Verdict
- Lava Card scores higher overall (6.4 vs 6.2 out of 10).
- Lava Card is clearly stronger on: Fees, Cashback & rewards.
- A full annual cost comparison is not possible yet because some fees are not disclosed or not yet researched.
Lava Card is a good fit for
- Stablecoin holders
- Frequent travellers
Stronger on: Fees, Cashback & rewards
N26 is a good fit for
- Frequent travellers
★ 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 | Lava Card | N26 |
|---|---|---|
| Fees | 100 | 82 |
| Cashback & rewards | 33 | 4 |
| Availability | – | 70 |
| FX & international | 100 | 100 |
| Product features | – | 70 |
| Custody & security | – | 75 |
| Credit & financing | – | 30 |
| Limits & ATM | – | 66 |
| Transparency | 100 | 93 |
| Best for Cashback | 5.4 | 4.1 |
| Best for Travel | 7.6 | 7.6 |
| Best for Stablecoins | 7.4 | n/a |
| Best for High Spenders | 6.1 | 4.7 |
| Best for Low Fees | 9.3 | 8.6 |
| Best for Beginners | 6.8 | 7.1 |
| 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
Credit cardConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
Secured: spends only the available dollar balance; no unsecured credit
Debit cardShow source
Network
VisaShow source
MastercardShow source
Custody model
CustodialConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
The provider holds the funds
Card issuer / program manager
Card program by Rain with a partner issuerShow 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
First virtual card free on Standard
FX fee
0%Conditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
No spread on Visa's exchange rate
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
1%Conditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
Users based outside the US; 3% for US users; 5% at Lava merchant partners
0%Conditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
Standard: no cashback; Go and Metal get 1% travel cashback
Max cashback
5%Conditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
At Lava merchant partners, worldwide
1%Conditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
Travel cashback on Go (9.90 €/month) and Metal (16.90 €/month) only
Cashback paid in
BTCShow source
Cashback type
CryptoShow source
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.
Cashback conditions
3% back in bitcoin for US-based users, 1% outside the US · 5% at Lava merchant partners · Redeemable from 100,000 sats (0.001 BTC) · No rewards on fines, taxes, insurance, rentals and schoolsShow source
Credit & financing
Credit line
NoShow source
Credit type
NoneShow source
Spend own balance directly
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
Account / spend currencies
USDConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
Page says "Spend in Dollars"
Own IBAN / bank details
YesShow source
Features
Apple Pay
YesShow source
Google Pay
YesShow source
Physical card
YesShow source
Virtual card
YesShow source
ATM withdrawals
YesShow source
Spend stablecoins
YesConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
Stablecoin deposits are credited as dollars
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
Lava Card
- Annual & monthly fees+0 EUR
- FX costs+0 EUR
- Crypto conversion–
- ATM costsunknown
- Cashback+180 EUR
- 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