Stablecoins are useful for moving dollar-denominated value on public blockchains, but most shops do not accept them directly. A crypto card provides the missing payment layer: you load supported stablecoins, the card programme accounts for the balance, and a card-network transaction reaches the merchant in local currency.
That convenience does not make a card anonymous or self-custodial. Card payments involve an issuer, custodians, payment networks and merchants. A privacy-focused service can minimise the information it collects, but it still has to operate within those systems.
Stablecoins are not risk-free dollars
USDT and USDC aim to track the US dollar, but each is an issuer-backed token rather than cash in a bank account. Reserve quality, redemption access, smart-contract controls and the blockchain used all matter. Circle publishes information about USDC reserves and third-party assurance; Tether provides its own reserve transparency and supported-protocol documentation.
Transactions are also public on the supported blockchains. A card can reduce the personal information collected during onboarding; it cannot erase an on-chain transfer or eliminate issuer and custody risk.
How the card flow works
- Choose Virtual Card Basic, Virtual Card Plus or Physical Card Plus.
- Send supported USDT or USDC from a compatible wallet and network.
- Wait for the card balance to update, then pay through the card network.
- Keep long-term holdings in a wallet whose keys you control and load only an appropriate spending amount.
Once funds are loaded, they are held by Agora’s licensed and regulated custodian partners. They are no longer under the user’s sole key control. This separation is important: self-custody is appropriate for long-term holdings, while the funded card balance introduces counterparty risk in exchange for payment convenience. See our custody-model guide for a fuller explanation.
Virtual and physical cards
Virtual Card Basic costs $90, includes $10 of card credit, and is valid for three years or $1 million in spending, whichever comes first. It supports online and in-person mobile-wallet spending, subject to the wallet provider’s country, device and issuer requirements. Apple and Google both explain that eligibility depends on participating issuers and regions: review Apple Pay availability and Google Wallet supported payment methods. The virtual card cannot be used at ATMs.
Virtual Card Plus costs $100, also includes $10 of card credit, and offers everything in Basic with higher limits. It is valid for four years with no spending-based expiry and, like Basic, cannot be used at ATMs.
Physical Card Plus costs $550 and is valid for four years. It supports card-present purchases and ATM withdrawals. Delivery is advertised as 48–72 hours through EU and US warehouses; destination and courier conditions can affect actual arrival time.
Virtual Card Basic has spending limits of $20,000 per transaction, $240,000 per day and $900,000 per month. Virtual Card Plus and Physical Card Plus have limits of $60,000 per transaction and $900,000 per day, with no monthly limit. Physical Card Plus ATM limits are $3,000 per day and $80,000 per month.
Understand the cost before loading
The top-up fee is 2% on Virtual Card Basic and 2.5% on Virtual Card Plus and Physical Card Plus. Purchases cost $0.35 + 1.5% on the virtual cards or $0.10 + 1.5% on Physical Card Plus. Foreign exchange adds 1.5% when applicable, and Physical Card Plus ATM withdrawals cost 2%. Blockchain network fees and ATM-operator surcharges may be separate. The current schedule is available in the pricing section.
Availability and prohibited uses
Acceptance means locations where the relevant major card network is supported, not every terminal or every transaction. Merchant settings, offline terminals, regional restrictions and compliance controls can still produce declines. Unsupported regions are listed on the service-restrictions section. Virtual Card Plus and Physical Card Plus are also unavailable in Morocco, the United States, Bangladesh, India and Turkey, where Virtual Card Basic remains available.
The programme prohibits gambling, cryptocurrency purchases, sports betting, petrol, military supply, gaming credits, non-profit organizations and government agencies. Check this list before relying on the card for a particular payment.
What privacy means here
Agora’s stated approach is minimal data collection: only what is strictly necessary. That is narrower and more credible than claiming that card use leaves no records. Sensible privacy also includes securing your wallet, checking addresses and networks carefully, using unique passwords and keeping card balances proportionate to near-term spending.
A privacy-focused crypto card is therefore a practical conversion and payment tool, not a replacement for self-custody or a guarantee of anonymity. Used with those limits in mind, it can connect stablecoin holdings to everyday commerce without requiring users to place their entire portfolio on a spending platform.