Which is cheaper, KAST or ether.fi Cash?

At $2,000 a month with 20% foreign spending and one $200 ATM withdrawal, ether.fi Cash leaves $528 more per year. The result can change with your spending, so the comparison above lets you enter your own amount.

Can I use KAST and ether.fi Cash in the same country?

One of the two issuers does not publish a country list, so we cannot confirm overlap. Country list not published for KAST; country list not published for ether.fi Cash.

Is KAST or ether.fi Cash safer?

ether.fi Cash scores higher on our safety check (60/100 against 44/100). The score looks at licensing, custody, fund segregation, proof of reserves and incident history.

Which card has better cashback, KAST or ether.fi Cash?

KAST pays 1.5% to 3% and ether.fi Cash pays 3% to 4%. Caps, tier rules and fees decide what you keep, which is why the yearly figures above include both.

KAST vs ether.fi Cash: Crypto Card Comparison of Fees, Cashback and Safety

Crypto card comparison
Feature	KAST	ether.fi Cash
Countries offered	List not published	List not published
Card network	Visa	Visa
Custody	Custodial	Self-custody
KYC	Full	Full
Top-up assets	USDT, USDC	USDC, ETH
Top-up or conversion fee	0%	Not disclosed
FX markup	1.75%	Not disclosed
ATM fee	2% + $3	Not disclosed
Annual fee (base tier)	Free	Free
Card issuance	Virtual Free · Physical $40	Virtual Free · Physical Not disclosed
Cashback	1.5% to 3%	3% to 4% (better)
Apple Pay / Google Pay	Apple Pay, Google Pay	Apple Pay, Google Pay
Safety score	44/100	60/100 (better)
Overall rating	33/100	48/100 (better)
Get the card	Get KAST	Get ether.fi Cash

Yearly cost at three spending levels

Monthly spend	KAST	ether.fi Cash
$500	-$15 Standard	≤ +$180 Core
$2,000	+$192 Standard	≤ +$720 Core
$5,000	+$66 Standard	≤ +$720 Core

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	KAST Standard	ether.fi Cash Core
Top-up and conversion fees	$0	Not disclosed
Spending fees	$0	Not disclosed
Foreign exchange markup	-$84.00	Not disclosed
ATM fees	-$84	Not disclosed
Annual, monthly and subscription fees	$0	$0
Cashback	+$360	+$720
Net per year	+$192	+$720

Fees

KAST charges 0% to convert or top up and 1.75% on spending in a foreign currency. ether.fi Cash charges Not disclosed and Not disclosed.

ATM withdrawals: KAST 2% + $3; ether.fi Cash not disclosed.

A virtual card costs nothing with KAST and nothing with ether.fi Cash. A physical card costs $40 and an undisclosed fee. Neither card has an annual fee on its base tier.

Cashback and rewards

KAST cashback: 1.5% to 3%. ether.fi Cash cashback: 3% to 4%.

KAST tiers: Standard: 1.5% on the first $2,000 a month; Premium ($1,000 a year): 2% on the first $10,000 a month; Private ($10,000 a year): 3% on the first $40,000 a month.

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.

KAST: Premium and Private also earn KAST Points (1% and 2%), which this model does not value.

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.

Availability and KYC

KAST does not publish a country list. KAST shows supported countries only in the app during sign-up.

ether.fi Cash does not publish a country list. ether.fi does not publish a country list. In Argentina, Angola, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, the Philippines, South Africa and Thailand the first virtual card costs $10.

KAST needs full KYC and ether.fi Cash needs full KYC.

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

Limits, wallets and card types

KAST publishes ATM withdrawals of up to $750 a day.

ether.fi Cash publishes ATM withdrawals of up to $5,000 a day.

KAST works with Apple Pay and Google Pay, and ether.fi Cash works with Apple Pay and Google Pay. KAST issues a virtual card you can use straight away.

Custody and safety

KAST scores 44/100. 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. KAST's terms say accounts, cards and custody are provided by licensed partners and the card is issued "by the Issuer under license from Visa", without naming the issuer.

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. Some fees, including the FX margin and the ATM fee on Core, are not published as fixed figures.

Full reports: KAST safety check and ether.fi Cash safety check.

About each card

KAST Card is a custodial Visa card from KAST. It tops up with USDT and USDC.

ether.fi Cash Card is a self-custody Visa card from ether.fi. It tops up with USDC and ETH.

Which card fits you

KAST fits if

You spend in foreign currencies often, since its FX markup is lower.
Most of your spending is in your home currency, where its lower conversion fee counts most.

ether.fi Cash fits if

You want to keep crypto in your own wallet until each payment.
You want a higher cashback ceiling (up to 4%).
You weigh licensing and fund segregation heavily, since it scores higher on our safety check.

KAST vs ether.fi Cash