Yearly cost at three spending levels
| Monthly spend | Uphold | CL Card |
|---|---|---|
| $500 | ≤ -$18 Essential | -$142.15 Standard |
| $2,000 | ≤ -$72 Essential | -$322.15 Standard |
| $5,000 | ≤ -$180 Essential | -$682.15 Standard |
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 | CL Card Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Top-up and conversion fees | Not disclosed | -$528 |
| Spending fees | $0 | $0 |
| Foreign exchange markup | -$72 | $0 |
| ATM fees | Not disclosed | -$34.15 |
| Annual, monthly and subscription fees | $0 | $0 |
| Cashback | Not disclosed | +$240 |
| Net per year | -$72 | -$322.15 |
Fees
Uphold charges Not disclosed to convert or top up and 1.5% on spending in a foreign currency. CL Card charges 2% and 0%.
ATM withdrawals: Uphold $2.95; CL Card €2.50.
A virtual card costs nothing with Uphold and nothing with CL Card. A physical card costs $4.99 and an undisclosed fee. Neither card has an annual fee on its base tier.
Cashback and rewards
Uphold cashback: Variable, not published. CL Card cashback: 1% to 2%.
Uphold tiers: Essential: rate not published; Elite ($99.99 a year): rate not published.
CL Card tiers: Standard: 1%; BXX rewards: 2%.
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.
CL Card: Ledger's page says "1% cashback in BTC, USDC, or USDT" (BTC or USDC in the US, BTC or USDT elsewhere), claimed from the Loyalty program page. CL's own FAQ also offers 2% if you take the reward in Baanx's BXX token. Spending funded by the Cryptodraft credit line earns nothing. No spend or reward cap is published.
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.
CL Card is offered in 37 countries, including France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom, United States and Canada. Ledger says "The CL Card is currently available in the EEA, the UK, the US, Canada, Switzerland, Colombia, Mexico, and Brazil." This file uses the EU fee schedule. You do not need a Ledger device to get the card.
Uphold needs full KYC and CL 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.
CL Card does not publish fixed spending or ATM limits.
Uphold works with Apple Pay and Google Pay, and CL Card works with Apple Pay and Google Pay. CL 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.
CL Card scores 64/100. Licensing: issued by a bank or e-money institution regulated in a tier-one jurisdiction. The card is issued through UAB Monavate. No incidents or enforcement actions found in the last 36 months. Only money loaded to the card as e-money is safeguarded under e-money rules. Crypto deposited to the CL platform becomes Baanx's property, and Baanx's terms warn that "in the event that any of Us becomes insolvent ... You may not be able to have the full value of Your deposits restored". Baanx describes its crypto services as "not regulated financial services". We could not find a published proof-of-reserves report. We found no official enforcement actions against the card providers. Ledger's own past security incidents are not listed, because Ledger does not provide or hold funds for the card.
Full reports: Uphold safety check and CL 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.
Ledger CL Card (Europe) is a custodial Visa card from Baanx (CL Card), card account by UAB Monavate. It tops up with BTC, ETH, USDT, USDC, LTC, XRP and SOL and its balance is held in EUR.
Which card fits you
Uphold fits if
- You live in United States, the only market it serves.
CL Card 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.
- You want a higher cashback ceiling (up to 2%).
Read more: Uphold fees and details · CL Card fees and details