savebackcards.com

ether.fi Cash vs SafePal Mastercard

ether.fi Cash

Crypto native

★ Our pick
8.1
SafePal Mastercard

Crypto native

6.5

Verdict

  • ether.fi Cash scores higher overall (8.1 vs 6.5 out of 10).
  • ether.fi Cash is clearly stronger on: Product features, Credit & financing.
  • SafePal Mastercard is clearly stronger on: FX & international, Transparency.
  • A full annual cost comparison is not possible yet because some fees are not disclosed or not yet researched.

ether.fi Cash is a good fit for

  • People who want to keep control of their keys
  • Stablecoin holders
  • Users who need credit rather than a debit/prepaid card
  • Everyday spenders who want cashback

Stronger on: Product features, Credit & financing

SafePal Mastercard is a good fit for

  • Stablecoin holders

Stronger on: FX & international, Transparency

Score by criterion

Criterionether.fi CashSafePal Mastercard
Fees100100
Cashback & rewards69–
Availability100–
FX & international4060
Product features10070
Custody & security85–
Credit & financing7530
Limits & ATM––
Transparency74100
Best for Cashback7.7n/a
Best for Travel6.76.6
Best for Self-Custody8.1n/a
Best for DeFi Users8.16.0
Best for Stablecoins7.77.2
Best for High Spenders7.06.1
Best for Low Fees7.48.3
Best for Beginners9.07.5
Best Crypto Credit Card7.9n/a

Conditions apply, e.g. only for the base tier, up to a monthly cap or in some countries. Tap a value with * (or hover over it) to see them.

Product

Product status

ActiveShow source
ActiveShow source

Card type

Crypto-backed creditConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source

Marketed as a credit card; Direct Pay mode spends your own balance

Debit cardShow source

Network

VisaShow source
MastercardShow source

Custody model

Self-custodyConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source

Account is non-custodial; the card itself is issued by a third-party issuer under separate terms

No data yet

Card issuer / program manager

Third National (issuer under Visa license); program by Ether.Fi Cash Ltd.Conditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source

International cardholder agreement (Ltd.); US persons are covered by separate US agreements

Fiat24 (Swiss IBAN account and fiat gateway; compliance and licensing)Conditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source

Offered in collaboration with SafePal; the page does not name the card issuer separately

Tiers / plans

Core · Luxe · Pinnacle · VIPShow source
No data yet

Fees

Annual fee

FreeConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source

Core membership; Luxe ($199/yr) and Pinnacle ($999/yr) can optionally be bought or earned via Liquid deposits / ETHFI staking

FreeShow source

Monthly fee

FreeConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source

Core membership

FreeShow source

Physical card fee

$60Conditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source

Core, including shipping; Luxe and higher get 1 free

No data yet

Virtual card fee

FreeConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source

First virtual card free on Core; $10 in some regions and for further cards

No data yet

FX fee

1.5%Conditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source

Non-USD purchases, Core: 1% FX base fee + up to 0.5% (Luxe +0.25%, Pinnacle/VIP none). Purchases charged in EUR: 0% FX markup.

1%Conditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source

Card payments settled in non-USD currencies

Top-up fee

No data yet
FreeConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source

Standard deposit/top-up fee; crypto swaps carry a spread and gas fees

ATM fee

Not disclosedConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source

Core: ATM withdrawals available, fee not stated; Pinnacle and VIP: free, up to 10 withdrawals per month. The marketing page that listed 2% now redirects to /personal.

No data yet

Transfer fee

No data yet
FreeConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source

Transfers to external banks; other banks may charge

Other fees & markups

No data yet
Refund processing fee 1 USD / 1 EUR / 1 CHF / 7 CNH per refund, depending on payment currency · Gas fees on blockchain transactionsConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source

Gas fees: the page states all financial transactions are conducted on the blockchain, which will result in gas fees

Cashback & rewards

Base cashback

3%Conditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source

Core membership, on the first $2,000 of card spend per month

No data yet

Max cashback

4%Conditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source

VIP membership, on the first $50,000 of card spend per month

No data yet

Cashback paid in

ETHFIShow source
No data yet

Cashback type

Platform tokenShow source
No data yet

Interest on balance

5.35%Conditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source

USD Earn vault (ether.fi Liquid), variable APY, not guaranteed; EUR vault 5.29% APY; DeFi vault risk

No data yet

Cashback-eligible spend cap

$2,000/monthConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source

Core; Luxe $10,000, Pinnacle/VIP $50,000 per month

No data yet

Cashback conditions

Rates step down progressively with total monthly spend · EUR transactions use lower thresholds and rates · Spend tiers reset at the start of every monthShow source
No data yet

Reward expiry / vesting

Converted to ETHFI at settlement, locked for 7 days, then must be claimedShow source
No data yet

Reward exclusions

ATM withdrawals and cash advances · P2P payments and transfers · Currency exchange services · Tax and government payments · Gift cards, stored-value cards, money orders and cash equivalents · MCC 6011, 6012, 6211, 6513 (rent), 6532, 7995 (gambling)Show source
No data yet

Credit & financing

Credit line

YesConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source

Borrow Mode

NoShow source

Credit type

Crypto-backed creditShow source
No data yet

Collateral assets

USDC · USDT · EURC · frxUSD · weETH · WETH · eBTC · ETHFI · sETHFI · OP · WHYPE · beHYPE · liquidETH · liquidBTC · liquidUSD · liquidReserve · liquidEUR · liquidRWA · QQQx · SPYx · PAXG · TBLLxConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source

Aave LendGateway Product LTV list for the Optimism lending market (parameters updated August 27, 2026); eUSD no longer counts as collateral

No data yet

Max loan-to-value

81%Conditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source

Aave LendGateway Product LTV for USDC, USDT, EURC, frxUSD; volatile assets lower (weETH/WETH 55%, ETHFI/OP 20%); legacy Cash DebtManager LTV was 90% for stablecoins

No data yet

Interest notes

Variable APY set by the underlying Aave v4 lending market per asset; accrues immediately and compounds continuouslyShow source
No data yet

Grace period

None; interest accrues immediately after borrowingShow source
No data yet

Repayment

Repay all or part of the outstanding balance at any time, without penalty, by means permitted in the Ether.Fi AccountShow source
No data yet

Liquidation risk

YesShow source
No data yet

Spend own balance directly

YesShow source
No data yet

Spend by borrowing against collateral

YesShow source
No data yet

Availability

Available in

AD, AO, AG, Argentina, Australia, Austria, BS, BH, BD, BB, BZ, BO, Brazil, VG, Bulgaria, Canada, KY, Chile, Colombia, CR, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, DM, DO, EC, SV, France, Germany, GI, Greece, GG, GT, GY, HN, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, IM, Italy, Japan, JE, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, MV, Malta, Mexico, MC, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, OM, PW, PA, PY, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, PR, Romania, Saudi Arabia, SC, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, KN, LC, VC, SR, Sweden, Switzerland, TW, Thailand, TT, TC, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, UY, VU, Belgium, Ireland, United StatesConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source

Subject to KYC; Belgium and Ireland eligible but no physical card delivery; US only in listed states (AL, AK, AR, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, HI, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, ME, MA, MI, MN, NE, NH, NJ, NY, NC, OK, PA, SC, TX, UT, VA, WV, WY); unlisted jurisdictions cannot apply for virtual or physical card

No data yet

Account / spend currencies

No data yet
USD · EUR · CHF · CNHShow source

Own IBAN / bank details

No data yet
YesConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source

Swiss IBAN via Fiat24

Features

Apple Pay

YesConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source

Only where Apple Pay is supported

YesShow source

Google Pay

YesShow source
YesShow source

Physical card

YesConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source

Not shipped to every eligible region

No data yet

Virtual card

YesShow source
YesShow source

ATM withdrawals

YesConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source

Not permitted in North Korea, Iran and Myanmar

No data yet

Spend stablecoins

YesShow source
YesConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source

Crypto is topped up as USDC

Airport lounge access

YesConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source

Core: 2 free passes to premium lounges; unlimited from Pinnacle

No data yet

Travel / rental car insurance

YesConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source

Auto rental coverage, shared across all memberships

No data yet

Purchase protection

YesConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source

Purchase and price protection, all memberships

No data yet

Spendable assets

USDC · LiquidUSDConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source

Direct Pay Mode spend assets; Borrow Mode can use all vault assets as collateral

No data yet

Blockchains

Ethereum · Polygon · Optimism · Arbitrum · ScrollConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source

Definition of Supported Blockchains in the card terms (page spells Arbitrum as 'Arbitrium'); other networks may be added

ArbitrumShow source

Limits

ATM limit

$25,000Conditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source

Per rolling 24 hours, same for all tiers; max $5,000 per transaction and 5 withdrawals per 24 hours

No data yet

Spending limit

No data yet
€5,000Conditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source

Per day; contactless 1,600 EUR per day

Security & custody

Regulation / licences

Ether.Fi states it is not licensed to provide financial services as part of the Card ServicesConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source

Nigeria: card marketed by BANEX Microfinance Bank, licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria; terms governed by Puerto Rico law

No data yet

Deposit protection

NoConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source

Account Balance Protection (Core up to $10K) is not yet live and is not deposit insurance

No data yet

Smart-contract risk

YesShow source
No data yet

Annual cost at 1,500 EUR/month

ether.fi Cash

  • Annual & monthly fees+0 EUR
  • FX costs−54 EUR
  • Crypto conversion–
  • ATM costsunknown
  • Cashback+540 EUR
  • Net annual valuenot enough data

SafePal Mastercard

  • Annual & monthly fees+0 EUR
  • FX costs−36 EUR
  • Crypto conversion–
  • ATM costsunknown
  • Cashbackunknown
  • Net annual valuenot enough data

Assumes 300 EUR foreign spend and 100 EUR ATM per month, base tier only. Use your own numbers