11 Best Metal Cards by Digital Banks in 2023 (Worldwide)

Written By Adrian Volenik

Looking sleek and luxurious, metal cards are something of a status symbol. Metal cards are symbols of premium accounts, making their holders stand out from the average customer with their plain plastic card.

But are these status symbols worth the extra money? Is a metal card nothing more than a novelty, or are digital banks that offer metal card programs providing a much-needed product?

Here are the leading metal card programs from digital-only neo banks around the world.

metal cards

International

Revolut

  • 18g weight
  • £12.99/€13.99/$16.99 per month
  • Black, Silver, Space Grey, Gold, and Rose Gold metal card designs
  • Exchange, hold and receive 28+ currencies
  • Investing in crypto, stocks, and commodities 
  • Budgeting, analytics
  • Saving Vaults,
  • Group bills
  • Travel and device insurance
  • Cashbacks

The UK’s fastest-growing financial super app is now available in many countries all over Europe but also worldwide, including the US, Canada, and Australia.

The price of the Metal Account depends on where you live but it’s £12.99 in the UK, $16.99 in the States, and €13.99 in Eurozone and the express delivery is free.

You can get your sleek Revolut Metal Card in 5 different colors that look amazing although a bit understated. They are of course contactless and the whole Metal account offers a wide range of features.

You get access to 5 Junior accounts, cashback on metal card payments, up to £10,000/y purchase protection, ticket protection, returns protection, unlimited disposable virtual cards, and up to 0.65% AER daily interest rate on savings.

That Revolut is an international jack of all trades is apparent in that it’s also offering crypto, stock, and precious metal trading. 

Other Revolut Metal benefits include the ability to spend in over 150 currencies at the interbank exchange rate, exchange in 28+ fiat currencies with no monthly limit, fee-free ATM withdrawals up to US$1200/£800 per month, overseas medical insurance and delayed baggage and flight insurance, free lounge passes for your and up to 3 friends if your flight is delayed for 1 hour plus, and many more.

Although Revolut is not a fully-fledged bank in most of the countries it operates in, and therefore your deposits aren’t insured, they are saved in separate accounts in reputable big banks. 

You can open a Revolut Metal account here or read our full review here.

United States

OnJuno

  • $9.99 per month (6 months free)
  • Black Metal card design
  • Virtual cards
  • No-fee ATM withdrawals at Allpoint and MoneyPass ATMs
  • 2.15% yearly bonus on deposits
  • 5% yearly cashback bonus 
  • FDIC insured up to $250,000

OnJuno is a mobile bank aimed at Asian-Americans, immigrants, international professionals, and students. 

Their black metal card can be yours for free, at least for the first 6 months, if you set up a direct deposit of $500 per month and you maintain it for the whole duration. After 6 months, the cost of the Metal checking account is $9.99 per month.

So what is it that you’ll get with the OnJuno Metal card and their Metal account? A relatively high APY of 2.15% on balances up to $30,000, contactless mobile payments via Apple, Google, and Samsung Pay, a huge network of ATMs, and 3 out-of-network withdrawals. 

You also get 5% cashback from 5 brands that range from Netflix to Target. The list includes major brands and it will be hard to choose only 5 of them.

There are also no deposit or withdrawal fees and no foreign transaction fees.

Chime

chime metal card
  • Only available for Chime members who have a Credit Builder card
  • Metallic emerald green card design with raised varnish branding
  • Get it with 40 qualified purchases in 60 days
  • Get paid 2 days early
  • Spending account
  • Savings account
  • No fees for overdrafts
  • 38,000+ fee-free MoneyPass and Visa Plus Alliance ATMs
  • FDIC insured up to $250,000

Chime is a digital bank that was founded in 2013 in San Francisco, California that has recently reached a 12 million customers hallmark. Chime Bank provides a consolidated and easy-to-use banking platform that lets you improve and reclaim your financial health. 

Their metal card is actually a limited edition promotional offer that only members of their Credit Builder account and owners of the existing Credit Builder Visa Credit Card can get. 

So, in order to get the metal card, you’ll have to complete the metal card challenge that basically consists of you spending your money via your Credit Builder Card. You have to make 40 purchases in 60 days with the minimum amount of $1 per purchase and with a max of 5 purchases per day.

Chime has a 35% share of all digital bank checking accounts in the United States. With features like free overdrafts, early payroll, Credit Builder, and savings account, it really isn’t surprising. 

You can apply for a Chime account here or read our full Chime review here

Apple Card

  • 14.7g weight
  • Titanium white card design
  • Apple Card Monthly Installments
  • 2% Daily Cash
  • No annual fees
  • No late fees
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • No over-the-limit fees
  • No returned payment fees
  • No setup fees
  • No maintenance fees

Apple entered the digital banking arena with their widely used Apple Pay. But now, with the release of their Apple Card, which is essentially a credit card, they kicked it up a notch. 

The Apple Card was designed for iPhones and is integrated into the Wallet app. You can apply for it without impacting your credit score right from the Wallet app. Unfortunately, It’s also only available in the US for now.

The Apple Card itself is a laser‑etched white titanium credit card that looks sleek and simple, a true Apple product. 

Apple says that it takes your security and your privacy very seriously and therefore it instituted many security features into it. The titanium card has no numbers on it, just your name.

Your data also isn’t sold or shared with third parties which is very rare these days. Of course, Apple got into a fight with Facebook over these issues just recently because their newest update will allow iPhone and iPad users to say no to having their data collected by Facebook and other apps.

So, the Apple Card is free and works in conjunction with the Wallet app, and has features like unlimited daily cash backs with every purchase, no annual fees, no foreign transaction fees, and no late fees, although, any late or missed payments will result in additional interest accumulating toward your balance.

It’s apparently the only card that’s made of sustainable titanium metal known for its “beauty and durability”.

Canada 

KOHO

  • 16g weight 
  • $159 one-time fee, or
  • $50 with two referrals to Koho
  • Gilded Cotton Candy design
  • Available with all accounts
  • Koho (free) and Koho Premium ($84 annual or $9 per month)
  • Early payroll
  • Cashback
  • Automated savings
  • Virtual card

This Canadian digital bank has partnered with Visa and Peoples Trust to enable it to hold funds that are loaded onto your card.

KOHO was founded in 2014 in Vancouver and is now headquartered in Toronto.

They offer two personal accounts, one free and one paid, and a free joint account. All users can apply for a metal card that has a really unique “gilded cotton candy” design. So they ventured outside the usual solid-colored metal design that most other companies do. 

The metal card design is an acquired taste and might not be everyone’s cup of tea, and that’s ok. You have to stand out from the crowd I guess. Would I get it? Probably not as pink or gold aren’t really my colors. 

You can get the metal card for a one-time fee of $159 or $50 if you referred two people to KOHO. The company will even reimburse you $109 if you refer two people in 60 days after purchasing the card for full price. 

A referral to KOHO counts when the user signs up and makes a purchase within 30 days.

Apparently, KOHO Metal cards are limited edition and are available to order through the app until they’re out of stock.

A Koho account has no NSF fees, no e-Transfer fees, and no interest charges. You can get from 0.5%-2% cashback on all purchases, automated savings and budgeting, card security features, and virtual cards. 

Your deposits aren’t insured with CDIC but they are held in Peoples Trust Company that is a regulated financial institution, and your money would be paid out through them if something were to happen to KOHO. 

Europe 

N26

  • 18g weight
  • €16.90 per month
  • Charcoal Black, Slate Grey, or Quartz Rose designs
  • Free and unlimited payments in any currency
  • Free ATM withdrawals worldwide (8 free in Eurozone)
  • Trip, flight, and medical travel insurance
  • Car rental and phone insurance
  • Sub-accounts
  • Exclusive N26 perks

N26 is a German neobank that’s headquartered in Berlin. It’s currently available in 22 European countries and in the United States.

You can get their N26 metal card if you signup for the premium account with a €16.90 membership per month. They offer three colors: Charcoal Black, Slate Grey, and Quartz Rose. Same as Revolut, N26 metal cards have this understated design that will appeal to a wider audience. 

The N26 Premium account is a financial powerhouse as well and is offering many features and perks. 

Frequent travelers will enjoy free and unlimited payments in any currency, wherever they are, medical travel insurance, up to €10,000 compensation in case of trip cancelation or curtailment, up to €500 for flight delays over 4 hours, and up to €500 for baggage delays over 12 hours, and up to €2,000 if it goes missing. 

Their “lifestyle” insurances also cover winter sports accidents, car rentals, phone insurance, and shared vehicle coverage.

Security-wise, your money is protected by the German Deposit Protection Scheme up to €100,000 and all your online payments are secure, thanks to advanced 3D Secure (3DS) technology and two-factor authentication. 

Monzo

  • 16g weight
  • £15 per month
  • White metal card design
  • Worldwide phone and travel insurance
  • Savings Pots
  • Add your other bank accounts and credit cards to Monzo
  • Earn interest
  • £600 fee-free ATM withdrawals 
  • Virtual cards
  • Loans up to £3,000 and overdrafts up to £1,000
  • Track your credit score

Monzo is a challenger bank from London that is only available to residents of the UK and the USA where you can join their waitlist

The Monzo Metal card, which was made from a single sheet of stainless steel, is available only to the Premium account users for £15 per month. It’s only available in white color that looks very classy and distinctive. 

The Premium account itself is jam-packed with features and benefits like worldwide family travel insurance, open banking – a feature that enables you to connect and manage accounts from other banks, advanced roundups for easy saving, and bill splitting among others.

You can also spend with your Monzo card anywhere in the world, for free. Withdrawals from  ATMs are fee-free in the European Economic Area and in other countries, you can take out £200 for free every 30 days.

Curve

  • 18g weight
  • €14.99 per month 
  • Red (subject to availability), Rose Gold or Blue metal card
  • Combine your cards in one
  • Unlimited access to foreign exchange rates
  • Fee-free foreign ATM withdrawals up to €600/m
  • Travel insurance
  • Phone insurance
  • Rental car insurance

Curve is a payment card and app that was founded in London in 2015. 

The Curve app is a fintech offering that allows you to connect all your accounts via one smart card and your smartphone.

Curve is currently available to all 31 countries within the European Economic Area (EEA). And you’ll also need to have at least your first payment card be issued from one of those countries. This card will also need to be a Mastercard or Visa debit or credit card.

If you’re from the United States, you can join the Curve waitlist

The Curve Metal card is available in three colors, blue, red, and rose gold when you signup for the Ultimate account for €14.99 per month. 

Obviousy, the main draw here is that you can connect all your other bank accounts to Curve and use just their card for everything. Unfortunately, other digital banks have also introduced this feature through open banking which allows you to also connect, manage and transfer money from other bank accounts. 

Curve’s Ultimate Metal account will net you a 1% cashback, free foreign ATM withdrawals up to €600 per month, worldwide travel, phone, and rental car collision insurance. 

You can also add loyalty cards and “go back in time” – a feature that lets you switch payments from one card to another, up to 90 days after the deed.

bunq

  • White Metal
  • One-time payments of €191 with Easy Money account, €203 with Easy Green, €129 for Pack members, or €239 for bunq Pack owners
  • Plants a tree for every €100 spent
  • Uses 50% less plastic and lasts 50% longer than a traditional plastic card
  • Open 25 IBAN accounts
  • Virtual cards
  • Auto-save
  • Up to 10 free global ATM withdrawals per month
  • Free foreign exchange

This Dutch challenger bank was founded in 2012 and is only available in the EEA countries.

The bunq Metal card used to be called the Green card. Its main feature is that a tree gets planted for every €100 that you spend with the card. You can only get the new bunq metal card when you prepay one of your bunq accounts. 

For instance, you’ll have to prepay their Easy Money account for 12 months in advance to be able to order the white metal card.

Features that you get will depend on the account that you have, but they include instant joint accounts, a travel assistant, virtual cards, savings interest, easy budgeting with 25 bank accounts, zero FX charges, spending insights, and more.

The bunq Metal card acts as a credit card but it’s really a debit card – you can only spend what you have on the account. 

You can sign up for a bunq account here or read our full review here first. 

Vivid

  • Free Metal card (for now)
  • Futuristic digital or shiny metal card designs
  • Vivid Pockets
  • Budgeting and analytics
  • Stocks and ETF investing without commission
  • Crypto investing
  • Instant money transfers and payments without fees
  • Bill splitting
  • 107 currencies in free separate pockets

Vivid Money is a German challenger bank that was founded only in 2019. Its headquarters are in Berlin, Germany and the company is rapidly expanding. 

For now, you can only open a Vivid free or paid account if you live in Italy, Spain, France, or Germany. 

Their metal card is also free for now. You get it by default when you sign up for an account, as well as three months of their premium membership for free.

If after three months, you decide to downgrade to the free account, the metal card will still stay with you! The Prime membership is €9.90 per month.

With the Vivid Standard account, you’ll get up to €20 cashback per month, 15 free pocket accounts, 40 currencies in separate accounts, free global payments, free money transfers, free direct debits, no exchange limits, free worldwide ATM withdrawals up to €200/m, and more.

The Prime account adds even more features and has higher limits than the Standard one. 

You can sign up for a Vivid account here to get your free Vivid metal card. 

>Fun fact: the greenest way to pay is to use your mobile payment app without ordering a plastic or metal card.

Russia

  • Free for accounts in foreign currency
  • For ruble accounts, free if you spend more than 200,000 rubles per month or maintain a min balance of 3,000,000 rubles, otherwise, it’s 1,990 per month
  • Black/silver card design
  • Supports 30 currencies
  • Free bank transfers to other banks
  • Cashback form 1-30%
  • Travel insurance for up to 5 people
  • Free access to airport business lounges

Tinkoff bank is a Russian digital bank that was founded all the way back in 2006. It is now the second-largest credit card provider in Russia. 

The contactless Tinkoff metal card has a distinct black and silver design with an engraved coat of arms on the front. It has a luxurious look and feel, and is quite heavy, although I couldn’t find how much exactly. 

Apparently, there are no monthly fees for the card if you have an account in foreign currency, or you have a balance of at least 3 million rubles ($40,000). It’s also free if you maintain a monthly spend of 200,000 rubles and you have a balance of 1 million. Otherwise, it’s 1,990 rubbles ($26) per month.

The “green” card

If you’re getting a metal card from one of the digital banks (or big banks, doesn’t matter) for sustainability reasons or doing your bit for the environment, I have to disappoint you. 

Metal is more hardwearing than plastic, that’s true and your metal card will expire after around five or six years, depending on the bank. But that’s only 40%-50% longer than a plastic one, which only lasts for three. That doesn’t seem that much of an improvement. 

You’d expect it to last for a lifetime when you hear that it’s made from metal. You also can’t cut metal cards with scissors and will have to return them to the bank to be safely disposed of and probably not recycled.

The bottom line

Metal credit and debit cards are a status symbol for quite some time now. They’re a sign to you and others that “you’ve made it”. And although they’re cheaper now and less exclusive, they’re still a popular product, especially with new generations that have a digital bank account as their only account. 

Metal cards aren’t going anywhere, especially now that Apple has released their titanium credit card. 

About the Author

Chief Editor at TopMobileBanks

Adrian is a fintech expert who has tested hundreds of financial apps, cards, and accounts. His love for testing digital banks, payment apps, and financial products, in general, is unmatched.

How many digital banking accounts can one man have?

Not enough, if you ask Adrian. As his wallet will soon explode if he doesn’t cut back on the number of cards.

On the plus side, they have enabled him to create awesome How-To Guides that you can read on our site.

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