Five ways cashback shrinks
The advertised rate rarely equals what lands in your account.
- Tier gating behind a token stake
- Monthly cashback caps
- Payout in a volatile native token
- FX fees on foreign spend
- ATM fees on withdrawals
Read the cap, not the headline
A 5% rate capped at $25/month is worth at most $300/year. A 1% uncapped card can beat it for higher spenders.
Net value is the truth test
Model the card at your real spend in the calculator. If the 'high cashback' card loses, you've found a fake headline.