Yearly cost at three spending levels
| Monthly spend | Uphold | Gemini Card |
|---|---|---|
| $500 | ≤ -$18 Essential | ≤ -$132 Base rate |
| $2,000 | ≤ -$72 Essential | ≤ +$48 Base rate |
| $5,000 | ≤ -$180 Essential | ≤ +$408 Base rate |
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 | Gemini Card Base rate |
|---|---|---|
| Top-up and conversion fees | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Spending fees | $0 | $0 |
| Foreign exchange markup | -$72 | $0 |
| ATM fees | Not disclosed | -$192 |
| Annual, monthly and subscription fees | $0 | $0 |
| Cashback | Not disclosed | +$240 |
| Net per year | -$72 | +$48 |
Fees
Uphold charges Not disclosed to convert or top up and 1.5% on spending in a foreign currency. Gemini Card charges Not disclosed and 0%.
ATM withdrawals: Uphold $2.95; Gemini Card 3% + $10.
A virtual card costs nothing with Uphold and nothing with Gemini 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. Gemini Card cashback: 1%.
Uphold tiers: Essential: rate not published; Elite ($99.99 a year): rate not published.
Gemini Card tiers: Base rate: 1%.
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.
Gemini Card: 1% back on all other purchases. Higher rates apply by category - 4% on gas, EV charging, transit, taxis and rideshare (on up to $300 of spend a month, then 1%), 3% on dining and 2% on groceries (Costco, Sam's Club and Walmart are excluded). Rewards arrive instantly in bitcoin by default, or in one of 50+ other cryptos on Gemini. Some merchants pay 10% back through Gemini's merchant offers. The card carries variable APRs - purchases 16.74% to 34.74%, cash advances 29.74%, penalty APR 33.74%, based on a 7.00% prime rate on 25 September 2026.
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.
Gemini Card is offered in one country, including United States. Gemini says residents of all 50 US states can apply. You must live in the US when you apply and for as long as the account stays open. Credit approval and a hard credit inquiry are required.
Uphold needs full KYC and Gemini 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.
Gemini Card does not publish fixed spending or ATM limits.
Uphold works with Apple Pay and Google Pay, and Gemini Card works with Apple Pay and Google Pay. Gemini Card issues 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.
Gemini Card scores 64/100. Licensing: issued by a bank or e-money institution regulated in a tier-one jurisdiction. The card is issued through WebBank. 2024-02-28: NYDFS fined Gemini Trust Company $37 million over the Gemini Earn program and unsafe practices. Gemini also committed $40 million toward Earn customers' recovery in the Genesis bankruptcy. 2024-06-14: The New York Attorney General settled with Gemini over Gemini Earn. Gemini returned about $50 million in digital assets to more than 230,000 Earn investors. 2025-01-13: A federal court entered a CFTC consent order against Gemini Trust over misleading 2017 statements to the CFTC about a bitcoin futures contract. Gemini paid a $5 million civil penalty. 2026-01-23: The SEC dismissed with prejudice its January 2023 case against Gemini over Gemini Earn. It cited the 100% in-kind return of Earn investors' crypto. The card is issued by WebBank and serviced by Gemini Constellation, LLC. Rewards sit in a custodial Gemini account held by Gemini Trust Company (New York and Idaho customers) or Gemini Moonbase, LLC, which is licensed as a money transmitter and registered with FinCEN as a money services business. No proof-of-reserves report was found. In 2026 Gemini closed its UK, EEA and Australian accounts; the US card is not affected.
Full reports: Uphold safety check and Gemini 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.
Gemini Credit Card is a custodial Mastercard from Gemini.
Which card fits you
Uphold fits if
- You live in United States, the only market it serves.
Gemini Card 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 want a higher cashback ceiling (up to 1%).
Read more: Uphold fees and details · Gemini Card fees and details