Introduction
One of crypto’s most exciting promises is connecting digital money to everyday spending. The Crypto.com Visa card is a perfect example of this idea in action. But with the crypto world changing so fast, is it still a smart choice for 2025? This detailed crypto.com visa card review will look at every part of what this card offers. At its core, the Crypto.com Visa is a prepaid card that lets you spend both regular money and crypto, while earning CRO token rewards on your purchases. However, figuring out if it’s worth it isn’t simple. It depends on your investment style, whether you believe in the Crypto.com platform, and if you’re willing to lock up a lot of crypto to get the best benefits. In this guide, we’ll look at the different card levels, explain the rewards program, walk through how to apply, discuss the risks, and give you our final opinion.
What is the Card?
Before we talk about rewards and card levels, it’s important to understand what this product actually is. Many people look for a crypto.com credit card, but that’s a mistake we need to fix right away. Understanding this difference is key to knowing what to expect financially.
A Prepaid Visa Debit Card
The Crypto.com Visa is a prepaid debit card. This means it works like any other debit card you might have, with one big difference: how you put money on it. You must add money to the card’s balance before you can use it. You can do this in two main ways:
- Moving regular money (like USD, EUR, GBP) from your regular money wallet in the Crypto.com App.
- Selling cryptocurrencies from your crypto wallet (like Bitcoin, Ethereum, or stablecoins) to load the card with the equal regular money value.
When you buy something, the money comes out of this pre-loaded balance. It is not a credit card. There are no credit checks to apply, it doesn’t help you build credit history, and you can never spend more than the balance you’ve loaded. This setup makes it an easy-to-get crypto card for many users, but it’s really a crypto.com debit card, not a line of credit.
Who Should Get This Card?
This card is made for specific types of people. We think it’s perfect for:
- Crypto Fans: People who already own cryptocurrency and want a practical way to spend their holdings or earn crypto rewards on everyday purchases.
- CRO Token Supporters: Users who believe the CRO token will increase in value over time, since both the staking requirement and the rewards use CRO.
- People Who Travel Often: Higher-level cards offer great travel benefits like airport lounge access, making them attractive for frequent travelers.
- Digital Workers & Global Spenders: The card offers excellent exchange rates up to certain monthly limits, making it cost-effective for international spending.
A Complete Look at Card Levels
The Crypto.com Visa Card isn’t the same for everyone. Its value comes in levels, with benefits getting better as you’re willing to stake more CRO. This level system is the most important thing to understand before deciding.
How Staking Works
To get any level above the basic Midnight Blue, you must stake CRO, which is Crypto.com’s own token. Staking means locking up a specific dollar amount of CRO for 180 days. It’s important to know that this isn’t a fee; you still own your staked CRO. However, its value will go up and down with the market, and you can’t sell it during the lock-up time. After 180 days, you can unstake your CRO, but doing this will make you lose most of your card benefits, like the CRO rewards and monthly refunds. To keep the benefits, you must keep your CRO staked.
Comparing Card Levels
Picking the right level means balancing the upfront investment (the stake) with the long-term benefits. Here’s a clear breakdown of all available crypto.com visa cards.
| Feature | Midnight Blue | Ruby Steel | Royal Indigo / Jade Green | Frosted Rose Gold / Icy White | Obsidian |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CRO Stake | $0 | $400 | $4,000 | $40,000 | $400,000 |
| Card Material | Plastic | Metal | Metal | Metal | Metal |
| CRO Rewards | 0% (1% with active Earn stake) | 1% | 2% | 3% | 5% |
| Monthly Reward Cap | N/A | $25 | $50 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Spotify Refund | ❌ | ✅ (Up to $13.99/mo) | ✅ (Up to $13.99/mo) | ✅ (Up to $13.99/mo) | ✅ (Up to $13.99/mo) |
| Netflix Refund | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ (Up to $13.99/mo) | ✅ (Up to $13.99/mo) | ✅ (Up to $13.99/mo) |
| Amazon Prime Refund | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ (Up to $14.99/mo) | ✅ (Up to $14.99/mo) |
| Expedia Refund | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ (10%, up to $50/mo) | ✅ (10%, up to $50/mo) |
| Airbnb Refund | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ (10%, up to $100/mo) |
| Airport Lounge Access | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ (LoungeKey™) | ✅ (LoungeKey™ + 1 Guest) | ✅ (LoungeKey™ + 1 Guest) |
Looking at Premium Levels
The highest levels of the program—Icy White, Frosted Rose Gold, and the famous crypto.com obsidian card—require a huge financial commitment. The crypto.com obsidian card needs a $400,000 stake. For this, cardholders get the highest level of benefits, including 5% back in CRO and exclusive perks. In the community, the large stake is sometimes called the “obsidian coin” or “obsidian crypto” investment, but it’s important to remember this is a stake in the CRO token, not a separate asset. These premium cards are best seen as part of a larger, varied crypto portfolio where the holder is deeply involved in the Crypto.com ecosystem.
Rewards and Benefits
While the metal card looks nice, the real value of the crypto.com card is in its rewards and benefits program. These perks are designed to give real, ongoing value that helps make up for the cost and risk of the CRO stake.
The CRO Rewards Program
The main reward is “cashback” paid in CRO. For every qualifying purchase, a percentage of the transaction amount is instantly put into your Crypto.com App’s crypto wallet as CRO tokens. This works differently than traditional cashback:
- The Good Side: If CRO’s value goes up, the real value of your rewards also goes up. A 2% reward earned today could be worth 4% or more in the future.
- The Bad Side: The opposite is also true. If CRO’s price drops, the value of your earned rewards goes down. Your 2% reward could quickly become worth only 1%.
This makes the rewards program an active investment itself, good for those who are comfortable with crypto market ups and downs.
Lifestyle Benefits and Refunds
One of the most advertised features is the monthly refund for popular subscription services. How it works is simple: you pay for the service using your Crypto.com Visa card, and Crypto.com pays you back the full amount in CRO tokens, up to a specific monthly limit.
- Spotify: Up to $13.99 per month (Ruby Steel and above).
- Netflix: Up to $13.99 per month (Royal Indigo/Jade Green and above).
- Amazon Prime: Up to $14.99 per month (Frosted Rose Gold/Icy White and above).
These refunds give direct, measurable value. For a Jade Green cardholder, the Spotify and Netflix refunds alone add up to almost $28 per month, or over $330 per year, paid in CRO.
Travel Benefits
For people who fly often, the travel benefits are a major attraction. Starting with the Royal Indigo/Jade Green level, cardholders get free membership to the LoungeKey™ airport lounge access program. This gives access to over 1,000 airport lounges worldwide. Simply show your card at the lounge entrance. Cardholders of the Icy White, Rose Gold, and Obsidian levels can also bring one guest with them for free. Higher levels also include refunds for Expedia and Airbnb, making the card even more useful for travelers.
How to Get Your Card
Getting your hands on a Crypto.com Visa card is straightforward and done completely within the mobile app. If you’ve been wondering how to get crypto com card, this step-by-step guide will walk you through it.
Step 1: Sign Up and Verify Identity
First, you need to download the Crypto.com App from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The initial setup involves a standard identity verification process. This is required by law and typically involves providing your full legal name, a picture of a government-issued photo ID (like a driver’s license or passport), and a selfie to confirm your identity. From our experience, the verification process is usually completed within a few hours, but it can sometimes take a couple of days.
Step 2: Buy and Stake CRO
Once your account is verified, you need to get the right amount of CRO for your desired card level. You can buy CRO directly within the app using a debit/credit card or by trading other cryptocurrencies for it. After you have the CRO, go to the “Card” tab at the bottom of the app screen. Here, you will see the different card levels. Pick the one you want, and the app will guide you through staking your CRO. You must confirm that you agree to the 180-day lock-up period.
Step 3: The Waiting Time
After you’ve staked your CRO, your card status in the app will change. It typically goes through several stages: from “Requested” to “Issued” and finally to “Shipped.” The “Issued” status means a virtual card has been created for you to use online while you wait for the physical one. The time from “Issued” to “Shipped” can vary a lot by region, ranging from one week to over a month. Patience is important during this phase.
Step 4: Activation and Adding Money
When your physical card arrives, you’ll need to activate it through the app. The process is simple and usually involves entering the card’s security code. Once activated, you’re ready to add money to it. Go to the “Card” tab, tap “Top Up,” and choose your source: your regular money wallet or your crypto wallet. We recommend starting with a small amount to get familiar with the process.
Getting the Most from Your Rewards
Having the card is one thing; using it smartly is another. To truly get the most out of your Crypto.com Visa, you need to think like an expert user. Here are some strategies we’ve found to work well.
The “Add Money” Strategy
You have a choice when putting money on your card: use regular money or sell crypto.
- Add Regular Money: This is the simplest and safest method. You load USD, EUR, etc., and spend it. Your spending is predictable, and you avoid creating a taxable event by selling crypto.
- Add Stablecoins (e.g., USDC): This is a good middle option. You can keep funds in a crypto format without price volatility risk. This is useful if you receive payments in stablecoins.
- Add Volatile Crypto (e.g., Bitcoin, Ethereum): This should be done carefully. Selling an asset like Bitcoin to buy coffee means you give up any future price increases of that Bitcoin. A pro tip is to consider selling crypto to add money to your card only when the market is high, effectively taking profits to fund your daily spending.
When to Upgrade
Deciding to upgrade to the next level requires a simple cost-benefit analysis. The main benefit of upgrading is a higher CRO reward percentage.
Let’s look at an example: upgrading from Ruby Steel (1% rewards) to Jade Green (2% rewards). This requires increasing your stake from $400 to $4,000. For this to make sense purely on spending rewards, you need to calculate the break-even point. The upgrade gives you an extra 1% back. If you spend $2,000 per month, that extra 1% earns you an additional $20 in CRO rewards monthly. Over a year, that’s $240. You must then weigh this potential gain against the risk of staking an additional $3,600 and factor in the added Netflix and LoungeKey perks.
Using Benefits Like an Expert
- Subscription Refunds: Make sure your Crypto.com card is the default payment method for Spotify, Netflix, etc. If the payment fails for any reason (e.g., not enough money), you will not get the refund.
- LoungeKey: Before going to the airport, download the LoungeKey app. You can register your card and see which lounges are available at your departure and arrival airports, along with their hours and rules.
- Foreign Transactions: When traveling, always choose to be charged in the local currency, not your home currency. This allows you to take advantage of Crypto.com’s excellent exchange rates, saving you money on hidden conversion fees.
Staking Risks and Price Changes
We must address the big issue: the risk associated with the CRO stake. While the card’s benefits are attractive, they are directly tied to a risky investment. Ignoring this risk would be unfair in any serious crypto.com visa card review.
Your Stake is an Investment
The CRO you lock up is not a safe deposit in a bank account. It is a volatile crypto asset. Its value can, and will, change dramatically. If the price of CRO falls significantly, the loss on your stake could easily be more than all the cashback and refunds you’ve earned. You must be comfortable with this risk and view the stake as part of your portfolio’s risky investments.
A Simple Risk/Reward Framework
To make this clear, let’s consider the $4,000 stake for a Royal Indigo/Jade Green card.
| Scenario | CRO Price Change | Value of Stake | Financial Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bad Case | Drops by 50% | $2,000 | You have a $2,000 loss on paper. You would need to spend $100,000 on the card (at 2% cashback) just to earn back this loss in CRO rewards. |
| Normal Case | Stays the Same | $4,000 | Your stake value is unchanged. You benefit fully from all cashback and perks. |
| Good Case | Doubles (Up 100%) | $8,000 | You have a $4,000 gain on paper, in addition to all the cashback and perks you’ve earned. |
This simple table shows that how your CRO stake performs will likely have a much bigger impact on your net financial outcome than the card rewards themselves.
The 180-Day Lock-up
The 180-day required staking period creates liquidity risk. During these six months, you cannot sell your staked CRO. If the crypto market crashes, you have no choice but to watch the value of your stake decline without being able to sell. This is a critical trade-off for accessing the card’s benefits and one that should not be taken lightly.
The Fine Print
No financial product is without its fees, limits, and restrictions. A thorough review requires looking at the fine print to avoid any unpleasant surprises.
Key Fees to Know
While the card is generally low-fee for everyday use, there are costs to be aware of:
- ATM Withdrawal Fees: You get a certain amount of free ATM withdrawals each month. After exceeding this limit, a 2% fee applies.
- Card Replacement/Upgrade Fee: If you lose your card or upgrade to a higher level, there is typically a $50 fee to issue a new metal card.
- Inactivity Fee: If your card is inactive for 12 months, a $5 per month fee may be charged.
- Foreign Transaction Fees: The card offers excellent fee-free exchange rates up to a monthly limit depending on your level. Beyond that, a 0.5% fee applies.
Important Limits and Restrictions
The card also has operational limits you should know:
- Monthly Free ATM Limits:
- Midnight Blue: $200
- Ruby Steel: $400
- Royal Indigo/Jade Green: $800
- Icy White/Rose Gold/Obsidian: $1,000
- Adding Money and Spending Limits: There are daily and monthly limits on how much you can add and spend. These are generally high enough for most users but can be found in the “Fees & Limits” section of the app’s settings.
- CRO Rewards Exclusions: Not all purchases earn cashback. A list of excluded merchant category codes (MCCs) includes financial services (e.g., paying off other credit cards), digital wallets, stored value cards, and utility payments in some regions.
The Final Decision for 2025
After a complete analysis of the levels, benefits, risks, and fine print, we can now answer the ultimate question: Is the Crypto.com Visa card right for you?
Summary of Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Potentially high rewards rate (up to 5%). | Requires a significant, risky investment via staking. |
| Valuable monthly refunds (Spotify, Netflix, etc.). | Stake and rewards are subject to the high volatility of the CRO token. |
| Premium metal card feel and construction. | The 180-day lock-up period on the stake creates liquidity risk. |
| Excellent travel perks on higher levels (LoungeKey). | Card benefits and reward rates have been reduced in the past and could change again. |
| Encourages interaction with the broader crypto ecosystem. | Monthly caps on CRO rewards for lower levels. |
| Good exchange rates for international spending. | Some key spending categories are excluded from rewards. |
Our Recommendations
The value of this crypto card is not the same for everyone; it depends entirely on your user profile.
- For the Crypto Beginner: We suggest starting with the no-stake Midnight Blue or the low-stake Ruby Steel. The $400 stake for Ruby is a manageable entry point to test the ecosystem. The Spotify refund alone can provide a decent return on that stake if CRO’s price stays stable.
- For the Crypto Believer: The Royal Indigo/Jade Green level is the “sweet spot.” The $4,000 stake is significant, but the combination of 2% rewards, Spotify and Netflix refunds, and airport lounge access offers the most well-rounded and compelling package of benefits.
- For the High-Net-Worth Investor: The Icy White, Rose Gold, and Obsidian cards are luxury and status symbols within the crypto community. For an investor with a large, varied crypto portfolio who believes in CRO, the stake is a strategic investment rather than just a means to get a card. The benefits are simply a bonus on top of the investment.
Final Thoughts
The crypto.com visa card remains one of the most well-known and feature-rich products for spending crypto in the real world. However, it is much more than a simple prepaid card; it is a gateway into the Crypto.com ecosystem, with all the potential rewards and inherent risks that come with it. Its value proposition has changed over the years, but for the right user—one who understands and accepts the investment risk of the CRO stake—it can still be a powerful financial tool that seamlessly blends daily spending with a long-term crypto strategy.
