Nexo vs Starling Bank
Torn between Nexo and Starling Bank? The comparison below is built from the same test data we use across the rest of the site.
Nexo issues on Visa · Mastercard and Starling Bank on Mastercard; both ask for ID + proof; only Nexo takes crypto top-ups.
Nexo is the more cost-effective option for everyday spending and travel thanks to its free virtual cards, no monthly fee. Starling Bank is the better fit for power users who need ad spend.
Two cards, one decision
| Field | Nexo | Starling Bank |
|---|---|---|
| Card network | Visa, Mastercard | Mastercard |
| Card type | Crypto Card | Digital Bank / Neobank |
| KYC | ID + proof | ID + proof |
| Card issuance fee | Free (virtual card instant activation) | Free |
| Monthly fee | Free (no monthly/annual/inactivity fee) | Free |
| Top-up fee | 0% | — |
| FX fee | 0.2% (EEA weekday) / 2% elsewhere (2.5% weekend) | 0% (no foreign transaction fee) |
| Crypto funding | Yes (20+ blockchain funding; USDT/USDC/ETH/SOL etc.) | No |
| AI tool support | ChatGPT / Claude / Midjourney | ChatGPT / Claude / Midjourney |
| Risk level | Low-Medium | Low-Medium |
| Our rating | 8.3 | 9.1 |
| User reviews | 783 | 437 |
| 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 short version of the matchup
- If you wear several hats, Starling Bank is the more flexible of the pair.
- Nexo can sit on a crypto balance; Starling Bank cannot, so the call depends on how you fund it.
- In our scoring, Starling Bank finished ahead of Nexo — not by a mile, but enough to tilt a tiebreak.
What sets them apart
Both cards clear the same checkouts in our tests, so the call comes down to cost. Nexo is cheaper on issuance (free) and top-ups (no top-up fee), while Starling Bank is worth the premium only for ad-platform billing.
Questions people ask
That depends on what you spend on. Nexo scores 8.3/10 against Starling Bank's 9.1/10 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.
Nexo is the cheaper card to run. Both Nexo and Starling Bank issue virtual cards for free; Nexo reloads at 0%, while Starling Bank publishes no top-up percentage.
Nexo asks for ID + proof at signup; Starling Bank 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 4 of the same test scenarios, including Amazon US, Hetzner, OVHcloud. 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
Nexo and Starling Bank both landed in our top picks for 4 checkouts. Grouped by category so you can jump straight to the one you actually pay for:
🛍️ Cross-border Shopping 1
🎮 Gaming 1
Their BIN ranges
Cards issued in 🇪🇺 Europe (EEA) · 🇬🇧 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: