Uphold Card review

The monthly fee is $0, so there is no standing charge to keep the card open. Uphold's monthly fee sits at position 1 of 419 in the comparison, and other cards with no monthly charge include Wise at £0 and Starling at £0.

The currency conversion fee is 1.5%, which applies when the card spends in a currency other than the balance. That places Uphold at position 141 of 259 on this measure, and above the debit median of 1%, so it is the weaker side of the offer.

Free ATM withdrawals come to $0, so cash on the move is a cost rather than a free perk. Uphold ranks at position 41 of 115 on free withdrawals, and the debit median is €0, so plan to pay at the machine.

Uphold holds the balance itself rather than letting you hold it, and the custody model is custodial. The provider is Uphold HQ Inc., founded in 2014 and headquartered in the US. It appears in the National Mortgage Licensing System (NMLS) as 1269875, and in Portugal it is registered with the Bank of Portugal.

Spending on the card earns cashback of 2%, and that is the reward listed rather than points or miles. It sits alongside a feature set of crypto, virtual card and travel, so one balance covers crypto use, a virtual card and travel spending. The card runs on visa, so it is accepted wherever that network is accepted.

The Uphold Card is a debit card on the visa network, with a virtual card and travel use among its listed features. Because the balance is custodial, spending comes from funds Uphold holds rather than a bank deposit, which is the main thing to weigh against a plain current account card.

Support runs on help centre only, so questions go through self-service articles rather than a phone line or live chat. That is the support route listed for the provider, and it is worth weighing if you would rather call someone about a card problem.

It fits people who already hold crypto and want a single card for everyday spending, plus anyone who wants cashback of 2% without a monthly charge. It suits less well if you rely on free ATM withdrawals, since the allowance is $0, or convert currency often, since that costs 1.5%.