Your cookie choices

We use necessary cookies to make this site work. With your permission, analytics cookies help us understand usage and marketing cookies support advertising.

You can reject non-essential cookies and still use the site. Change your choices anytime in Cookie settings.

Cookie settingsCookie policy

Airtm review

Updated September 28, 2026 · HodlCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026

We earn a commission when you sign up through links on this site. Partner status can affect where a brand appears in our rankings. Partners with a live offer in your country come first, then every other brand by score.

Our verdict

Airtm suits freelancers and online sellers who bill clients abroad and want the money in local currency before spending it. The monthly fee is $0, but taker fees run 2% to 4%, so the card is cheap to hold and pricey to trade on a cex.

Key facts

Best for
Getting paid from clients in emerging markets and spending the balance on a prepaid Visa card.
Monthly fee
$0↗
Card type
Prepaid↗
Top-up fee
1% on first $200 per month↗
Card network
Visa↗
Legal entity
Airtm Inc.↗
Headquarters
United States↗
Founded
2015↗
Support channels
Email, Chat, Help-centre↗
Features
Virtual card
Official website
airtm.com

Crypto exchanges

Taker fee
2% to 4%↗
Regulators
FinCEN↗
Exchange type
Cex↗

Facts checked September 26, 2026, 7 sources

Apps and profiles

Get the app
App Store

Pros and cons

Pros

  • No monthly cost: the card fee is $0, matching Monzo Flex, Wise and Bitpanda at £0, £0 and €0.
  • One account covers a cex and a prepaid card, so payouts and card spending sit together.
  • The visa network is the most common one in this ranking, at 57.4% of the brands compared.

Cons

  • Trading costs are heavy: taker fees run 2% to 4%, far above the site median of 0.2%.
  • Phone is not among its support channels, which are email, chat and help centre.
Airtm

Ready to try Airtm?

Scored 9.1 / 10 by HodlCue.

See alternatives

Who it suits

  • Freelancers and small sellers billing clients in local currency abroad
  • Anyone who wants a virtual card funded straight from a balance, on a prepaid setup
  • People who prioritise a $0 monthly fee over low trading costs

Who should look elsewhere

  • Traders who care about tight spreads, since taker fees run 2% to 4%
  • Wise users who want a deposit protection scheme, since FinCEN is the only regulator named
  • Monzo Flex users who need phone support, since Airtm runs on email, chat and help centre

Fees

The card has a monthly fee of $0, so leaving it open costs nothing. Loading it takes 1% on first $200 per month, and that is the charge that matters, since it applies each time a balance moves onto the card. Anyone paying in repeatedly pays it again. Compare that with the card fee, which never changes.

The company behind it

Airtm Inc. is the legal entity behind the card, a US company founded in 2015 and headquartered in the US. Help runs through email, chat and help centre, and phone is not among those channels, so out-of-hours questions wait for a written reply. The prepaid card and virtual card sit under that same entity.

How Airtm compares

Frequently asked questions

What does the Airtm card cost to keep and to fund?+

The monthly fee is $0, so there is no charge for holding the card open. Money does cost to put on it, with a load fee of 1% on first $200 per month. That fee applies each time the balance is topped up, so frequent top-ups add up.

What does it cost to trade on Airtm?+

Taker fees run 2% to 4%, well above the site median of 0.2%. Frequent traders will feel this more than anyone who simply receives payouts and spends them. Exchange activity is the main cost here, not the card itself.

Is the Airtm card prepaid and which network does it run on?+

It is a prepaid card on the visa network, so funds are loaded before spending rather than drawn on credit. Airtm also offers a virtual card for dollar balances. Nothing in the stated card terms points to borrowing on the balance.

Who regulates Airtm and is the money protected?+

The only regulator named is FinCEN, which covers US financial crime rather than banking. Airtm Inc. is the legal entity behind the card, and a deposit protection scheme is not among the stated regulators, so balances sit with the platform.

How do I get help from Airtm?+

Support runs on email, chat and help centre, which covers email, chat and a help centre. Phone is not among those channels, so questions raised out of hours may wait for a written reply rather than a live conversation.

Is Airtm an exchange or a wallet?+

Airtm operates as a cex, so orders and balances are held on a platform run by the company rather than in a self-custodied wallet. That model explains the card: the balance is loaded, then spent through prepaid and virtual card products.

Who is the Airtm card aimed at?+

Airtm suits freelancers, remote workers and online sellers who invoice clients in emerging markets and want the money in local currency. The card is built for spending that balance rather than for saving it, and support runs on email, chat and help centre.

Sources

Compiled from 7 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.

Not confirmed yet: Currency conversion fee, Free ATM withdrawals, Protection.

Airtm

Airtm

Getting paid from clients in emerging markets and spending the balance on a prepaid Visa card.

9.1/10See alternatives