Is Kite Free? Kite Fees, Explained

TL;DR

• Kite has no subscription and no annual fee. Downloading the app, holding a balance, and receiving crypto all cost nothing.
• Sending crypto is free up to a daily per-chain limit, then a small flat fee that Kite shows before you confirm.
• The Kite card is a prepaid Visa. Issuance and maintenance are free. Topping it up costs 0.53%.
• Spending the card in USD is free. Spending in another currency adds a 1.8% FX fee.

Wondering whether Kite is really free? Most of what you do with Kite costs nothing.

For the few things that carry a fee, here is the exact number, so you always know what you're paying before you tap confirm.

Is Kite free?

Mostly, yes. We don't charge a subscription or an annual fee, and there's no cost to download the app, receive crypto, or hold your Kite card. You pay (a little) only on a few specific actions to run the platform.

Topping up the card costs 0.53%, spending in a non-USD currency adds 1.8%, and large sends carry a small per-chain fee. We cover the network gas ourselves on select networks subject to active programs/campaigns.

What "free" means with Kite comes down to what you do. Storing your money costs nothing, because we're non-custodial and you hold your own funds. Moving it is usually free too.

What Kite charges, at a glance

Here is our full fee sheet in one place.

Note that these fees are latest as of July 2026.

Platform and storage

Send

Card and spend

The Kite card fees, explained

The Kite card is a Visa card you load from your USDC or USDT balance. Loading it costs a 0.53% conversion fee. Spending in USD is free. Spending in another currency adds 1.8%. There's no issuance fee, no monthly fee, and no annual fee.

Here's how the money moves.

When you top up, we convert your USDC or USDT into a USD card balance and deduce a fixed rate of 0.53%. This small fee helps Kite provide you a seamless experience and keep many of the other functions of the app (and the card itself) free for users.

Once you top up the card with USDC or USDT, it sits in dollars. Your card balance and wallet balance stay separate, and only the card balance spends at the till.

Spending in USD costs you nothing extra. In any other currency a transparent fee of 1.8% is added on the transaction. If you keep most of your spending in dollars, you'll rarely see an FX fee at all.

Two more things worth knowing. Your card works online, in shops through Apple Pay or Google Pay. The spending limits sit high enough that most people never bump into them. The limits are as follows:

• Daily limit: $50,000 or 50 transactions
• Yearly limit: $990,000 or 1,040 transactions a year

What's free when you move crypto

Receiving crypto on Kite is always free, no cap (pun intended).

Sending is free up to a daily per-chain limit, and after that we charge a small flat fee that depends on the chain. It's lower on chains like Base and higher on chains like Ethereum.

Your free sending allowance resets at midnight UTC. If a send fails, you are not charged any fee. Swaps and bridges are priced by the tokens, amount, and networks involved, and the app shows you the full cost before you approve it.

Why our fees work this way

Operating Kite is not cheap. But issuing cards and other aspects of Kite are also not as expensive as other stablecoin cards make it out to be. And we want to pass on that benefit to our users by being bold, generous, and completely transparent.

Our model is low, predictable, and transparent fees instead of gimmicky rewards you have to chase. That said, regular Kite users get more benefits that make spending with stablecoins an exciting and rewarding experience overall.

We built Kite this way for people who want to hold dollars, spend them cleanly, and keep their money because they hold the keys. No points to track, no fee hiding in the exchange rate, and no expectation of a token.

Kite is a simple, clean, and powerful money app that just works for people everyday in ways better than they’d expect.

Frequently asked questions

Is Kite free to use?

Kite is free to download, hold a balance, and receive crypto, with no subscription or annual fee. You pay only on specific actions, such as card top-ups at 0.53% and non-USD card spending at 1.8%. We also cover network fees on select networks.

Does Kite charge a monthly or annual fee?

No. There is no monthly subscription or an annual fee. The Visa debit card has no issuance or upkeep fee either. You're charged only when you take a specific action, like topping up the card or spending in a non-USD currency.

What is the Kite card top-up fee?

Topping up your Kite card from your USDC or USDT balance costs a 0.53% conversion fee. Once loaded, your balance is held in US dollars, so later price movements in USDC or USDT don't change the amount already on your card.

Does Kite charge foreign exchange fees?

Spending your Kite card in USD carries no added fee. Spending in another currency adds a 1.8% FX fee on the transaction amount. Keep your spending in dollars and you avoid FX fees entirely.

Read for a free crypto card that allows you to spend your stablecoins in multiple countries? Get Kite today.