Crypto card pricing looks simple until you add the fees together. Different fees are triggered by different actions: loading funds, paying, paying in another currency and withdrawing cash. Understanding which fee applies when is the only way to compare cards honestly.

This guide uses Agora’s published pricing. Check the pricing section for current figures before you buy.

The one-time card price

There is no monthly subscription in Agora’s published schedule.

Top-up fee: when you load funds

Charged as a percentage of the USDT or USDC you load: 2% on Virtual Card Basic and 2.5% on the Plus cards. The wallet or exchange you send from may also charge a blockchain network fee, which is outside the card’s pricing.

Transaction fee: when you pay

Charged on each card purchase: $0.35 + 1.5% on the virtual cards and $0.10 + 1.5% on Physical Card Plus. The fixed part matters most for small payments: on a $5 coffee, $0.35 is 7%, while on a $500 purchase it is negligible.

FX fee: when the currency is not USD

Cards are issued in USD and convert automatically. When a payment or withdrawal is in another currency, a 1.5% foreign-exchange fee applies. Paying in USD avoids it.

ATM fee: when you withdraw cash

Only Physical Card Plus works at ATMs. Withdrawals cost 2%, and the ATM operator may add its own fee.

Why the percentages are not simply added together

The homepage shows a total of 5.0% for Virtual Card Basic and 5.5% for the Plus cards (7.5% with ATM use). That is the sum of the percentage fees in a worst case: loading funds, then paying in a foreign currency. A USD purchase does not incur the FX fee, and the top-up fee is paid once on the amount loaded, not again on each purchase.

Worked examples

$100 online purchase in USD with Virtual Card Basic. Loading $100 costs $2 (2%). The purchase costs $0.35 + $1.50 = $1.85. Total: about $3.85.

$100 purchase in euros with Virtual Card Plus. Loading costs $2.50 (2.5%). The purchase costs $1.85, and FX adds $1.50. Total: about $5.85.

$1,000 hotel bill abroad with Physical Card Plus. Loading costs $25. The purchase costs $0.10 + $15 = $15.10, and FX adds $15. Total: about $55.10.

$500 cash abroad with Physical Card Plus. Loading costs $12.50. The ATM fee is $10 and FX adds $7.50, plus any operator fee. Total: about $30 before the operator fee.

These are approximations to show how fees combine; exact amounts depend on the actual amounts loaded and spent.

How to keep costs down

  • Load in fewer, larger top-ups that match your planned spending, to reduce separate network fees.
  • Pay in USD when a merchant offers it honestly, but decline dynamic currency conversion at terminals and ATMs; the merchant’s rate is usually worse.
  • Batch small purchases where possible on virtual cards, because the fixed $0.35 weighs more on small amounts.
  • Pick the card for your use: Basic has the lowest top-up fee; Physical Card Plus has the lowest fixed transaction fee and is the only one with ATM access. Our virtual vs physical comparison helps you choose.

Whatever the fees, the safest habit is unchanged: keep long-term holdings in your own wallet and load only what you plan to spend.