Side-by-side card comparison

Karta Personal vs Ethena Pay: overall score versus use-case fit

Ethena Pay Card has the higher Overall Score by 25 points (86 vs 61). Karta Personal Card looks stronger for Funds control and Transfers, while Ethena Pay Card comes out ahead for Cashback, Travel, and Lowest fees.

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. Karta Personal Card may be the better fit for Funds control 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.

OverallKarta Personal61Ethena Pay86Higher score
CashbackKarta Personal14Ethena Pay89Higher score
TravelKarta Personal46Ethena Pay64Higher score
Funds controlKarta Personal92Ethena Pay86Higher score
Lowest feesKarta Personal53Ethena Pay87Higher score
TransfersKarta Personal90Ethena Pay82Higher score

Choose Karta Personal Card if funds control and transfers matter most

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

  • USDT and USDC deposits across multiple networks
  • Apple Pay, Google Pay and contactless ATM access
  • Live multi-network crypto payouts

Choose Ethena Pay Card if cashback and travel matter most

Ethena Pay Card comes out ahead for Cashback, Travel, 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

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
Karta Personal61
Ethena Pay86

Ethena Pay Card has the higher Overall Score by 25 points.

Entry cost & FX
Karta Personal$0 plan · 1–3% FX
Ethena Pay$0 plan · 0% Ethena Pay markup; Visa rate applies FX

Ethena Pay Card has the lower published FX fee (0% Ethena Pay markup; Visa rate applies vs 1–3%).

Purchase rewards
Karta Personal0% cashback
Ethena Pay4% base · up to 5%

Ethena Pay Card has the higher published base cashback rate (4% vs 0%).

Funds control
Karta PersonalSelf-controlled wallet
Ethena PayHybrid custody

Karta Personal Card uses a self-controlled wallet setup, while Ethena Pay Card uses a hybrid custody setup. Neither approach is always better, so choose the level of control you are comfortable with.

Everyday access
Karta PersonalVirtual · Apple Pay, Google Pay
Ethena PayVirtual · Apple Pay

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

Money movement
Karta Personal3 stablecoins · Stablecoin transfers; Karta-to-Karta transfer; Bank payout
Ethena Pay1 stablecoin · Stablecoin transfers; Ethena Pay user transfer; Bank withdrawal

Karta Personal Card lists more stablecoins and ways to send money out (6 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
0%
Plan cost
$0
FX fee
1–3%
ATM fee
USD 1 + 2.5% per successful contactless withdrawal; USD 1 for a declined attempt
Card formats
Virtual
Wallet payments
Apple Pay, Google Pay
Receive methods
2 crypto · 1 fiat
Payout methods
5 crypto · 0 fiat
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

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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
Karta Personal CardOverall61
Ethena Pay CardOverall86
01

Scores

6 fields
Overall Score
Karta Personal Card
61
Ethena Pay Card
86
Cashback score
Karta Personal Card
14
Ethena Pay Card
89
Travel score
Karta Personal Card
46
Ethena Pay Card
64
Funds control score
Karta Personal Card
92
Ethena Pay Card
86
Lowest fees score
Karta Personal Card
53
Ethena Pay Card
87
Transfers score
Karta Personal Card
90
Ethena Pay Card
82
02

Strengths & trade-offs

2 fields
Strengths
Karta Personal Card
USDT and USDC deposits across multiple networks, Apple Pay, Google Pay and contactless ATM access
Ethena Pay Card
Strong Standard cashback bands, No Standard monthly fee or FX markup
Trade-offs
Karta Personal Card
Several separate foreign-payment charges, Telegram Mini App is the only app surface
Ethena Pay Card
Card access is still application-gated, One-day payment grace adds liquidation risk
03

Costs

7 fields
Plan cost
Karta Personal Card
$0
Ethena Pay Card
$0
FX fee
Karta Personal Card
1–3%
Ethena Pay Card
0% Ethena Pay markup; Visa rate applies
Top-up fee
Karta Personal Card
Free on Polygon, Base, Optimism, BNB Smart Chain, Arbitrum, Solana and Ethereum; 5.90 USDT on TRC-20
Ethena Pay Card
Provider collateral-funding fee unknown; external network gas is separate
Card spending fee
Karta Personal Card
1.5%
Ethena Pay Card
0%
ATM fee
Karta Personal Card
USD 1 + 2.5% per successful contactless withdrawal; USD 1 for a declined attempt
Ethena Pay Card
Not available
Virtual card
Karta Personal Card
5 USDT one-time
Ethena Pay Card
USD 0
Physical card
Karta Personal Card
99 USDT plastic / 299 USDT Metal LED preorder
Ethena Pay Card
Not disclosed
04

Plans

2 fields
Available plans
Karta Personal Card
Not disclosed
Ethena Pay Card
3 plans: Standard, Pro, VIP
Top cashback plan
Karta Personal Card
Not disclosed
Ethena Pay Card
VIP: 5%
05

Everyday use

8 fields
Network
Karta Personal Card
Visa
Ethena Pay Card
Visa
Card formats
Karta Personal Card
Virtual
Ethena Pay Card
Virtual
ATM withdrawals
Karta Personal Card
Available
Ethena Pay Card
Not available
Mobile wallets
Karta Personal Card
Apple Pay, Google Pay
Ethena Pay Card
Apple Pay
Apps
Karta Personal Card
No app listed
Ethena Pay Card
iOS, Web
Daily spending limit
Karta Personal Card
$25,000 per transaction; no universal daily amount published
Ethena Pay Card
Dynamic, based on collateral market value
Monthly spending limit
Karta Personal Card
Not publicly disclosed; limits are dynamic
Ethena Pay Card
Dynamic, based on collateral market value
ATM limit
Karta Personal Card
$250 per contactless withdrawal; maximum 3 attempts per rolling 24h
Ethena Pay Card
Not available
06

Funding & transfers

5 fields
Networks
Karta Personal Card
Polygon, Base, Optimism, BNB Smart Chain, Arbitrum, Solana +17
Ethena Pay Card
Ethereum, Polygon, Optimism, Arbitrum
Crypto deposits
Karta Personal Card
Stablecoins: USDT, USDC
Ethena Pay Card
Not disclosed
Fiat deposits
Karta Personal Card
Bank deposits
Ethena Pay Card
Not disclosed
Transfers
Karta Personal Card
Stablecoin transfers; Karta-to-Karta transfer; Bank payout
Ethena Pay Card
Stablecoin transfers; Ethena Pay user transfer; Bank withdrawal
Payout currencies
Karta Personal Card
Not disclosed
Ethena Pay Card
Not disclosed
07

Rewards

3 fields
Base cashback
Karta Personal Card
0%
Ethena Pay Card
4%
Max cashback
Karta Personal Card
0%
Ethena Pay Card
5%
Reward currency
Karta Personal Card
No cashback
Ethena Pay Card
AVAX
08

Earn

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

Trust & availability

7 fields
Custody
Karta Personal Card
Self-custody
Ethena Pay Card
Hybrid custody
Control until payment
Karta Personal Card
You keep control
Ethena Pay Card
You keep control
Card issuer
Karta Personal Card
Nimbus LLC d/b/a Third National
Ethena Pay Card
Third National
Card processing
Karta Personal Card
Not disclosed
Ethena Pay Card
Signify Holdings, Inc. d/b/a Rain
Custody / key management
Karta Personal Card
Privy
Ethena Pay Card
Not disclosed
Identity verification
Karta Personal Card
Sumsub
Ethena Pay Card
Sumsub
Programme operator
Karta Personal Card
Karta Finance, Inc.
Ethena Pay Card
Not disclosed
10

Sources

2 fields
Official sources
Karta Personal Card
25
Ethena Pay Card
12
Last reviewed
Karta Personal Card
Aug 11, 2026
Ethena Pay Card
Sep 1, 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 61 for Karta Personal Card. Ethena Pay Card has the lower published FX fee (0% Ethena Pay markup; Visa rate applies vs 1–3%). Ethena Pay Card has the higher published base cashback rate (4% vs 0%).

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

Karta Personal Card lists more stablecoins and ways to send money out (6 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 Karta Personal Card and Ethena Pay Card reviews first.

05 · Common questions

Karta Personal vs Ethena Pay FAQ

Is Karta Personal or Ethena Pay better overall?

Ethena Pay Card has the higher Overall Score (86 vs 61). 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, Karta Personal or Ethena Pay?

Ethena Pay Card has the lower published FX fee (0% Ethena Pay markup; Visa rate applies vs 1–3%). Compare plan, FX, card-spend, top-up and ATM charges separately because one fee does not represent the full cost.

Which has better cashback, Karta Personal or Ethena Pay?

Ethena Pay Card has the higher published base cashback rate (4% vs 0%). Maximum rates may depend on tiers, caps, categories or other conditions, so the entry rate and reward asset matter too.

How do Karta Personal and Ethena Pay differ on custody?

Karta Personal Card uses a self-controlled wallet setup, while Ethena Pay Card uses a hybrid custody setup. Neither approach is always better, so choose the level of control you are comfortable with.

How current is this Karta Personal vs Ethena Pay 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