Short answer: Tria Card (Max plan) is first in every market we cover: $93.60 a month in the US and $60.83 elsewhere, on our standard traveller profile. Below it the top 5 changes. Second is Lava in the US, Ethena Pay in the UAE, MEXC in the UK and the Netherlands, and Pelikan × ether.fi in Germany, France, Spain and Italy. The US ranks 13 cards; Germany ranks 19.
A card can be second in one country and missing in the next. We ran one traveller through one formula in eight countries. Every figure comes from the site's cards.json build of 25 October 2026.
How do we rank travel cards by country?
We rank on dollars kept per month after plan fees, FX, spending fees and token locks, with one formula for every card, Pelikan's own included.
The profile is fixed: $1,500 a month on the card at home, four trips a year at $800 each in a local currency, and six flights at $450. That is about $1,992 a month. Only the country of residence changes, and with it the home currency and the cards on offer. Figures are cash only, and the engine picks the plan that pays most for each card.
Which travel card keeps the most in each country?
| Market | Cards ranked | Keep less than zero | #1 card | Kept a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 13 | 5 | Tria Card (Max) | $93.60 |
| United Kingdom | 16 | 9 | Tria Card (Max) | $60.83 |
| United Arab Emirates | 16 | 8 | Tria Card (Max) | $60.83 |
| Germany, France, Spain, Italy | 19 | 10 | Tria Card (Max) | $60.83 |
| Netherlands | 17 | 10 | Tria Card (Max) | $60.83 |
Tria Card is first in all 12 countries the site ranks. Its Max (Metal) plan costs $250 a year and pays 6% on the first $2,000 a month. Outside the US, half or more of the ranked cards keep less than zero.
Which travel card keeps the most in the US?
| # | Card | Plan | Kept a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tria Card | Max (Metal) | $93.60 |
| 2 | Lava Card | Cashback | $59.75 |
| 3 | ether.fi Cash | Core (free) | $54.95 |
| 4 | Jupiter Card | Standard | $36.37 |
| 5 | Infini | Pro | $36.37 |
Tria charges no FX on dollars, so only trip spending pays its abroad cost of about 1.9%: $5.07 a month, against $37.84 for a euro-area resident (our arithmetic). ether.fi Cash also settles dollars at 0%. Lava pays US users a higher 3% rate; elsewhere its real rate is 1%.
Which travel card keeps the most in the UK?
| # | Card | Plan | Kept a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tria Card | Max (Metal) | $60.83 |
| 2 | MEXC Card | Standard | $33.86 |
| 3 | Pelikan × ether.fi | Core (free) | $30.65 |
| 4 | ether.fi Cash | Core (free) | $23.90 |
| 5 | Lava Card | Cashback | $19.92 |
Pounds do not settle free on Tria or the ether.fi-based cards, so they pay FX on every purchase, the weekly shop included. On ether.fi Core that is $35.85 a month (our arithmetic).
Pelikan × ether.fi is Pelikan's own card, ranked by the same formula. Its $6.75 lead over ether.fi Cash, here and in the euro area, is Pelikan's extra 3% on flights. It counts only on flights booked with Pelikan.
Which travel card keeps the most in the UAE?
| # | Card | Plan | Kept a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tria Card | Max (Metal) | $60.83 |
| 2 | Ethena Pay | Standard (free) | $53.78 |
| 3 | MEXC Card | Standard | $33.86 |
| 4 | ether.fi Cash | Core (free) | $23.90 |
| 5 | Lava Card | Cashback | $19.92 |
Of the 12 countries, Ethena Pay is ranked only here. Its free Standard plan pays 4% on the first $2,500 a month, the same top band as MEXC Standard. The $19.92 gap between them is MEXC's 1% spending fee (our arithmetic). Ethena Pay pays cashback in AVAX, whose dollar value moves, and the site lists it as beta.
Dirhams, like pounds, do not settle free on Tria or ether.fi Cash, so both keep their UK amounts.
Which travel card keeps the most in the euro area?
Germany, France, Spain and Italy share one list: the same 19 cards, order, plans and amounts.
| # | Card | Plan | Kept a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tria Card | Max (Metal) | $60.83 |
| 2 | Pelikan × ether.fi | Luxe, $199/yr | $45.78 |
| 3 | ether.fi Cash | Luxe, $199/yr | $39.03 |
| 4 | MEXC Card | Standard | $33.86 |
| 5 | Lava Card | Cashback | $19.92 |
Euros settle at 0% on both ether.fi-based cards, so their FX covers trip spending only. Tria settles in dollars, so a euro-area resident pays its FX on almost every purchase. The euro-area example, line by line shows the full workings.
Is the Netherlands ranking different?
Yes. The Dutch list has 17 cards: neither ether.fi Cash nor Pelikan × ether.fi has a Netherlands rank in this build. All other amounts match Germany to the cent.
| # | Card | Plan | Kept a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tria Card | Max (Metal) | $60.83 |
| 2 | MEXC Card | Standard | $33.86 |
| 3 | Lava Card | Cashback | $19.92 |
| 4 | Bleap | Standard | $16.45 |
| 5 | Infini | Pro | $13.94 |
Why does the top 5 change from country to country?
- Which cards are on offer. A card joins a country's list only where it is available. MEXC is missing from the US list. Pelikan × ether.fi covers 34 countries and has no rank in the US, the UAE or the Netherlands.
- Whether your home currency settles free. On this profile, $1,500 of the $1,992 a month is spent at home. Tria settles dollars free; the ether.fi-based cards settle dollars and euros. Pounds and dirhams are free on neither.
- Which plan pays most. Both ether.fi-based cards use the $199 Luxe plan in the euro area and free Core elsewhere. On Core, euro spending earns 3% only on the first ~$800 a month, so Luxe comes out ahead there.
- Local reward rates. Lava's higher US rate triples what it keeps, from $19.92 to $59.75.
How do I run the ranking on my own numbers?
Pick your country in the travel card calculator and enter your own spending, trips and flights. Each page in the card directory lists that card's rank country by country. Frequent travellers should also check the frequent-traveller ranking; for no annual fee, see the free-plan ranking.
What could change these rankings?
Card programmes change. MEXC added a 1% spending fee on 1 October 2026, and Gnosis Pay ended its cashback programme on 30 September 2026. Token rewards such as ETHFI or AVAX also move with the market.
FAQ
What is the best travel card by country? On our standard traveller profile, Tria Card (Max) keeps the most in all eight countries covered here: $93.60 a month in the US and $60.83 in the rest. Second place changes by country.
Is the ranking the same across the euro area? Germany, France, Spain and Italy share one list of 19 cards. The Netherlands has 17, without the two ether.fi-based cards.
Is Pelikan × ether.fi available in the US or the UAE? Not in this data: the site marks it "not available or filtered" there and in the Netherlands. It ranks second in Germany, France, Spain and Italy, and third in the UK.
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
- What changed in crypto card fees in 2026, and what it costs you
- Best cashback card for travel (2026): ranked by what you keep in the US, UK, UAE and euro area
- Best card for booking flights (2026): who pays extra on airfare, and when it counts
- Best travel debit card (2026): cashback vs FX, ranked
- Best cashback card for digital nomads (2026): home currency picks the winner
