Rates, caps, eligible purchases and the conditions behind advertised rewards.
Topic definitions
Definitions in this topic
33
Accessible / entry rate
Also seen as entry rate · base rate · default rate · ungated rate · accessible rate
The accessible or entry rate is the lowest currently confirmed purchase-reward rate available under the stated starting conditions. It is not necessarily free of account, plan, residence or eligibility requirements.
Practical explanation
Why it matters
This is the realistic starting point for comparing rewards. A higher headline rate may require a paid plan, balance, token exposure, referrals or narrowly eligible spending.
How we treat it
cryptocard.guide keeps Entry rate as the compact public summary label and explains the precise access conditions in supporting copy. Scoring starts from the approved accessible rate, not from a gated maximum; unknown entry economics receive no positive credit.
Also seen as boosted cashback · referral boost · OG NFT bonus
An additional reward uplift applied on top of a standard rate when a temporary or conditional rule is met. A boost can depend on referrals, campaigns, assets, status, merchants, or other programme conditions.
Practical explanation
Why it matters
A boost may be narrow, temporary, or costly to unlock. Treating it as the normal rate can exaggerate what most purchases earn.
How we treat it
cryptocard.guide separates a reviewed boost from the ordinary rate and identifies its trigger, duration, scope, and cap. An unverified boost does not enter public reward claims.
Also seen as cash back · purchase cashback · purchase reward
Cashback is a purchase-linked reward credited after an eligible card transaction under a programme's rules. It may arrive as fiat, a stablecoin or another asset; points and merchant discounts are separate reward types.
Practical explanation
Why it matters
The practical value depends on the accessible rate, eligible purchases, caps, payout timing, reward asset and any costs or conditions required to earn it.
How we treat it
cryptocard.guide evaluates practical purchase-reward value from approved rates, conditions, caps, payout rules and applicable costs. Yield, referral rewards and affiliate status are kept separate, and an unknown reward field never becomes a positive signal.
Also seen as cashback cap · monthly cashback cap · reward-value cap
A cashback-value cap is the greatest reward amount the programme will credit for a stated period. It limits reward value, not necessarily card spending, and must name the currency or reward unit.
Practical explanation
Why it matters
A high percentage can deliver modest value when the reward ceiling is low. The cap must be combined with the rate and eligible-purchase rules to estimate practical rewards.
How we treat it
cryptocard.guide models an approved reward-value cap separately from spend bands and payout restrictions. It reduces practical reward value where applicable, while an unknown cap remains unknown rather than being treated as unlimited.
Also seen as merchant category · selected merchants · category-specific cashback
A reward that applies only to named merchants, merchant categories, or selected purchase types. The boosted rate may coexist with exclusions, separate caps, enrolment requirements, or a different rate for other spending.
Practical explanation
Why it matters
A narrow category rate is not comparable with general cashback unless the eligible purchase scope and fallback treatment are visible.
How we treat it
cryptocard.guide displays category or merchant scope beside the rate and cap. Restricted schedules are not presented as the card’s universal cashback rate.
Also seen as effective reward · usable reward · net reward value
An estimate of the reward percentage a user actually realizes across qualifying spend after applying rate bands, caps, programme conditions, and relevant costs. It differs from a headline or maximum rate because it reflects the usable outcome.
Practical explanation
Why it matters
The advertised maximum can overstate practical value when only part of the spending qualifies or when access conditions and costs reduce what the user keeps.
How we treat it
cryptocard.guide uses this as an explanatory outcome, not an unsupported personalized promise. Any displayed calculation must rely on reviewed inputs and a clearly described scenario.
Also seen as eligible transaction · eligible spend · qualifying purchase
An eligible purchase is a card transaction that satisfies the reward programme's merchant, asset, settlement and account rules. Excluded categories, refunds, reversals, fees and cash-like transactions may earn nothing.
Practical explanation
Why it matters
A headline rate can be accurate yet irrelevant to much of a user's spending. Eligibility rules determine the transaction base on which any reward calculation actually works.
How we treat it
cryptocard.guide uses only approved purchase-eligibility rules when explaining or scoring rewards. It keeps asset, merchant and settlement exclusions visible and never assumes that an unverified transaction type earns cashback.
Also seen as full-rate spend cap · eligible-spend band · full-rate spend threshold
An eligible-spend cap is the amount of purchase volume that can receive a stated reward rate during a period. Spending above it may earn a lower rate or no reward, depending on the programme.
Practical explanation
Why it matters
The cap determines how much spending benefits from the headline percentage. It can materially lower the effective reward even when the programme does not impose a fixed cashback-value ceiling.
How we treat it
cryptocard.guide models the approved spend band together with the rate that applies inside and after it. The field is never relabeled as a cashback-value cap, and an undisclosed band is not assumed to be unlimited.
The reward amount produced by applying a stated rate to eligible spending before subtracting plan charges, transaction costs, conversion effects, taxes, or changes in the value of the reward asset.
Practical explanation
Why it matters
Gross reward is useful for understanding the programme formula, but it can be higher than the value a user can actually access or keep.
How we treat it
cryptocard.guide treats gross reward as an educational intermediate value. It is not presented as net benefit, and every rate, cap, and eligible-spend input must be reviewed.
Also seen as token lock · locked for 12 months · cooldown
A restriction that prevents specified funds, tokens, or benefits from being freely withdrawn or changed for a period or until an exit condition is met. A lock-up can apply with or without staking.
Practical explanation
Why it matters
A user may lose flexibility or face delayed exit while pursuing a reward. The restriction can outlast a promotional rate or continue after card use stops.
How we treat it
cryptocard.guide states the reviewed asset, duration, and exit condition for a lock-up. Missing terms remain unknown and are never treated as freely reversible.
Also seen as maximum rate · headline rate · up to rate · ceiling rate
The maximum advertised rate is the highest purchase-reward percentage a programme currently presents, including any tier, balance, referral or category conditions. It should never be read as the rate an ordinary entrant automatically receives.
Practical explanation
Why it matters
The maximum may apply for a short period, to a narrow purchase set or only after expensive qualification. Without those conditions, cross-card comparisons exaggerate practical reward value.
How we treat it
cryptocard.guide always pairs a maximum rate with its approved access conditions, reward asset, cap and period. It never substitutes the maximum for the entry rate or assumes that every user can qualify for it.
An enrolment action required before a programme, reward mode, or benefit starts applying. A user can meet the financial conditions yet receive no benefit until the required choice is made and accepted.
Practical explanation
Why it matters
Missing an enrolment step can result in otherwise eligible purchases earning a different rate or no reward, even when the account meets other conditions.
How we treat it
cryptocard.guide displays a reviewed opt-in rule beside the affected reward. It does not assume automatic enrolment from account status, plan purchase, or balance alone.
Also seen as quarterly payout · paid to · Auto Cashback · payout balance
The rules describing when an earned reward is credited and where it arrives. Timing can be immediate, delayed, periodic, or claim-based, while the destination may be a card balance, wallet, provider account, or reward ledger.
Practical explanation
Why it matters
A reward may be earned but unavailable for spending or transfer until a later credit event, and its destination can determine conversion, custody, and redemption options.
How we treat it
cryptocard.guide records reviewed credit timing and destination as reward facts. It does not treat an earned amount as immediately spendable or transferable without supporting evidence.
Also seen as base plan · paid plan · annual membership · subscription
A product option with its own price, which may be zero, and a defined set of card or account features. A plan does not automatically establish a reward qualification level or better value.
Practical explanation
Why it matters
Plan cost can offset rewards, and a plan may affect card access, fees, or features independently from the conditions that set the reward rate.
How we treat it
cryptocard.guide keeps plan price and included features separate from balance or status qualifications. Only reviewed recurring and acquisition costs enter comparisons; a paid label earns no automatic benefit.
Also seen as loyalty points · Membership points · Payy Points · Emerald Points
Provider-issued units used inside a loyalty or rewards programme. Points may have their own earning, conversion, expiry, redemption, and transfer rules, and they should not be assumed to equal cash or a transferable crypto asset.
Practical explanation
Why it matters
A high points rate says little without a conversion value and redemption route. Restrictions or expiry can make the practical benefit very different from cash.
How we treat it
cryptocard.guide records points as their own reward asset class. Cash value, transferability, redemption, and expiry stay unknown unless reviewed evidence states them.
Also seen as average balance · portfolio value · rolling 30-day balance
A minimum or measured portfolio value used to qualify for a reward status or rate. The programme may examine a current, average, or historical balance, so the measurement window and eligible assets matter.
Practical explanation
Why it matters
A balance requirement can create capital exposure and ongoing maintenance even when no plan fee is charged, changing the practical cost of the reward.
How we treat it
cryptocard.guide publishes the reviewed threshold basis, included assets, and observation window. A missing measurement rule is not treated as a simple one-time balance check.
Also seen as promotion · promo rate · first 30 days · temporary boost
A reward rate or benefit available only during a defined campaign, introductory period, or temporary event. It should be separated from the continuing programme because access, duration, and post-promotion terms differ.
Practical explanation
Why it matters
A temporary rate can dominate marketing while representing only a short part of the user’s experience. The continuing rate may be lower or governed by different conditions.
How we treat it
cryptocard.guide labels temporary rewards separately from ongoing entry and maximum rates. A promotional benefit never substitutes for the continuing programme in ranking or summary copy.
Also seen as balance level · status level · VIP/PRO level · reward band
A reward status determined by conditions such as balance, holdings, activity, or provider status. It can change the rate or benefits without being a paid plan, and its measurement rule may change over time.
Practical explanation
Why it matters
A nominally free card can still require substantial balances or activity to reach a promoted reward level, creating opportunity cost and ongoing maintenance.
How we treat it
cryptocard.guide states the reviewed qualification basis and measurement period. A level is not described as accessible when its balance, activity, or status requirement remains unknown.
Also seen as weekly snapshot · monthly spend · lowest balance held · maintenance
The time window and observation method used to decide whether a reward condition is met. Programmes may use a point-in-time snapshot, an average, a lowest balance, cumulative activity, or ongoing maintenance.
Practical explanation
Why it matters
A user can satisfy a threshold briefly yet fail the programme’s actual measurement rule. Timing can therefore determine both the accessible rate and how long it remains active.
How we treat it
cryptocard.guide keeps the reviewed observation window attached to the relevant gate or level. An unspecified snapshot rule is shown as unknown rather than simplified.
Also seen as fallback rate · rate steps down · after cap
Some programmes reduce the reward percentage once spending passes a stated band or limit. The rate after cap is the lower rate that applies to later eligible purchases within the same measurement period.
Practical explanation
Why it matters
A headline rate may cover only the first portion of spending. The later rate can materially change how much reward remains available across the rest of the period.
How we treat it
cryptocard.guide shows a post-cap rate only when reviewed programme rules identify it. No missing fallback rate is assumed to be zero, unchanged, or unlimited.
Also seen as subscription rebate · merchant rebate
A reimbursement or discount tied to a named purchase, subscription, fee, or merchant. Unlike general cashback, a rebate usually has a narrower purpose, eligibility rule, amount, or claim process.
Practical explanation
Why it matters
A rebate can be valuable for one expense while offering no benefit on general spending, so it should not inflate the card’s ordinary cashback impression.
How we treat it
cryptocard.guide labels rebates by covered expense and reviewed conditions. They remain separate from general purchase cashback, reward rates, and referral benefits.
Also seen as monthly redemption cap · payout cap · claim cap
A redemption cap limits how much already-earned reward value can be claimed or paid out during a period. Rewards above the limit may remain pending, roll forward or expire according to the programme rules.
Practical explanation
Why it matters
The user may earn a reward without being able to access all of it immediately. Redemption timing and rollover rules therefore affect liquidity and practical value.
How we treat it
cryptocard.guide treats an approved redemption cap as a payout-usability restriction, not as a limit on earning unless the programme explicitly says so. Rollover and expiry rules remain attached to the same approved programme evidence.
Also seen as referral programme benefit · referral incentive · qualifying referral
A referral reward is an umbrella benefit triggered by a qualifying referral. It may go to the reader, referrer or both, so the recipient and conditions must be stated explicitly.
Practical explanation
Why it matters
Referral language can make a temporary signup benefit look like ongoing card value or hide who receives compensation and which actions qualify.
How we treat it
cryptocard.guide keeps referral benefits and commercial compensation outside scoring and ranking. A public offer appears only with reviewed terms, eligibility, and disclosure.
Also seen as reward currency · reward token · payout asset · paid in USDC/BTC/points
The unit a user receives when a reward is credited, such as a fiat balance, stablecoin, crypto asset, or points. Its value, transferability, redemption rules, and destination can differ from the advertised reward type.
Practical explanation
Why it matters
The received unit determines whether a reward can be spent, transferred, redeemed, or exposed to price movement after it is earned.
How we treat it
cryptocard.guide displays the reviewed reward asset without calling every unit a token or currency. Unknown convertibility or cash value remains explicit and earns no assumed value.
Also seen as excluded purchase · fair-usage rule · not eligible
A rule that removes certain transactions, merchants, categories, currencies, behaviours, or account states from reward eligibility. An excluded purchase can still be a valid card transaction while earning no advertised benefit.
Practical explanation
Why it matters
Common spending can fall outside the programme even when the card works normally, reducing the practical reward without appearing in the headline rate.
How we treat it
cryptocard.guide keeps reviewed exclusions visible near the affected reward. Missing exclusion data is not interpreted as an unrestricted programme or full merchant coverage.
Also seen as expires · rolls forward · claim window
The rule that determines whether an earned or pending reward remains available indefinitely, expires after a deadline, or carries into a later period. Expiry can depend on claiming, account status, or programme activity.
Practical explanation
Why it matters
A reward that disappears before it can be claimed or redeemed has less practical value than an otherwise similar benefit that remains available.
How we treat it
cryptocard.guide displays reviewed expiry and carry-forward rules where available. Missing expiry terms remain unknown and are never described as permanent availability.
Also seen as gated tier · conditional reward · unlock requirement
A requirement that must be satisfied before a reward rate, band, or benefit becomes available. Gates can involve a plan, balance, token holding, staking, activity, opt-in, or another reviewed programme condition.
Practical explanation
Why it matters
A promoted rate may be real but inaccessible to a user who does not meet or maintain the gate, making the entry conditions central to comparison.
How we treat it
cryptocard.guide attaches every reviewed gate to the affected rate or benefit. Unknown gates prevent the maximum reward from being described as generally accessible.
Also seen as rewards programme · cashback programme · programme schedule
The complete rule set governing how rewards are earned and delivered, including eligible activity, rates, caps, qualifications, exclusions, timing, asset, destination, and expiry. A single advertised percentage represents only part of the programme.
Practical explanation
Why it matters
A rate cannot be evaluated fairly without the rules that determine access, qualifying transactions, limits, payout, and what happens when conditions change.
How we treat it
cryptocard.guide builds reward summaries from reviewed programme components rather than one marketing percentage. Missing conditions, caps, assets, or payout rules remain visible instead of being inferred.
Also seen as cashback · rebate · points · discount
The form of the benefit mechanism, such as cashback, a rebate or a discount. Points can describe both a programme mechanic and the credited unit, so those dimensions require separate description.
Practical explanation
Why it matters
Two offers with similar percentages can work differently if one credits transferable value while another grants points, a merchant discount, or reimbursement on a narrow expense.
How we treat it
cryptocard.guide normalizes the reward mechanism separately from the received unit, including when points appears in both descriptions. Generic wording never substitutes for reviewed payout, redemption and destination facts.
A card reward credited in a stablecoin rather than fiat cash, another crypto asset, or points. The payout can still depend on network support, custody, conversion, redemption, and the stablecoin’s market and issuer risks.
Practical explanation
Why it matters
The stablecoin label does not establish where the reward arrives, whether it can be transferred, or whether conversion is needed before spending.
How we treat it
cryptocard.guide names the reviewed stablecoin and payout destination where known. The label is never treated as proof of risk-free value, unrestricted transfer, or fiat redemption.
A condition requiring tokens to be committed under a staking arrangement before a reward or tier becomes available. Staked assets may follow separate custody, yield, exit, and risk rules from ordinary token holdings.
Practical explanation
Why it matters
Staking can add liquidity constraints, asset exposure, and product risk beyond the card itself, so it should not be presented as merely holding a balance.
How we treat it
cryptocard.guide marks a reward as staking-gated only with reviewed evidence. The committed asset, exit terms, and affected reward remain separate from ordinary holdings and plan fees.
Also seen as entry tier · free tier · paid tier · VIP tier
A named level within a card, membership, or reward structure. A tier can be established by price, holdings, account status, or another rule, so its access condition must be stated rather than inferred from the name.
Practical explanation
Why it matters
The same word can describe a paid subscription, a balance status, or a reward band. The establishment rule determines the real cost and accessibility.
How we treat it
cryptocard.guide retains provider tier names but normalizes the rule that establishes each level. Tier labels alone do not determine ranking, cost, or reward accessibility.
Also seen as hold token · token allocation · portfolio token share · NEXO ratio
A requirement to keep a specified crypto asset in an account or portfolio while seeking a reward level. Holding creates market exposure but does not necessarily mean the asset is staked, locked, or unavailable for transfer.
Practical explanation
Why it matters
The value needed to maintain a status can move with the asset price, and the user may accept exposure that is much larger than the resulting card reward.
How we treat it
cryptocard.guide records the required asset, measurement basis, and maintenance rule where reviewed. Holding is never silently rewritten as staking or lock-up.