The card stopped accepting new customers, and the balance you loaded is still yours

Updated October 2026

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Available in US

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Gnosis Pay never became the everyday card many people hoped it would. It was a clever product with self-custody behind it, no foreign-exchange markup from the crypto side, and a virtual card you could have in minutes — wrapped around an issuer, Monavate, and a shut-down date that arrived faster than its supporters expected. On 21 September 2026 the company put out a formal notice: the consumer card and the web app stop on 20 December 2026. If you are holding Gnosis Pay today, the important thing is not the score. It is getting your money out and understanding which rights survive the closure. If you were still thinking of applying, that door is shut.

The conditions described here are current as of October 28, 2026.

Verdict: 4.5 out of 10, and the reason is not fees

Let me be direct about the number. Gnosis Pay scores 4.5 out of 10 overall. The fees were excellent — genuinely good, better than almost any competitor on foreign exchange — and that is precisely what makes the shutdown painful. You were not overcharged. You were simply left holding a card that is disappearing on a fixed calendar, with support windows and dispute windows that close on their own separate dates.

Who this suited until it closed: people who already held crypto in a self-custody Safe, who wanted to spend stablecoins at Visa’s exchange rate with no Gnosis Pay markup, and who were comfortable managing a signer key themselves. Who it does not suit now: anyone starting out. You cannot apply for a card that is no longer being issued. And if you are reading this hoping to compare it against a card you could still get, the comparison is no longer live — Gnosis Pay is out of the running as an option, not as a competitor.

The closure notice does not describe cashback on the current card; partner programmes may run different rewards, and reported GNO cashback eligibility ended on 30 September 2026 with a final distribution on 7 October (unofficial). The audience note in plain terms: the people this card was really for now have one job, and that is withdrawing their balance before the shutdown.

Here is the score broken down criterion by criterion, so you can see exactly where the marks come from:

The total is 4.5 out of 10.

What happened to the programme

The story runs in reverse order from how you might expect. Long before the closure, Gnosis Pay had already turned its attention to business customers. On 7 September 2026 the site was pitching B2B card-issuing with Startup (a two-year agreement) and Enterprise (three years, a dedicated BIN) tiers at custom pricing. Then, on 21 September 2026, the formal closure notice for the consumer side arrived. Within weeks, news reported that MiniPay would handle migration and issue replacement cards on Gnosis Pay’s enterprise rails.

In plain corporate terms: Gnosis Pay was never the issuer. Gnosis Pay Co Ltd (a UK-registered company, number 14919639) is the trading name of the company that acts as the technical services provider and programme manager. The card itself was issued by Monavate Limited under a licence from Visa Europe Limited, and Monavate is an FCA-authorised electronic money institution (FRN 901097). UK and non-EEA cardholders deal with Monavate Ltd (FCA); EEA cardholders deal with UAB Monavate, supervised by the Bank of Lithuania. Visa and Mastercard do not issue crypto cards to consumers themselves — they license issuers, and a licensed issuer can wind a programme down. This one is winding down.

Before the closure, the eligibility rule was residence, not citizenship. The help centre described legal residents of selected European and Latin American countries — Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus and more EEA countries — with a waitlist for new ones. The site now lists corridors for USD, EUR, GBP, BRL and ARS along with partner apps. Verification ran through Sumsub in a unified KYC flow; the specific documents, proof of address and age requirement are not stated on the card’s public pages.

The card itself was a Visa, available both virtual (instant) and physical, with settlement at T+1. On cost, there is a wrinkle worth knowing: a help-centre page — possibly outdated — still lists a card purchase fee of EUR 30.23, but the current position is that the consumer card is free and shipping is free too. Replacement of a lost or stolen card was 4.99 in EURe/GBPe/USDCe including replacement shipping.

What the card did well, and what you gave up by staying, is best read from the fees it charged. There were no transaction fees and no added FX fee from Gnosis Pay; fiat and stablecoin converted 1:1. You spent EURe, GBPe or USDCe at 1:1 (a EUR 10 purchase spends 10 EURe), Visa’s exchange rate applied automatically, and the page advised choosing the local currency at terminals. The only money you paid was on the blockchain, not to the card: card transactions incurred no gas fee, and gas applied only to on-chain transfers such as moving funds from your Safe to another wallet.

And then the calendar that now matters most: the card stops authorising payments and the web app closes — withdrawals excepted — at 23:59 UTC on 20 December 2026. There is one consumer tier; there were no cashback tiers and no metal card. The single consumer tier is worth noting because it means the shutdown hits everyone on the same terms regardless of how long you had been a customer.

If you already have the card: what to do, and when

Here is the part that matters most if you are reading this as a current holder. The good news is structural: the Safe is self-custodial. It is a smart contract account on Gnosis Chain, the assets remain yours, and neither Gnosis Pay nor Monavate can take them or block transfers. If you have your signer key, you can reach the funds through third-party Safe interfaces, independent of the web app.

So act now, and act in this order.

• Move your balance out before 20 December 2026. This is the official recommendation and the one I would follow. Withdrawals stay open on the web app after that date — at app.gnosispay.com/withdraw, with no deadline stated — and unofficially the web app stays in limited capacity for withdrawals only, with no withdrawal deadline for funds in Safe accounts. But relying on a deprecated app to reach your money is a risk I would not take when the alternative is available now.
• Export your transaction history, and note the last four digits and the expiry date of your card before 20 December 2026. You will want that record for any refund or dispute that comes in later. Keep your receipts.
• Move or cancel recurring payments. After the cutoff, recurring payments fail and cannot be transferred to another card. This is the single most common way people get caught out. Do it before the date, not after.
• Expect authorised-but-unsettled transactions to complete, and expect refunds that arrive after deactivation to be unusable on the card. If a merchant refunds you after 20 December, that money does not come back as usable card balance.
• Do not wait on the “new partner card.” Moving to a partner app is a new card programme, a new Safe and new terms — and it may require fresh identity or compliance checks. Treat it as shopping for a different card, not as a continuation.

On rights, the good news is that closure does not touch them. Your rights for unauthorised or incorrectly executed transactions, and your card-scheme chargeback rights, are unaffected. The rule is to raise disputes promptly via [email protected] or the help centre, because scheme time limits apply. Support for refunds, disputes and chargebacks ends 23:59 UTC on 12 June 2028, but your statutory rights against Monavate are not limited by that date. General cardholder support ends 23:59 UTC on 18 June 2027; partner-app questions go to the partner.

If you need a hand, the channels are help.gnosispay.com and [email protected], and complaints go to [email protected] (forwarded to Monavate) or [email protected]. Complaints to Monavate are handled in English or Lithuanian; hours are not stated. Beyond Monavate, you can escalate to the Financial Ombudsman Service in the UK or the Bank of Lithuania in the EEA.

Two practical notes on the card itself before it dies. Apple Pay and Google Pay were “ready” on the card, so removing the card from your wallet before it deactivates is worth doing on your own schedule rather than after the cutoff. And there are usage restrictions independent of the closure: rental-car agencies and automated fuel dispensers are restricted, and use is prohibited in certain countries. Unofficially, Russia is on the restricted list and was not an eligible application country.

What can go wrong

Two things can go wrong with a card that is closing, and they are different in kind. One is about your money, the other is about your rights. Both are worth understanding.

The money side is largely protected by self-custody, but not entirely. Because the Safe is yours, the provider cannot freeze or take your assets — that is the real structural advantage here. What can still go wrong is operational: the web app is deprecated, blockchain network fees may apply to a withdrawal, and any withdrawal you attempt after 20 December relies on an app the company is winding down. That is a support risk and a self-help risk, not a confiscation risk. Unofficially, there was a June 2026 exploit that hit the Gnosis Pay delay module; co-founder Koppelmann said Gnosis would cover user losses, though early advice was reported as conflicting and the compensation status was not checked.

The rights side is where the calendar bites. Support for refunds, disputes and chargebacks ends 12 June 2028, and general cardholder support ends 18 June 2027. If a refund lands after deactivation it cannot be used on the card. So the practical instruction is to keep your records and chase anything outstanding early.

And there is the reputation layer, because the reviews before the closure were poor. Trustpilot showed 2.3 out of 5 — “Poor” — from 38 reviews, 21 of them in the last 12 months, with 58% one-star and 21% five-star (other regional pages showed 2.5). The recurring themes in user reports were: unresponsive support, with chat, tickets and email going unanswered for one to several weeks between March and July 2026; missing or blocked funds, with balances dropping after a failed payment or top-up, failed withdrawal attempts and transactions pending two weeks or more between May and July 2026; and KYC rejections without reasons, plus “country not supported” for listed countries such as Italy and Mexico (April to August 2025 and May 2026), alongside account deactivation and login problems in June to July 2026. Unofficially, the age requirement was 18+, with a government ID or passport and proof of address issued within the last three months, and approval was not guaranteed.

One thing the card’s public pages do not state, and I want to flag rather than guess: whether funds held were insured, whether freeze and unfreeze and two-factor authentication were supported, and the formal rejection reasons for KYC are all not stated. Where a provider does not say, do not assume.

What to take instead

Gnosis Pay is gone as an option, so this is not really “Gnosis Pay versus the rest.” It is: you need a replacement card, here are the live ones, and here is how each compares on the things Gnosis Pay was good at. None of these is a like-for-like swap; each is a different trade.

Now the trade-offs, because these three are not interchangeable.

On eligibility: MetaMask is the most open, with sign-up in 45 listed countries and territories (Andorra, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Germany, France, Spain, Uruguay among them) and a waitlist elsewhere; proof of residency is required, and its own line is that “ineligible regions limit sign-ups, not spending” — though US and UK sign-ups are temporarily closed per its FAQ. KAST is the strictest: the country list is not published, it references a “Restricted Locations” list without naming countries, and it says that living in a supported country is not enough if your ID is from a restricted region; dual citizens with an ID from a supported country may pass, only your own ID is accepted, and a VPN does not bypass it. Zeal is broadest on where you can spend — 150+ countries — with issuance depending on eligibility and regional availability.

On rewards: MetaMask pays cashback in mUSD into a Money Account, 1% on Virtual and a headline 3% on Metal that a footnote limits to the first $10,000 spent then 1%, plus a $FLY bonus of 5X (Virtual) or 7X (Metal) through the Blackbird dining app. KAST pays USD cashback by tier: Standard 1.5% on the first $2,000/month, Premium 2% on the first $10,000/month, Private 3% on the first $40,000/month, plus KAST Points of +1% (Premium) or +2% (Private) of eligible spend; cashback is paid in USD when a transaction is authorised. Zeal advertises up to 4% cashback paid in GNO on Gnosis Chain, which requires holding GNO in the card Safe to qualify and can change, plus up to 5% variable APY on EUR/USD balances in its App Store listing.

On funding: MetaMask spends directly from the connected wallet on Linea, Base, Monad and Solana, with tokens named as mUSD, wETH, EURe, GBPe, USDC and USDT — and a Solana-only wallet cannot withdraw credit. KAST takes stablecoin deposits USDT, USDC, PYUSD and RLUSD on Ethereum, Solana, Polygon, Arbitrum and TRON, converted 1:1 into a USD balance with a 0% spread, though its own terms say acceptable tokens are “currently USDT and USDC,” which conflicts with the listed PYUSD and RLUSD; spending is from your own balance, deducted immediately, not credit. Zeal spends from balances in the card Safe (EUR/USD/GBP stablecoin accounts, on Gnosis Chain and Celo per Gnosis Pay docs), with the exact coins not stated for Zeal.

The honest summary: if your priority was Gnosis Pay’s “no FX markup, spend my own crypto” model, KAST is the closest in spirit but comes with tiered membership costs and a stricter ID regime; MetaMask is the most widely available and has the clearest rewards; Zeal is the easiest for pure spending reach and keeps a Gnosis-ecosystem feel, but publishes no fee schedule at all. Whichever you pick, check its current terms yourself — this is a shifting field.

Who I would recommend it to, and who should steer clear

I would not recommend Gnosis Pay to anyone today, because it cannot be applied for. The card is closed to new customers and its web app closes on 20 December 2026. That is the plain fact this page keeps returning to.

What I would do is this. If you already hold the card, treat the next two months as a clean-up: pull your balance out before 20 December 2026, re-point your recurring payments, export your transaction history, note the card’s last four digits and expiry, and take anything you are disputing to the support channels while they are open. Then choose a new card from the live options above on the axis that matters to you — rewards if you spend heavily, broad spending reach if you travel, or a strict but well-understood ID process if you want clarity over convenience.

What I would steer people away from is any nostalgia for the product. The fees were good and the self-custody design was sound, but the operational record before the close was rough — 2.3 on Trustpilot, reports of funds going missing after failed payments, and KYC rejections without explanation. Good fee economics do not compensate for an institution whose support and dispute windows are themselves counting down. Choose a provider whose support window is not the thing you are planning around.

Frequently asked questions

What is Gnosis Pay card?

Gnosis Pay was a Visa payment card that let you spend directly from stablecoins and euros held in your own self-custody Safe, rather than from a bank account. It was run as a programme by Gnosis Pay Co Ltd, a UK company, but the card was actually issued by Monavate Limited, an FCA-authorised electronic money institution. It came in virtual and physical form, worked with Apple Pay and Google Pay, and charged no transaction fee and no FX markup of its own. As of 21 September 2026 the consumer card is being closed and new issuance has ended.

Is Gnosis Pay a bank?

No. Gnosis Pay was never a bank. The company behind it, Gnosis Pay Co Ltd, acted as a technical services provider and programme manager, while the card was issued by Monavate Limited, an electronic money institution (EMI) under a Visa Europe licence. UK and non-EEA cardholders dealt with Monavate Ltd (FCA); EEA cardholders dealt with UAB Monavate, supervised by the Bank of Lithuania. Because Monavate is an EMI rather than a deposit-taking bank, customer funds are safeguarded but are not the same as bank deposits and may not be covered by a deposit guarantee scheme.

How do I get my money out of Gnosis Pay before it closes?

Withdraw from your Safe and move the funds to a wallet you control, before 23:59 UTC on 20 December 2026 — this is what the company recommends. Withdrawals stay open on the web app at app.gnosispay.com/withdraw after that date with no deadline stated, but blockchain network fees may apply. Your Safe is self-custodial, so the assets are yours and neither Gnosis Pay nor Monavate can block them, and you can also reach them through third-party Safe interfaces with your signer key.

When does Gnosis Pay support actually end?

There are three separate dates, and they are not the same. The card stops authorising payments and the web app closes except for withdrawals at 23:59 UTC on 20 December 2026. General cardholder support ends at 23:59 UTC on 18 June 2027. Support specifically for refunds, disputes and chargebacks ends at 23:59 UTC on 12 June 2028, though your statutory rights against Monavate are not limited by that date. Partner-app questions go to the partner, not to Gnosis Pay.

What happens to my recurring payments when the card shuts down?

They fail. Recurring payments do not survive the cutoff — they stop after 20 December 2026 and cannot be moved to another card. This is why re-pointing subscriptions and standing orders before the date is the single most important thing a holder can do. Separately, transactions that were authorised but not yet settled at the cutoff still complete, and any refund that arrives after deactivation cannot be used on the card.

Do I still have chargeback rights after Gnosis Pay closes?

Yes. Your rights for unauthorised or incorrectly executed transactions, and your card-scheme chargeback rights, are unaffected by the closure. Raise anything promptly via [email protected] or the help centre, because scheme time limits apply. Support for refunds, disputes and chargebacks ends 23:59 UTC on 12 June 2028, but your statutory rights against Monavate are not cut off by that date. Keep your receipts and export your transaction history before 20 December 2026.

Does Gnosis Pay require KYC, and can I apply now?

It did require KYC, through a unified Sumsub identity flow, and unofficially this meant being 18+, supplying a government ID or passport and proof of address issued within the last three months, with approval not guaranteed. But you cannot apply now: new issuance is closed and the card and web app stop on 20 December 2026. Moving to a partner card may require fresh identity or compliance checks and a new Safe, so treat any migration as applying for a different card.

Is Gnosis Pay card safe and worth it?

The design had real merit: funds sat in your own self-custody Safe, so the provider could not take them, and there was no FX markup. But the record before closing was poor — Trustpilot showed 2.3 out of 5 from 38 reviews, with recurring reports of unanswered support, missing funds after failed payments, and unexplained KYC rejections. There was also unofficially a June 2026 exploit. So it was not unsafe in the custodial sense, but it was not dependable either.

What can I use instead of Gnosis Pay card?

The live options I compare in this review are MetaMask (7.1/10, Mastercard, free virtual or $199/year metal, cashback in mUSD), KAST (6.1/10, Visa, tiered membership from free to $10,000/year, cashback by tier) and Zeal (6.1/10, Visa virtual card, broad spending reach, up to 4% GNO cashback). Gnosis Pay’s own successor is reported to involve MiniPay issuing replacement cards on Gnosis Pay’s enterprise rails, but that is a new programme with new terms, not a continuation.

How do I delete or close my Gnosis Pay account?

There is no self-service account deletion to rely on once the programme winds down, so do not wait for it. The practical route is to empty your Safe and move the funds to a wallet you control, then let the web app close on 20 December 2026. If you want confirmation or want to raise something formally, the channels are [email protected] (forwarded to Monavate) and [email protected], with escalation to the UK Financial Ombudsman Service or the Bank of Lithuania in the EEA.

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