First Boulevard review

The monthly fee is $0, which places it at position 1 of the 379 brands ranked on monthly fee. Cashback of 15% on spending is what comes back in return for keeping the card in day to day use.

It is a debit card, so spending comes straight out of the money in the account instead of being borrowed and repaid later. Debit is the most common card type among the cards compared here, and First Boulevard follows that pattern.

visa is the network behind the card, and it is the most common network among the cards in this comparison, so the card should be usable wherever visa is accepted. That keeps First Boulevard a familiar setup for everyday spending.

Cashback of 15% is paid on spending, and it is the clearest reason to hold the card alongside a $0 monthly fee. With no charge to run the account, that reward is the main thing the card adds to ordinary spending.

Crypto is the feature the card is built around, listed as crypto, and it is the only feature in scope here. Spending and the 15% cashback reward are the main draws, so anyone wanting a wider crypto product should look at an exchange led card.

It is a digital bank built for Black American customers, founded in 2020 and based in the United States. That points to US account holders who want a debit card with 15% cashback rather than a crypto trading account.

All three sit at the same level: $0 for First Boulevard, £0 for Wise and £0 for Monzo Flex. On monthly fee alone there is nothing to separate them, so the cashback of 15% is what tells them apart.

First Boulevard was founded in 2020, which makes it a young operation by banking standards. It is based in the United States and runs as a digital bank, so its record is shorter than that of the long established banks most readers set it against.