Side-by-side card comparison

Exa vs Xapo: overall score versus use-case fit

Xapo Card has the higher Overall Score by 4 points (70 vs 66). Exa Card looks stronger for Funds control, while Xapo Card comes out ahead for Cashback, Travel, Lowest fees, and Transfers.

Information checked Sep 1, 202652 official sources reviewed
Exa Visa Signature card design from the official Exa product page
Exactly Protocol / ExaExa

01 · Overall score versus use-case fit

Xapo Card is the better all-round starting point

Xapo Card has the higher Overall Score in this comparison. Exa Card may be the better fit for Funds control. 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.

OverallExa66Xapo70Higher score
CashbackExa19Xapo24Higher score
TravelExa61Xapo91Higher score
Funds controlExa88Xapo63Higher score
Lowest feesExa67Xapo77Higher score
TransfersExa97Xapo100Higher score

Choose Exa Card if funds control matters most

Exa Card comes out ahead for Funds control in this comparison. It is worth a closer look if those are the parts of a card you expect to use most.

  • Deposited assets can earn yield
  • Spend balance or borrow USDC
  • Self-custody on Exactly Protocol

Choose Xapo Card if cashback and travel matter most

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

  • No Xapo FX markup
  • Account-backed bank and crypto 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
Exa66
Xapo70

Xapo Card has the higher Overall Score by 4 points.

Entry cost & FX
Exa$0 plan · 1.5% FX
Xapo$1,000/year plan · 0–0.29% FX

Exa Card has the lower starting plan cost ($0 vs $1,000/year).

Purchase rewards
Exa0% cashback
Xapo0% base · up to 3%

Both cards show the same base cashback rate of 0%.

Funds control
ExaSelf-controlled wallet
XapoCustodial balance

Exa Card uses a self-controlled wallet setup, while Xapo Card uses a custodial balance setup. Neither approach is always better, so choose the level of control you are comfortable with.

Everyday access
ExaVirtual · Apple Pay, Google Pay
XapoVirtual + Physical · Unknown

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

Money movement
Exa1 stablecoin · Stablecoin transfers; USD ACH bank payout, USD domestic wire payout, EUR SEPA bank payout
Xapo2 stablecoins · Stablecoin transfers; SWIFT payout, SEPA payout, Faster Payments payout, ACH payout

Xapo Card lists more stablecoins and ways to send money out (8 vs 5).

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
0%
Plan cost
$0
FX fee
1.5%
ATM fee
$1 + 0.65%
Card formats
Virtual
Wallet payments
Apple Pay, Google Pay
Receive methods
5 crypto · 4 fiat
Payout methods
1 crypto · 2 fiat
Cashback
0%-3%
Plan cost
$1,000/year
FX fee
0–0.29%
ATM fee
0–2%
Card formats
Virtual, Physical
Wallet payments
Not disclosed
Receive methods
3 crypto · 4 fiat
Payout methods
3 crypto · 3 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
Exa CardOverall66
Xapo CardOverall70
01

Scores

6 fields
Overall Score
Exa Card
66
Xapo Card
70
Cashback score
Exa Card
19
Xapo Card
24
Travel score
Exa Card
61
Xapo Card
91
Funds control score
Exa Card
88
Xapo Card
63
Lowest fees score
Exa Card
67
Xapo Card
77
Transfers score
Exa Card
97
Xapo Card
100
02

Strengths & trade-offs

2 fields
Strengths
Exa Card
Deposited assets can earn yield, Spend balance or borrow USDC
Xapo Card
No Xapo FX markup, Account-backed bank and crypto rails
Trade-offs
Exa Card
Heavy Exactly Protocol dependency, Pay Later needs DeFi literacy
Xapo Card
$1,000 annual membership, Cashback is temporary and capped ambiguously
03

Costs

7 fields
Plan cost
Exa Card
$0
Xapo Card
$1,000/year
FX fee
Exa Card
1.5%
Xapo Card
0–0.29%
Top-up fee
Exa Card
1%
Xapo Card
No direct card top-up; the Xapo Account balance funds card spending
Card spending fee
Exa Card
Not disclosed
Xapo Card
0%
ATM fee
Exa Card
$1 + 0.65%
Xapo Card
0–2%
Virtual card
Exa Card
Free with Exa Wallet
Xapo Card
$0 in the Visa Europe programme; outside-Europe pricing not disclosed
Physical card
Exa Card
Not available
Xapo Card
$0 for Metal; $0 for standard physical Visa Europe; other standard pricing not disclosed
04

Plans

2 fields
Available plans
Exa Card
Not disclosed
Xapo Card
1 plans: Xapo Bank membership
Top cashback plan
Exa Card
Not disclosed
Xapo Card
Xapo Bank membership: 0%
05

Everyday use

8 fields
Network
Exa Card
Visa
Xapo Card
Visa/Mastercard
Card formats
Exa Card
Virtual
Xapo Card
Virtual, Physical
ATM withdrawals
Exa Card
Available
Xapo Card
Available
Mobile wallets
Exa Card
Apple Pay, Google Pay
Xapo Card
Not disclosed
Apps
Exa Card
iOS, Android, Web
Xapo Card
iOS, Android
Daily spending limit
Exa Card
Dynamic / collateral-based; exact Exa App limit shown in app
Xapo Card
$50,000 daily for point-of-sale and online purchases
Monthly spending limit
Exa Card
Dynamic / collateral-based; exact Exa App limit shown in app
Xapo Card
$250,000 monthly under the Visa Europe programme
ATM limit
Exa Card
$250/withdrawal; $1000/day
Xapo Card
$2,000 daily; Visa Europe also lists $15,000 monthly
06

Funding & transfers

5 fields
Networks
Exa Card
Optimism
Xapo Card
Bitcoin, Lightning, Ethereum, Tron, Solana
Crypto deposits
Exa Card
Stablecoins: USDC; Other crypto: ETH, OP, WBTC, wstETH
Xapo Card
Stablecoins: USDC, USDT; Other crypto: BTC
Fiat deposits
Exa Card
USD ACH deposit, USD wire deposit, EUR SEPA deposit, Local currency deposit
Xapo Card
SWIFT receive, ACH receive, SEPA receive, Faster Payments receive
Transfers
Exa Card
Stablecoin transfers; USD ACH bank payout, USD domestic wire payout, EUR SEPA bank payout
Xapo Card
Stablecoin transfers; SWIFT payout, SEPA payout, Faster Payments payout, ACH payout
Payout currencies
Exa Card
USD, EUR
Xapo Card
USD, GBP, EUR
07

Rewards

3 fields
Base cashback
Exa Card
0%
Xapo Card
0%
Max cashback
Exa Card
0%
Xapo Card
3%
Reward currency
Exa Card
No cashback
Xapo Card
BTC
08

Earn

5 fields
Advertised APY
Exa Card
Up to 0.99776% APY
Xapo Card
Up to 3.35% APY
How it works
Exa Card
Earn on spending balance, Borrow against collateral
Xapo Card
Earn on spending balance
Separate deposit
Exa Card
No
Xapo Card
No
Use balance for spending
Exa Card
Yes
Xapo Card
Yes
Lock-up
Exa Card
No
Xapo Card
No
09

Trust & availability

7 fields
Custody
Exa Card
Self-custody
Xapo Card
Custodial
Control until payment
Exa Card
You keep control
Xapo Card
Provider controls funds
Card issuer
Exa Card
Third National Bank, Third National
Xapo Card
Transact Payments Malta Limited
Card processing
Exa Card
Exa Labs SAS
Xapo Card
Not disclosed
Deposits & withdrawals
Exa Card
Bridge, Manteca
Xapo Card
Not disclosed
Bank transfers
Exa Card
Not disclosed
Xapo Card
Xapo Bank Limited
Programme operator
Exa Card
Exa Labs SAS
Xapo Card
Not disclosed
10

Sources

2 fields
Official sources
Exa Card
31
Xapo Card
21
Last reviewed
Exa Card
Aug 23, 2026
Xapo Card
Sep 1, 2026

04 · The trade-off

Xapo Card is the stronger all-round choice

Xapo Card finishes ahead with an Overall Score of 70 versus 66 for Exa Card. Exa Card has the lower starting plan cost ($0 vs $1,000/year). Both cards show the same base cashback rate of 0%.

Exa Card still comes out ahead for Funds control, which may matter more than the overall result if that is how you plan to use the card. Exa Card uses a self-controlled wallet setup, while Xapo Card uses a custodial balance setup. Neither approach is always better, so choose the level of control you are comfortable with.

Xapo Card lists more stablecoins and ways to send money out (8 vs 5). 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 Exa Card and Xapo Card reviews first.

05 · Common questions

Exa vs Xapo FAQ

Is Exa or Xapo better overall?

Xapo Card has the higher Overall Score (70 vs 66). 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, Exa or Xapo?

Exa Card has the lower starting plan cost ($0 vs $1,000/year). Compare plan, FX, card-spend, top-up and ATM charges separately because one fee does not represent the full cost.

Which has better cashback, Exa or Xapo?

Both cards show the same base cashback rate of 0%. Maximum rates may depend on tiers, caps, categories or other conditions, so the entry rate and reward asset matter too.

How do Exa and Xapo differ on custody?

Exa Card uses a self-controlled wallet setup, while Xapo 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 Exa vs Xapo comparison?

The latest information check for these two cards was September 1, 2026, using 52 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