Paycek vs YEX
Both Paycek and YEX clear the checkouts our readers ask about most. Here is where the two part ways on fees and verification.
Paycek issues on Visa + Mastercard and YEX on Visa; verification is No KYC at Paycek versus ID + proof at YEX.
Paycek is the more cost-effective option for everyday spending and travel thanks to its free virtual cards, no monthly fee. YEX is the better fit for power users who need AI subscriptions.
The two, compared
| Field | Paycek | YEX |
|---|---|---|
| Card network | Visa + Mastercard | Visa |
| Card type | Crypto Card | Crypto Card |
| KYC | No KYC | ID + proof |
| Card issuance fee | Free | Free |
| Monthly fee | Free | Free |
| Top-up fee | 1.5% | — |
| FX fee | 1.5% | 0% |
| Crypto funding | Yes (20+ currencies) | Yes |
| AI tool support | — | ChatGPT / Claude / Midjourney |
| Risk level | High | Medium |
| Our rating | 8.8 | 8.4 |
| User reviews | 138 | 274 |
| Best for | App Store / Play · No KYC | All-rounder · AI subscriptions |
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, YEX is the more flexible of the pair.
- Paycek has the lighter onboarding; YEX will want more documents from you.
- In our scoring, Paycek finished ahead of YEX — not by a mile, but enough to tilt a tiebreak.
- YEX carries the lower risk flag in our file, which some users prefer for a primary card.
Where they split
Run the numbers against your own usage. Paycek runs free to create plus a 1.5% top-up per top-up; YEX runs free plus no top-up fee. For one or two subscriptions the first column wins; for AI subscriptions, the second does.
Questions people ask
That depends on what you spend on. Paycek scores 8.8/10 against YEX's 8.4/10 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.
Paycek is the cheaper card to run. Both Paycek and YEX issue virtual cards for free; Paycek reloads at 1.5%, while YEX publishes no top-up percentage.
Paycek asks for No KYC at signup; YEX 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 DigitalOcean, Namecheap, PlayStation Network. 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
Paycek and YEX both landed in our top picks for 4 checkouts. Grouped by category so you can jump straight to the one you actually pay for:
🌐 Cloud & VPS 2
🎮 Gaming 1
🧳 Travel & Productivity 1
Their BIN ranges
Cards issued in 🇪🇺 Europe (EEA) · 🇨🇦 Canada — 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: