Exa Card (Uphold) vs N26
Crypto native
E-money / FinTech
Verdict
- Exa Card (Uphold) scores higher overall (6.5 vs 6.2 out of 10).
- Exa Card (Uphold) is clearly stronger on: Fees, Credit & financing.
- N26 is clearly stronger on: Product features.
- A full annual cost comparison is not possible yet because some fees are not disclosed or not yet researched.
Exa Card (Uphold) is a good fit for
- Users who need credit rather than a debit/prepaid card
Stronger on: Fees, Credit & financing
N26 is a good fit for
- Frequent travellers
Stronger on: Product features
★ Our pickEditorial choice · score unchanged · Affiliate link
Neither card is our pick. The card we recommend instead:
Crypto native · ether.fi
Why we recommend it
- 3% cashback in ETHFI on up to $2,000 of spend a monthConditions apply
- 5.35% variable interest on your balanceConditions apply
- No annual or monthly fee on the base tierConditions apply
- Extras on the base tier: airport lounge access, travel / rental car insurance, purchase protectionConditions apply
- Self-custody: funds stay in your own walletConditions apply
Conditions apply; the review lists them with sources.
Score by criterion
| Criterion | Exa Card (Uphold) | N26 |
|---|---|---|
| Fees | 100 | 82 |
| Cashback & rewards | – | 4 |
| Availability | – | 70 |
| FX & international | – | 100 |
| Product features | 53 | 70 |
| Custody & security | 70 | 75 |
| Credit & financing | 60 | 30 |
| Limits & ATM | – | 66 |
| Transparency | 100 | 93 |
| Best for Cashback | n/a | 4.1 |
| Best for Travel | n/a | 7.6 |
| Best for DeFi Users | 6.8 | n/a |
| Best for High Spenders | n/a | 4.7 |
| Best for Low Fees | 8.0 | 8.6 |
| Best for Beginners | 7.3 | 7.1 |
| Best Crypto Credit Card | 7.0 | n/a |
| Best E-Money Card | n/a | 8.2 |
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 creditShow source
Debit cardShow source
Network
VisaConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
Visa Signature
MastercardShow source
Custody model
HybridConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
Collateral leaves Uphold and is held in Exactly Protocol smart contracts
CustodialConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
The provider holds the funds
Card issuer / program manager
Third National; credit by Exactly ProtocolShow source
Tiers / plans
Standard · Smart · Go · MetalShow source
Fees
Annual fee
FreeShow source
Monthly fee
FreeConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
Standard account
Physical card fee
€10Conditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
Standard plan; included in Smart, Go and Metal
Virtual card fee
FreeConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
Created automatically with the Instant Credit account
FreeConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
First virtual card free on Standard
FX fee
0%Conditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
Page lists worldwide card payments as free on all plans; exchange rate not stated on this page
Crypto conversion fee
1.5%Conditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
N26 Crypto (Bitpanda) trading fee for Bitcoin; 2.5% for other coins, 3.5% for low-liquidity coins; N26 Metal 0.5% discount up to €5,000 order volume per month
ATM fee
1.7%Conditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
Withdrawals outside the eurozone on Standard and Smart; free on Go and Metal. Euro withdrawals: 2 free per month on Standard (3 Smart, 5 Go, 8 Metal); fee beyond the quota not stated on this page
Other fees & markups
N26 Standard: one-off fee covering delivery of a physical debit card (amount not stated)Show source
Cashback & rewards
Base cashback
0%Conditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
Standard: no cashback; Go and Metal get 1% travel cashback
Max cashback
1%Conditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
Travel cashback on Go (9.90 €/month) and Metal (16.90 €/month) only
Interest on balance
0.3%Conditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
Tagesgeld (savings) on Standard, variable; Go 0.50%, Metal 1.50% p.a.
Credit & financing
Credit line
YesShow source
NoShow source
Credit type
InstalmentsConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
One payment or up to 8 fixed-rate installments every 28 days
NoneShow source
Collateral assets
BTC · ETH · USDC · XRPShow source
Interest notes
Fixed APR per payment option, confirmed at purchaseShow source
Liquidation risk
YesConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
Spending limit depends on collateral value and health score
Spend by borrowing against collateral
YesShow source
Availability
Available in
Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, SwitzerlandConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
21 countries listed: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France (not DOM/TOM), Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland; residency and requirements apply
Own IBAN / bank details
YesShow source
Features
Apple Pay
YesShow source
YesShow source
Google Pay
YesShow source
YesShow source
Physical card
NoShow source
YesShow source
Virtual card
YesShow source
YesShow source
ATM withdrawals
YesShow source
Airport lounge access
NoConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
Standard: 33 € per visit; Go first visit 15 €, Metal first visit per year free
Travel / rental car insurance
NoConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
Only Go and Metal plans (not Standard)
Purchase protection
NoConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
Only Metal plan
Security & custody
Regulation / licences
German full banking licence (BaFin)Show source
Deposit protection
YesConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
Up to €100,000
Annual cost at 1,500 EUR/month
Exa Card (Uphold)
- Annual & monthly fees+0 EUR
- FX costsunknown
- Crypto conversion–
- ATM costsunknown
- Cashbackunknown
- Net annual valuenot enough data
N26
- Annual & monthly fees+0 EUR
- FX costs+0 EUR
- Crypto conversion–
- ATM costs−20 EUR
- Cashback+0 EUR
- Net annual value-20 EUR
Assumes 300 EUR foreign spend and 100 EUR ATM per month, base tier only. Use your own numbers