Plutus vs Wirex

Wirex costs less across the spending levels we test. The full fee, reward, availability and safety comparison is below.

Verdict

  • Wirex leaves more money in your pocket at all three spending levels we test: $53.03 a year more at $500 a month, $233.03 a year more at $2,000 a month, $593.03 a year more at $5,000 a month.
  • Plutus is a custodial card, so the provider holds your balance. Wirex is self-custody.
  • On our safety check, Plutus scores 44/100 (Fair) and Wirex scores 85/100 (Strong).
  • Overall, Wirex rates 68/100 against 25/100 for Plutus, helped by its reach: it is offered in 73 countries and territories against an unpublished number for Plutus.

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

  • Plutus · Starter (€6.99 a month)≤ -$113.03
  • Wirex · Base≤ +$120

≤ one fee is not published and counts as zero.

Crypto card comparison
FeaturePlutusWirex
Countries offeredList not published73 countries
Card networkVisaMastercard
CustodyCustodialSelf-custody
KYCFullFull
Top-up assetsEUR, GBPUSDC, USDT, EURC, BTC, ETH
Top-up or conversion fee0%0%
FX markup2.5%0% (better)
ATM fee2.5%No card fee
Annual fee (base tier)FreeFree
Card issuanceVirtual Free · Physical €9.99Virtual Free · Physical Not disclosed
Cashback3% (better)0.5% to 8%
Apple Pay / Google PayNot listedNot listed
Safety score44/10085/100 (better)
Overall rating25/10068/100 (better)
Get the cardGet PlutusGet Wirex

Yearly cost at three spending levels

Monthly spendPlutusWirex
$500≤ -$23.03
Starter (€6.99 a month)
≤ +$30
Base
$2,000≤ -$113.03
Starter (€6.99 a month)
≤ +$120
Base
$5,000≤ -$293.03
Starter (€6.99 a month)
≤ +$300
Base

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

LinePlutus
Starter (€6.99 a month)
Wirex
Base
Top-up and conversion fees$0$0
Spending fees$0$0
Foreign exchange markup-$120$0
ATM feesNot disclosedNot disclosed
Annual, monthly and subscription fees-$95.50$0
Cashback+$102.46+$120
Net per year-$113.03+$120

Fees

Plutus charges 0% to convert or top up and 2.5% on spending in a foreign currency. Wirex charges 0% and 0%.

ATM withdrawals: Plutus 2.5%; Wirex no card fee.

A virtual card costs nothing with Plutus and nothing with Wirex. A physical card costs €9.99 and an undisclosed fee. Neither card has an annual fee on its base tier.

Cashback and rewards

Plutus cashback: 3%. Wirex cashback: 0.5% to 8%.

Plutus tiers: Starter (€6.99 a month): 3% on the first €250 a month; Everyday (€9.99 a month): 3% on the first €500 a month; Premium (€19.99 a month): 3% on the first €1,000 a month.

Wirex tiers: Base: 0.5%; Premium: 1%; Elite: 3%; Private: 5%; Bespoke: 8%.

Plutus: Rewards are paid in PLU. Holding more PLU raises the rate from 3% up to 9% and unlocks perks. Plan prices include a promotional discount shown on Plutus's plans page; the fees shown are the same in GBP.

Wirex: Cashback is paid in USD, with no monthly cap and no subscription. Your tier depends on two things together, portfolio value and the share of it held in the $WPAY token. It is recalculated daily, and a downgrade waits 24 hours. Users moved from X-tras plans keep legacy rates (Base 1%, Premium 3%, Elite 8%) for about 3 months.

Availability and KYC

Plutus does not publish a country list. Plutus offers EUR and GBP cards and does not publish a country list on its fees page.

Wirex is offered in 73 countries, including France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom, Australia and Malaysia. In 2026 Wirex moved its consumer app to Wirex One, a self-custodial wallet (keys held through Privy) with fiat accounts and the card as regulated add-ons. The old Wirex app becomes read-only once an account moves over. The card issuer depends on region (see issuer), but fees and rewards are the same everywhere. You can receive crypto without verification; the card needs KYC.

Plutus needs full KYC and Wirex needs full KYC.

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

Limits, wallets and card types

Plutus publishes a daily spending limit of €500,000 and a monthly limit of €1,000,000.

Wirex publishes a daily spending limit of €30,000, a monthly limit of €30,000 and ATM withdrawals of up to €750 a day.

Plutus does not list Apple Pay or Google Pay support, and Wirex does not list either. Plutus issues a virtual card you can use straight away.

Custody and safety

Plutus 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. Plutus refers to a banking partner for its card but does not name the issuer on its fees and plans pages.

Wirex scores 85/100. Licensing: issued by a bank or e-money institution regulated in a tier-one jurisdiction. The card is issued through Transact Payments Malta Limited. No incidents or enforcement actions found in the last 36 months. Card spending draws on assets in the user's self-custodial wallet. Fiat IBAN balances are a regulated service run through third-party providers. We found no official enforcement action or hack for 2024 to 2026. The H1 2026 Transparency Report covers financial-crime metrics, not reserves.

Full reports: Plutus safety check and Wirex safety check.

About each card

Plutus Card is a custodial Visa card from Plutus (Block Code Ltd, UK; Block Code LT UAB, Lithuania). It tops up with EUR and GBP and its balance is held in EUR.

Wirex One Card is a self-custody Mastercard from UAB Wirex (Lithuania), part of the Wirex Group. It tops up with USDC, USDT, EURC, BTC and ETH and its balance is held in EUR.

Which card fits you

Plutus fits if

  • Its fees and availability match your situation better on the table above.

Wirex 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 8%).
  • You weigh licensing and fund segregation heavily, since it scores higher on our safety check.

Read more: Plutus fees and details · Wirex fees and details

Plutus vs Wirex: questions

Which is cheaper, Plutus or Wirex?
At $2,000 a month with 20% foreign spending and one $200 ATM withdrawal, Wirex leaves $233.03 more per year. The result can change with your spending, so the comparison above lets you enter your own amount.
Can I use Plutus and Wirex 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 Plutus; 73 countries for Wirex.
Is Plutus or Wirex safer?
Wirex scores higher on our safety check (85/100 against 44/100). The score looks at licensing, custody, fund segregation, proof of reserves and incident history.
Which card has better cashback, Plutus or Wirex?
Plutus pays 3% and Wirex pays 0.5% to 8%. Caps, tier rules and fees decide what you keep, which is why the yearly figures above include both.

Sources

  1. Plutus Card: fees · checked September 24, 2026
  2. Plutus Card: availability · checked September 24, 2026
  3. Plutus Card: cashback · checked September 24, 2026
  4. Plutus Card: safety · checked September 24, 2026
  5. Wirex One Card: fees · checked September 28, 2026
  6. Wirex One Card: availability · checked September 28, 2026
  7. Wirex One Card: cashback · checked September 28, 2026
  8. Wirex One Card: safety · checked September 28, 2026