Side-by-side card comparison

ZEN vs ether.fi Cash: overall score versus use-case fit

ether.fi Cash Card has the higher Overall Score by 9 points (86 vs 77). ZEN Card looks stronger for Travel and Lowest fees, while ether.fi Cash Card comes out ahead for Cashback, Funds control, and Transfers.

Information checked Oct 7, 202680 official sources reviewed

01 · Overall score versus use-case fit

ether.fi Cash Card is the better all-round starting point

ether.fi Cash Card has the higher Overall Score in this comparison. ZEN Card may be the better fit for Travel and Lowest fees. 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.

OverallZEN77ether.fi Cash86Higher score
CashbackZEN39ether.fi Cash84Higher score
TravelZEN96ether.fi Cash82Higher score
Funds controlZEN65ether.fi Cash96Higher score
Lowest feesZEN81ether.fi Cash65Higher score
TransfersZEN98ether.fi Cash100Higher score

Choose ZEN Card if travel and lowest fees matter most

ZEN Card comes out ahead for 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.

  • Free plan with 0.5% weekday FX margin
  • Physical, virtual and phone-wallet access
  • Four current crypto-route assets

Choose ether.fi Cash Card if cashback and funds control matter most

ether.fi Cash Card comes out ahead for Cashback, 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.

  • Card spend plus cash-account rails
  • Liquid USD can stay spendable
  • Tiers make perks easier to compare

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
ZEN77
ether.fi Cash86

ether.fi Cash Card has the higher Overall Score by 9 points.

Entry cost & FX
ZEN$0 plan · 0–0.5% FX
ether.fi Cash$0 plan · 0–0.5% FX

The starting plan and FX figures are tied, or the providers have not published enough matching information to name a lower-cost option.

Purchase rewards
ZEN0% base
ether.fi Cash3% base · up to 4%

ether.fi Cash Card has the higher published base cashback rate (3% vs 0%).

Funds control
ZENCustodial balance
ether.fi CashNon-custodial account

ZEN Card uses a custodial balance setup, while ether.fi Cash Card uses a non-custodial account setup. Neither approach is always better, so choose the level of control you are comfortable with.

Everyday access
ZENVirtual + Physical · Apple Pay, Google Pay
ether.fi CashVirtual + Physical · Apple Pay, Google Pay

Both cards list the same number of card formats and phone-wallet options.

Money movement
ZEN2 stablecoins · Stablecoin transfers; Card-to-card transfer; SEPA transfers
ether.fi Cash5 stablecoins · Stablecoin transfers; USD ACH, USD Fedwire, EUR SEPA, USD SWIFT +2

ether.fi Cash Card lists more stablecoins and ways to send money out (12 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% base
Plan cost
$0
FX fee
0–0.5%
ATM fee
0–1.5%
Card formats
Virtual, Physical
Wallet payments
Apple Pay, Google Pay
Receive methods
4 crypto · 2 fiat
Payout methods
4 crypto · 1 fiat
Cashback
3%-4%
Plan cost
$0
FX fee
0–0.5%
ATM fee
Not disclosed
Card formats
Virtual, Physical
Wallet payments
Apple Pay, Google Pay
Receive methods
18 crypto · 14 fiat
Payout methods
5 crypto · 30 fiat

Partner links may earn us a commission. Read our affiliate disclosure for how these links work.

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
ZEN CardOverall77
ether.fi Cash CardOverall86
01

Scores

6 fields
Overall Score
ZEN Card
77
ether.fi Cash Card
86
Cashback score
ZEN Card
39
ether.fi Cash Card
84
Travel score
ZEN Card
96
ether.fi Cash Card
82
Funds control score
ZEN Card
65
ether.fi Cash Card
96
Lowest fees score
ZEN Card
81
ether.fi Cash Card
65
Transfers score
ZEN Card
98
ether.fi Cash Card
100
02

Strengths & trade-offs

2 fields
Strengths
ZEN Card
Free plan with 0.5% weekday FX margin, Physical, virtual and phone-wallet access
ether.fi Cash Card
Card spend plus cash-account rails, Liquid USD can stay spendable
Trade-offs
ZEN Card
Free-plan ATM withdrawals cost 1.5%, No universal public cashback rate
ether.fi Cash Card
Vault returns depend on the selected strategy, Borrowing accrues interest immediately
03

Costs

7 fields
Plan cost
ZEN Card
$0
ether.fi Cash Card
$0
FX fee
ZEN Card
0–0.5%
ether.fi Cash Card
0–0.5%
Top-up fee
ZEN Card
0–3%
ether.fi Cash Card
Not disclosed
Card spending fee
ZEN Card
0%
ether.fi Cash Card
Not disclosed
ATM fee
ZEN Card
0–1.5%
ether.fi Cash Card
Not disclosed
Virtual card
ZEN Card
Free/Gold: 1 included; Platinum/Pro: 3 included; next card €5
ether.fi Cash Card
First virtual card normally $0; $10 for AR, AO, BD, BO, CO, EC, ID, MY, MX, NG, PE, PH, ZA and TH under the dedicated fee article. Check the displayed price before order.
Physical card
ZEN Card
Free first card €10; Gold 1 included; Platinum/Pro 2 included; next card €10
ether.fi Cash Card
Comparison page: Core $60 including shipping; one free physical card on higher tiers. Help pages describe additional-card fees and different included quantities. Confirm the order quote.
04

Plans

2 fields
Available plans
ZEN Card
4 plans: Free, Gold, Platinum, Pro
ether.fi Cash Card
4 plans: Core, Luxe, Pinnacle, VIP
Top cashback plan
ZEN Card
Free: 0%
ether.fi Cash Card
VIP: 4%
05

Everyday use

8 fields
Network
ZEN Card
Mastercard/Visa
ether.fi Cash Card
Visa
Card formats
ZEN Card
Virtual, Physical
ether.fi Cash Card
Virtual, Physical
ATM withdrawals
ZEN Card
Available
ether.fi Cash Card
Available
Mobile wallets
ZEN Card
Apple Pay, Google Pay
ether.fi Cash Card
Apple Pay, Google Pay
Apps
ZEN Card
iOS, Android, Web
ether.fi Cash Card
iOS, Android, Web
Daily spending limit
ZEN Card
Standard €10,000/day; maximum €30,000/day (currency equivalents also published)
ether.fi Cash Card
Editable defaults: $5,000/day per card; Vault $10,000/day and $10,000/month. Current tier maximum is unconfirmed; the first applicable card, Vault or MCC limit applies.
Monthly spending limit
ZEN Card
Not publicly confirmed
ether.fi Cash Card
Monthly limit shown in app; cashback caps vary by plan
ATM limit
ZEN Card
Standard €2,000/day; maximum €30,000/day (currency equivalents also published)
ether.fi Cash Card
Core/Luxe/Pinnacle: $1,000 per withdrawal, up to 5 withdrawals and $5,000 per rolling 24 hours. VIP numeric ceiling is unconfirmed.
06

Funding & transfers

5 fields
Networks
ZEN Card
Not disclosed
ether.fi Cash Card
Optimism, Ethereum, Arbitrum, Base, HyperEVM, BNB Smart Chain +10
Crypto deposits
ZEN Card
Stablecoins: USDT, USDC; Other crypto: BTC, ETH
ether.fi Cash Card
Stablecoins: USDC, USDT, EURC, frxUSD, LiquidUSD; Other crypto: beHYPE, eBTC, ETHFI, LiquidBTC, LiquidETH +8
Fiat deposits
ZEN Card
SEPA bank transfer, Payment-card top-up
ether.fi Cash Card
USD ACH, USD Fedwire, EUR SEPA, USD SWIFT +10
Transfers
ZEN Card
Stablecoin transfers; Card-to-card transfer; SEPA transfers
ether.fi Cash Card
Stablecoin transfers; USD ACH, USD Fedwire, EUR SEPA, USD SWIFT +2
Payout currencies
ZEN Card
EUR
ether.fi Cash Card
USD, EUR, GBP, AED, AUD, BRL, CAD, CHF +22
07

Rewards

3 fields
Base cashback
ZEN Card
0%
ether.fi Cash Card
3%
Max cashback
ZEN Card
Not disclosed
ether.fi Cash Card
4%
Reward currency
ZEN Card
Transaction currency
ether.fi Cash Card
ETHFI token cashback
08

Earn

5 fields
Advertised APY
ZEN Card
Not offered
ether.fi Cash Card
Up to 5.47% APY
How it works
ZEN Card
Not offered
ether.fi Cash Card
Earn on spending balance, Borrow against collateral, Optional earn vault
Separate deposit
ZEN Card
Not offered
ether.fi Cash Card
Not disclosed
Use balance for spending
ZEN Card
Not offered
ether.fi Cash Card
Not disclosed
Lock-up
ZEN Card
Not offered
ether.fi Cash Card
Not disclosed
09

Trust & availability

5 fields
Custody
ZEN Card
Custodial
ether.fi Cash Card
Non-custodial
Control until payment
ZEN Card
Provider controls funds
ether.fi Cash Card
You keep control
Card issuer
ZEN Card
UAB ZEN.COM
ether.fi Cash Card
Third National
Deposits & withdrawals
ZEN Card
Triple A Technologies Pte Ltd, Coreline Solutions LLC
ether.fi Cash Card
SEPA third-party provider
Programme operator
ZEN Card
Not disclosed
ether.fi Cash Card
ether.fi, Ether.Fi SEZC
10

Sources

2 fields
Official sources
ZEN Card
43
ether.fi Cash Card
37
Last reviewed
ZEN Card
Oct 7, 2026
ether.fi Cash Card
Oct 6, 2026

04 · The trade-off

ether.fi Cash Card is the stronger all-round choice

ether.fi Cash Card finishes ahead with an Overall Score of 86 versus 77 for ZEN Card. The starting plan and FX figures are tied, or the providers have not published enough matching information to name a lower-cost option. ether.fi Cash Card has the higher published base cashback rate (3% vs 0%).

ZEN Card still comes out ahead for Travel and Lowest fees, which may matter more than the overall result if that is how you plan to use the card. ZEN Card uses a custodial balance setup, while ether.fi Cash Card uses a non-custodial account setup. Neither approach is always better, so choose the level of control you are comfortable with.

ether.fi Cash Card lists more stablecoins and ways to send money out (12 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 ZEN Card and ether.fi Cash Card reviews first.

05 · Common questions

ZEN vs ether.fi Cash FAQ

Is ZEN or ether.fi Cash better overall?

ether.fi Cash Card has the higher Overall Score (86 vs 77). 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, ZEN or ether.fi Cash?

The starting plan and FX figures are tied, or the providers have not published enough matching information to name a lower-cost option. Compare plan, FX, card-spend, top-up and ATM charges separately because one fee does not represent the full cost.

Which has better cashback, ZEN or ether.fi Cash?

ether.fi Cash Card has the higher published base cashback rate (3% vs 0%). Maximum rates may depend on tiers, caps, categories or other conditions, so the entry rate and reward asset matter too.

How do ZEN and ether.fi Cash differ on custody?

ZEN Card uses a custodial balance setup, while ether.fi Cash Card uses a non-custodial account setup. Neither approach is always better, so choose the level of control you are comfortable with.

How current is this ZEN vs ether.fi Cash comparison?

The latest information check for these two cards was October 7, 2026, using 80 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