Wirex vs KAST vs Avici (2026): Which Crypto Card Is Right for You?
By the MyCardCrypto team · Updated 9 October 2026 · Fees checked on 8–9 October 2026
I’ve spent on all three across the UAE and Europe: KAST daily since spring 2026, Avici as a backup.
Wirex was my card for five years on its old app (2021 to mid-2026). October’s re-check cut all three scores.
The 30-second answer:
🌍 EEA or UK, want own keys and multi-currency accounts? → Wirex One (6/10).
💵 Spend stablecoins mostly in dollars? → KAST (7.5/10), 1.5% cashback in USD.
🔐 Want self-custody outside the EU and UK? → Avici (7/10), no cashback.
Codes: LBY9BQVJ for KAST (10% off a first paid membership) · QF3VW9 for Avici (at sign-up).
Crypto Card Comparison: Wirex vs KAST vs Avici
Fees checked on 8 October 2026 (Avici: 9 October 2026) against issuer help centres and terms.
| Feature | Wirex One | KAST | Avici |
|---|---|---|---|
| Our rating | 6/10 | 7.5/10 | 7/10 |
| Custody | Self-custodial wallet; keys via Privy, exportable | Custodial (Terms: deposits sold to the company; US card terms disagree); opt-in Self-Custody Mode since Sep | Self-custodial: USDC in an escrow contract |
| Cashback | 0.5% (Base) to 8% in USD by tier, no fee; higher tiers need WPAY | 1.5% in USD on the first $2,000 a month | None on spending |
| Annual fee (entry) | $0 | $0 (Standard); $1 a month after 12 idle months | $0 (Platinum); Signature $30, then $20 a year |
| Getting a card | Virtual on Base; plastic from Premium ($500 portfolio, 1% WPAY) | 2 included; physical $40 delivery; virtual $2 in some regions | First virtual Platinum $15, then $10; physical $50 or $75 |
| FX fee | “Free”; terms allow mark-ups; no full fee table | 0% in USD; 0.5–1.75% otherwise (older agreement: up to 2%) | 0% markup; Visa 0.4–1% (card terms: up to 3%, now 1%) |
| ATM | 750 EUR a day, plastic or metal; no fee in help centre, homepage says free | $3 + 2%; $250 a withdrawal incl. fees, 3 or $750 per 24 h | Platinum $1 + 0.65%, Signature $0; $3,000 a day (another page: $250) |
| Token angle | Higher tiers need a WPAY share; no reward token | Token launch dropped 4 Aug 2026; no Points on Standard | Governance token, not a reward |
| Chains and assets | About 70 assets; Circle’s Arc chain | USDT, USDC, PYUSD, RLUSD into one USD balance | 11 chains (10 EVM + Solana); spends USDC |
| Countries | 73: all EEA and the UK; no US or Canada | 170+ claimed, US included; no public list | 49 countries + 31 US states; no EU or UK |
| Extras | USD, EUR, GBP accounts; Earn; loans | USD/EUR accounts; Reserve 8% to 1 Jul 2027 (help articles: 6%) | SOL credit line, yield, tokenized stocks; rates in-app only |
| Track record | Company since 2014; app since June 2026, public 16 Sep | Founded July 2024 | Card terms since 5 Dec 2024 |
| 2026 incidents | 3 Sep critical incident halted all financial operations for about 4 hours | No hack or mass loss found by 8 Oct; July dispute over deposit terms | 28 Aug exploit: $500,800 from 1,685 users; refund promised |
| Trustpilot | 2.3 (17,658 reviews) | 2.5 (220) | 3.3 (10) |
| App ratings | Google Play UK 2.7 (250); old app 4.5 (35,600) | App Store US 3.97 (268); Google Play 3.72 (3,096) | App Store US 4.46 (50); Google Play 3.59 (455) |
| Apple Pay / Google Pay | Yes | Yes; Apple Pay by registered country | Yes, card details typed in |
Green marks the strongest option in each row; ties are all green.
Which One Is for You? Three Profiles
Forget “best overall”: find your profile below.
🌍 The Multi-Currency European → Wirex One
You live in the EEA or UK, spend in several currencies and want crypto in a wallet you control.
Why it fits: the terms say the company “does not provide custodial services in respect of your digital assets”; USD, EUR and GBP accounts sit beside the wallet, and FX is listed as “Free”. The catches: no fee schedule, an unknown ATM fee and an app public only since 16 September 2026. Our rating: 6/10.
💵 The Stablecoin Spender → KAST
You hold USDC or USDT, pay mostly in dollars, often via Apple Pay, and want cashback in real money.
Why it fits: 1.5% back in USD on the first $2,000 a month on the free tier, 0% FX on dollar spend, 170+ countries claimed. It’s the one I personally reach for most. The catches: deposits are sold to the company and “thereafter held by a Custodian”, liability is capped at $500, and Standard earns no Points. Our rating: 7.5/10.
🔐 The Sovereign → Avici
You don’t want any company holding your spending money: post-FTX, “not your keys, not your coins” is non-negotiable, and you live outside the EU and UK.
Why it fits: the docs say “these contracts are self-custodial”, controlled by neither the issuer, Visa nor the company, and there’s literally a “Solana Private Key” export in settings. The catches: no cashback, two-step funding, a $15 first virtual card and the 28 August 2026 exploit that took $500,800 from card balances (full refund promised). Our rating: 7/10.
Head-to-Head Breakdowns
KAST vs Wirex One
Dollar cashback or your own keys. KAST wins on rewards: 1.5% in USD on the free tier, three times Wirex One’s 0.5% on Base. It also wins on reach (the US plus 170+ countries claimed, against 73) and on published fees: ATM cash costs $3 + 2%, up to $250 a withdrawal.
Wirex One wins on custody and currencies: a self-custodial wallet whose key exports to MetaMask or Phantom, and FX listed as “Free”, where the custodial card charges 0.5–1.75% outside USD. Yet clause 9.10 of its terms allows mark-ups, and ATM, card and delivery fees are unpublished.
Its old app was my travel card for five years; for the new one I rely on the help centre, terms and status page, which logged a critical incident on 3 September 2026.
Pick KAST for dollar spending or a US address; pick Wirex One for the EEA or UK, your own keys and patience with unpublished fees.
Avici vs KAST
The cleanest split: rewards vs sovereignty. The custodial card pays 1.5% back and holds your funds under its Terms (Self-Custody Mode is opt-in); Avici pays nothing on spending but keeps your USDC in a contract you control.
Third National issues both cards. The custodial one is load-and-spend; the self-custody one adds a top-up step (up to 2 minutes), a non-refundable $35 fee per dispute and the August exploit, where refunds were promised but we found no final tally.
Want cashback and simplicity, and fine with custody? KAST. Self-custody is the whole point and you live where it’s offered? Avici.
Wirex One vs Avici
Two self-custody models for different maps. Wirex One is a debit card paid from a Privy-managed wallet, for 73 countries including the EEA and UK, but not the US or Canada. The other is a secured credit card backed by USDC in escrow, for 49 countries plus 31 US states.
The older company has the longer record (since 2014) and cashback from 0.5%; the younger card supports 11 networks and $0 ATM withdrawals on Signature ($30 in year one). Your address decides more than any fee.
Each card has its own review.
- Wirex card review (6/10)
- KAST card review (7.5/10)
- Avici card review (7/10)
KAST vs RedotPay
RedotPay, the obvious custodial alternative, costs more: $10 virtual and $100 physical cards, about 1% conversion per payment plus 1.2% outside USD, and cashback only on paid Pro. US residents can’t join. It does win on cash: ATM limits up to $3,750 a day against $750 on KAST.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which crypto card is best overall in 2026?
No single winner: each card does a different job. For dollar stablecoin spending, KAST is my pick (7.5/10): 1.5% USD cashback and the widest reach.
For self-custody outside Europe, Avici (7/10); in the EEA or UK, Wirex One (6/10) gives you your own keys but publishes fewer fees.
Which has the best cashback?
KAST: 1.5% in US dollars on the first $2,000 of monthly spend on the free tier, up to $30, locked for 14 days and spendable only on card purchases.
Wirex One pays 0.5–8% in USD by tier, with $25 a month redeemable on Base. The escrow card pays nothing on spending, only a one-off $5 welcome bonus.
Which is the best crypto card for self-custody?
Two of the three now qualify. Wirex One’s wallet keys are managed through Privy and export to MetaMask or Phantom; Avici keeps your USDC in an escrow contract you control.
Your country decides: the first serves 73 countries including the EEA and UK, the second the US (31 states) and 49 other countries. The custodial card’s opt-in Self-Custody Mode still lists key export as “coming soon”.
Which is cheapest for travel and ATMs?
On published numbers, Avici’s Signature tier: $0 ATM withdrawals and no issuer FX markup, $30 in year one. Visa may add 0.4–1% (card terms: up to 3%, currently 1%), and it isn’t offered in the EU or UK.
Wirex One lists FX as “Free” but doesn’t state an ATM fee in its help centre; the custodial card charges 0.5–1.75% outside USD and $3 + 2% per withdrawal.
Can I just use all three?
That’s how I’ve run them: KAST for everyday stablecoin spending, Avici as a self-custody backup.
Wirex’s old app was my multi-currency travel card from 2021 to mid-2026. You need an address where all three are offered: the escrow card skips the EU and UK, Wirex One the US. No entry tier has an annual fee, though some card formats cost $2 to $75 to issue or deliver.
Which works in my country?
KAST claims the widest reach, 170+ countries including the US, but publishes no list: check the sign-up dropdown before you deposit.
Wirex One’s card covers 73 countries, including the EEA and UK but not the US, Canada or Singapore. Avici lists 49 countries plus 31 US states, without the EU and UK.
The Verdict: There’s No “Best” — There’s “Best for You”
After keeping all three in my wallet, here’s the honest bottom line: they’re not rivals so much as specialists.
If you made me pick one to start with, it would still be KAST: the best balance of rewards, usability and reach, if you keep only spending money on it. It drops from 8/10 for deposit terms that read as a sale, the cancelled points token and a 2.5 Trustpilot score.
Wirex drops from 7/10 to 6/10: the new app adds self-custody and dollar cashback, but no fee schedule, a virtual-only Base tier and a bumpy relaunch. My five good years were on the old app.
Avici drops from 7.5/10 to 7/10: US access in 31 states and a higher ATM limit on its fees page don’t fully offset the $15 first card and the August exploit, whose refund outcome isn’t public.
This is not financial advice; fees and availability change — check the issuer before applying.
Codes: LBY9BQVJ for KAST (10% off a first paid membership) · QF3VW9 for Avici (at sign-up).
Ratings combine hands-on use with documents re-checked 8–9 October 2026; verify terms before signing up. Spending crypto can be taxable (see why use a crypto card). Affiliate links and codes here may earn us a commission at no cost to you and don’t change the scores (affiliate disclosure).