MetaMask’s Debit Card: Now in U.S. and Still Confusing!

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Finance

What to know:

  • MetaMask, ever the visionary, has expanded its blockchain-based debit card across the U.S., proving that even crypto can’t escape the tyranny of bureaucracy.
  • The non-custodial card now works everywhere Mastercard is accepted-because nothing says “trust us” like a payment network that’s also a conspiracy theory.
  • It joins a market so crowded, it’s like a Parisian café: everyone’s there, but no one’s actually talking to each other.

MetaMask is expanding the reach of its blockchain-based debit card in the U.S. after a year-long trial and receiving permission to enter New York for the first time. How thrilling! Now, if only they could explain why crypto is still “disappearing” into the void.

The U.S. test period followed a pilot phase in Europe and the U.K. that started in 2024. The rollout includes product refinements to bring crypto payments into everyday commerce, MetaMask announced Thursday. Because nothing says “everyday commerce” like a card that requires a PhD in blockchain to use.

“We designed the MetaMask Card to make crypto disappear. Not go away, but become so seamlessly woven into daily life that the line between onchain and offchain fades away entirely,” said Gal Eldar, a product lead at MetaMask, in a press release shared with CoinDesk. Ah, yes, because who doesn’t want their savings to vanish like a magician’s rabbit?

The MetaMask Card, developed with payment giant Mastercard and crypto payment provider Baanx, joins a market that already features a number of competitors including crypto exchanges Coinbase (COIN) and Crypto.com, though many require users to deposit their crypto on the card issuers’ platform. Because nothing says “convenience” like locking your money in a vault labeled “trust us.”

MetaMask began a limited rollout of its blockchain-based debit card to a few thousand users in the European Union and U.K. in August 2024, with customers allowed to make purchases using USDC, USDT and wETH held on the layer-2 network Linea, an Ethereum-based chain developed by Consensys, MetaMask’s parent. The U.S. pilot started in December 2024. Because nothing says “urgency” like a year-long pilot.

MetaMask says the card now works everywhere Mastercard is accepted, including support for digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay, and offers onchain cashback rewards and yield options on unspent balances via DeFi protocols. The company is also offering a premium MetaMask Metal Card, priced at $199 a year. Because what could possibly go wrong with a card that costs more than a cup of coffee?

“We’ve seen tens of thousands of users around the world use it for everything from morning coffee to engagement rings, and now we’re excited to bring that to U.S. users, including places like New York that previously haven’t had access.” Eldar wrote in the press release. Ah, New York-where even the blockchain needs a visa.

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2026-02-26 17:01