If you want to pay with your phone instead of waiting for a plastic card, this article explains what a virtual crypto card can do in Apple Pay and Google Pay, and where you still need a physical card.
Published September 29, 2026 · 2 min read
Yes, if the card is virtual. A virtual card can be added to Apple Pay and Google Pay and used by tapping the phone at a contactless terminal. In Nexus Pay, the virtual card is issued right after it is created, so there is no gap while a plastic card travels by mail. Both virtual tiers, Signature and Business, are virtual cards, so both fit this scenario.
You need a card first, and issuing one requires identity verification: a document and a photo, as anti-money-laundering law requires. The card is issued by a licensed partner organisation, not by Nexus Pay itself, which is a crypto wallet and not a bank. Issuing costs 5 USDT for the Signature virtual card and 25 USDT for the Business virtual card, which has higher limits. Once the card exists, you can add it to the phone wallet without waiting for anything else.
Anywhere contactless card payments are accepted. That covers tills with a contactless reader, and the virtual card also works online. The table below shows how the virtual and physical cards differ in practice.
| Option | When you get it | Where it works | ATM cash |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual card in Apple Pay or Google Pay | Right after the card is created | Contactless terminals wherever card payments are accepted | No |
| Virtual card online | Right after the card is created | Online purchases | No |
| Physical card | After delivery by mail | Tills and ATMs | Yes |
No. Adding the card to Apple Pay or Google Pay changes only how you present it at the terminal. The card still spends the wallet balance you have moved onto it. In Nexus Pay, moving money from the wallet balance to the card costs 0.1%, so 1000 USDT becomes $999.00 on the card, and purchases themselves cost 0%. The card has no credit and no overdraft, so a payment can only use what is already available.
No. A physical card is still needed for ATM cash withdrawals, which a phone wallet cannot do. The physical card costs 99 USDT including delivery and arrives by mail. ATM withdrawals cost 0.25% each, so 1000 USDT leaves $996.50 before any fee from the ATM owner, which the ATM screen shows before you confirm. The fee is charged per withdrawal, so one larger withdrawal costs less than several small ones for the same total.
The card can be frozen and unfrozen in the app in one tap, which is useful if you are unsure where the phone is. Because the card only spends the balance moved onto it, the exposure is limited to that amount. It makes sense to keep on the card only what you plan to spend and leave the rest in the wallet. The app also offers an optional four-digit access code as an extra barrier.
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