Best Crypto Cards in Spain 2026

Best Crypto Cards in Spain 2026

The Spanish tax authority (Hacienda) treats every crypto card transaction as a taxable event. When you buy a café con leche in Madrid with Bitcoin, you technically trigger a capital gain or loss that must be calculated against your original purchase price. Despite this administrative friction, the crypto card market in Spain has matured significantly by February 2026.

We are seeing a technical shift away from prepaid debit cards that require manual top-ups. The new standard is "on-chain spending." Cards like Gnosis Pay and Ether.Fi now connect directly to self-custody wallets or DeFi protocols. This means your assets remain in your control (and often earning yield) until the exact second of purchase.

For Spanish users, this distinction is critical. While banks like BBVA and Santander have integrated crypto services, the real utility comes from cards that bypass the banking layer entirely while utilizing Spain’s robust SEPA Instant infrastructure for funding.

Here is how the top 5 crypto cards compare for Spanish residents in 2026.

For a full list of crypto cards available in Spain, see our Spain crypto cards page.

At-a-Glance Comparison

The following table breaks down the fee structures and rewards for the cards analyzed in this roundup.

Card	Tiers Compared	Cashback	Annual Fee	FX Fee	Staking
Ether.Fi Cash Card	Core, Luxe, Pinnacle	3% (wETH)	Free	1%	None to ~$50,000
Ready Card	Lite Card, Metal Card	0.5-3% (STRK)	Free	0%	None
Kolo Card	Standard	2% (BTC)	Free	0%	None
PAYY Card	Virtual PAYY Card, Virtual PAYY Card	None	Free	1%	None
Gnosis Pay Card	Base Card, Tier 2, Tier 4	0-4% (GNO)	Free	0%	None to ~$13,000

Ether.Fi Cash Card Review: Spending Against Collateral

Verdict: The best option for ETH holders who want to spend liquidity without selling their principal asset.

The Ether.Fi Cash Card operates on a "borrow-on-swipe" model that is particularly interesting for Spanish tax residents. Instead of selling your crypto to fund a purchase (a taxable disposal), the card can borrow against your yield-bearing collateral like eETH. While you should consult a Spanish tax advisor, borrowing against assets generally does not trigger a capital gains event in the same way a direct sale does.

Technical & Rewards Analysis
The card runs on the Scroll L2 network using gasless transactions. This infrastructure allows you to keep assets in a non-custodial Gnosis Safe wallet. The rewards rate is aggressive. Even the free "Core" tier offers 3% cashback in wETH without any staking requirement. This 3% return significantly outperforms traditional Spanish bank cards.

Risks and Downsides
The borrowing model introduces liquidation risk. If the value of your collateral drops significantly during a market downturn, the protocol may automatically sell your assets to cover the debt. This would trigger both a financial loss and a taxable event in Spain. Additionally, the 1% FX fee applies to non-USD purchases. Since the card is USD-denominated, spending in Euros at a Mercadona or Zara will trigger this 1% fee on every transaction.

Best for: Ethereum investors who understand debt management and want to avoid taxable sales.

Ready Card Review: Self-Custody with High Limits

Verdict: A strong choice for stablecoin users who prioritize self-custody over banking integration.

The Ready Card (formerly associated with Argent) uses account abstraction to keep funds in your wallet until the moment of purchase. For Spanish users, this card is strictly a USDC spending tool. Spending stablecoins in Spain simplifies tax reporting significantly. Since USDC tracks the dollar, the capital gain or loss against the Euro is usually minimal compared to spending volatile assets like Bitcoin.

Technical & Rewards Analysis
The "Metal Card" tier offers 3% cashback in STRK tokens. While STRK is volatile, the 3% rate is competitive. The card also features "boost hours" where rewards can jump to 6%. However, the Metal tier requires a 120 USDC annual fee paid upfront. You need to spend at least $4,000 annually just to break even on the fee. The "Lite" card is free but drops rewards to 0.5%.

Risks and Downsides
The card only supports USDC and USDC.e. You cannot spend ETH or BTC directly. This forces you to swap assets before spending, which is a taxable event in Spain. The 120 USDC fee for the Metal card is non-refundable. If you cancel after three months, you do not get a pro-rated refund.

Best for: High-volume spenders who keep their liquidity in stablecoins.

Kolo Card Review: Global Reach and Memecoins

Verdict: A flexible traveler's card that supports direct spending of niche assets.

Kolo distinguishes itself with its "Memepay" feature. It allows direct spending of memecoins like PEPE without manual swapping. For a user in Spain holding speculative assets, this removes the friction of going through an exchange to cash out. The card offers a flat 2% cashback in BTC, which is a solid return paid in a hard asset rather than a volatile platform token.

Technical & Rewards Analysis
The card uses a hybrid custody model. You retain legal title, but assets sit in omnibus addresses. Kolo uses an AI routing engine to find optimal swap rates at the point of sale. This is useful for avoiding hidden spread fees that often plague crypto cards. The lack of FX fees makes it a good option for Spanish residents traveling outside the Eurozone.

Risks and Downsides
Regulatory uncertainty is the primary concern here. The card operates under a "testing regulatory regime" with a pending FinTech Lab license. In the strict regulatory environment of Spain and the EU, this status is precarious. Kolo reserves the right to reduce spending limits to $0 without notice. This makes it unreliable as a primary daily driver for essential expenses like rent or groceries.

Best for: Users with high risk tolerance who want to spend alternative assets directly.

PAYY Card Review: Privacy and Zero-Knowledge Proofs

Verdict: A niche tool for users who value on-chain privacy above financial rewards.

PAYY focuses entirely on privacy. It operates on a custom blockchain using zero-knowledge proofs to shield transaction amounts and balances from public view. In Spain, where the "Modelo 721" form requires reporting foreign assets over €50,000, this card offers technical privacy, though it does not exempt you from legal reporting obligations.

Technical & Rewards Analysis
This card offers zero cashback. You pay a 1% FX fee on Euro transactions. Financially, it is the weakest card in this lineup. The value proposition is entirely in its self-custodial, private architecture. The onboarding is fast and requires no email, generating a wallet locally on your device.

Risks and Downsides
The physical card is contactless-only. It lacks a chip or magnetic stripe. While contactless payments are standard in major Spanish cities, older terminals in rural areas may not accept it. The lack of rewards makes it hard to justify for daily spending compared to competitors offering 3-4% returns. Furthermore, losing your recovery phrase means total loss of funds, as there is no central custodian to reset your access.

Best for: Privacy advocates who are willing to pay a premium for data protection.

Gnosis Pay Card Review: The DeFi Bank Replacement

Verdict: The most robust technical solution for European residents.

Gnosis Pay is the only card in this list that feels like a genuine bank replacement for a Spanish user. It provides a personal IBAN connected directly to your self-custodial Safe wallet. You can have your salary paid via SEPA transfer directly onto the blockchain. For a user in Spain, this integration with the Euro banking system is unmatched.

Technical & Rewards Analysis
The card spends EURe (a Euro stablecoin) directly. This means zero FX fees for purchases in Spain. The base card has no monthly fee. To earn cashback, you must lock up GNO tokens. Tier 2 requires 1 GNO ($150) for 2% cashback, while Tier 4 requires 100 GNO ($13,000) for 4% cashback. The rewards are paid in GNO.

Risks and Downsides
The card is currently limited to specific stablecoins (EURe, GBPe, USDCe) on the Gnosis Chain. You cannot spend mainnet ETH or BTC without bridging and swapping first. The setup process is more technical than a standard bank account, requiring familiarity with wallet interactions. While the IBAN feature is powerful, it relies on a partner (Monerium), adding a layer of third-party dependency.

Best for: DeFi natives in Spain who want to exit the traditional banking system completely.

Category Winners

Best No-Staking Option: Ether.Fi Cash Card
The Core tier offers 3% cashback without requiring you to lock up thousands of dollars in volatile tokens. Most competitors require significant capital commitments to reach this reward level.

Best Overall Value: Gnosis Pay (Tier 2)
With a low entry requirement of just 1 GNO (~$150), you unlock 2% cashback. Combined with zero FX fees on Euro spending and seamless SEPA integration, this offers the highest practical utility for a Spanish resident.

Best for High Net Worth: Ether.Fi (Pinnacle)
If you have ~$50,000 to stake in ETHFI, the benefits scale well. However, the real value for high-net-worth individuals is the ability to borrow against a large collateral stack, preserving capital efficiency while maintaining liquidity.

Best for Privacy: PAYY
It is the only option that actively shields your on-chain footprint. If your priority is minimizing data exposure rather than earning rewards, this is the only viable choice.

Final Verdict

The market has bifurcated into two distinct approaches. On one side, Gnosis Pay and Ether.Fi are building financial infrastructure that replaces banks with smart contracts. On the other, Ready and Kolo are refining the spending experience for specific user niches (stablecoins and travelers).

For the average crypto-native user in Spain, Gnosis Pay is the superior choice in 2026. The ability to receive SEPA transfers via IBAN and spend EURe without conversion fees aligns perfectly with the local banking environment. It solves the "off-ramp" problem by making the off-ramp unnecessary.

However, users must remain vigilant about tax compliance. The efficiency of these cards does not negate the obligation to report capital gains to Hacienda. With the implementation of DAC8 and Modelo 172 reporting, visibility into these transactions is higher than ever.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to pay tax every time I use my crypto card in Spain?
Yes. Spanish tax law treats spending crypto as a disposal of assets. You must calculate the capital gain or loss on every transaction based on the difference between your acquisition cost and the value at the time of spending.

Will the Spanish government know about my crypto card activity?
Likely yes. Spain enforces strict reporting rules (Modelo 172 and 173) that require service providers to report user balances and transactions. Additionally, EU-wide DAC8 regulations ensure data sharing between member states and tax authorities.

Can I use Bizum to top up these crypto cards?
Generally, no. Bizum is a Spanish banking standard that most international crypto card providers do not support directly. You will typically need to use SEPA Instant transfers to fund your account, which is supported by most major Spanish banks.

Which crypto card has the highest cashback without staking?
The Ether.Fi Cash Card currently offers the highest non-staking return with 3% cashback on its free Core tier. Most other cards require holding specific tokens to achieve rates above 1%.

Are these cards safe to use?
Cards like Gnosis Pay, Ready, and Ether.Fi use self-custodial or non-custodial models, meaning you retain control of your assets until you spend them. This protects you from the risk of an exchange platform going bankrupt, which is a significant safety upgrade over traditional custodial crypto cards.