Short answer: Three changes in 2026 moved what crypto cards keep. Tria added a 0.5% fee on purchases outside US dollars from 15 May. MEXC added a 1% spending fee on every purchase from 1 October. Gnosis Pay ended its cashback on 30 September. On our standard profile, the MEXC fee costs $19.92 a month and the Tria fee $9.96 outside the US.
We rank every card on what it keeps a month in US dollars, after plan fees, FX, spending fees and the cost of locked tokens. The formula is the same for every card, including Pelikan's own. Figures here come from the cards.json build of 25 October 2026. The "before" amounts are our arithmetic, not engine runs.
Which crypto card fees changed in 2026?
| Card | Change | From | Cost a month, standard profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tria Card | 0.5% fee on non-USD purchases | 15 May 2026 | $9.96 outside the US, $1.33 in the US |
| MEXC Card | 1% spending fee on every purchase | 1 October 2026 | $19.92 |
| Gnosis Pay | Cashback programme ended | 30 September 2026 | Card now listed as closed |
| ether.fi Cash | Cashback now paid in ETHFI, previously USDC | Not dated | No fee, but the value moves |
The standard profile is $1,500 a month at home, four trips a year at $800 in a local currency and six flights a year at $450: about $1,992 a month through the card. Each fee cost in the table is our arithmetic on that profile.
What did Tria change, and what does it cost?
Since 15 May 2026, Tria charges 0.5% on purchases outside US dollars. Cashbackpacker's measured FX for Tria is now 1.93% over the real rate: 1% Visa FX fee, 0.5% Tria fee and Visa's own rate. That median comes from 335 non-USD purchases between 15 May and 30 September 2026. Dollar purchases carry no fee.
Who pays depends on your home currency. A euro, pound or dirham resident pays it on almost every purchase, including at home. By our arithmetic that is $9.96 a month on the standard profile. A US resident pays it only on trip spending abroad, about $1.33 a month.
Tria still comes first in all 12 countries we rank: $60.83 a month outside the US and $93.60 in the US. Without the new fee it would keep about $70.79 outside the US (our arithmetic). The Tria Card review covers the plans in full.
What did MEXC change, and what does it cost?
From 1 October 2026, MEXC charges a 1% spending fee on every purchase, in any currency. It adds no markup of its own to the Visa rate. The Standard plan still pays 4% on the first $2,500 a month, with a 100 USDT cap.
On the standard profile the lines are: cashback $79.67, FX $25.89 and spending fee $19.92, so MEXC keeps $33.86. Without the fee it would keep about $53.78 (our arithmetic). In Germany, France, Spain and Italy that would have placed it above Pelikan × ether.fi Luxe at $45.78. With the fee it ranks fourth there.
The fee grows with spending. On our frequent-traveller profile ($4,000 a month), it is $40.00 a month and MEXC keeps $8.00. By our arithmetic, MEXC Standard keeps less than zero from about $4,350 a month of non-dollar spending. The MEXC Card page lists its plans and ranks.
How do the two new fees compare per $1,000?
- MEXC: $10.00 on every $1,000 you spend, in any currency.
- Tria: $5.00 on every $1,000 spent outside US dollars, and nothing on dollars.
- Both on top of FX. MEXC also pays about 1.3% FX on non-dollar purchases in our model. Tria's 0.5% is part of its 1.93% measured figure, not added to it.
The two fees sit differently in a ranking. In the UAE, Ethena Pay and MEXC Standard earn the same $79.67 cashback and pay the same $25.89 FX. Ethena Pay keeps $53.78 and MEXC $33.86. The whole $19.92 gap is MEXC's fee (our arithmetic).
What happened to Gnosis Pay?
Gnosis Pay ended its cashback programme on 30 September 2026. Our data now lists the card as closed, available in no country, with a single plan named "No cashback". It is not ranked anywhere.
Did any card get cheaper?
None of the changes in our data lowered a cost. ether.fi Cash still has 0% FX on US dollars and euros, and its free Core plan still pays 3% on the first $2,000 a month. Its change was in the reward itself: cashback is now paid in ETHFI rather than USDC. ETHFI is a token whose price can rise or fall, so the dollar value of the same 3% moves with it.
Published fees and paid fees can also differ. Plasma One publishes 1.5% FX, but our measured figure is about 3.1%. That sample is only three purchases, so treat it as a warning sign, not a precise rate.
How do you check whether a fee change affects you?
- Find your home currency in the card's FX line. A fee on non-USD purchases is minor for a dollar resident and large for everyone else.
- Check whether the fee applies to every purchase. A per-purchase fee like MEXC's costs more as you spend more, and cashback caps do not cap it.
- Re-run your profile after any change. Open the travel cashback calculator, set your country of residence and switch "Count travel perks" off for a cash-only comparison.
- Look at the reward currency. USDT is designed to track the dollar. ETHFI is not.
Where do the rankings stand now?
| Where you live | #1 | #2 |
|---|---|---|
| Germany, France, Spain, Italy | Tria $60.83 | Pelikan × ether.fi $45.78 |
| United Kingdom | Tria $60.83 | MEXC $33.86 |
| United Arab Emirates | Tria $60.83 | Ethena Pay $53.78 |
| United States | Tria $93.60 | Lava $59.75 |
Pelikan × ether.fi is Pelikan's own card and is ranked by the same formula as every other card. Crypto cards are not bank deposits, and their fees and rewards can change.
FAQ
Which crypto card fees went up in 2026? Tria added a 0.5% fee on non-USD purchases from 15 May 2026, and MEXC added a 1% spending fee on every purchase from 1 October 2026. Gnosis Pay ended its cashback on 30 September 2026.
How much does MEXC's 1% spending fee cost? $19.92 a month on our standard profile of about $1,992 of card spending, and $40.00 on a $4,000 profile. It applies to every purchase, in any currency.
Does Tria's 0.5% fee apply in US dollars? No. Tria charges no fee on dollar purchases. A US resident pays it only on trips abroad, about $1.33 a month on our profile, against $9.96 for a non-dollar resident (our arithmetic).
Is Tria still the top card after its fee change? Yes. On our standard profile Tria Card (Max) is first in all 12 countries we rank, as of the 25 October 2026 data.
Rankings use one formula for every card, including ours; no card can pay for a place. Cashbackpacker is run by Pelikan, which also offers the Pelikan × ether.fi card. General information, not financial advice. Crypto cards are not bank deposits; rewards, fees and availability change.
Related guides
- Tria Card review (2026): 6% advertised, what you keep
- Cashback card monthly caps: what you keep in a big travel month
- ether.fi Cash card review (2026): what you keep in the US, UK, UAE and euro area
- Best travel debit card (2026): cashback vs FX, ranked
- Travel card ranking by country (2026): how the top 5 changes in the US, UK, UAE and the euro area
