ether.fi / Card review
Wallet-based · Two spending modes
ether.fi Cash Core
Choose direct USDC spending or a separate collateral-backed borrowing mode.

Before you apply
Selected tier / planCoreether.fi Cash Core
Select where you live, not your travel destination.
Choose your residence first
Important to check
- All seven covered countries, including South Korea, appear on the official availability list.
- Individual KYC and delivery conditions still apply.
- Borrow Mode adds interest and collateral risk.
Regional availability is not individual approval. Figures refer to the selected card/plan; check tier, identity-document and delivery conditions.
Documents & application →Features & benefits
Start with Core when monthly spending stays modest.
- Rewards · first band
- 3% on first $2,000/month eligible spend
- Spending preferences
- Direct Pay
- Custody model
- Wallet-based
Read the conditions behind the figures · Fees & benefit conditions ↓
A good fit if
- Choose Core for USDC Direct Pay if eligible standard spending usually stays within $2,000 monthly.
The tradeoff
- Rewards step down above $2,000; EUR has a smaller 3% band, and physical shipping costs extra.
- Virtual card
- Listed · check region and plan
- Physical card
- Listed · check region and plan
- Apple Pay
- Listed · check region and plan
- Google Pay
- Listed · check region and plan
How the card works
- For everyday comparisons, we use Direct Pay without borrowing.
- This mode spends USDC or LiquidUSD, using USDC first.
Fees & benefit conditions
- Card issuance fee
- First virtual free · physical $60 incl. shipping
- Maintenance / subscription
- Membership $0/year; issuance, shipping and usage costs separate
- Foreign-currency fee
- Base FX ~1% + 0–0.5% margin
Read the conditions behind the figures
- Core entry tier.
- Standard monthly spend earns 1% after $2,000 and 0.5% after $3,000; EUR bands differ.
Figures refer to the selected card and plan. Do not combine them with benefits of another pictured or listed tier.
Documents & application
Documents to prepare
- Valid passport, national ID or driving licence; phone check and selfie.
- Address proof from the last 3 months if requested.
- Some regions, including Spain and the Philippines, may require an onchain top-up or applicable $10 virtual-card fee before KYC.
Steps on the official site or app
- Choose Personal; verify your email and complete passkey sign-in.
- Complete account KYC. If prompted, review the required top-up or applicable virtual-card charge.
- After approval, open Cash → Add Card. For physical cards, enter the delivery address.
The official site opens in a new tab. Select the product and tier shown above. Identity checks and the final application take place with the provider.
Full details & support
Full details
Practical payment facts
Narrow by supported features · brand guidance, subject to regional and tier conditions.
- Funding / spending assets
- USDC · LiquidUSD
- Supported networks
- Arbitrum · Base · BNB Smart Chain · Celo · Ethereum · Gnosis · HyperEVM · Mantle · OP Mainnet · Polygon · Solana · Tempo
- Balance / billing currency
- USD
- Conversion timing
- At payment
- Virtual card
- Listed · check region and plan
- Physical card
- Listed · check region and plan
- Apple Pay
- Listed · check region and plan
- Google Pay
- Listed · check region and plan
- Recurring payments
- Listed · check region and plan
Refunds & support
- Cancellations, refunds and support
- Request the refund from the merchant and keep its reference. Pending is an authorization hold, Cleared is settled, and Pending Refund is still returning; confirm completion through the separate credit transaction.
- How long does it take?
- Merchant-cancelled holds: within 48 hours. Refund guidance lists merchant processing 1–7 days, network processing 3–5 business days and international refunds up to 10 business days; escalate 15 business days after merchant confirmation.
- Where is it returned?
- Settlement is USD-based, using the refund settlement FX rate. The reviewed guide does not name one fixed refund token: inspect the Vault credit; Borrow Mode refunds enter the main balance and do not automatically repay debt.
- Cancellation and subscriptions
- Use Cards → Edit Card → Freeze Card for a temporary block. Ask support about permanent card closure and cancel merchant subscriptions with each service; freezing the card does not confirm cancellation of a subscription contract.
- Declined or unfamiliar transactions
- Open the decline reason in transaction history and check balance, card details and merchant restrictions. In Borrow Mode, check borrowing power too; send support the date, amount and merchant if it persists.
- What to prepare for support
- Use live chat at help.ether.fi or support@ether.fi with the transaction date, amount, merchant and refund reference.
Official information · help.ether.fi ↗
Official information · help.ether.fi ↗
Official information · help.ether.fi ↗
Official information · help.ether.fi ↗
Official information · help.ether.fi ↗
Official information · help.ether.fi ↗
Brand and custody
- Card issuer / operator
- Official confirmation needed
- Custody of funded balances
- Personal non-custodial wallet described in the Terms: the card issuer does not hold or control its assets.
Use Cards → Edit Card → Freeze Card to freeze immediately. Borrow Mode adds interest and collateral risk; account protection is not deposit insurance and has eligibility, claim review and coverage limits.
An alternative to compare
Consider Luxe above Core's reward band if you already meet its monthly points requirement.
Invitation / application conditionsCalculate for my spending (optional)
Sources checked · 2026.09.08
Same spending. What is left?
Three cases using published terms. Add your funding costs to see what remains of the reward.
Assumes you use 100% of the reward.
Adjust reward use (optional)
Leave 100 if you will use it all. If you expect to use $5 out of a $10 reward, enter 50. This is how much of your reward you will use, not the card’s earning rate. For expiring rewards, consider what you can use before expiry.
Add my actual costs
Blank means unknown. Enter 0 only for costs that do not apply.
Reward bands and caps applied
Final net is not calculated while costs remain unknown.
- Monthly membership
- $0.00
- Issuance/shipping per month
- $0.00
- Published payment/FX costs
- $0.00
- Additional entered costs
- $0.00
Direct Pay: USD/other currencies earn 3% to $2,000, 1% to $3,000, then 0.5%. EUR uses $800/$1,500 USD-equivalent thresholds and 3%/1%/0.1%, with zero FX markup in beta. Mixed currencies excluded. Enter the base FX cost for other currencies. USDC=$1 is an assumption, not a guaranteed rate. Rewards are ETHFI. Current help requires a manual claim of at least $5, available 7 days after clearing. Adjust usable value for token-price changes and claim conditions. The modeled $60 physical cost includes shipping per the official comparison table; the help page instead lists shipping separately, so confirm the order price.
Assumptions and official evidence
Assumes an approved card and eligible retail purchases. Inputs are USD equivalents, without live FX. Taxes, ATM, borrowing, excluded merchants and refunds are outside this calculation.
One-time issuance and shipping are spread over 12 months for comparison. KAST virtual issuance varies $0–$2 by region.
Issuance/shipping per month: $60.00 ÷ 12
ether.fi — Cashback bands and exclusions ↗ether.fi — Memberships and card issuance ↗
ether.fi — Funding with crypto ↗
ether.fi — EUR purchases and beta FX terms ↗
Official documentation & sources
Follow the official steps
Ether.Fi SEZC — Cayman Islands app/web contracting company
The September 4, 2026 general Terms name Third National as the Visa card issuer but do not map issuers by country or programme. Confirm the issuer in your own cardholder agreement.
Cash spending modes ↗Fund your Vault with crypto ↗
Vault assets and networks ↗
Apple Wallet and Google Pay ↗
Cash supported countries ↗
Freeze or block your Cash card ↗
Progressive cashback bands ↗
Membership benefits ↗
Membership qualification ↗
Cash fees and limits ↗
ether.fi Terms of Use — September 4, 2026 ↗
How to Open an Ether.fi Account ↗
KYC Process and Requirements ↗
Why do I need to top up my account to complete account verification? ↗
Physical Cards - Everything You Need to Know ↗
Based on official documentation · not a firsthand payment test
Official sources
요금 · Fees ↗
Official supported countries · 2026-08-02 ↗
Membership benefits ↗
Cashback ladder ↗
Core · Membership ↗
EUR purchases ↗
Virtual-card exceptions ↗
Official terms · 2026-09-08 ↗
Fund your Vault with crypto ↗
Vault assets and networks ↗
Apple Wallet and Google Pay ↗
Freeze or block your Cash card ↗
ether.fi Terms of Use — September 4, 2026 ↗
How to Open an Ether.fi Account ↗
KYC Process and Requirements ↗
Why do I need to top up my account to complete account verification? ↗
Physical Cards - Everything You Need to Know ↗
Official information · ether.fi Cash Core ↗
Catalog dated 7 Sep 2026 · supplemental facts checked 8 Sep 2026
Official terms reviewed · 2026-09-21
The review date applies to the fields below. Check the source for regional and tier differences and later changes.
- ATM
- Core, Luxe and Pinnacle: $500 per withdrawal, at most 3 in a rolling 24 hours ($1,500). VIP differs. This source does not state an ATM fee.
- FX
- Base FX approximately 1%, plus Core 0–0.5% or Luxe 0–0.25%; no added margin for Pinnacle/VIP. Separate EUR terms apply.
