KartaKarta Personal
62
Side-by-side card comparison
Karta Personal vs Lava: same score, different trade-offs
Karta Personal Card and Lava Card share an Overall Score of 62. Karta Personal Card looks stronger for Travel, Funds control, and Transfers, while Lava Card comes out ahead for Cashback and Lowest fees.
Information checked Oct 6, 202653 official sources reviewed
01 · A level score
The scores are tied, but the cards are not the same
Karta Personal Card and Lava Card have the same Overall Score. Start with what matters most to you: day-to-day costs, rewards, control of your funds or moving money. The sections below show how they differ. You should also check that your preferred card is available in your country.
OverallKarta Personal62Lava62Same score
CashbackKarta Personal15Lava36Higher score
TravelKarta Personal47Lava46Higher score
Funds controlKarta Personal92Lava56Higher score
Lowest feesKarta Personal55Lava59Higher score
TransfersKarta Personal91Lava80Higher score
Choose Karta Personal Card if travel and funds control matter most
Karta Personal Card comes out ahead for Travel, 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 Lava Card if cashback and lowest fees matter most
Lava Card comes out ahead for Cashback 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.
- No provider card FX fee
- BTC rewards at selected partners
- Stablecoin and bank funding
Where the cards part company
A tied score can hide meaningful differences in cost, custody, rewards and everyday access.
- Overall Score
- Karta Personal62Lava62
Both cards have the same displayed Overall Score of 62.
- Entry cost & FX
- Karta Personal$0 plan · 1–3% FXLava$0 plan · 0% provider FX fee FX
Lava Card has the lower published FX fee (0% provider FX fee vs 1–3%).
- Purchase rewards
- Karta Personal0% cashbackLavaUp to 5%
The providers have not published enough matching base cashback information to name a winner. Check the maximum rates, reward assets, caps and conditions below.
- Funds control
- Karta PersonalSelf-controlled walletLavaHybrid custody
Karta Personal Card uses a self-controlled wallet setup, while Lava 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 PayLavaCard format not disclosed · Apple Pay, Google 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 payoutLava3 stablecoins · Stablecoin transfers; Lava account bank withdrawal
Karta Personal Card lists more stablecoins and ways to send money out (6 vs 5).
02 · Read the shortlist
A closer look at the tie
The score is level. These quick facts show where the cards still ask you to make a choice.
- 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 · 7 fiat
- Payout methods
- 5 crypto · 0 fiat
- Cashback
- Up to 5%
- Plan cost
- $0
- FX fee
- 0% provider FX fee
- ATM fee
- 2%; min $1
- Card formats
- Not disclosed
- Wallet payments
- Apple Pay, Google Pay
- Receive methods
- 3 crypto · 1 fiat
- Payout methods
- 1 crypto · 2 fiat
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03 · Compare the details
Put the details side by side
We highlight a better number only when both cards publish values that can be compared fairly. Anything missing stays clearly marked.
Best known Not disclosed
CardsKarta Personal CardOverall62Lava CardOverall62
Karta Personal CardOverall62Lava CardOverall62Scores
6 fields- Overall Score
- Karta Personal Card62Lava Card62
- Cashback score
- Karta Personal Card15Lava Card36
- Travel score
- Karta Personal Card47Lava Card46
- Funds control score
- Karta Personal Card92Lava Card56
- Lowest fees score
- Karta Personal Card55Lava Card59
- Transfers score
- Karta Personal Card91Lava Card80
Strengths & trade-offs
2 fields- Strengths
- Karta Personal CardUSDT and USDC deposits across multiple networks, Apple Pay, Google Pay and contactless ATM accessLava CardNo provider card FX fee, BTC rewards at selected partners
- Trade-offs
- Karta Personal CardSeveral separate foreign-payment charges, Telegram Mini App is the only app surfaceLava CardCard access remains unclear, USD settlement is custodial
Costs
7 fields- Plan cost
- Karta Personal Card$0Lava Card$0
- FX fee
- Karta Personal Card1–3%Lava Card0% provider FX fee
- Top-up fee
- Karta Personal CardFree on Polygon, Base, Optimism, BNB Smart Chain, Arbitrum, Solana and Ethereum; 5.90 USDT on TRC-20Lava CardNo added Lava funding markup. Banks and payment providers may charge; the FAQ lists 1.25% same-day ACH and $25 domestic wire. Regular ACH, SEPA and SPEI are listed as free where eligible. The fee recipient is not specified
- Card spending fee
- Karta Personal Card1.5%Lava CardNot disclosed
- ATM fee
- Karta Personal CardUSD 1 + 2.5% per successful contactless withdrawal; USD 1 for a declined attemptLava Card2%; min $1
- Virtual card
- Karta Personal Card5 USDT one-timeLava CardNot disclosed
- Physical card
- Karta Personal Card99 USDT plastic / 299 USDT Metal LED preorderLava CardNot disclosed
Plans
2 fields- Available plans
- Karta Personal CardNot disclosedLava CardNot disclosed
- Top cashback plan
- Karta Personal CardNot disclosedLava CardNot disclosed
Everyday use
8 fields- Network
- Karta Personal CardVisaLava CardVisa
- Card formats
- Karta Personal CardVirtualLava CardNot disclosed
- ATM withdrawals
- Karta Personal CardAvailableLava CardNot disclosed
- Mobile wallets
- Karta Personal CardApple Pay, Google PayLava CardApple Pay, Google Pay
- Apps
- Karta Personal CardNo app listedLava CardiOS, Android, Web
- Daily spending limit
- Karta Personal Card$25,000 per transaction; no universal daily amount publishedLava CardAccount-specific and collateral-dependent; universal daily amount not disclosed.
- Monthly spending limit
- Karta Personal CardNot publicly disclosed; limits are dynamicLava CardAccount-specific; universal monthly amount not disclosed.
- ATM limit
- Karta Personal Card$250 per contactless withdrawal; maximum 3 attempts per rolling 24hLava CardAccess is conditional; withdrawal limits not disclosed.
Funding & transfers
5 fields- Networks
- Karta Personal CardPolygon, Base, Optimism, BNB Smart Chain, Arbitrum, Solana +17Lava CardSolana, Ethereum, Arbitrum, Avalanche, Base, Celo +4
- Crypto deposits
- Karta Personal CardStablecoins: USDT, USDCLava CardStablecoins: USDC, USDT, PYUSD
- Fiat deposits
- Karta Personal CardUSD ACH, USD SWIFT, USD Domestic wire, EUR SEPA +3Lava CardLava account bank funding
- Transfers
- Karta Personal CardStablecoin transfers; Karta-to-Karta transfer; Bank payoutLava CardStablecoin transfers; Lava account bank withdrawal
- Payout currencies
- Karta Personal CardNot disclosedLava CardUSD, EUR
Rewards
3 fields- Base cashback
- Karta Personal Card0%Lava CardNot disclosed
- Max cashback
- Karta Personal Card0%Lava Card5%
- Reward currency
- Karta Personal CardNo cashbackLava CardBTC
Earn
5 fields- Advertised APY
- Karta Personal CardNot offeredLava CardUp to 6.5% APY
- How it works
- Karta Personal CardNot offeredLava CardOptional earn vault
- Separate deposit
- Karta Personal CardNot offeredLava CardYes
- Use balance for spending
- Karta Personal CardNot offeredLava CardNo
- Lock-up
- Karta Personal CardNot offeredLava CardNo
Trust & availability
6 fields- Custody
- Karta Personal CardSelf-custodyLava CardHybrid custody
- Control until payment
- Karta Personal CardYou keep controlLava CardProvider controls funds
- Card issuer
- Karta Personal CardNimbus LLC d/b/a Third NationalLava CardThird National
- Custody / key management
- Karta Personal CardPrivyLava CardNot disclosed
- Identity verification
- Karta Personal CardSumsubLava CardNot disclosed
- Programme operator
- Karta Personal CardKarta Finance, Inc.Lava CardNot disclosed
Sources
2 fields- Official sources
- Karta Personal Card25Lava Card28
- Last reviewed
- Karta Personal CardSep 5, 2026Lava CardOct 6, 2026
04 · The closer call
Karta Personal Card and Lava Card need a closer personal call
The Overall Score ends level at 62, so there is no honest all-round winner here. Lava Card has the lower published FX fee (0% provider FX fee vs 1–3%). The providers have not published enough matching base cashback information to name a winner. Check the maximum rates, reward assets, caps and conditions below.
Karta Personal Card looks stronger for Travel, Funds control, and Transfers, while Lava Card comes out ahead for Cashback and Lowest fees. Karta Personal Card uses a self-controlled wallet setup, while Lava 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 5). Your final check should be whether the card is available where you live and whether the latest provider terms match the features you expect to use.
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 Lava Card reviews first.
Continue with
Karta Personal Card
Continue with
Lava Card
05 · Common questions
Karta Personal vs Lava FAQ
Is Karta Personal or Lava better overall?
Karta Personal Card and Lava Card tie at 62 in the Overall Score. Compare their costs, rewards, way of holding funds and everyday features to decide which suits you.
Which has lower fees, Karta Personal or Lava?
Lava Card has the lower published FX fee (0% provider FX fee 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 Lava?
The providers have not published enough matching base cashback information to name a winner. Check the maximum rates, reward assets, caps and conditions below. 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 Lava differ on custody?
Karta Personal Card uses a self-controlled wallet setup, while Lava 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 Lava comparison?
The latest information check for these two cards was October 6, 2026, using 53 official sources in total. Each full card review lists its own check date, sources and anything the provider has not clearly disclosed.