is capped at $10,000. The Fold Bitcoin Credit Card (Celtic Bank, Visa, powered by Stripe) earns 1.5% back in bitcoin with no cap, up to 4% with bonuses on the first $2,000 a month. It is still in early access - about 2,000 cardholders and a waitlist of more than 80,000 in August 2026 - with a variable APR of prime plus 13.49% to 22.49% (20.49% to 29.49% at a 7% prime), no annual fee and no foreign transaction fee.
Availability and KYC
ether.fi Cash is offered in 91 countries, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia and Mexico. ether.fi lists these jurisdictions. In the US the card is available in 31 states and Washington D.C. only. Belgium and Ireland are eligible, but physical cards are not delivered there. In some countries (including Argentina, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria and the Philippines) the first virtual card costs $10.
Fold Card is offered in one country, including United States. Open to US citizens and lawful permanent residents 18 or older who live in the 50 states or DC and have a Social Security number. ITINs are not accepted.
ether.fi Cash needs full KYC and Fold Card needs full KYC.
The card finder checks both cards against your country, KYC level and must-have features.
Limits, wallets and card types
ether.fi Cash publishes ATM withdrawals of up to $5,000 a day.
Fold Card publishes a daily spending limit of $15,000, a monthly limit of $50,000 and ATM withdrawals of up to $1,000 a day.
ether.fi Cash works with Apple Pay and Google Pay, and Fold Card works with Apple Pay and Google Pay. Neither card issue a virtual card you can use straight away.
Custody and safety
ether.fi Cash scores 60/100. Licensing: we could not confirm a licence for the card issuer on its own website. No incidents or enforcement actions found in the last 36 months. ether.fi describes Cash as a non-custodial account. The ATM fee on Core is not published as a fixed figure.
Fold Card scores 79/100. Licensing: issued by a bank or e-money institution regulated in a tier-one jurisdiction. The card is issued through Sutton Bank. No incidents or enforcement actions found in the last 36 months. Fold says in its 10-K that the services it offers directly are not subject to regulatory supervision. It relies on Sutton Bank for the card and on BitGo for bitcoin custody. No state money transmitter licence or FinCEN MSB registration for Fold itself was found. Fold Holdings is listed on Nasdaq (FLD). No regulator enforcement action against Fold was found. In August 2026 Fold named Lead Bank as a new core banking partner for accounts, deposits and bitcoin trading; the prepaid card is still issued by Sutton Bank.
Full reports: ether.fi Cash safety check and Fold Card safety check.
About each card
ether.fi Cash Card is a self-custody Visa card from ether.fi. It tops up with USDC and ETH.
Fold Card (Prepaid Visa) is a custodial Visa card from Fold, Inc.. It tops up with BTC.
Which card fits you
ether.fi Cash fits if
- You want to keep crypto in your own wallet until each payment.
- You spend in foreign currencies often, since its FX markup is lower.
- You want a higher cashback ceiling (up to 4%).
Fold 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.
Read more: ether.fi Cash fees and details · Fold Card fees and details