Blackcatcard vs Chime
Both Blackcatcard and Chime clear the checkouts our readers ask about most. Here is where the two part ways on fees and verification.
Blackcatcard issues on Mastercard and Chime on Visa; verification is ID + proof at Blackcatcard versus ID only at Chime; only Blackcatcard takes crypto top-ups.
Chime is the more cost-effective option for everyday spending and travel thanks to its free virtual cards, no monthly fee. Blackcatcard is the better fit for power users who need crypto funding.
Side by side
| Field | Blackcatcard | Chime |
|---|---|---|
| Card network | Mastercard | Visa |
| Card type | Crypto Card | Digital Bank / Neobank |
| KYC | ID + proof | ID only |
| Card issuance fee | Free | Free |
| Monthly fee | Free (1 card); €2/mo (2+ cards) | Free |
| Top-up fee | — | — |
| FX fee | — | 0% |
| Crypto funding | Yes (BTC/ETH/USDT) | No |
| AI tool support | — | ChatGPT / Claude / Midjourney |
| Risk level | Low-Medium | Low |
| Our rating | 8.2 | 9.5 |
| User reviews | 270 | 551 |
| Best for | App Store / Play · Free issuance | All-rounder · AI subscriptions |
A green left edge marks the side that holds the advantage on that row, where the data gives one.
Two cards, one decision
- Chime costs less to keep open, so it is the one to reach for if you are watching your budget.
- If you wear several hats, Chime is the more flexible of the pair.
- Chime has the lighter onboarding; Blackcatcard will want more documents from you.
- Blackcatcard can sit on a crypto balance; Chime cannot, so the call depends on how you fund it.
- Chime edged Blackcatcard on our composite rating across fees, risk and merchant tests.
- If risk rating weights your choice, Chime is the calmer of the two.
The head to head
Run the numbers against your own usage. Chime runs free to create plus no top-up fee per top-up; Blackcatcard runs free plus no top-up fee. For one or two subscriptions the first column wins; for crypto funding, the second does.
Questions people ask
That depends on what you spend on. Blackcatcard scores 8.2/10 against Chime's 9.5/10 in our tests, but the two split on fees, KYC and crypto funding. Read the table above, then match it to the checkouts you actually run.
Chime works out cheaper: no virtual card issuance fee, free account maintenance. Blackcatcard adds $1.09 a month.
Blackcatcard asks for ID + proof at signup; Chime asks for ID only. If a light sign-up is the priority, the one with the lower KYC label is the faster route.
Both show up in 1 of the same test scenarios, including Contabo. They overlap on a good share of checkouts, so the choice between them matters most on those pages. Where one is accepted and the other is not usually comes down to the billing country and 3-D Secure handling.
Where both show up
Blackcatcard and Chime both landed in our top picks for 1 checkouts. Grouped by category so you can jump straight to the one you actually pay for:
🌐 Cloud & VPS 1
Their BIN ranges
Cards issued in 🇪🇺 Europe (EEA) · 🇺🇸 US — the country guides group every range we track from there.
What our charge log shows
Every count here is a real charge attempt we placed on that range, renewals included, with the gateway response recorded. Weeks tracked is how long the range has been in the programme: