By
Tolu Ajiboye
April 8th, 2024
For all the variety of parameters, limits, conditions, and fees, the essence is lost: the cryptocurrency is meant to be decentralized.
Bitcoin continues to conquer new heights. On February 16, 2021, it reached a record high of $50 thousand. Interest in BTC is actively fueled by large companies that start to openly express their interest in cryptocurrencies. So, the American car manufacturer Tesla invested $1.5 billion in bitcoin and began to accept the major cryptocurrency as a means of payment. Mastercard has announced that it will make direct cryptocurrency transactions available to its customers. The head of another payment giant VISA said that the company was also working on technologies for integrating cryptocurrencies.
Despite growing interest in cryptocurrencies from a global community and its recognition by large companies, holders of decentralized money can not pay with cryptocurrency in 99.9% of stores all over the world. So far, cryptocurrency users are forced to undergo the long and expensive process of converting crypto to fiat money via exchanges. That is why more and more holders of digital currencies are considering crypto cards. They work as traditional bank cards but a user deposits cryptocurrencies and pays with fiat money. The main advantage of crypto cards is that the cryptocurrencies deposited into the account are automatically converted to fiat.
How do Crypto Cards Differ from Each Other?
Each crypto card has its features and limits. Let’s dive in deeper, check the existing offers of the most popular crypto cards, explore their differences, and find the most favorable conditions for users.
Wirex
Wirex is a British cryptocurrency platform that offers crypto cards among other products. Wirex crypto card supports 10 digital currencies (BTC, LTC, ETH, XRP, WAVES, WOLLO, DAI, NANO, XLM), tokens of Wirex platform and 3 fiat currencies – the US dollars, euros and British pounds.
The card issuance is free, but the subscription fee is €1.2 per month, and cash withdrawal at an ATM is subject to a fairly significant fee of €2.25+3% per transaction. At the same time, the referral program is available only to holders of internal tokens of the Wirex platform.
Note that to top up your Wirex crypto card account, you must first deposit funds to your account on the Wirex platform from a digital wallet, and then transfer funds to your card.
BitPay
The company has been working on the market since 2016. Yet, BitPay crypto cards support only 4 cryptocurrencies, including the infamous XRP.
BitPay cardholders can withdraw funds no more than 3 times a day, and BitPay does not have a referral program at all.
It is also important to note that the BitPay cardholder is required to create an account in the BitPay wallet, top it up with available cryptocurrency or fiat funds, and transfer funds to the card from the BitPay wallet account. Cryptocurrencies that are credited to the card account are automatically converted to US dollars, but the card is only available to US residents and is supported by Mastercard.
CryptoPay
Another payment service whose cards support digital currencies. Yet, the card is only available for the residents of the European Economic Area. This crypto card works with 4 cryptocurrencies: BTC, ETH, LTC, and again XRP, which has recently become a ‘non-grata’ currency.
The subscription fee of €1 is charged monthly and this is amidst quite high fees on operations: €2.5 for withdrawing funds at ATMs in Europe, €3.5 for withdrawing funds outside the EEA, €3.5+3% for withdrawing funds other than the card currency. The crypto card has a relatively small one-time withdrawal limit – €450, and you can withdraw no more than 5 times a day.
Again, we note that in order to issue and use a Cryptopay card, users need to register and create a profile on the CryptoPay platform, deposit funds to the platform account in cryptocurrencies, and then send the required amount to the card account. After crediting, the cryptocurrency is stored on the card in US dollars.
TTM Bank
TTM Bank crypto card is worth a special mention. TTM Bank, a company registered in Estonia, is an excellent example of how cryptocurrency should be converted into fiat money for the daily use of cryptocurrency as a means of payment.
Cryptocurrencies credited to the TTM Bank card are immediately converted into euros. Thus, the high volatility inherent to the crypto market does not affect the balance of the card in any way. You can pay with a card from TTM Bank anywhere in the world where VISA cards are accepted. The deposited funds are stored in a licensed bank, so the TTM Bank card is a link between the world of cryptocurrency and the financial market.
One of the key benefits of the TTM Bank card in comparison with its competitors is the preservation of the decentralization principles. You do not need to register on any platforms – the cryptocurrency is transferred immediately to the card account and converted into euros when necessary. You do not risk losing your crypto money due to a hacker attack on your account or because the platform founders violated the law or for some other reason could not continue their activities.
About TTM Bank in Details
First, it is worth mentioning the TTM Bank crypto card design, made in the form of the surface of the Moon, which echoes the name of the company (TTM stands for “To The Moon”). Card developers have protected the card from accidental data leakage by hiding all information from the front side. The fraud will not see the name of the card holder, or the card number, in case the card was accidentally posted on social media. In a nutshell, the TTM Bank crypto card is a stylish and secure tool that is stored in your wallet.
TTM Bank card supports 5 digital currencies: BTC, ETH, USDT, BNB, and TRX. You can issue a virtual card within 15 minutes in your personal account and immediately start using it. The delivery of plastic cards is free of charge all over the world!
All cards are equipped with the PayPass feature, that is, they are contactless, and iPhone users can add the card to their Apple Pay account. The Google Pay service will be available in the first quarter of 2021, but Android users can use the card today. To pay online for goods or services, you just need to specify the card number and CVV code (as when using a common virtual card).
TTM Bank card allows users to pay for daily purchases both in online and offline stores.
The TTM Bank crypto card is available to residents of almost any country. The registration procedure is very simple: you enter the email address and fill in the profile information for creating a personal profile. You do not need to open any second or third accounts. However, according to the EU requirements, the user must pass the AML/KYC procedure, which involves sending a scanned copy of the document (a passport or an ID-card) confirming your identity.
Moreover, the support service of TTM Bank is always in touch and solves all issues, maintaining communication with the client in the chat, on a personal account page or via email. The crypto card from TTM Bank is a product that fully meets the growing demands of users. That is why at the time of the inevitable hype around cryptocurrency cards, TTM Bank with its wide geographical coverage has every chance to become a global leader.
Summary
For all the variety of parameters, limits, conditions, and fees, the essence is lost: the cryptocurrency is meant to be decentralized. The process of registering on a platform associated with a crypto card and transferring your funds to it does not distinguish the platform from a traditional bank, so the main thing you need to know about crypto cards is that they must be secure and protect the user from the risks inherent to storage of digital funds. And in this case, TTM Bank has the key advantage, as here you do not need to register on a third-party platform, which means that digital assets always remain in the hands of its holder – and this is what really matters!