Coinbase announces its first branded credit card, in partnership with American Express, for Coinbase One US users, and creates a lower-cost Basic subscription
Earn up to 4% bitcoin back on every purchase. Coming fall 2025. Tikta / Unchained : Coinbase and Amex Team Up on Bitcoin Card as Exchange Reveals Broad Expansion Plans Jenna Montgomery / Bitcoin Magazine : Coinbase Announces Bitcoin Rewards Credit Card, Offering up to 4% BTC Back on Everything Thinktank / Baller Alert : Coinbase Drops Credit Card with Amex That Pays You in Bitcoin [Video] Aniket Verma / Benzinga : Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong Teases Crypto Credit Card Powered By American Express—Bitcoin Cashbacks Offered, But Here's The Catch Liz Napolitano / Decrypt : Coinbase Launches Bitcoin Rewards Card to Drive Subscriber Growth Darya / crypto.news : Coinbase to launch Bitcoin rewards card powered by American Express PYMNTS.com : Coinbase to Launch Credit Card Powered by American Express Network Landon Manning / BeInCrypto : Coinbase Reveals Several New Products at its Crypto Summit 2025 Steve Muchoki / Coinpedia Fintech News : Coinbase Unveils New Products: Are They the Awaited Triggers to Attract More Crypto Traders? Bluesky: Paul Rietschka / @prietschka : Someone is going to get fired when it's clear this has harmed Amex's brand. [embedded post] Corey Quinn / @quinnypig.com : I'm astonished that Amex, which historically has only been ~5% less rabid about its brand image than Disney, is willing to go along with this tomfoolery. [embedded post] X: @coinbase : Introducing the Coinbase One Card. Earn up to 4% bitcoin back on every purchase. Powered by @AmericanExpress network. Coming fall 2025. [video] Muneeb Imtiaz / @immuneeb : We've been hard at work building a credit card we'd be excited to use. THE credit card for anyone bullish on crypto. No gimmicky points or categories, just stacking sats with every swipe. Excited to share it with the world. Join the waitlist for early access! Marty / @thinkingvols : @coinbase @AmericanExpress cant wait for coinbase to block my account and then my credit card and not be able to reach any support and be in limbo for 6 months. Wilson Cheng / @wiltrain : A card that lets me spend USDC directly, while generating 4% on the USDC balance, AND 4% cashback on spending, AND the cashback is in BTC (which in last 10+ years... has been an appreciating asset). Ready to sign up @cardless : Coming soon, built on the @cardless platform. Excited to work with our new partners at @coinbase! Max Branzburg / @maxbranzburg : A credit card with the best kind of rewards: - Up to 4% bitcoin back on EVERY purchase, no category limits - Benefits from the American Express Network - A badass metal card engraved with code from the Genesis Block Sign up to the waitlist now. Antonio García Martínez / @antoniogm : THEY PUT THE BITCOIN GENESIS BLOCK ON THE COINBASE AMEX CARD (Including the snarky anti-bank Easter egg) [image] Wu Blockchain / @wublockchain : At the 2025 State of Crypto Summit, Coinbase announced it will launch the Coinbase One Card in fall 2025, offering up to 4% bitcoin back on every purchase. The card is powered by the American Express network. Coinbase also revealed plans to introduce perpetual futures products in @scottshapiro : Coinbase One Card: 4% back on every purchase in every category! (on top of 4+% rewards on your USDC) [image] Graham Stephan / @grahamstephan : @WatcherGuru Fine print: Available for those who pay for Coinbase One ($29.99/mo). The card also has a $49/yr fee. To get “up to 4%,” you have to keep a certain amount of assets on Coinbase. At bare minimum, you need to spend $10,250 just ot break even + hold assets on exchange. Not worth it? Will / @wclementeiii : Wow big day for Coinbase perps in the US and Bitcoin rewards credit card with Amex Graham Stephan / @grahamstephan : @WatcherGuru Most people would be better off with Robinhood Gold - $50/yr subscription, then 3% unlimited cash back to invest in BTC. Breakeven is $5000 compared to a standard 2% cash back card. Not affiliated whatsoever, just a nerd for credit card rewards. Will pass on Coinbase Card. Fitz Tepper / @fitztepper : Excited to finally share this - the new @coinbase one credit card was built on the @cardless platform. So much more to come 💳🚀 Forums: r/wallstreetbets : Coinbase beefs up subscription plan by offering it with American Express credit card
Context & Ripple Effects
Coinbase has steadily widened its product surface beyond spot trading, from plans for an Ethereum NFT marketplace to launching the Base Layer 2 network and gaining approval to offer eligible US customers futures trading. The card and a cheaper membership tier extend that expansion into consumer payments and subscription packaging.
The announcement matters because it ties a spending product to Coinbase One rather than offering it as a standalone card. That makes the subscription the access point for a bitcoin-reward benefit, while the Basic tier creates a lower-priced route into Coinbase’s membership funnel.
First-order effects
- US Coinbase One users will be able to access Coinbase’s first branded credit card when it launches, with American Express providing the card network and rewards of up to 4% in bitcoin on purchases.
- Coinbase adds a lower-cost Basic subscription tier, broadening the price ladder beneath its existing Coinbase One offering.
Second-order effects
- The card gives Coinbase a reason to retain and upgrade subscribers through an everyday-spending benefit, while American Express gains a direct distribution channel to Coinbase’s US membership base.
- Crypto platforms competing for active users may face greater pressure to pair trading access with payments, rewards, or membership benefits rather than rely on exchange features alone.
Third-order effects
- If such bundles gain traction, crypto exchanges could increasingly operate as consumer-finance platforms whose subscriptions gate access to trading, payments, and rewards—not merely as transaction venues.
- The model also makes card-network partnerships and specialized co-branded-card infrastructure more strategically important; later coverage of Cardless’s co-branded card platform illustrates the supplier layer that can support this shift.
The trend: Crypto platforms are packaging trading, payments, and rewards into subscription-led consumer ecosystems designed to deepen daily customer engagement.