Ready Card

The Ready Card is a self-custodial Mastercard debit card connected to the Ready app, formerly known as Argent. It lets eligible users spend USDC held on Starknet at ordinary Mastercard merchants while keeping the crypto in their own wallet until a payment is made.

Ready currently offers two main tiers: Ready Lite, a free plastic card with paid shipping, and Ready Metal, a premium metal card with higher cashback and lower fees. Both use USDC as the card spending asset.

Unlike a conventional exchange card, Ready does not require you to transfer USDC into a custodial card balance before spending. Identity verification is still required because the card itself uses regulated payment infrastructure.

Yes. Self-custody is one of the Ready Card's main differences from exchange-issued crypto cards. Ready says your USDC remains in your self-custodial Starknet wallet until you make a payment, and Ready does not take control of your crypto balance simply because you have the card.

The payment itself still involves third-party card infrastructure. Ready's documentation identifies Kulipa as the regulated card partner handling identity verification and card compliance, while Mastercard provides the payment network.

This means self-custody applies to the crypto you hold for spending, not to every stage of card settlement. You remain responsible for securing and recovering your Ready account.

The Ready Card currently spends USDC on Starknet. Ready accounts can hold other Starknet assets, including tokens such as ETH, STRK and USDT, but those assets cannot currently be selected directly as the card spending balance.

If you hold another supported token, you need to obtain USDC before using that value through the card. Ready provides swap and bridging features inside the app that can help with this.

The network matters as well as the token. Ready says the card uses USDC on Starknet, so do not send USDC from another blockchain to an unsupported address without using the correct bridge or funding flow.

Ready Lite is the lower-cost tier. The card itself is free, with $6.99 shipping for the plastic card, and it currently earns 0.5% cashback. Lite charges a 1% FX fee and a 2% ATM fee with a $1 minimum.

Ready Metal costs 120 USDC for the first year and includes a metal card, 3% cashback, 0% Ready FX fees, free shipping and fee-free Ready ATM withdrawals up to $800 per month. Above that allowance, the ATM fee is 2% with a $1 minimum.

Both tiers are self-custodial, spend USDC and include a free virtual card. Metal mainly adds better rewards, lower travel fees and partner perks.

Ready Metal currently earns 3% cashback on up to $5,000 of eligible card spending per month, for a maximum of $150 in monthly rewards or $1,800 over a full year. Ready Lite currently earns 0.5% on eligible spending.

Ready pays cashback in STRK rather than USDC. Rewards are distributed monthly, normally on the 15th, and the final STRK amount can differ from an in-app estimate because the STRK/USD price can move before distribution.

Some categories are excluded, including certain cash-equivalent, gambling, tax, charity and high-risk transactions. Refunded purchases can also reduce a later cashback payment.

Ready Metal currently has no Ready FX fee, crypto-to-fiat conversion fee or card top-up fee. The first year costs 120 USDC. Ready Lite has no annual card fee, but the physical card has $6.99 shipping and foreign-currency purchases carry a 1% FX fee.

For ATMs, Metal includes up to $800 per month without a Ready withdrawal fee, then charges 2% with a $1 minimum. Lite charges 2% with a $1 minimum from the first withdrawal. ATM operators can add their own fees.

Ready says USDC is converted using the official Mastercard exchange rate without an additional hidden exchange-rate markup.

Ready currently lists a maximum card purchase of $5,000 in a single transaction, a $10,000 daily spending limit and a $30,000 monthly spending limit across a user's Ready cards.

ATM limits are lower: $500 per day, $2,500 over a rolling 30-day period and $30,000 per year. Ready notes that limits apply per user, so holding more than one Ready card does not multiply the allowance.

The $2,500 ATM figure uses a rolling 30-day window rather than resetting on the first day of each calendar month. Users who need higher purchase limits can contact Ready support for review.

Yes. Physical Ready cards support cash withdrawals at compatible Mastercard ATMs. Ready Metal includes up to $800 per month without a Ready ATM fee, while withdrawals above that amount cost 2% with a $1 minimum. Ready Lite charges 2% with a $1 minimum.

The current ATM limits are $500 per day, $2,500 over a rolling 30-day period and $30,000 per year. An ATM owner can add its own surcharge independently of Ready.

When travelling, choose the local currency if the ATM offers dynamic currency conversion. This normally avoids accepting an exchange rate set by the ATM operator.

Google Pay is currently supported for both Ready Lite and Ready Metal. Ready's current card documentation still lists Apple Pay as coming soon, so Apple users should check the live Ready app before assuming direct Apple Wallet provisioning is available in their country.

The card also includes a virtual card, which means eligible users can start making online purchases without waiting for physical delivery.

Mobile-wallet availability is separate from Mastercard acceptance. A Ready card can still work online or as a physical card even if a particular phone wallet is not supported for that user.

Yes. Ready requires identity verification before a card can be issued, even though the crypto wallet itself is self-custodial.

Ready says KYC is handled by Kulipa, its regulated card partner, rather than by Ready directly. The identity check is required to comply with payment-network and financial regulations and does not give Ready control over your private keys or crypto.

This distinction is common with self-custodial cards: the blockchain wallet can remain under the user's control, while access to Mastercard payment infrastructure still requires an identified cardholder. Complete verification only through the official Ready application.

Yes. Ready says the card can be used wherever Mastercard is accepted and markets it for spending across more than 140 countries.

USDC is converted into the merchant's currency at payment using the Mastercard exchange rate. Ready Metal currently adds no Ready FX fee, while Ready Lite charges 1%. Merchant or ATM dynamic currency conversion can still create a separate cost.

International merchant acceptance is broader than application eligibility. A card may work while travelling in a country even if residents there cannot currently order one. Sanctions, merchant-category controls and local card rules can also block individual transactions.

Yes. Ready includes a virtual card with both Lite and Metal, allowing online spending before or without using the physical card.

Ready Lite comes with a free plastic card, but the user currently pays $6.99 shipping. Ready Metal is a premium metal card with free express delivery under the current benefits. The Metal membership costs 120 USDC for the first year.

Both physical card tiers use the same USDC-based self-custodial spending model. If you only need ecommerce or supported mobile-wallet payments, the virtual card can cover many everyday use cases without waiting for delivery.

Ready is designed so card spending can sit alongside its native DeFi features rather than requiring users to move all funds into a separate custodial exchange balance. Ready specifically promotes the ability to use DeFi and the card from the same self-custodial Starknet account.

That does not mean every USDC used as collateral or deposited into a DeFi protocol is automatically available for an immediate card payment. Available spending depends on the assets and positions recognised by the Ready app at that moment.

DeFi yield also introduces smart-contract, market and protocol risk. Treat any advertised yield as a separate investment feature from the debit card itself.

Install the latest Ready app, open your Ready account on Starknet and select the Card option from the home screen. Follow the application flow and complete the required identity verification.

Once approved, choose Ready Lite or Ready Metal and order the card. Lite is free with $6.99 physical-card shipping, while Metal currently costs 120 USDC for the first year. A virtual card is included with both tiers.

To spend, make sure the Ready account contains enough USDC on Starknet. Ready currently requires at least enough USDC to cover the purchase because the card is debit-based and does not create a credit balance.

For card, account or transaction problems, use Ready's official Help Centre at https://help.ready.co or contact the team at help@ready.co. Ready says users can also freeze a lost or compromised card immediately from the app before requesting assistance or a replacement.

For transaction reviews, support may ask for information about a specific merchant payment because the regulated card partner has compliance obligations. That is different from asking for wallet secrets.

Never provide a private key, recovery credential, password or one-time authentication code to someone who contacts you unexpectedly.