A sensible pick if you want a free self-custody card for USDC and already use Base. Skip it if you need a physical card, a published cashback rate or service in the UK.
Score breakdown
How we read the terms: No issuance or monthly fee. FX is not scored: Tuyo’s help centre lists 1% FX plus a 1% fee on purchases outside the US, while its card page says only an FX spread of up to ~1%. Rewards are not scored because TUYOs rates are not published.
Not rated yet: verified criteria cover 30% of the weight, and we need 70% to give an overall score. How scores are calculated.
Pros
- Self-custody: you hold the keys to your funds
- No issuance fee and no monthly or yearly fee
- Spends USDC on Base, including USDC sitting in Earn strategies
- Works with Apple Pay and Google Pay
Cons
- Virtual only: the physical card is still “coming soon”
- Reward rates (TUYOs points) are only shown in the app
- Tuyo’s own pages disagree on FX and abroad fees
- Not available in the UK and not issued in 20 US states
Overview
Tuyo is a self-custody wallet app from Tuyo Inc. Its virtual Visa card spends USDC on the Base network. The card programme runs through Signify Holdings (Rain), and cards are issued by licensed partner institutions.
Card spending earns TUYOs, which are non-transferable reward points rather than a token. Tuyo also runs “Buy Now, Pay Maybe”, where some purchases are randomly made free. It doesn’t publish the odds or a fixed reward rate.
We haven’t run a hands-on test of this card; this review is based on the issuer’s published documents linked on this page.
Fees and limits
- Card issuance (global)
- $0source
- Monthly fee (global)
- $0source
- FX fee (global)
- Not verified
- Top-up (global)
- No fee to convert other tokens to USDC on Basesource
- Free ATM per month (global)
- Not verified
Fees are quoted from the issuer’s documents for the region shown. Each “source” link opens the issuer’s page; the wording is quoted in the availability table and in the link’s tooltip.
Is it worth it? Quick math
We can’t do the maths yet: the entry-tier cashback or one of the fees is not verified.
Cashback paid in a volatile token can be worth more or less when you sell it. FX and top-up fees are not included here.
Availability
| Region | Status | What the issuer says |
|---|---|---|
| US | With restrictions | “The Tuyo card cannot be issued to consumers residing in these U.S. states and territories: Arizona Delaware Georgia Idaho...”source Not issued in 20 US states, including Arizona, Georgia, Ohio and Washington, or in DC and US territories. |
| UK | Not available | “United Kingdom (GB) Not available”source Tuyo is not available in the United Kingdom. |
| EEA | Available | “Countries not listed above are available at the general Tuyo-platform layer.”source |
By country
Other regions listed by the issuer: Most countries outside Tuyo's prohibited list, US (excluding 20 states incl. Arizona, Georgia, Ohio, Washington, plus DC and territories), Excluded: United Kingdom, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Belarus, China, DR Congo, Cuba, India, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, North Korea, Russia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Turkey, Ukraine, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen; card also not issued in Israel or Nicaraguasource. Not legal advice; an issuer can refuse any applicant.
How to get the card
- 1Download TuyoInstall the Tuyo app and create your self-custody account.
- 2Pass card verificationComplete KYC for the card; your funds stay under your control even if it is rejected.
- 3Fund with USDC on BaseDeposit USDC or another token and convert it to USDC on Base inside the app.
- 4Add to your phoneAdd the virtual card to Apple Pay or Google Pay and pay in store or online.
Tuyo Card: common questions
Does the Tuyo Card have fees?
There’s no issuance fee and no monthly or yearly fee. Tuyo’s help centre lists a 1% FX fee on non-USD purchases and a 1% fee on purchases outside the US, while its card page mentions only an FX spread of up to about 1%.
Is there a physical Tuyo Card?
Not yet. Tuyo’s card page lists the physical card as coming soon; today the card is virtual and works through Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Alternatives and comparisons
Information only, not financial advice. Crypto assets are volatile. Terms change often — confirm on the issuer’s site before applying.