Yearly cost at three spending levels
| Monthly spend | Uphold | Fold Card |
|---|---|---|
| $500 | ≤ -$18 Essential | ≤ -$126 Free plan |
| $2,000 | ≤ -$72 Essential | ≤ -$306 Free plan |
| $5,000 | ≤ -$180 Essential | ≤ -$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 | Uphold Essential | Fold Card Free plan |
|---|---|---|
| Top-up and conversion fees | Not disclosed | -$264 |
| Spending fees | $0 | $0 |
| Foreign exchange markup | -$72 | Not disclosed |
| ATM fees | Not disclosed | -$42 |
| Annual, monthly and subscription fees | $0 | $0 |
| Cashback | Not disclosed | $0 |
| Net per year | -$72 | -$306 |
Fees
Uphold 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: Uphold $2.95; Fold Card $3.50.
A virtual card costs nothing with Uphold and nothing with Fold Card. A physical card costs $4.99 and nothing. Neither card has an annual fee on its base tier.
Cashback and rewards
Uphold cashback: Variable, not published. Fold Card cashback: None.
Uphold tiers: Essential: rate not published; Elite ($99.99 a year): rate not published.
Fold Card tiers: Free plan: 0%; Fold+: rate not published.
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.
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
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.
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.
Uphold 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
Uphold does not publish fixed spending or ATM limits.
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.
Uphold 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
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.
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: Uphold safety check and Fold Card safety check.
About each card
Uphold Debit Card is a custodial Visa card from Uphold. It tops up with USD, USDC, USDT, BTC and XRP.
Fold Card (Prepaid Visa) is a custodial Visa card from Fold, Inc.. It tops up with BTC.
Which card fits you
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.
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: Uphold fees and details · Fold Card fees and details