True Cost of a Crypto Card - Fee Calculator
The headline number is marketing; the stack is reality. Add up what a card actually costs for YOUR spending: top-up fees, FX markup, monthly subscription and ATM withdrawals - and see the effective percentage next to every card we track.
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How the math works
Top-up cost = spending x load fee, grossed up: you must load what you spend and the fee comes out of the load, so loading $500 onto a card with a 1.5% load fee costs 500 / 0.985 = $507.61 ($7.61 in fees). FX cost = the share of spending in other currencies x FX fee (network/interbank conversion rates are outside this model - the fee here is the provider's own markup). Subscription = monthly fee, charged whether you spend or not. ATM = per-withdrawal percentage plus any flat fee, but at least the documented minimum fee; a monthly free allowance (in withdrawals or USD) is subtracted first. The effective percentage is the total cost over your spending - the number that lets a $350 lifetime card compete with a "free" card. Where a card's fee is unknown, the calculator says so instead of assuming zero.
Model limits
- ATM-operator surcharges exist on top everywhere; the calculator prices only the card's own fee schedule - each review's ATM note carries the rest.
- Euro-denominated fees (several EEA issuers charge EUR minimums) are treated 1:1 as USD - a few-percent error at current rates.
- Tier-dependent fees (ATM allowances per metal tier) use the tier our research documented; the review says if others differ.
The fees the calculator cannot price
- Crypto-to-fiat conversion spread - the provider's sell rate vs. the market rate at top-up (typically embedded, rarely documented).
- Inactivity fees - charged after months of no use; ruinous for backup cards.
- Balance risk - custodial balances carry counterparty risk no fee model captures.
- Token-denominated cashback volatility - a "2%" CRO payout is not 2% USD until you sell.