Crypto prepaid card UK options for spending in pounds

Choosing a crypto prepaid card in the UK has become a question of who is still open for business. Over the last few years several big names have pulled their UK cards or paused sign-ups, while others have kept going under FCA-authorised e-money firms. In October 2026 the main options for UK residents are Crypto.com, Nexo and Wirex, plus Revolut’s ability to spend crypto from its standard card. This guide explains how each one works in pounds, what the FCA does and does not regulate today, and how HMRC treats a purchase paid for with tokens.

We draw a clear line between four kinds of statement. An official rule is law or HMRC guidance. A regulator position is an FCA policy statement or press release. A provider rule is a company’s own terms, which can change without notice. Market practice covers what reviewers and the wider market report. In the UK the gap between these matters, because a crypto firm can be FCA-registered without being FCA-authorised.

Crypto cards UK residents can get

Crypto.com (UK). In the UK, Crypto.com’s prepaid card is provided by ForisGFS UK Limited, which the company describes as an FCA-authorised e-money institution. Your card balance is safeguarded but, as Crypto.com points out, it is not covered by the FSCS. The free Midnight Blue tier has no monthly fee. Higher tiers cost £3.99 or £24.99 a month, or a 12-month CRO stake from £400. Rewards run from 0% on the free tier to 4.5% in CRO on the top tier, each with a monthly spending cap. Our Crypto.com Card review has every tier.

Nexo Card. Nexo’s card is a Mastercard issued by DiPocket UAB and offered to residents of selected European countries, including the UK. It runs in two modes. In Debit Mode it spends your crypto, stablecoins or Nexo’s pound balance. In Credit Mode it borrows against your crypto through a credit line, with interest from 1.9% and no credit check. The FX fee for UK cardholders is 0.2% on weekdays and 0.7% at weekends. You get a virtual card once your balance reaches $50; the physical card needs a balance above $5,000 and the Gold loyalty tier. Cashback is paid only in Credit Mode, and only with a balance above $5,000. Read the Nexo Card review for the trade-offs.

Wirex. Wirex now sells a single plan, Wirex One, with up to 8% cashback in US dollars and “no subscription, no lock-up”. It advertises zero-fee FX and ATM withdrawals worldwide, subject to fair use, and lists Faster Payments as a top-up method. Wirex is a principal member of both Visa and Mastercard. Older reviews still describe paid Standard, Premium and Elite plans with WXT token rewards. Those details conflict with Wirex’s current page, so treat them as out of date. See our Wirex review.

Revolut, Coinbase, MetaMask and the rest

Several names that come up in searches for a crypto card in the UK work differently from the three above, or are not open to new UK customers. Revolut is the biggest of them. It is not a crypto card product as such: you link your ordinary Revolut card to a crypto balance, and Revolut sells the crypto at the real-time rate when the payment completes. Its UK help article says there are no exchange fees on crypto card transactions, but plan “fair usage” fees may apply. It also lists limits of 100 exchanges in 24 hours, £3,000 of ATM withdrawals in 24 hours and £100,000 per transaction.

The Coinbase Card launched in the UK in 2019. Coinbase’s official card page now says it is for US customers only, so the UK version is no longer offered, although we could not confirm the exact closing date. MetaMask lists the UK as a supported country but says US and UK sign-ups are temporarily closed. Gnosis Pay, whose card is issued by Monavate (an FCA e-money institution, FRN 901097), announced on 7 September 2026 that it is winding down its direct-to-consumer service and moving users to partner apps such as Rebind. MoonPay’s MoonAgents virtual Mastercard is live in the UK, but it is built for developers and AI agents, and fees are not disclosed. The Bitget Wallet Card also lists the UK. For a full picture of self-custody options, see our self-custody cards guide.

Cash and ATM allowances

Free ATM allowances are one of the clearest ways to compare UK cards, because both Crypto.com and Nexo publish them in pounds. After the free amount, both charge 2%, and Nexo sets a £1.99 minimum. Wirex advertises zero-fee ATM withdrawals under a fair-use policy but does not publish a pound figure, so it is not in the chart.

A worked example: you withdraw £500 in one month on Crypto.com’s free tier. The first £180 is free, and 2% on the remaining £320 costs £6.40. On Nexo’s Base tier the result is the same, £6.40. On Nexo Gold the whole £500 is free. Rewards tiers rarely move the needle that much, so if you use cash often, pick the tier around the allowance. Our ATM withdrawal guide covers operator surcharges too.

Faster Payments and topping up in pounds

Faster Payments is the UK’s instant bank transfer system, and it is the cheapest way to move pounds into most crypto apps. Wirex lists it next to SEPA and ACH on its official page. Once your pounds are in the app, you can buy crypto or, with a prepaid card like Crypto.com, load the card balance directly. On its European card pages Crypto.com says you can top up from your crypto wallet, a fiat cash account or another debit or credit card. Crypto is converted to fiat when you load it, so the card never holds crypto itself.

The order of steps matters for tax and fees. If you send £300 by Faster Payments and spend it straight from a pound balance, no crypto is sold. If you sell £300 of ether to fund the card, that sale is a disposal. For a wider look at rails and their costs, read how to load a crypto prepaid card.

FCA registration, financial promotions and the 2027 regime

Registration today (official rule). Crypto firms operating in the UK currently need FCA registration under the Money Laundering Regulations. That registration covers anti-money-laundering controls. It is not the full authorisation a bank or investment firm holds, and until the new regime starts, FCA oversight of crypto firms is limited to financial promotions and anti-money laundering.

Financial promotions (official rule). Since October 2023, promotions of cryptoassets to UK consumers have been inside the FCA’s financial promotions regime. Firms must show risk warnings, give first-time investors a 24-hour cooling-off period, and may not offer refer-a-friend bonuses. This is why many crypto ads you see in the UK carry long warnings, and why some firms state that their marketing is not aimed at UK users.

The new regime (regulator position, then official rule). The FCA published its final rules for a full crypto authorisation regime on 30 June 2026, in policy statements PS26/9, PS26/11 and PS26/12. The authorisation gateway opened on 30 September 2026 and closes on 28 February 2027. The regime itself starts on 25 October 2027. After that date, crypto firms serving UK customers will need FCA authorisation rather than just registration.

Card issuers (provider rule plus official rule). The card itself is a separate regulated product. Crypto.com’s UK card is provided by an FCA-authorised e-money institution, and Gnosis Pay’s cards were issued by Monavate under an FCA e-money licence. E-money balances are safeguarded rather than covered by the FSCS. Crypto held in the exchange app is a different matter: it is a claim on the crypto firm. Our safety guide explains what that means if a firm fails.

HMRC tax on crypto card spending

HMRC’s Cryptoassets Manual is the official reference. Section CRYPTO22100 says that using tokens to pay for goods or services is a disposal for Capital Gains Tax. Each time a card sells crypto for you, you compare the pound value at that moment with what the tokens cost. Here is a simple case. You bought £500 of ether, and it is worth £800 when you spend it through Nexo in Debit Mode. That is a £300 gain on the disposal, before any annual exempt amount. HMRC’s manual explains how to work out the cost when you bought tokens at different times. We have not quoted the current annual exempt amount here, so check it on GOV.UK.

With Crypto.com’s prepaid card, the disposal happens when crypto is converted to load the card, not when you tap. With Revolut, Revolut’s own help article notes that paying with crypto is a disposal that may be taxable. Spending a pound balance loaded by bank transfer involves no crypto disposal at all.

Rewards follow other rules. Under CRYPTO21200, staking rewards are miscellaneous income valued in pounds when you receive them, and Capital Gains Tax applies when you later dispose of them. Under CRYPTO21250, an airdrop is subject to Income Tax only if you received it for a service, but CGT applies on disposal either way. We found no HMRC statement on card cashback paid in crypto, so record its pound value on receipt. Our crypto card tax guide compares HMRC with other tax authorities.

How to choose a UK crypto card

Check who issues the card. Look for a named e-money institution or bank. All three main cards here name theirs: ForisGFS UK, DiPocket UAB and Wirex itself as a network principal member.

Check who holds your crypto. With all three, the exchange holds your coins until you spend them. If self-custody matters to you, MetaMask is the obvious choice once UK sign-ups reopen. Until then, compare the options in our self-custody guide.

Plan for 2027. When the FCA regime starts on 25 October 2027, some providers may change their UK products or stop offering them. We log closures and launches on our news page. If you spend a lot in euros, the Europe guide covers MiCA-licensed cards, and the countries map lists every market we cover.

Frequently asked questions

Sources and official pages

1. Crypto.com — UK card page (ForisGFS UK Limited)
2. Nexo — Nexo Card (issued by DiPocket UAB)
3. Wirex — personal account and card (Wirex One)
4. Revolut Help — fees for crypto transactions using a Revolut card (UK)
5. FCA — FCA opens gateway for regulated crypto firms
6. FCA — How the cryptoasset authorisation gateway will operate
7. HMRC Cryptoassets Manual — CRYPTO22100, tokens exchanged for goods or services
8. HMRC Cryptoassets Manual — CRYPTO21200, staking

Ready when you are

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Buy Bitcoin, Ether or stablecoins with a bank card, Apple Pay or bank transfer, then move them to the card or wallet you choose.

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Check availability in your country before signing up.The exchange linked here states that its promotional content is not intended for UK users. UK residents should check the FCA register and use a firm that can lawfully market to them.

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