Side-by-side card comparison

Ethena Pay vs Brighty: overall score versus use-case fit

Ethena Pay Card has the higher Overall Score by 16 points (86 vs 70). Ethena Pay Card looks stronger for Cashback, Funds control, and Lowest fees, while Brighty Card comes out ahead for Travel and Transfers.

Information checked Sep 1, 202637 official sources reviewed

01 · Overall score versus use-case fit

Ethena Pay Card is the better all-round starting point

Ethena Pay Card has the higher Overall Score in this comparison. Brighty Card may be the better fit for Travel and Transfers. A score cannot tell you whether a provider will accept your application or whether every feature will be available where you live, so check the latest provider terms before signing up.

OverallEthena Pay86Brighty70Higher score
CashbackEthena Pay89Brighty48Higher score
TravelEthena Pay64Brighty80Higher score
Funds controlEthena Pay86Brighty65Higher score
Lowest feesEthena Pay87Brighty68Higher score
TransfersEthena Pay82Brighty93Higher score

Choose Ethena Pay Card if cashback and funds control matter most

Ethena Pay Card comes out ahead for Cashback, Funds control, and Lowest fees in this comparison. It is worth a closer look if those are the parts of a card you expect to use most.

  • Strong Standard cashback bands
  • No Standard monthly fee or FX markup
  • Collateral stays in linked wallets

Choose Brighty Card if travel and transfers matter most

Brighty Card comes out ahead for Travel and Transfers in this comparison. It is worth a closer look if those are the parts of a card you expect to use most.

  • Free entry plan
  • USDC cashback
  • Multiple account rails

Where each card has the edge

The overall leader does not win every use case, so the reason you want the card matters here.

Overall Score
Ethena Pay86
Brighty70

Ethena Pay Card has the higher Overall Score by 16 points.

Entry cost & FX
Ethena Pay$0 plan · 0% Ethena Pay markup; Visa rate applies FX
Brighty$0 plan · Visa: up to 2% foreign-transaction fee. Mastercard: not disclosed in the reviewed Brighty sources FX

Ethena Pay Card has the lower published FX fee (0% Ethena Pay markup; Visa rate applies vs Visa: up to 2% foreign-transaction fee. Mastercard: not disclosed in the reviewed Brighty sources).

Purchase rewards
Ethena Pay4% base · up to 5%
Brighty0.5% base · up to 1.75%

Ethena Pay Card has the higher published base cashback rate (4% vs 0.5%).

Funds control
Ethena PayHybrid custody
BrightyCustodial balance

Ethena Pay Card uses a hybrid custody setup, while Brighty Card uses a custodial balance setup. Neither approach is always better, so choose the level of control you are comfortable with.

Everyday access
Ethena PayVirtual · Apple Pay
BrightyVirtual + Physical · Apple Pay

Brighty Card lists more card formats and phone-wallet options (3 vs 2).

Money movement
Ethena Pay1 stablecoin · Stablecoin transfers; Ethena Pay user transfer; Bank withdrawal
Brighty2 stablecoins · Stablecoin transfers; SEPA / Faster Payments payout, SWIFT payout

Brighty Card lists more stablecoins and ways to send money out (5 vs 4).

02 · Read the shortlist

A closer look at the split decision

Start with the strengths that drive each use-case result, then test them against costs and access.

2 cards compared
Cashback
4%-5%
Plan cost
$0
FX fee
0% Ethena Pay markup; Visa rate applies
ATM fee
Not available
Card formats
Virtual
Wallet payments
Apple Pay
Receive methods
0 crypto · 0 fiat
Payout methods
1 crypto · 0 fiat
Cashback
0.5%-1.8%
Plan cost
$0
FX fee
Visa: up to 2% foreign-transaction fee. Mastercard: not disclosed in the reviewed Brighty sources
ATM fee
Not disclosed
Card formats
Virtual, Physical
Wallet payments
Apple Pay
Receive methods
4 crypto · 2 fiat
Payout methods
16 crypto · 4 fiat

03 · Compare the details

See how the trade-offs line up

Comparable figures receive a marker; missing or unverified details stay visible instead of becoming an assumed advantage.

Best known Not disclosed
Cards
Ethena Pay CardOverall86
Brighty CardOverall70
01

Scores

6 fields
Overall Score
Ethena Pay Card
86
Brighty Card
70
Cashback score
Ethena Pay Card
89
Brighty Card
48
Travel score
Ethena Pay Card
64
Brighty Card
80
Funds control score
Ethena Pay Card
86
Brighty Card
65
Lowest fees score
Ethena Pay Card
87
Brighty Card
68
Transfers score
Ethena Pay Card
82
Brighty Card
93
02

Strengths & trade-offs

2 fields
Strengths
Ethena Pay Card
Strong Standard cashback bands, No Standard monthly fee or FX markup
Brighty Card
Free entry plan, USDC cashback
Trade-offs
Ethena Pay Card
Card access is still application-gated, One-day payment grace adds liquidation risk
Brighty Card
Network-specific FX gap, Physical terms vary
03

Costs

7 fields
Plan cost
Ethena Pay Card
$0
Brighty Card
$0
FX fee
Ethena Pay Card
0% Ethena Pay markup; Visa rate applies
Brighty Card
Visa: up to 2% foreign-transaction fee. Mastercard: not disclosed in the reviewed Brighty sources
Top-up fee
Ethena Pay Card
Provider collateral-funding fee unknown; external network gas is separate
Brighty Card
0%
Card spending fee
Ethena Pay Card
0%
Brighty Card
Not disclosed
ATM fee
Ethena Pay Card
Not available
Brighty Card
Not disclosed
Virtual card
Ethena Pay Card
USD 0
Brighty Card
Visa and Mastercard: published issue price €2.99; included-card interaction unresolved
Physical card
Ethena Pay Card
Not disclosed
Brighty Card
Visa: One unavailable; Plus includes one and Pro includes two, with €0 issue price
04

Plans

2 fields
Available plans
Ethena Pay Card
3 plans: Standard, Pro, VIP
Brighty Card
3 plans: One, Plus, Pro
Top cashback plan
Ethena Pay Card
VIP: 5%
Brighty Card
One: 0.5%
05

Everyday use

8 fields
Network
Ethena Pay Card
Visa
Brighty Card
Visa/Mastercard
Card formats
Ethena Pay Card
Virtual
Brighty Card
Virtual, Physical
ATM withdrawals
Ethena Pay Card
Not available
Brighty Card
Available
Mobile wallets
Ethena Pay Card
Apple Pay
Brighty Card
Apple Pay
Apps
Ethena Pay Card
iOS, Web
Brighty Card
iOS, Android
Daily spending limit
Ethena Pay Card
Dynamic, based on collateral market value
Brighty Card
Published period is ambiguous: Visa virtual €15k / €15k / €50k; Mastercard virtual €15k / €25k / €50k for One / Plus / Pro
Monthly spending limit
Ethena Pay Card
Dynamic, based on collateral market value
Brighty Card
Published period is ambiguous: physical Visa €15k on Plus and €50k on Pro
ATM limit
Ethena Pay Card
Not available
Brighty Card
ATM withdrawal limits are not published; only physical Visa fees are known
06

Funding & transfers

5 fields
Networks
Ethena Pay Card
Ethereum, Polygon, Optimism, Arbitrum
Brighty Card
Ethereum, Tron, Bitcoin SegWit, Bitcoin Legacy, Cardano, Tezos +6
Crypto deposits
Ethena Pay Card
Not disclosed
Brighty Card
Stablecoins: USDC, EURC; Other crypto: BTC, ETH
Fiat deposits
Ethena Pay Card
Not disclosed
Brighty Card
SEPA / Faster Payments, SWIFT
Transfers
Ethena Pay Card
Stablecoin transfers; Ethena Pay user transfer; Bank withdrawal
Brighty Card
Stablecoin transfers; SEPA / Faster Payments payout, SWIFT payout
Payout currencies
Ethena Pay Card
Not disclosed
Brighty Card
EUR, GBP, USD, AED
07

Rewards

3 fields
Base cashback
Ethena Pay Card
4%
Brighty Card
0.5%
Max cashback
Ethena Pay Card
5%
Brighty Card
1.8%
Reward currency
Ethena Pay Card
AVAX
Brighty Card
USDC
08

Earn

5 fields
Advertised APY
Ethena Pay Card
Up to 6% APY
Brighty Card
Not disclosed
How it works
Ethena Pay Card
Earn on spending balance
Brighty Card
Earn on spending balance
Separate deposit
Ethena Pay Card
No
Brighty Card
No
Use balance for spending
Ethena Pay Card
Yes
Brighty Card
Yes
Lock-up
Ethena Pay Card
No
Brighty Card
No
09

Trust & availability

6 fields
Custody
Ethena Pay Card
Hybrid custody
Brighty Card
Custodial
Control until payment
Ethena Pay Card
You keep control
Brighty Card
Provider controls funds
Card issuer
Ethena Pay Card
Third National
Brighty Card
Wallester AS
Card processing
Ethena Pay Card
Signify Holdings, Inc. d/b/a Rain
Brighty Card
Not disclosed
Custody / key management
Ethena Pay Card
Not disclosed
Brighty Card
Fireblocks
Identity verification
Ethena Pay Card
Sumsub
Brighty Card
Sumsub
10

Sources

2 fields
Official sources
Ethena Pay Card
12
Brighty Card
25
Last reviewed
Ethena Pay Card
Sep 1, 2026
Brighty Card
Aug 16, 2026

04 · The trade-off

Ethena Pay Card is the stronger all-round choice

Ethena Pay Card finishes ahead with an Overall Score of 86 versus 70 for Brighty Card. Ethena Pay Card has the lower published FX fee (0% Ethena Pay markup; Visa rate applies vs Visa: up to 2% foreign-transaction fee. Mastercard: not disclosed in the reviewed Brighty sources). Ethena Pay Card has the higher published base cashback rate (4% vs 0.5%).

Brighty Card still comes out ahead for Travel and Transfers, which may matter more than the overall result if that is how you plan to use the card. Ethena Pay Card uses a hybrid custody setup, while Brighty Card uses a custodial balance setup. Neither approach is always better, so choose the level of control you are comfortable with.

Brighty Card lists more stablecoins and ways to send money out (5 vs 4). Before applying, confirm availability in your country and recheck the provider's current fees and reward conditions.

If one card now looks like the better fit, you can check the latest application terms on the provider site or read our full Ethena Pay Card and Brighty Card reviews first.

05 · Common questions

Ethena Pay vs Brighty FAQ

Is Ethena Pay or Brighty better overall?

Ethena Pay Card has the higher Overall Score (86 vs 70). That does not make it better for everyone: your preferred fees, rewards, way of holding funds and country availability can change the practical choice.

Which has lower fees, Ethena Pay or Brighty?

Ethena Pay Card has the lower published FX fee (0% Ethena Pay markup; Visa rate applies vs Visa: up to 2% foreign-transaction fee. Mastercard: not disclosed in the reviewed Brighty sources). Compare plan, FX, card-spend, top-up and ATM charges separately because one fee does not represent the full cost.

Which has better cashback, Ethena Pay or Brighty?

Ethena Pay Card has the higher published base cashback rate (4% vs 0.5%). Maximum rates may depend on tiers, caps, categories or other conditions, so the entry rate and reward asset matter too.

How do Ethena Pay and Brighty differ on custody?

Ethena Pay Card uses a hybrid custody setup, while Brighty Card uses a custodial balance setup. Neither approach is always better, so choose the level of control you are comfortable with.

How current is this Ethena Pay vs Brighty comparison?

The latest information check for these two cards was September 1, 2026, using 37 official sources in total. Each full card review lists its own check date, sources and anything the provider has not clearly disclosed.

06 · Try another angle

Compare either card with a nearby alternative, or build a different pair in the comparison workspace.

Open the comparison workspace