Both let you pay abroad without carrying one balance per country, but they start from different places: one holds fiat, the other holds crypto. Here is how each works and which suits the way you already keep money.
Published September 30, 2026 · 3 min read
A multi-currency account holds several fiat currencies side by side, for example one balance per currency you use. You convert money into a currency before you need it, and then spend from that balance. This suits people who earn or save in fiat and want to keep some of it in other currencies. The trade-off is that you decide in advance which currencies to hold and in what amounts.
A crypto card is linked to a crypto wallet rather than to a set of fiat balances. You hold crypto, and the amount is converted to local currency when you pay, so there is no need to pre-hold each currency. Nexus Pay is one example: a wallet inside Telegram with a Visa card that is not a bank and does not require you to have a bank account. The virtual card is issued right away and works online and contactless via Apple Pay and Google Pay, while the physical card arrives by mail and works at tills and ATMs. Issuing either requires identity verification (a document and a photo), and the card is issued by a licensed partner organisation.
The main difference is what you hold and when conversion happens. With a multi-currency account you hold fiat and convert before spending; with a crypto card you hold crypto and conversion happens at payment. The table below sets the two side by side. Neither is universally better, because each is built around a different starting point.
| Aspect | Crypto card | Multi-currency account |
|---|---|---|
| What you hold | Crypto, such as stablecoins, BTC or ETH | Several fiat currencies, one balance each |
| When conversion happens | At the moment of payment, into local currency | Before spending, when you fund each currency |
| Bank account needed | No bank account needed | Account with a provider that holds fiat balances |
| Dollar-like balance | A stablecoin balance behaves like dollars for value | Dollars held as one of the fiat balances |
| Best fit | You already hold crypto | You prefer holding fiat balances |
For value, a stablecoin balance behaves like a dollar balance: you think of it in dollars. The difference is in spending, because the card pays in local currency and converts at the moment of payment. That means you can keep one dollar-like balance instead of several fiat ones. Nexus Pay's wallet holds USDT and USDC alongside BTC and ETH, and swapping coins inside the wallet costs 0% at the exchange rate with no markup.
Costs depend on the provider, so check the fee page before you commit. For Nexus Pay the card has no monthly fee ($0) and 0% on purchases. Moving money from the wallet balance to the card costs 0.1%, and each ATM withdrawal costs 0.25%. In the fee page example, 1000 USDT moved to the card becomes $999.00, and withdrawn at an ATM it leaves $996.50 before any fee the ATM owner adds. Because the ATM fee is charged per withdrawal, one larger withdrawal costs less than several small ones for the same total.
Choose by where your money already is. If you hold crypto and want to spend it without first selling it into a bank account, a crypto card fits naturally. If your income and savings are in fiat and you prefer fiat balances, a multi-currency account is the more direct match. This is general information, not financial, tax or investment advice; holding crypto carries its own risks, and rules on taxes differ by person and place.
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