Fees & Pricing
We believe in transparent, predictable fees. No hidden charges.
Buying gift cards
| Fee type | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer fee | Varies | Varies by brand / card issuer. Passed through at cost. See below. |
| Issuer premium | Varies | Varies by brand / card issuer. Passed through at cost. See below. |
| CardsRelay admin fee | 0-5% | Covers admin and processing costs. Varies by brand. See below. |
| Crypto network fee | None (you pay) | Your wallet's network fee |
| Discounts | Up to 10%+ off | Rolling deals and coin-specific offers. See below. |
How Fees are Calculated
Issuer Fees and Issuer Premiums
Some gift card brands and card issuers apply their own fees on top of the face value of a card. These are entirely outside of CardsRelay's control. They may take the form of a fixed fee per card (charged by the issuer regardless of denomination) or a variable percentage fee based on the card value. Where these fees apply, we pass them through to you at exactly the cost we are charged. We do not mark them up.
Not all brands carry issuer fees. Where they do not apply, those lines are hidden from your checkout summary entirely.
CardsRelay Admin Fee
We aim to keep the CardsRelay admin fee as low as possible. It is a small charge of between 0% and 5% that covers our administration and payment processing costs. Where a brand provides us with a sufficient trade discount to cover those costs, we charge nothing. For brands with a smaller or no discount, a modest fee applies. It is always shown clearly on the product page before you place an order, and it is never more than 5%.
We never hide additional margin inside the exchange rate. The crypto amount shown at checkout is calculated at the live market price. What you see is what you pay, with no silent markup on the conversion.
Discounts
We run a rolling calendar of discounts across selected brands, so the price you pay is often below face value. Discounts may be time-limited, volume-limited, or tied to a specific payment coin.
We also run promotions with selected brands and coin projects from time to time. These can unlock increased discounts when paying with a specific coin, giving you a better rate than you would get with other payment options on the same brand.
Current offers are always listed on our deals page.
Foreign exchange
For some products, particularly mobile top-ups, the exchange rate used to convert your payment into the local delivery currency is set by the service provider, not by CardsRelay. Providers sometimes apply a small spread on top of the mid-market rate.
For major currencies this spread is typically minimal and will not be noticeable. For less common currencies or certain markets it can be more pronounced. Where we have visibility of the provider rate, we display it at checkout so you know exactly what value will be delivered before you pay.
Volatility protection
All invoices lock the crypto/USD rate for 30 minutes. We absorb minor rate fluctuations within the lock window.
If the invoice expires before you send payment, return to the product page and place a new order at the current rate.
If you sent funds to an expired invoice, your payment is not lost. Submit a request via our order help page with your order number and we will review your payment and fulfil your order manually.
Network fees and confirmation times
Typical estimates based on current network conditions. Fees and times can vary depending on congestion and wallet settings. Always check your wallet before sending.
| Coin | Typical network fee | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| ZanoZANO | 0.01 ZANO | 5-15 min |
| MoneroXMR | <$0.01 | 5-20 min |
| XRPXRP | <$0.01 | <1 min |
| BNB (BSC)BNB | $0.05-0.20 | <1 min |
| DogecoinDOGE | $0.01-0.20 | 1-5 min |
| LitecoinLTC | $0.01-0.10 | 2-5 min |
| USDT (TRC20)USDT | $0-1 | 1-3 min |
| EthereumETH | $0.20-2 | 1-2 min |
| USDT (ERC20)USDT | $1-5 | 1-5 min |
| BitcoinBTC | $1-10 | 10-30 min |
Example data shown. For current network conditions, see BitInfoCharts.