Before mid-2023, BitPay cards were one of the ways Americans could spend Bitcoin at ordinary shops. The BitPay prepaid Mastercard let you load crypto through the BitPay app and spend dollars anywhere Mastercard was accepted. That programme ended in June 2023. This page explains what happened, how leftover balances were handled, why you can no longer load a BitPay card, and which cards fill the gap for US residents in October 2026. We keep closed cards on the site on purpose. People still search for them, and the story behind each closure helps you choose a safer card next time.
Status: closed since June 2023
The BitPay prepaid card is not available, and nothing has replaced it. When we checked on 7 October 2026, bitpay.com/card redirected to the BitPay app homepage with no card product on it. The old “BitPay Card transition” post on BitPay’s blog returned a not-found page. BitPay still runs its payment business and its app, but it doesn’t issue a card.
- BitPay prepaid Mastercard in use
A US prepaid Mastercard issued by Metropolitan Commercial Bank and loaded through the BitPay app.
- Last day to load
Loading the card ended, as reported at the time.
- Card stops working
Last day for purchases and ATM withdrawals. Remaining balances were refunded by cheque.
- Waitlist for a new card
BitPay promised a replacement through a waitlist. It has not launched.
- No card on bitpay.com
The card URL redirects to the app homepage and the transition post no longer loads.
What happened to the BitPay prepaid Mastercard
The BitPay prepaid Mastercard was issued by Metropolitan Commercial Bank, a US bank. BitPay ran the app and the crypto side. The bank held the card programme and the Mastercard licence. That split is normal: almost every crypto card works this way. It also means the crypto company doesn’t fully control its own card.
In 2023, reports said Metropolitan Commercial Bank was leaving the crypto sector. Once the issuer decided to exit, the BitPay card had no legal home. BitPay announced the end of the programme and set two cut-off dates: loading stopped on 1 June 2023, and spending and ATM withdrawals stopped on 15 June 2023. Our account of these details comes from secondary reporting, because BitPay’s own transition post is no longer online.
The episode is a clean example of what we call issuer risk. BitPay itself kept operating. Cardholders lost the card anyway, because a partner upstream changed its strategy. The same pattern ended the CEX.IO card in February 2026, when its card partner lost its authorisation in Poland. You can read that story in our CEX.IO card page.
Refunds and leftover balances
According to reports from the time, money left on BitPay cards after the shutdown was refunded to cardholders by cheque. We could not find the official refund notice, since the original blog post no longer loads. We also have no figures on how many refunds were issued or how long they took.
If you held a BitPay card and believe you never got your balance back, here is what we suggest. Gather whatever proof you have: old statements, app screenshots, emails from BitPay. Then contact BitPay through the support channel inside the official app or on bitpay.com. Don’t use phone numbers or “refund services” found in search ads. Unclaimed-refund scams often target closed products, because victims expect to be contacted. For a dormant US bank balance that may have been passed to a state, your state’s unclaimed property office is another place to check.
Can you still load a BitPay card?
No. Many people still search for how to load a BitPay card, often because an old card is in a drawer or an old guide is still ranking. Loading ended on 1 June 2023, and the cards stopped working on 15 June 2023. There is nothing to load, and an old card number won’t authorise a payment.
If what you really want is to put crypto on a card, the method today depends on the card you pick. Exchange cards usually spend straight from your exchange balance. True prepaid cards ask you to top up a separate card balance. Stablecoin cards take on-chain deposits. Our guide to loading a crypto prepaid card walks through each method with fees and timing.
A related question is whether BitPay lets you buy crypto with a prepaid card. BitPay’s buy feature routes you to partner on-ramps, and each partner has its own card rules. A 2023 BitPay blog post said some partners may accept certain prepaid or virtual debit cards while Ramp does not. That partner list may have changed since. Our page on exchanges that accept prepaid cards has the current official rules.
What BitPay offers now
BitPay is still very much in business, just not in cards. Its main product is crypto payment processing for merchants. For consumers, the BitPay app and browser extension let you buy gift cards for hundreds of brands, such as Uber, Home Depot and Hotels.com. You can pay with BTC, ETH, LTC, BCH, DOGE and other coins. That covers part of what the old card did: spending crypto at big US retailers.
BitPay’s gift card FAQ includes a question about extra fees. We could not read the answer when we checked, so we can’t confirm the cost. We also didn’t see a prepaid Visa or Mastercard gift card in the BitPay listing. If a general-purpose prepaid Visa is what you are after, a crypto marketplace such as Bitrefill sells one for US merchants.
Lessons from the BitPay card closure
The BitPay shutdown happened three years ago, but the lessons apply to every card on this site. First, check who issues the card, not just whose logo is on it. A named bank or e-money institution is a good sign. Still, it also tells you who can end the programme. Second, keep only spending money on a custodial or prefunded card. BitPay cardholders who kept small balances barely noticed the refund process. Those with larger balances waited for a cheque.
Third, have a backup card. Programmes end with weeks of notice, not months. Two weeks separated the last load and the last spend for BitPay cards. If your rent, subscriptions or travel depend on one crypto card, a second card from a different issuer is cheap insurance.
Our team still gets emails asking for the “new BitPay card”. Our advice is simple: stop waiting. More than three years after the card closed, no replacement has launched. Pick a card that works in your state today, keep the balance modest, and add a backup. If BitPay ever does relaunch, we will review it here.
Alternatives to the BitPay prepaid card
For US residents, four cards cover what the BitPay prepaid Mastercard used to do. The Coinbase Card is the closest match in spirit. It is a Visa prepaid debit card issued by Pathward, available in all US states except Hawaii, with no annual or spending fee from Coinbase. The Crypto.com prepaid Visa is also a true prepaid card with tiered rewards. It charges 3% FX on its lower tiers and, from September 2026, a $5.95 monthly inactivity fee after a year of no use. The Uphold debit card spends from 300+ assets with XRP rewards, but not in Louisiana, New York or the territories.
How do these compare with what BitPay offered? The old card’s main appeal was simple: load crypto from the BitPay wallet and spend dollars anywhere Mastercard worked. Each replacement does that with a different twist. Coinbase and Crypto.com sell your crypto inside their own apps, so you need an account there. Uphold lets you choose the funding asset at the moment of purchase. Bitrefill skips the account entirely: you pay crypto for a fixed-value Visa, but it is single-load and US-merchant-only. If you liked BitPay because you kept coins in your own wallet, a self-custody card is the closest idea. Our self-custody cards guide covers the options. Several of them are not open to new US sign-ups, so check before you plan around one.
Fees matter more than they did in 2023, because the gaps between cards have grown. On the Crypto.com US card, $1,000 of foreign spending on a lower tier costs $30 in FX. Uphold Essential charges $15 for the same amount, and Uphold Elite charges nothing on top. Our fee guide shows the full picture.
US replacements for the BitPay card
● yes ◐ partly / some regions ○ no
| Card | Type | Where | Issuer | Score | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coinbase Card | Prepaid | US only (not Hawaii) | Pathward, N.A. | 7.7 | Review Official site ↗ |
| Crypto.com Card | Prepaid | EEA, UK, US, Canada, Australia | Foris MT (EEA), ForisGFS UK, Foris GFS Australia, Digital Commerce Bank (CA) | 8.6 | Review Official site ↗ |
| Uphold Card | Debit | US (not LA, NY, territories) | n/d (USD at Cross River Bank) | 7.0 | Review Official site ↗ |
| Bitrefill Prepaid Visa | Gift card | US online merchants | Sutton Bank | 7.1 | Review Official site ↗ |
Outside the US the choice is wider. See our crypto prepaid Mastercard hub, the USA country guide for state-by-state notes, and the news tracker for other closures we have logged.
Frequently asked questions
Does the BitPay card still exist?
Why did BitPay stop its card?
What happened to money left on BitPay cards?
Will BitPay launch a new card?
What is the best replacement for the BitPay prepaid Mastercard?
Sources and official pages
- BitPay — official site (no card product listed)
- BitPay — gift cards
- CryptoSlate — BitPay Card review and shutdown details (secondary)
- Coinbase Card — official page
- Crypto.com — US prepaid Visa fees and limits
- Uphold — Debit Card
Load your card with crypto you own
Buy Bitcoin, Ether or stablecoins with a bank card, Apple Pay or bank transfer, then move them to the card or wallet you choose.
Open accountCheck availability in your country before signing up.The exchange linked here holds US state licences but not in every state (New York and California are not on its list). Supported states are shown at sign-up.
