Bitsa Card Review: Fees, Cashback and Plans

Bitsa Card is a prepaid Visa card in euros that you top up by selling crypto in the Bitsa app, or with a bank transfer, another card or a voucher. The free plan costs nothing a month and includes a free virtual card. Bitsa pays no cashback on card payments, so the card is a way to spend crypto as euros, not a rewards card.

Bitsa is run by Bitsa SAS, a French company, while the card itself and its Spanish IBAN come from the e-money institution Pecunpay, and crypto top-ups are handled by the exchange Bitnovo. The three plans differ in limits and extras rather than in card fees, so the plan you pick changes how much the card can hold more than what each payment costs.

Bitsa Card cashback

Bitsa Card pays no cashback on everyday card payments on any of its three plans.

The "up to 15% cashback" on Bitsa's homepage is for gift cards and brand vouchers bought in the app's marketplace, with names like Spotify, Sony and Nintendo. That can be a decent discount if you were going to buy those vouchers anyway, but it doesn't apply when you use the card in a shop or online.

If cashback on your spending matters, Bitsa isn't the right card, and the comparison further down shows cards that pay a rate on every purchase.

Bitsa Card fees

Bitsa Card has no monthly fee on the free plan, a free first virtual card, and an FX fee of 1.75% on non-euro payments in Europe and 2% in the rest of the world.

The plans are where the costs differ. Move costs €0.99 a month, or €11.88 over a year, and Bitsa also sells it for €8.99 if you pay annually. Pro costs €9.99 a month, which is €119.88 over a year, or €69.99 paid upfront. Neither plan changes the card's payment fees, so you pay for higher limits, more cards and free transfers, not cheaper spending.

The limits are the main reason to upgrade. The free plan caps your balance at €2,500, purchases at €1,500 and top-ups at €1,000 a month, which is tight for anyone who wants the card as a main account. Move raises the balance limit to €15,000, and Pro removes the balance and top-up limits entirely.

The physical card costs €20, and each extra virtual card after the first costs €2.50. Bitsa doesn't list a fee for selling crypto to top up the card, so check the rate in the app before you convert.

Bitsa Card ATM withdrawal fees

Bitsa Card charges €0.55 plus 1% of the amount, with a €0.75 minimum, for withdrawals at ATMs outside the eurozone.

At ATMs in Spain, Bitsa passes on the fee that the bank running the ATM charges, which is often nothing and sometimes a few euros. Outside Spain you can withdraw up to €450 a day. A €200 withdrawal in a non-euro country costs €2.55 in Bitsa fees before the 1.75% or 2% FX fee and any charge from the ATM's owner.

Is Bitsa Card safe?

Bitsa Card is a prepaid e-money card, so your euro balance is held by Pecunpay, a Spanish electronic money institution supervised by the Bank of Spain.

Crypto bought or held in the Bitsa app is custodial, and the crypto service is provided by Bitnovo, which takes responsibility for the exchange and its complaints. Bitsa requires identity verification through the app, with a photo of your ID and sometimes a selfie, before the card can be used.

Who should get Bitsa Card

Bitsa Card suits people in Europe who hold some crypto and want a simple way to turn it into a euro card balance, with Apple Pay, Google Pay and a Spanish IBAN in the same app.

It works best as a spending card for modest amounts on the free plan, since €2,500 is the most it can hold. Anyone who wants cashback, or who spends heavily abroad, will do better with a card that pays rewards and charges less for foreign currencies.

Where Bitsa Card is available

Bitsa Card is available to adults who live in the European Economic Area, and the card can be used anywhere Visa is accepted.