Lava Card vs SafePal Mastercard
Crypto native
Crypto native
Verdict
- SafePal Mastercard scores higher overall (6.5 vs 6.4 out of 10).
- Lava Card is clearly stronger on: FX & international.
- 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: FX & international
SafePal Mastercard is a good fit for
- Stablecoin holders
★ 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 | SafePal Mastercard |
|---|---|---|
| Fees | 100 | 100 |
| Cashback & rewards | 33 | – |
| Availability | – | – |
| FX & international | 100 | 60 |
| Product features | – | 70 |
| Custody & security | – | – |
| Credit & financing | – | 30 |
| Limits & ATM | – | – |
| Transparency | 100 | 100 |
| Best for Cashback | 5.4 | n/a |
| Best for Travel | 7.6 | 6.6 |
| Best for DeFi Users | n/a | 6.0 |
| Best for Stablecoins | 7.4 | 7.2 |
| Best for High Spenders | 6.1 | 6.1 |
| Best for Low Fees | 9.3 | 8.3 |
| Best for Beginners | 6.8 | 7.5 |
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
Card issuer / program manager
Card program by Rain with a partner issuerShow source
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
Fees
Annual fee
FreeShow source
FreeShow source
Monthly fee
FreeShow source
FX fee
0%Conditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
No spread on Visa's exchange rate
1%Conditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
Card payments settled in non-USD currencies
Top-up fee
FreeConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
Standard deposit/top-up fee; crypto swaps carry a spread and gas fees
Transfer fee
FreeConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
Transfers to external banks; other banks may charge
Other fees & markups
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
1%Conditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
Users based outside the US; 3% for US users; 5% at Lava merchant partners
Max cashback
5%Conditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
At Lava merchant partners, worldwide
Cashback paid in
BTCShow source
Cashback type
CryptoShow source
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
Spend own balance directly
YesShow source
Availability
Account / spend currencies
USDConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
Page says "Spend in Dollars"
USD · EUR · CHF · CNHShow source
Own IBAN / bank details
YesConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
Swiss IBAN via Fiat24
Features
Apple Pay
YesShow source
Google Pay
YesShow source
Virtual card
YesShow source
Spend stablecoins
YesConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
Stablecoin deposits are credited as dollars
YesConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
Crypto is topped up as USDC
Blockchains
ArbitrumShow source
Limits
Spending limit
€5,000Conditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
Per day; contactless 1,600 EUR per day
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
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