Yearly cost at three spending levels
| Monthly spend | Krak | ether.fi Cash |
|---|---|---|
| $500 | ≤ -$12 Starter | ≤ +$162 Core |
| $2,000 | ≤ -$48 Starter | ≤ +$648 Core |
| $5,000 | ≤ -$120 Starter | ≤ +$540 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 | Krak Starter | ether.fi Cash Core |
|---|---|---|
| Top-up and conversion fees | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Spending fees | $0 | Not disclosed |
| Foreign exchange markup | -$48 | -$72 |
| ATM fees | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Annual, monthly and subscription fees | $0 | $0 |
| Cashback | $0 | +$720 |
| Net per year | -$48 | +$648 |
Fees
Krak charges Not disclosed to convert or top up and 1% on spending in a foreign currency. ether.fi Cash charges Not disclosed and 1.5%.
ATM withdrawals: Krak no card fee; ether.fi Cash not disclosed.
A virtual card costs nothing with Krak and nothing with ether.fi Cash. A physical card costs nothing and an undisclosed fee. Neither card has an annual fee on its base tier.
Cashback and rewards
Krak cashback: 0% to 2%. ether.fi Cash cashback: 3% to 4%.
Krak tiers: Starter: 0%; Lite: 0.5%; Pro: 1%; Elite: 1.5%; Max: 2%.
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.
Krak: The cashback rate depends on your 30-day average assets held with Krak, Kraken and Kraken Pro.
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
Krak is offered in one country, including United States. Available in all US states except New York, Maine, Massachusetts and Indiana. Krak publishes separate EEA and UK cards with different fees.
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.
Krak 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
Krak does not publish fixed spending or ATM limits.
ether.fi Cash publishes ATM withdrawals of up to $5,000 a day.
Krak works with Apple Pay and Google Pay, and ether.fi Cash works with Apple Pay and Google Pay. Krak issues a virtual card you can use straight away.
Custody and safety
Krak scores 71/100. Licensing: issued by a bank or e-money institution regulated in a tier-one jurisdiction. The card is issued through Lead Bank. 2024-12-12: An Australian court ordered Bit Trade Pty Ltd, Kraken's Australian operator, to pay AUD 8 million after an ASIC action over a margin product offered without a target market determination. Krak says account balances are not a deposit account and are not FDIC- or SIPC-insured. Kraken, Krak's parent, publishes a proof of reserves; the latest is dated 30 June 2026.
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.
Full reports: Krak safety check and ether.fi Cash safety check.
About each card
Krak Card (US) is a custodial Visa card from Krak (Payward Interactive, Inc.). It tops up with USD, USDC, USDT, BTC and ETH.
ether.fi Cash Card is a self-custody Visa card from ether.fi. It tops up with USDC and ETH.
Which card fits you
Krak 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 weigh licensing and fund segregation heavily, since it scores higher on our safety check.
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%).
Read more: Krak fees and details · ether.fi Cash fees and details