A French-only Visa for bitcoin savers — useful, but narrow
Available in US
The Bitstack card is a Visa Classic debit card that spends euros from your Bitstack cash balance. You fund it by selling bitcoin inside the Bitstack app, then pay anywhere Visa is taken. The idea is simple: keep saving in bitcoin, spend in euros, earn a small bitcoin reward (called Stackback) on every purchase. In practice, this is a card for a very specific reader — a French resident who already saves in bitcoin on Bitstack and wants a clean way to spend those euros without separately managing a bank card. If that is not you, most of what this card does well is irrelevant, and most of what it does not offer will matter.
Conditions on this page are current as of October 28, 2026.
Verdict
Bitstack earns 5.5 / 10. The score reflects a product that does one narrow thing well and ignores almost everything else. Costs are reasonable, the company is properly licensed in France, and everyday payments work like an ordinary Visa debit card. But the card is available exclusively to residents of France, it can only be funded by selling bitcoin in the app (other coins and networks are not named), and the feature list is thin: no Google Pay yet, no virtual card yet, fixed limits that you cannot change.
The reader this card fits is a French resident who is already comfortable holding bitcoin on Bitstack and wants the simplest possible bridge from a euro balance to a Visa card. If you live outside France, you cannot get it. If you want to spend USDC, USDT, or any coin other than bitcoin, the card pages do not say you can. If you want a multicurrency account, a virtual card today, or Google Pay, this is not it.
How the score breaks down
| Criterion | Mark | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Who can get it | 2 / 10 | France only, including overseas territories; gradual rollout, other EU countries on a waitlist |
| Cost | 8 / 10 | Card 9.99 EUR plus delivery, no monthly fee, free FX up to 1,000 EUR/month, free ATM up to 200 EUR or 5 withdrawals |
| Top-up options | 3 / 10 | Card spends euros from the Bitstack cash account; you fund it by selling bitcoin in the app; other coins and networks not named |
| Reliability and complaints | 9 / 10 | Bitstack Digital Assets SAS, AMF-registered, card issued by BPCE; Trustpilot 4.3/5 from 1,417 reviews |
| Everyday use | 5 / 10 | Physical Visa Classic, Apple Pay since 30 June 2026, ATM access; Google Pay in development, virtual card planned |
Who will they give you the card
Bitstack states the card is “available exclusively to residents of France,” and that includes the overseas territories. The rollout is gradual, so the order option only appears in the Cash tab once your account qualifies; if you are in another EU country, the starting data puts you on a waitlist. This is a residence rule, not a citizenship rule: where you live is what matters.
The card is not described as a metal card, and there is no virtual card yet (it is planned). It is a physical Visa Classic debit card that spends euros from your Bitstack cash balance. The official pages do not list the documents you need to provide — no proof of address, no age, no ID list. What we know from users is that verification can be slow: a July 2026 Trustpilot review describes an identity check that ended in rejection, with Bitstack replying that decisions follow regulatory requirements and that specifics are not shared publicly. That is the kind of friction you should expect from any regulated French fintech, not just Bitstack.
If you live outside France, the short answer is no. If you live in France, the question is whether your account has reached the point in the rollout where the order option shows up; the app will tell you.
How to get it
The order path runs entirely inside the Bitstack app. You open the Cash tab, choose to order the card, pick a PIN, enter a delivery address in France (including overseas territories), check the total, and pay from your cash account, a bank card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay. Production usually starts the day after you confirm. Delivery takes up to 10 business days after production in metropolitan France, and up to 3 weeks for overseas territories. The delivery fee varies by address; the exact amount is not stated on the card pages.
What the official pages do not say is also worth knowing. There is no document checklist, no age statement, and no description of the KYC steps. The pricing page is internally inconsistent on the card price (the help article says EUR 9.99 plus a variable delivery fee, while the pricing page shows EUR 14.97 or 14.98 with delivery included, and a Plus monthly plan at EUR 9.99 with free shipping). That kind of inconsistency is worth checking at checkout before you pay.
Fees
This is the part Bitstack does reasonably well. The card itself is EUR 9.99, with no monthly subscription. You can spend up to EUR 1,000 a month in foreign currency without an FX fee; above that, an FX fee of about 1% applies to the excess, calculated at the Visa rate at the time of the transaction. ATM withdrawals are free up to EUR 200 per month or 5 withdrawals, whichever comes first; beyond that, the higher of EUR 1 or 1% per withdrawal applies, in France or abroad. Third-party ATM operators may charge their own fees, which the terminal will show before you confirm.
Funding the card via Apple Pay or Google Pay costs 0.70% on all plans. Buying bitcoin to fund the card costs 1.5% under EUR 250, 1.25% from EUR 250 to 1,000, and 1% over EUR 1,000 on the Standard plan; the Plus plan charges 0.75% flat. If you buy bitcoin with a payment method that is not your cash account, there is an extra 0.70%.
The limits are fixed: EUR 5,000 per month in card payments, EUR 200 per week at ATMs with a EUR 1,000 monthly total, and the pricing page caps international payments at EUR 1,000/month on Standard and EUR 3,000/month on Plus. Limits “cannot be changed,” which is unusual and worth knowing before you apply.
Costs at a glance
| Fee or limit | Amount |
|---|---|
| Card issuance | EUR 9.99 plus variable delivery fee |
| Monthly subscription | None |
| Foreign-currency fee | Free up to EUR 1,000/month, then ~1% on the excess |
| ATM withdrawal | Free up to EUR 200/month or 5 withdrawals, then the higher of EUR 1 or 1% |
| Apple Pay / Google Pay deposit | 0.70% on all plans |
| Bitcoin purchase (Standard) | 1.5% under EUR 250; 1.25% from EUR 250 to 1,000; 1% above EUR 1,000 |
| Bitcoin purchase (Plus) | 0.75% flat |
| Card payment cap | EUR 5,000 per month |
| ATM cap | EUR 200 per week, EUR 1,000 per month |
| International payment cap | EUR 1,000/month (Standard), EUR 3,000/month (Plus) |
What a typical payment costs
A EUR 30 lunch paid in euros from your cash balance costs nothing extra: no FX fee, no conversion fee, just the Stackback you earn. A EUR 30 lunch paid in US dollars while you are under the EUR 1,000 monthly FX cap also costs nothing extra. A EUR 30 lunch paid in dollars after you have already spent EUR 1,100 in foreign currency that month will trigger the ~1% FX fee on the EUR 30 (and, technically, on the portion of the earlier spending that pushed you over the cap, depending on how the issuer applies it). An ATM withdrawal of EUR 80 in France is free; a EUR 250 withdrawal costs the higher of EUR 1 or 1% on the EUR 50 above the cap.
The point is that the costs are predictable, but only if you stay inside the free FX and ATM bands. Spend heavily in foreign currency, or withdraw cash often, and the fees add up.
Top up
The card spends euros from your Bitstack cash account. There is no overdraft, no credit, and no way to spend bitcoin directly at the till: you sell bitcoin inside the app to move euros into the cash account, and the card draws on that balance. The card pages do not name the networks or coins that can be deposited; the starting data is that the card is funded by selling bitcoin, and the wider deposit mechanics for other coins are not stated. If you were hoping to send USDC on Polygon or USDT on Tron to top this card up, the official pages do not confirm that path.
Funding via Apple Pay or Google Pay costs 0.70% on all plans. If you buy bitcoin with a payment method that is not the cash account, you pay an extra 0.70%. The minimum top-up amount and who pays blockchain network fees are not stated on the card pages, which is a small but real gap: if you are topping up from an external wallet, you need to know whether the network fee comes out of the amount you send or gets added on top.
For withdrawal, the card pages do not say. Trustpilot users mention contacting support to arrange a bank transfer; no fee or minimum-balance rule for closing the account is published.
Paying with it every day
The card is a physical Visa Classic, accepted anywhere Visa is taken. Apple Pay has been available since 30 June 2026 (app version 3.10.0). Google Pay is “in development, not yet available.” A virtual card is planned but not yet released. You can use the card at ATMs, subject to the limits above.
The Stackback reward is paid in bitcoin once the purchase fully settles. The base rate, with no activation, is 0.1% on Standard and 0.15% on Plus, with a minimum of 1 satoshi. If you set up automatic savings (recurring buys or round-ups), the rate rises: up to 1% on Standard and up to 1.5% on Plus, capped by your previous month’s savings, then falling back to the base rate. From 10 August 2026, round-ups count toward the Stackback tier. The reward is excluded for peer-to-peer transfers, top-ups, ATM withdrawals, gambling and cash equivalents, loan repayments, government payments, and some securities purchases.
The iOS app scores 4.79 from 11,152 ratings on the France App Store (read 2026-10-21); the Google Play rating was not read for this review. There is no published list of blocked merchant categories for spending, which is unusual: most card programmes publish at least a summary of where the card will be declined, and the absence of that list means you may find out at the till.
If something goes wrong, the process is: optionally freeze the card in the app, then call +33 9 69 32 00 61 to block it (stating the card was issued by BPCE), then call +33 9 69 39 03 49 to open a contestation case, which BPCE handles. The time frame for raising a dispute is 13 months from the payment settlement date.
What can go wrong
The good news is the regulatory picture. Bitstack Digital Assets SAS is registered in Aix-en-Provence (trade register no. 899 125 090, office in Meyreuil, France), licensed as an agent of Xpollens (an electronic money institution authorised by the ACPR), and registered with the AMF as a crypto-asset service provider (no. A2025-003). The card itself is issued by BPCE (Banque Populaire Caisse d’Épargne). That is a normal European structure: a regulated EMI handles the money side, a licensed CASP handles the crypto side, and a partner bank issues the Visa. Funds are held through regulated payment infrastructure, segregated under EMI rules; they are not bank deposits and are not covered by deposit guarantee schemes.
There is no built-in insurance. The account is custodial, which means Bitstack holds the credentials to your funds and you trust them to safeguard them; in exchange, you do not have to manage seed phrases or worry about losing a hardware wallet. Every payment requires strong authentication, you can freeze the card instantly in the app, and the limits are fixed (which is a safety feature, even if it feels restrictive).
On Trustpilot, Bitstack scores 4.3 out of 5 from 1,417 reviews (read 2026-10-21). The complaints are the kind you would expect: withdrawal-to-bank and support delays (July 2026), unexplained KYC rejection (July 2026), card delivery delays (June 2026), and low limits or Apple Pay not working at some merchants (June 2026). None of these are unique to Bitstack — they are the recurring themes of any regulated European fintech — but they are real and worth weighing.
The support channels are a help centre, a Telegram community, and a contact page; support hours are not stated. If you need help at 11pm on a Sunday, you are relying on the help centre and the community.
What to take instead
Bitstack is not the only crypto card on the market, and the alternatives below serve different readers. These cards each score differently in market assessments, and this comparison is meant to help you see where Bitstack fits and where it does not.
International Visa Card — 6.7 / 10
A US-issued Platinum Visa that pays in USD. The card is virtual (physical “coming soon”), and the account is not available to residents or legal registrants of a long list of countries including Belarus, mainland China, North Korea, Cuba, India, Iran, Russia, Syria, Turkey, Ukraine, Venezuela, and Vietnam; FATF grey-list countries are reviewed case by case. Purchases are blocked in North Korea, Cuba, Iran, Russia, Syria, Ukraine, and Venezuela. The rule is by residence or registration, not by citizenship.
Issuance is $5 one-time with no maintenance fee. Plans are Classic (free), Pro ($9/month), and Max ($19/month). Card use in USD is free on all plans; foreign currency carries the Visa exchange rate plus a 2% FX fee. Deposits of any kind are free. You fund the card by depositing USDC or USDT into the USD account at 1:1, and you can also deposit USD via SEPA, SWIFT, or FedNow. There is no cashback. This card is a viable option for users living in a supported country outside the EU who hold stablecoins rather than bitcoin and need a USD-denominated card.
UNi Card — 6.1 / 10
A multicurrency Mastercard that spends from the UNi.Global account balance. The official pages do not state which countries are supported, and the physical/virtual split is not specified. There is no annual fee and no foreign transaction fee; assets are converted at live OTC rates with no hidden exchange fees. The card offers “Spend-to-Earn” rewards up to 3%. Funding mechanics and the issuance fee are not stated. Consider this card if you want a multicurrency Mastercard and live somewhere UNi supports; note that published country rules are unavailable.
Whop Cards — 5.2 / 10
A Visa that works anywhere Visa is accepted online and in stores, with cards that can also be issued to team members. Consumer availability is 31 US states; business availability is 41 states. Unsupported consumer countries include Belarus, mainland China, Cuba, Hong Kong, India, Iran, Israel, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, North Korea, Russia, Syria, Turkey, Ukraine, Venezuela, and Vietnam. The basis (citizenship or residence) is not stated. The page says “no extra fees,” with no issuance or monthly amounts listed; conversion and FX fees are not stated. The card spends from a Whop balance (pending balance is usable as soon as a payment arrives, standard withdrawals use settled funds) and is backed by stablecoin collateral from a linked wallet. Cashback is 5% at select merchants, currently Uber, with more planned. If you are a US creator or business paying team members, this may be suitable, but it is not a direct substitute for a French bitcoin savings card.
How they compare
| Card | Score | Card type | Where it works | Cashback | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bitstack | 5.5 / 10 | Visa Classic debit (physical) | France only | 0.1–1.5% in BTC | French bitcoin savers |
| International Visa Card | 6.7 / 10 | Platinum Visa (virtual) | Long blocklist; US-issued | None stated | Stablecoin holders outside the EU |
| UNi Card | 6.1 / 10 | Mastercard (type not stated) | Not stated | Up to 3% | Multicurrency users |
| Whop Cards | 5.2 / 10 | Visa (type not stated) | 31 US states (consumers) | 5% at select merchants | US creators and businesses |
Who I would recommend it to
I would recommend the Bitstack card to a French resident who is already saving in bitcoin on Bitstack, wants the simplest possible bridge from a euro balance to a Visa card, and does not need a virtual card, Google Pay, or a multicurrency account today. The free FX band up to EUR 1,000 a month is generous for occasional foreign spending, the ATM allowance covers light cash use, and the Stackback in bitcoin is a small bonus that compounds if you keep saving. The regulatory structure is sound: a licensed CASP, a regulated EMI partner, and a bank-issued Visa.
I would not recommend it to anyone outside France, to anyone who wants to spend stablecoins or coins other than bitcoin, or to anyone who needs a virtual card right now. The fixed limits, the missing Google Pay, and the thin feature set are real costs, and the KYC friction — even if typical for the industry — is worth factoring in.
If you are choosing between this and a more general crypto card, ask three questions: Where do I live? What coin do I actually hold? Do I need a virtual card or Google Pay today? If the answer to the first is France, the second is bitcoin, and the third is no, Bitstack is a reasonable choice. Otherwise, one of the alternatives above will fit better.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Bitstack card?
The Bitstack card is a physical Visa Classic debit card that spends euros from your Bitstack cash account. You fund it by selling bitcoin inside the Bitstack app, then pay anywhere Visa is accepted. It is issued by BPCE and distributed by Bitstack Digital Assets SAS, an AMF-registered crypto-asset service provider in France.
How does the Bitstack card work?
You hold bitcoin on Bitstack, sell some of it in the app to move euros into your cash account, and the card draws on that euro balance at the till. Every payment requires strong authentication, and the card can be frozen instantly in the app. Foreign-currency payments are converted at the Visa rate.
Is Bitstack a bank?
No. Bitstack is a crypto-asset service provider registered with the AMF (no. A2025-003) and licensed as an agent of Xpollens, an electronic money institution authorised by the ACPR. The card itself is issued by BPCE, a French bank. Funds are held through regulated payment infrastructure, not as bank deposits.
Who owns Bitstack?
Bitstack Digital Assets SAS is the operating company, registered in Aix-en-Provence (trade register no. 899 125 090, office in Meyreuil, France). The card programme is run in partnership with Xpollens (e-money) and BPCE (card issuer).
Is the Bitstack card available in my country?
The card is available exclusively to residents of France, including the overseas territories. Other EU countries are on a waitlist per the starting data. If you live outside France, the official pages do not offer a path to the card.
How do I get the Bitstack card?
You order it inside the app: open the Cash tab, choose to order the card, pick a PIN, enter a delivery address in France, check the total, and pay from your cash account, a bank card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay. Production usually starts the day after confirmation; metropolitan France delivery takes up to 10 business days after production, overseas up to 3 weeks.
Does the Bitstack card require KYC?
The official pages do not list the documents required, but Bitstack is a regulated French crypto firm and applies KYC under EU anti-money-laundering rules. User reports describe identity verification that can be slow and, in some cases, ends in rejection without detailed explanation.
How do I top up the Bitstack card?
You sell bitcoin inside the Bitstack app to move euros into your cash account, and the card draws on that balance. You can also deposit via Apple Pay or Google Pay at a 0.70% fee on all plans. The card pages do not name other coins or networks for direct deposit.
How do I add the Bitstack card to Apple Wallet?
Apple Pay has been available since 30 June 2026 (app version 3.10.0). The in-app flow handles tokenisation; you do not type the card number into Apple Wallet manually. Google Pay is in development and not yet available.
Is the Bitstack card safe?
The regulatory structure is sound: an AMF-registered CASP, a regulated EMI partner, and a bank-issued Visa. Funds are segregated under EMI rules but are not bank deposits and are not covered by deposit guarantee schemes. There is no built-in insurance. The account is custodial, so you trust Bitstack to safeguard your funds. The Trustpilot score is 4.3 out of 5 from 1,417 reviews, with typical complaints about support delays and KYC friction.
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