Bybit Card vs Genome
Both Bybit Card and Genome clear the checkouts our readers ask about most. Here is where the two part ways on fees and verification.
Bybit Card issues on Mastercard · Visa and Genome on Visa; verification is ID only at Bybit Card versus ID + proof at Genome; only Bybit Card takes crypto top-ups.
Bybit Card is the more cost-effective option for everyday spending and travel thanks to its free virtual cards, no monthly fee, no top-up fee. Genome is the better fit for power users who need ad spend.
The short version of the matchup
| Field | Bybit Card | Genome |
|---|---|---|
| Card network | Mastercard, Visa | Visa |
| Card type | Crypto Card | Digital Bank / Neobank |
| KYC | ID only | ID + proof |
| Card issuance fee | Free | Virtual card 1 EUR (first 10); 10 EUR from 11th |
| Monthly fee | Free | Free EUR (card monthly fee); non-EEA personal account 20 EUR/mo or 200 EUR/yr |
| Top-up fee | — | Non-Genome card top-up 3% (externally initiated 1%) |
| FX fee | 1%-2% | Non-card currency transactions 2%; EUR/USD/GBP conversion 1% |
| Crypto funding | Yes | No |
| AI tool support | ChatGPT / Claude / Midjourney | ChatGPT |
| Risk level | Medium | Medium |
| Our rating | 9.3 | 9.3 |
| User reviews | 54 | 159 |
| Best for | All-rounder · AI subscriptions | Ad spend · AI subscriptions |
A green left edge marks the side that holds the advantage on that row, where the data gives one.
Side by side
- Budget-led users will lean to Bybit Card: the running cost is the lower of the two.
- Multi-task users get more from Bybit Card — it clears more of the checkouts we run through our test suite.
- Bybit Card asks for less verification up front, which matters if you want a card live the same day.
- Bybit Card can sit on a crypto balance; Genome cannot, so the call depends on how you fund it.
What sets them apart
Both cards clear the same checkouts in our tests, so the call comes down to cost. Bybit Card is cheaper on issuance (free) and top-ups (no top-up fee), while Genome is worth the premium only for ad-platform billing.
Questions people ask
That depends on what you spend on. Bybit Card scores 9.3/10 against Genome's 9.3/10 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.
Bybit Card works out cheaper: no virtual card issuance fee, free account maintenance, no top-up fee. Genome adds about $1.09 per virtual card, a 2% FX fee, a 3% top-up fee.
Bybit Card asks for ID only at signup; Genome asks for ID + proof. If a light sign-up is the priority, the one with the lower KYC label is the faster route.
Both show up in 30 of the same test scenarios, including ChatGPT Plus, OpenAI API, RunwayML. 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
Bybit Card and Genome both landed in our top picks for 30 checkouts. Grouped by category so you can jump straight to the one you actually pay for:
🤖 AI Tools & Developer Tools 8
📺 Streaming & Entertainment 8
🛍️ Cross-border Shopping 5
🧳 Travel & Productivity 4
🎮 Gaming 3
Their BIN ranges
Cards issued in 🌎 Latin America · 🇦🇺 Australia — 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: