Uphold crypto debit card review

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Quick stats: Pros and cons

Here’s an overview of Uphold’s major pros and cons.

Pros

• No foreign transaction fees
• 2% back in crypto rewards and 1% USD cash back on every purchase
• Choose the funding source you want on the app — either USD or crypto
• Available as both a virtual and plastic card with chip and PIN
• Accepts over 40 cryptocurrencies, 23 national currencies and precious metals

Cons

• Must join the waitlist, though it’s unclear when it’s available
• Conditions may change later in the year
• Charges a $2.50 fee for ATM withdrawals

What we think about the Uphold debit card

The Uphold card is best for crypto investors who want more control over how they spend their crypto. After you receive the physical card, you set up which funding source you want to use in the app. And unlike some other crypto debit cards, you can use the card to make purchases and withdraw cash from ATMs. But you’ll pay a fee for every ATM withdrawal you make.

But with no foreign transaction fees on purchases, Uphold may work well for travelers who need to access cash on the road. You can take out local money in more than 180 countries, and the card deducts the value from your crypto balance without any manual conversion into USD.

You’ll also earn rewards on every purchase: 1% cash back whenever you spend fiat and 2% in crypto rewards when you spend crypto. For example, if you spend Bitcoin, you’ll get 2% in Bitcoin back. This is a nice feature, as many companies pay back in their native tokens, not in the same cryptocurrency you’re spending. But it’s unclear if this same program will be available once the card launches later this year.

2 benefits of the Uphold card

1. No staking requirements. You don’t need to stake — or lock up — your assets or crypto for a specific time to start earning rewards.
2. Crypto rewards are in the same crypto you spend. While many crypto debit cards pay back rewards in native tokens, you get crypto rewards in the same form as you spend them. For example, 2% back in Bitcoin for spending Bitcoin.

2 drawbacks of the Uphold card

1. Brand new product. As a new card, it doesn’t have a track record or enough customer reviews to compare it with other cards.
2. Customer support is unresponsive. Unless you’re a current customer, it’s hard to get any information about the debit card, and you’ll need to wait days for a response.

How to apply for the Uphold debit card

Uphold debit card supports 9 cryptocurrencies

• Augur (REP)
• Basic Attention Token (BAT)
• Bitcoin (BTC)
• Bitcoin Cash (BCH)
• Dai (DAI)
• Ethereum (ETH)
• Litecoin (LTC)
• Stellar Lumens (XLM)
• 0x (ZRX)

Is Uphold safe to use?

As with all crypto banking products, your deposits with Uphold aren’t FDIC insured. This means that any deposits you have with Uphold aren’t as safe as they would be at a traditional bank.

Compare Uphold to other crypto debit cards

Use this table to compare other crypto debit cards by fees and features to find the right one for your needs.

Fees and exchange rates

Watch out for these fees when using the Uphold card:

	Type of fee	Amount
Card issuance fee	Domestic withdrawal fee.	International withdrawal fee
$9.95	$2.50	$3.00.

There are no fees to make purchases in the US and no foreign exchange fees. You can spend up to $5,000 per transaction, with a maximum of $10,000 per day. The maximum cash withdrawal is $500 per transaction, with a maximum withdrawal limit of $1,500 per day.

For example, if you were to pull $1,500 out of a US ATM, it would cost you $7.50 in fees — $2.50 x 3.

How do I deposit or withdraw my money?

While there’s not yet information available on how to withdraw funds, here’s is how to deposit funds into your Uphold debit card.

• Mobile app. Tap the transact icon at the bottom of the screen and follow the instructions to fund the card.
• Web wallet. In the right corner, select the Transact Panel and follow the instructions to fund the card.

Uphold reviews and complaints

Uphold as a company earns 2.1 out of 5 stars based on over 6,100 Trustpilot reviews as of March 2022. There are no reviews for the debit card since it hasn’t yet launched. Positive reviews for the company claim that they “love the platform” or have experienced “no problems” without adding any real details.

Negative reviews go into extensive detail about the problems users encountered, such as deposits taking a long time to clear, poor customer service and high fees when selling assets.

How to contact Uphold

Contact Uphold in two ways.

• Email cardsupport@uphold.com.
• Submit a help ticket on Uphold’s website.
• Post a question on Uphold’s Reddit page, r/UpholdOfficial/.

Uphold is not currently available on Finder

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