Chime vs Revolut
Torn between Chime and Revolut? The comparison below is built from the same test data we use across the rest of the site.
Chime issues on Visa and Revolut on Visa · Mastercard; both ask for ID only; only Revolut 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, 0% foreign transaction fees. Revolut is the better fit for power users who need crypto funding and ad spend.
Two cards, one decision
| Field | Chime | Revolut |
|---|---|---|
| Card network | Visa | Visa, Mastercard |
| Card type | Digital Bank / Neobank | Digital Bank / Neobank |
| KYC | ID only | ID only |
| Card issuance fee | Free | Free |
| Monthly fee | Free | Free (Standard); Plus £3.99; Premium £7.99; Metal £14.99; Ultra £55 per mo |
| Top-up fee | — | — |
| FX fee | 0% | 0.5% |
| Crypto funding | No | Yes |
| AI tool support | ChatGPT / Claude / Midjourney | ChatGPT / Claude / Midjourney |
| Risk level | Low | Low-Medium |
| Our rating | 9.5 | 9.0 |
| User reviews | 551 | 80 |
| Best for | All-rounder · AI subscriptions | All-rounder · Ad spend |
A green left edge marks the side that holds the advantage on that row, where the data gives one.
The head to head
- Revolut covers a wider spread of use cases; Chime is more of a single-purpose tool.
- Revolut can sit on a crypto balance; Chime cannot, so the call depends on how you fund it.
- In our scoring, Chime finished ahead of Revolut — not by a mile, but enough to tilt a tiebreak.
- Chime carries the lower risk flag in our file, which some users prefer for a primary card.
Where they split
Chime is the cheaper card to hold: free to create and no top-up fee, against free and no top-up fee at Revolut. Revolut earns its keep only if you need crypto funding and ad-platform billing.
Questions people ask
That depends on what you spend on. Chime scores 9.5/10 against Revolut's 9.0/10 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 is the cheaper card to run. Both Chime and Revolut issue virtual cards for free; Chime converts currency at 0%.
Chime asks for ID only at signup; Revolut 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 44 of the same test scenarios, including OpenAI API, Claude.ai, Suno AI. 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
Chime and Revolut both landed in our top picks for 44 checkouts. Grouped by category so you can jump straight to the one you actually pay for:
🤖 AI Tools & Developer Tools 14
📺 Streaming & Entertainment 13
🌐 Cloud & VPS 6
🛍️ Cross-border Shopping 4
🧳 Travel & Productivity 4
🎮 Gaming 3
Their BIN ranges
Cards issued in 🇺🇸 US · 🇬🇧 UK — 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: