Coinbase One Card (AmEx Network): Earn Up to 4% Bitcoin Back

If you’ve seen “Coinbase credit card” headlines lately, they’re talking about the Coinbase One Card — a true credit card that runs on the American Express network, issued by First Electronic Bank and offered with Cardless. It’s available only to Coinbase One members and earns bitcoin back on purchases; your rewards rate scales with the assets you hold on Coinbase. Here are the details.

What Is the Coinbase One Card?

Coinbase has a new credit card, but it’s more like a membership perk. There’s no annual fee specifically for the card itself.

Уou’ll need to be a Coinbase One member, and here’s what the memberships cost:

• Basic: $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year.
• Desired: $29.99 a month or $299.99 a year.
• Premium: $299.99 a month or $2,999.99 a year.

You can see if you’re approved without it hitting your credit score until you actually take the card. Just a heads up, it’s only available in the U.S., not the territories.

It runs on the American Express network and is issued by First Electronic Bank. Coinbase, along with Cardless, is behind the whole thing.

The card has no fees for foreign transactions. 

Official Coinbase One Card page this.

Rewards: How the Bitcoin-Back Works

Your bitcoin-back rate is tiered and depends on your Assets on Coinbase (AOC).

Tiers & cap (the definitive version):

• Tier 1 (AOC < $10,000): 2.0%
• Tier 2 (AOC $10,000–$49,999.99): 2.5% on the first $10,000 in Eligible Purchases per calendar month; 2.0% thereafter
• Tier 3 (AOC $50,000–$199,999.99): 3.0% on the first $10,000 in Eligible Purchases per calendar month; 2.0% thereafter
• Tier 4 (AOC ≥ $200,000): 4.0% on the first $10,000 in Eligible Purchases per calendar month; 2.0% thereafter

Important: That $10,000 monthly cap at the higher tier rates is collective across Tier 2/3/4. Once your month’s Eligible Purchases at these elevated rates total $10k, any additional Eligible Purchases that month earn 2.0% — even if your AOC rises later.

How your tier is set (AOC math):

• Days 0–60: tier is based on your real-time AOC at the moment of purchase.
• Day 61+ : tier is based on the 30-day average of end-of-day AOC. 

When BTC hits your wallet: Rewards usually post when the purchase posts but can take up to 30 days. The BTC amount is calculated using the BTC price at the time of crediting, not purchase time. 

Boosts: Coinbase may run limited-time boosts/bonuses with extra terms — these are not guaranteed. 

Coinbase also states it doesn’t lend or rehypothecate your crypto to fund rewards. 

Fees, Rates & Protections

Card fees

Cash advance fee $10 or 5% (greater of), $25 late fee, $25 returned payment, and $30 per replacement after your second card. No ATM fee from Coinbase (third-party ATMs may charge their own fees). 

• AmEx network benefits listed by Coinbase include Retail/Return/Extended Warranty protections, Amex Offers & Experiences, Worldwide Car Rental Loss & Damage, Trip Cancellation/Interruption, Lost/Damaged Luggage, Roadside & Emergency Assistance (terms, exclusions apply). 

Heads-up: As with any card, specific benefit details live in the official cardholder agreement/benefit guide; always read those PDFs before relying on coverage. 

What counts as an Eligible Purchase is usually your everyday spending with the card.

What doesn’t count? Things like cash withdrawals from ATMs, wire transfers, money orders, P2P payments, gift cards, and prepaid cards. Also, you won’t get rewards for cash advances, gambling, pawn shops, debt collectors, financial services like stocks, your Coinbase One membership, or anything that breaks the card rules. If Coinbase thinks something’s fishy and stops your rewards, but then figures out everything’s okay, those rewards should show up within a month.

Returns & “Rewards Adjustment Charge” 

If you get a refund for a purchase that earned you Bitcoin, Coinbase will charge your card the dollar amount of the Bitcoin you got at the time. This charge, called a Rewards Adjustment Charge, is part of your minimum payment due and can make it higher. If you don’t pay the full minimum amount on time, interest and fees might apply.

Membership Matters: What Coinbase One Adds

The card sits inside Coinbase One. The card offers useful benefits related to cryptocurrency:

• No fees on your first $500 in trades each month.
• Coinbase One currently advertises 3.50% APY on USDC (rate subject to change) and staking reward boosts (+5% Basic, +10% Preferred, +15% Premium)
• Get a 5% bonus on ETH, SOL, and other coins when you stake them.
• $10 off per month on Base network transactions, for a total of $120. (Base is Coinbase’s own Ethereum Layer-2 thing.)

Why the American Express Network Matters

When a card works on the American Express network, AmEx is in charge of the payment system and a lot of the safety features that start working after you pay — separate from any points or cash back your bank gives you. This is important because network perks can make a regular purchase safer. You might get extra warranty time, help returning something when a store won’t take it back, and travel protection if things go wrong on a trip. You can use AmEx anywhere it’s accepted, and any claims are handled based on AmEx network rules and your card’s Guide to Benefits (which is always the final say).

Here’s how it works:

Think of the network as the rulebook and service layer sitting between the merchant and your issuer. Rewards, fees, and credit limits come from your issuer, but many protections and perks — and the way claims are handled — come from AmEx’s network benefits.

Here are some benefits you can get through the AmEx network:

• Retail Protection – If something you buy gets damaged or stolen soon after you buy it, this can help (but there are limits).
• Extended Warranty – You might get extra warranty time on some items after the original warranty ends.
• Return Protection – If a store won’t take back something you can return, you might get your money back.
• Worldwide Car Rental Loss & Damage Insurance – You can get coverage for car rentals if something happens to the car (either secondary or primary, depending on the card) if you follow the card’s rules.
• Trip Cancellation/Interruption – If something happens that messes up your trip, you can get money back for non-refundable expenses.
• Lost or Damaged Luggage Insurance – If an airline loses or damages your bags, you’re covered.
• Roadside Assistance & Emergency Assistance – If you’re stuck somewhere, you can get help coordinating services (and with some cards, you might even get certain services covered).
• Amex Offers – You can get special deals at popular stores, like statement credits or extra points. Make sure to add the offers to your card before you shop.
• Amex Experiences – You can get early access to tickets, preferred seating, and special events in certain cities and venues.

Keep in mind: What’s covered, how much you can get, deductibles, and what counts as an eligible purchase can be different depending on the card.

Is it worth it?

If you’re already a fan of Coinbase One because of the lower trading fees, USDC interest, staking boosts, or on-chain benefits, and you keep enough stuff on Coinbase to hit a higher tier in their rewards program, then getting 2.5–4% back on the first $10,000 you spend each month could be a good deal, especially if you’re spending money abroad and want to skip foreign transaction fees. If you don’t think you’ll keep your membership or have enough assets to stay at a high tier, you’ll only get 2% back, so it’s worth comparing that to other no-fee cash-back cards and what you could earn by keeping your assets somewhere else. Also, keep in mind that crypto prices can change quickly, so the value of your rewards could go up or down.

How to Apply

You can apply in the Coinbase mobile app (Credit Card → Get Started). You’ll see your credit limit and whether you’re approved without a hard inquiry; a hard pull occurs only if you accept. After approval, you can add the virtual card to Apple/Google Pay while you wait for the physical card. U.S. residency (excluding territories) and Coinbase One membership are required. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Take

From what’s live today, Coinbase One Card is the most mainstream crypto-rewards play we’ve seen from a major U.S. exchange — AmEx network benefits, tiered BTC back up to 4%, no FTFs, and membership-tied economics that can make sense if you already use Coinbase One.