CEX.IO Card Review 2025
- Easy way to spend crypto or fiat directly from your CEX.IO balance
- No annual, issuance, or monthly maintenance fees
- Virtual Mastercard works with Apple Pay and Google Pay
- Supports over 100 cryptocurrencies as funding sources
The CEX.IO Card is a no-fee Mastercard debit card that allows you to spend the cryptocurrency or fiat currency (traditional currency) you hold in your CEX.IO account.
In our CEX.IO Card review, we’ll examine how the card operates, its standout features, and how it compares to similar cards offered by other providers.
Our review process is straightforward. We evaluate each card based on fees, rewards, supported regions, security, usability, and whether the advertised benefits hold up in practice. For CEX.IO specifically, we also researched customer feedback, real-world usability, and the fine print around conversion and limits.
So, is the CEX.IO Card a good fit for your needs? Let’s begin with our overall assessment before reviewing CEX.IO’s card in more detail.
Our Take on Cex.io Card: Pros and Cons
The CEX.IO Card offers a convenient option for individuals who already hold part of their portfolio on CEX.IO and want a simple way to spend it. The card facilitates crypto-to-cash conversions in the background and can be used with any merchants that accept Mastercard.
CEX.IO’s card is ideal for individuals seeking a straightforward way to access the value of their cryptocurrency while earning crypto rewards on their purchases.
There are a few drawbacks to consider. Notably, CEX.IO’s card is only available to individuals residing in the European Economic Area (EEA). You also won’t receive a physical card, so ATM withdrawals are not an option, and all purchases are processed through a mobile wallet.
Additionally, CEX.IO offers rewards as temporary promotions rather than a fixed cashback system, which can make it challenging to determine how much you’ll earn in cashback crypto.
- Easy way to spend crypto or fiat from your CEX.IO balance
- No monthly or annual fee
- Works with Apple Pay and Google Pay
- Simple setup for verified EEA users
- Only available in the EEA
- No physical card or ATM withdrawals
- Conversion fees vary based on market conditions
- Rewards depend on promotions rather than fixed percentages
What is Cex.io Card?
Instead of acting like a traditional bank account card, the CEX.IO card draws from your exchange balance and converts your chosen cryptocurrency into the required fiat currency at the moment of purchase. The goal is to make everyday spending feel familiar while putting the value in your crypto assets to work.
Once approved, users receive a virtual card that they can add to Apple Pay or Google Pay for contactless payments. CEX.IO promotes the card as a simple way to move between crypto and day-to-day spending without extra steps or separate accounts.
CEX.IO offers a debit card, but you’ll have to look elsewhere if you want a crypto credit card. That means there’s no borrowing, no interest, and no billing cycle. You can spend only what you already have in your CEX.IO account.
That positions the card for simple, everyday spending. Simply add it to a mobile wallet and use it online or in-store at merchants that accept Mastercard, provided the region is supported.
How Does the Cex.io Crypto Card Work?
The CEX.IO Card operates by utilizing your cash or cryptocurrency balance on the CEX.IO exchange. You choose which digital assets the card can use, set their order of priority (which one to use first), and the card automatically converts the first available asset into the required fiat currency at checkout.
There’s no need to trade manually before spending – if the top asset runs low, the card simply moves to the next one on your list.
Of note, the CEX.IO card is a virtual card, which limits its use to payment apps like Apple Pay or Google Pay or online purchases. The underlying balance always lives in your CEX.IO account, so you manage your preferences using CEX.IO itself rather than a third-party provider.
When you pay for products or services with your card, CEX.IO handles the conversion in real-time. You pay with cryptocurrency (or cash held on the exchange), and the merchant receives payment in the local currency. Behind the scenes, the exchange is selling a small amount of crypto, swapping it for cash, and settling the purchase on the Mastercard network.
Cex.io Card Overview
Availability for the CEX.IO card is limited to European Economic Area residents and requires Know Your Customer (KYC) identification verification. You’ll have to show proof of identity and residency.
Cashback offers are available, although they are subject to change. The CEX.IO card’s benefits largely center on convenience; you can spend your crypto like cash. Next, let’s review the card’s main details:
| Card type | Virtual Mastercard debit card |
| Issuing provider | Quicko Sp. z o.o. (EEA-regulated payment provider) |
| Application requirements | CEX.IO account; KYC required; Must live in a supported EEA country |
| Recommended credit score | Not applicable (debit card; no credit extended) |
| Availability | EEA only; Not available in the US, UK, or any non-EEA region |
| Welcome bonus | No standard bonus; Sometimes limited-time cashback promos (e.g., random crypto reward with €1+ purchase) |
| Rewards | Crypto cashback available in BTC, ETH, DOGE, and SOL |
| Interest rate | Not applicable (uses cash balance) |
| Annual fee | €0; No issuance or monthly maintenance fee |
| Spending limits | Daily limit €3,000; Monthly limit €10,000; No ATM withdrawals (virtual card only) |
Cex.io Card Perks and Features
The CEX.IO Card offers a basic feature set centered around mobile spending or online purchases.
However, the most helpful feature compared to most debit cards is the ability to use the crypto you already hold without first selling it on an exchange and then withdrawing the cash, a process that can sometimes take days to complete.
CEX.IO handles that bit automatically. You choose which assets the card can draw from, and the exchange to spendable fiat currencies happens in the background.
As a Mastercard, users can expect broad acceptance in over 150 countries, although the number of supported countries for users themselves is much more limited.
Overall, the feature set is relatively basic, but it covers the essentials. It automatically handles crypto-to-cash conversions, offers mobile support, and pays crypto cashback. Let’s take a closer look at what you can do with the CEX.IO card.
Supported Cryptocurrencies
CEX.IO allows the card to draw from over 100 cryptocurrencies held in your exchange account, including leading assets such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin, and Solana. You select up to four preferred assets plus a fiat balance, then arrange them in the order you want the card to use.
If the first asset in your list runs low, the card automatically moves to the next one. All settings are controlled in your CEX.IO dashboard. There’s no separate Mastercard dashboard to manage. No extra logins to forget.
Crypto Cashback
Currently, CEX.IO offers crypto cashback rewards. Use your card, earn crypto. Although the company highlights rewards available in assets such as BTC, ETH, DOGE, and SOL, CEX.IO does not publish a fixed rewards chart or a standard percentage.
Instead, we get varying amounts that may change based on the current promotion. The current listing reads: “Get up to 1,000 DOGE in cashback with every payment!” Coinbase Card and similar cards have used a similar structure, with rewards rotating monthly.
If you plan to rely on rewards, it is worth checking CEX.IO’s current selection before applying.
Automatic Conversion
The card uses your available balance to complete your purchase in the merchant’s local currency. When you pay, CEX.IO instantly converts the required amount of cryptocurrency into fiat currency in real-time. This eliminates the need to trade manually before making a purchase.
Transactions feel like a standard debit card purchase from the user’s perspective. In fact, they are because you’re paying in cash after a crypto-to-cash conversion, or using real money you already hold in your trading account.
Behind the scenes, CEX.IO sells an amount of your chosen asset and settles the transaction on the Mastercard network. You can monitor which assets were used for each purchase in the app.
The automatic swap is a timesaver, but also comes at a cost. Instant swaps execute as market orders that can make transactions more costly. We’ll discuss that further in the fees section of our CEX.IO card review.
Google Pay and Apple Pay Compatibility
The CEX.IO Card is issued as from a virtual asset service provider, and you will not receive a physical card. As a result, all spending happens through Apple Pay, Google Pay, or online checkouts. Just add it to your mobile wallet or browser wallet and use it like any traditional debit card.
This setup supports in-store tap-to-pay transactions, online purchases, and app-based payments on supported devices.
Cex.io Card Application Requirements
The CEX.IO card functions similarly to a standard debit card, meaning no credit check is required. You’re spending your own money.
To apply, you need an active CEX.IO account and proof that you live in an eligible EEA country. CEX.IO will request a government-issued ID and documents that verify your home address. This process is similar to ID verification on other regulated exchanges. You’ll also be asked to confirm a phone number. It’s a quick step.
Once CEX.IO finishes reviewing the information you’ve provided, the card will appear in your dashboard. You can then add it to your mobile wallet and start spending your crypto like cash.
Cex.io Card Fees and Limits
The CEX.IO Card maintains a straightforward fee structure. There is no annual fee, and the card has no monthly maintenance fee. There’s also no charge to issue the card itself. Additionally, the card does not support ATM withdrawals, so there are no ATM fees.
However, and we alluded to this earlier, the crypto-to-cash conversion comes at a cost. CEX.IO performs conversions by creating a market order. Effectively, you’ll sell at the highest bid price and pay a commission on the trade.
Trading fees on the platform range from 0.25% down to 0.10%, depending on your trading volume for the past 30 days. These fees also apply to conversions.
During times of extreme volatility or for assets with less liquidity (and wider spreads), this structure can become costly. However, it is more transparent than similar cards that utilize a “spread” to build a price buffer.
The spending limits for the CEX.IO card are also transparent. CEX.IO lists a daily spending cap of €3,000 and a monthly usage cap of €10,000, or the equivalent value in crypto. However, fiat-funded purchases do not require a crypto swap beforehand and therefore do not carry the conversion cost.
Cex.io Card Account Security
Users manage their cards through the CEX.IO crypto exchange, which offers two-factor authentication (2FA) to secure logins. There’s also a simple toggle in the dashboard to freeze the card.
Your card information is stored inside your phone’s wallet app (Apple Pay or Google Pay), not on a physical card. That setup adds protections, such as tokenized (alias) numbers and the security features built into the device.
When you pay with Apple Pay or Google Pay, the merchant doesn’t see your actual card number. They receive a temporary code instead. This keeps your card details private.
Both Apple Pay and Google Pay support biometric authentication or PIN codes to secure your payment apps when your device is unattended or if your phone is lost.
CEX.IO also supports standard card protections. The card uses a PIN code for certain transactions, and online purchases can require 3D Secure confirmation. A CVV2 code is also provided in your dashboard, which adds an additional layer of verification for online payments.
Since the card runs on the Mastercard network, it benefits from Mastercard’s broad fraud and security tools. CEX.IO doesn’t break these out individually, but the protections match what you’d expect from a regular Mastercard debit card.
Where is the Cex.io Crypto Card Available?
The CEX.IO Card is issued only to residents of the European Economic Area (EEA), which includes the European Union (EU), as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway. The company states plainly on its card page that the product is “currently available only for users from the European Economic Area.”
This includes EU member states such as Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Poland. Users outside the EEA, including users in the United States and the United Kingdom, aren’t currently eligible.
Eligibility also requires completing CEX.IO’s verification process and enabling two-factor authentication. Once approved, the card can be used at merchants worldwide (150+ countries) that accept Mastercard, even though card ownership itself is restricted to EEA residents.
CEX.IO also notes that it is “continuously working to provide CEX.IO Card access to a broader range of serviceable jurisdictions.” There’s no timeline attached to this statement, but it suggests the company may expand availability in the future.
Disadvantages of the Cex.io Card
The CEX.IO Card works well for simple, everyday spending, but it has some notable drawbacks for certain users. The biggest is the card’s limited availability. Only residents of the European Economic Area are eligible to apply, which excludes large markets where crypto card adoption is higher.
The card is also virtual only. There’s no physical card you can keep in your wallet, which brings some limitations. You can’t withdraw funds from an ATM using your card, and you can’t use it on card terminals that still rely on chip-and-PIN. If your favorite merchants don’t support mobile payments, this becomes inconvenient.
Another consideration is the cost of converting cryptocurrency to fiat on the fly. CEX.IO handles the swap by placing a market order. You’ll pay the CEX.IO trading fee, which starts at 0.25% for low-volume accounts.
However, volatility becomes a greater concern in terms of cost. When swapping assets with thin liquidity or during crypto’s crazy market swings, the effective exchange rate can add to the cost of your purchase.
The rewards offering is also limited and less detailed than we had hoped. CEX.IO advertises crypto cashback, but the company doesn’t publish a standard rewards chart. Cashback amounts depend on the current promotion rather than a fixed percentage, which makes it harder to compare to cards that offer predictable rewards.
The CEX.IO card isn’t perfect for all use cases. The card is best suited for eligible EEA residents who already use CEX.IO as their primary exchange and want a simple way to spend their cryptocurrency like cash.
Let’s take a quick look at how the CEX.IO Card stacks up against a few well-known alternatives. The Gemini Credit Card provides an alternative for U.S. users who want a credit card with crypto cashback rewards. Notably, this is a line of credit rather than a debit card. Rewards use a fixed percentage schedule, a welcome change compared to a random reward rate. We discuss this in more detail in our full Gemini Credit Card review. Users who want reliable crypto cashback rewards and who need a physical card may find that Gemini offers a better solution. However, Gemini’s credit card is currently limited to U.S. customers, and as it’s a credit card, approval requires a credit check. Key features: The Nexo Card works differently from most crypto cards, offering a switchable credit or debit mode. In credit mode, instead of selling your crypto each time you make a purchase, Nexo uses your crypto as collateral to fund a credit line. In practical use, it functions as an on-demand crypto loan, but one that comes with a credit card for easy access. For some users, this is appealing because it avoids creating a taxable sale. You also receive fixed cashback rates on your spending. We explain the pros and cons in our Nexo Card review. Despite its advantages, Nexo’s card isn’t totally frictionless, however. First, you’ll need to keep a sufficient amount of crypto on Nexo’s platform to support the credit line. Natural crypto volatility also limits your available credit. Market values can change quickly, so you can’t borrow 100% of your crypto portfolio’s balance. Additionally, liquidations can occur if the market falls when you are at or near your credit limit. Key features: The Crypto.com Visa Card has been one of the more visible crypto cards for a while and was featured in our best crypto credit cards roundup. The card comes in both physical and virtual formats and is available in several regions beyond the EEA. Rewards can depend on how much CRO (Crypto.com’s Cronos token) you stake, so the rates aren’t the same for everyone, but even the basic tiers offer small cashback perks and things like streaming rebates. In practice, the card feels more feature-heavy than CEX.IO’s. You get a clearer rewards structure and more regional support. However, offers vary by region. Generally, the tradeoff is that the highest reward tier requires locking up CRO for a full year (lower tiers are effectively paid subscriptions). This long-term CRO staking commitment can bring additional costs in the form of price risk. Case in point: The CRO token has lost 38% of its value in the past year as of this writing. Key features:Cex.io Card Alternatives
As part of our CEX.IO debit card review, we compared the card against similar offerings from other providers. Several competing cards offer different strengths, whether that’s broader availability, physical cards, predictable rewards, or access to a credit line.Gemini Credit Card
Nexo Card
Crypto.com Visa Card
Our Methodology: How We Tested and Reviewed Cex.io Dedit Card
We approached our CEX.IO Card review by examining how the card works in practice, rather than relying solely on marketing claims. This process began with reading the official documentation, including the legal terms that explain how the card processes crypto-to-fiat conversions and what users need to verify before activating it.
We also looked at the everyday experience. This includes how the virtual card functions in mobile wallets, how easy it is to manage through the CEX.IO dashboard, and what users can expect from the reward promotions CEX.IO occasionally offers. The goal is to understand both real-world usability and real costs.
To put the card in context, we compared it with similar products from other platforms. Each competing product handles fees, rewards, and availability differently, and these differences help highlight where CEX.IO excels versus where it falls short.
Cex.io Card Review Conclusion
The CEX.IO Card is best suited for individuals who already use the regulated crypto exchange and want a convenient way to spend their cryptocurrency balance. The card keeps things simple, works with major mobile wallets, and doesn’t add monthly or annual fees.
And it’s not necessarily a bad thing that CEX.IO’s card doesn’t compete directly with competitors’ high-reward cards. Instead, CEX.IO offers users a straightforward way to utilize their cryptocurrency in everyday spending.
The limitations are clear, though. The card is only available in the EEA, and all transactions are processed through a virtual card. Rewards can also be a bit hit-or-miss because they depend on ongoing promotions rather than a fixed structure.
If you keep funds on CEX.IO and just want an easy way to use them, the card does what it says on the tin. Spend your crypto like cash and earn crypto cashback rewards with every purchase. However, users outside the EEA or who prefer a different rewards structure might find one of the alternatives to be a better match.
FAQs
Is the Cex.io Crypto Card Free?
Where is the Cex.io Card Accepted?
Is the Cex.io Card Credit or Debit?
Can I Use the Cex.io Card Without Kyc?
References:
- CEX.IO Virtual Card Terms (cex.io)
- Limits and Commissions (cex.io)
- EEA & Relations with the EU (efta.int)
- Mastercard chip card (mastercard.com)
- Gemini Credit Card – Product Overview (gemini.com)
- How does the Nexo Card work in Debit Mode (nexo.com)
- Take Your Wealth To The Next Level (crypto.com)
