- >Best Crypto Credit Cards
- >Crypto.com Visa vs Plutus Debit
Crypto.com Visa Overview
The Crypto.com Visa is a prepaid debit card that allows you to spend your cryptocurrency holdings anywhere that accepts Visa. It can be funded with a variety of fiat and digital assets, and rewards can be used anywhere inside or outside the Crypto.com ecosystem.
- Up to 8% crypto cashback on all purchases
- Huge amount of available perks, including free Netflix, Spotify and Airport Lounge access
- Unique CRO staking model offers five different tiers of cards
- High-quality premium metal cards
Pros & Cons
Pros
Multiple funding options and a variety of fiat accepted
Rebates on subscriptions
Great ecosystem to use rewards in
Deposit and withdraw a variety of digital assets
Cons
High barrier to entry for 3% cash back
Perks have been reduced
Plutus Debit Overview
The Plutus Visa is a prepaid debit card that lets you earn crypto cash back on all your purchases, but it can only be funded with fiat. Rewards range from 3-8% per year and you can also get a variety of rebates on subscriptions you use the card for.
- Very competitive 3% cashback on most transactions
- Non-custodial wallet for cashback rewards
- Additional rewards program called Plutus Perks
- Currently only available to Europeans
Pros and Cons
Pros
Free option gives 3% back
Rebates on subscriptions
Can be used anywhere Visa is accepted
Cons
Not available in US
Bank transfer is only funding method and only GBP/EUR
Can’t withdraw crypto
Eligibility Requirements
In terms of eligibility, the Plutus Visa debit is more accessible. While you can get a free version of the Crypto.com Visa debit, it gives you no rewards. The free Plutus plan still gives you 3% back though it’s capped at 250 EUR in purchases.
Even the most expensive per month plan for Plutus would still cost less on a yearly basis than the second tier for Crypto.com.
Sign-up Process
Getting an account up and running for either option is fairly easy.
For Crypto.com, you need to download the app, create an account, and verify your identity. Once your identity is verified, you can order your card directly from the app.
The process is essentially identical for Plutus, with the added caveat that it’s only available in the EU and UK.
Rewards & Perks
At face value, the rewards and perks of Plutus are much better than on Crypto.com. You get 3% cashback at a minimum, with up to 8% back for the highest tier. In contrast, with Crypto.com, you get 0% back at their lowest tier, and to get 3% back you need to lock up $50k USD in CRO.
The only real advantage that Crypto.com’s card has over Plutus is that their ecosystem is much better. You can swap your rewards for all supported assets, withdraw them to an external wallet, and more. The Plutus rewards can only be swapped for ETH or cash, and crypto can’t be withdrawn from the platform.
Pricing & Fees
Both cards are very similar in terms of fees. The minimum fee you’ll have to pay for the Crypto.com card to receive rewards is $50 USD per year, while the minimum fee for Plutus is $0.
At the top end, you need to lock up $500k USD in CRO for 5% cash back with the Crypto.com Visa, while you need to lock up 2,600 PLU (approx $13k USD) for 8% cash back.
Overall, Plutus has lower fees but has less functionality.
Funding Options
Crypto.com is the clear winner when comparing funding options for these two Visa debit cards. You can fund the Crypto.com card with seven different fiat currencies, along with converting any supported crypto asset on the platform (100+).
Conversely, you can only fund the Plutus card with your bank account and only in GBP and EUR. You can’t even fund the account with ETH despite them allowing you to buy and sell ETH on the platform.
Optional Cryptocurrencies
Rewards for both cards are solely paid out in the platform’s native digital asset. This means you can only get rewards in Cronos (CRO) using the Crypto.com card, and only in Pluton (PLU) for the Plutus card.
Standout Features
The standout feature for both cards is the same: subscription rebates. With both the Crypto.com and Plutus Visa debit cards, you can get rebates on subscriptions to things like Netflix, Spotify, and more.
However, it’s far easier to access these perks using the Plutus card (you get 1 rebate even with the free plan), than the Crypto.com one (for any rebates past 6 months you must be staking $50k USD in CRO).
Verdict: Crypto.com Barely Edges Out Plutus
Realistically, the Crypto.com Visa debit has a much higher barrier to entry than the Plutus one, especially when you look at cash back and subscription rebate tiers. However, because you have far more flexibility in terms of funding options, being able to swap your rewards for any other supported asset, and being able to withdraw your crypto, the Crypto.com card edges out the Plutus one.
If Plutus were to allow more funding options, or crypto withdrawals, it would likely win this battle, but the fact that you have to deposit and withdraw in fiat with no alternative is a bit restrictive.