Lava Card vs Solayer Pay
Crypto native
Crypto native
Verdict
- Lava Card scores higher overall (6.4 vs 6.2 out of 10).
- Lava Card is clearly stronger on: Fees, 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: Fees, FX & international
Solayer Pay is a good fit for
- People who want to keep control of their keys
- 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 | Solayer Pay |
|---|---|---|
| Fees | 100 | 83 |
| Cashback & rewards | 33 | – |
| Availability | – | 50 |
| FX & international | 100 | 40 |
| Product features | – | 70 |
| Custody & security | – | 80 |
| Credit & financing | – | 30 |
| Limits & ATM | – | – |
| Transparency | 100 | 100 |
| Best for Cashback | 5.4 | n/a |
| Best for Travel | 7.6 | 5.6 |
| Best for Self-Custody | n/a | 7.2 |
| Best for DeFi Users | n/a | 6.5 |
| Best for Stablecoins | 7.4 | 6.8 |
| Best for High Spenders | 6.1 | 5.5 |
| Best for Low Fees | 9.3 | 7.0 |
| 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
Stablecoin cardShow source
Network
VisaShow source
VisaShow source
Custody model
Self-custodyShow source
Card issuer / program manager
Card program by Rain with a partner issuerShow source
Fees
Annual fee
FreeShow source
$20/yearConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
Membership; covers the virtual card for 12 months
Physical card fee
FreeConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
Card free; shipping $24.99 (US Express) or $59.99 (International Express)
FX fee
0%Conditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
No spread on Visa's exchange rate
1.5%Conditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
Plus $0.10 per international transaction
Top-up fee
1%Show source
Settlement fee
$0.15Conditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
Per USD transaction
Other fees & markups
Card deactivated after 6 months of inactivity; a new card must be issuedShow 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
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
PointsShow source
Interest on balance
5%Conditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
4–5% on sUSD, a Treasury-backed stablecoin users can opt into
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
Every transaction earns Solayer Card Points (Season 2), which unlock future $LAYER token rewards, partner airdrops and exclusive perks, and access to beta tests, merch and VIP events · Referrers earn 10% of their referrals' points, indefinitelyConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
Season 2 of the Points Program; partner campaigns (Sonic, OpenEden, Solana ID and more) offer extra perks and rewards
Credit & financing
Credit line
NoShow source
Spend own balance directly
YesShow source
YesConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
Spends USDC balance directly, no pre-conversion
Availability
Available in
GlobalConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
Except the excluded countries and 17 US states
Not available in
AF, AL, AD, Australia, Austria, BY, Belgium, BA, Bulgaria, BF, BI, KH, Canada, CF, CN, Croatia, CU, Cyprus, Czechia, CD, Denmark, ER, Estonia, Finland, France, GE, Germany, Greece, GN, GW, HT, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, IR, IQ, Ireland, Israel, Italy, JM, JO, XK, LA, Latvia, LB, LR, LY, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, ML, Malta, MD, MC, ME, MA, MZ, MM, Netherlands, New Zealand, NI, Nigeria, KP, Norway, PS, Poland, Portugal, QA, Romania, RU, SM, RS, Slovakia, SO, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, SD, Sweden, Switzerland, SY, Thailand, Turkey, UG, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, VU, VE, EH, YE, PW, NP, VietnamConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
Residents or citizens, regardless of current residence
Account / spend currencies
USDConditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
Page says "Spend in Dollars"
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
YesShow source
Spendable assets
USDCShow source
Blockchains
Solayer ChainShow source
Limits
ATM limit
$250Conditions apply: tap or hover for detailsShow source
Per withdrawal, incl. ATM surcharges; at most three attempts per 24 hours
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
Solayer Pay
- Annual & monthly fees−18 EUR
- FX costs−54 EUR
- Crypto conversion–
- Per-transaction feesunknown
- 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