Crypto Card Monthly Spending Tops $600 Million as Stablecoin Payments Move Into Everyday Use

Crypto-linked payment cards allow users to spend digital assets through conventional card networks, with providers converting the funds into fiat currency for merchants. The model is gaining importance as stablecoins such as USDC and USDT reduce price volatility and settlement friction, moving beyond crypto trading and remittances into retail payments, subscriptions and emerging AI-agent commerce.

Paymentscan data showed tracked crypto-card transaction volume more than tripled over the past year, with reported spending surpassing $1 billion. Separate recent figures put monthly spending at roughly $750 million to $759 million. Stablecoins accounted for more than 70% of the total, while groceries, ride services and subscriptions ranked among the leading uses, indicating that crypto cards are increasingly being used for routine purchases.

Stablecoins, designed to hold a relatively steady value against assets such as the U.S. dollar, are moving beyond trading and cross-border transfers into everyday commerce. A July 2026 report from PYMNTS Intelligence and Paymentology said the industry’s next test is utility rather than ownership: whether consumers can spend digital assets as easily as conventional money. Linked debit cards can bridge that gap by converting stablecoins at checkout while routing payments through existing card networks.

The report found that 71% of stablecoin holders would use a linked debit card, while 45% convert their holdings into local currency and 27% already spend them directly on goods and services. Demand also exceeds usage for major purchases, with 42% interested but only 28% doing so. Monthly crypto-card spending rose about 15-fold from early 2023 to late 2025, reaching an annualized $18 billion, though limited merchant acceptance, transaction costs, trust concerns and fragmented payment experiences remain barriers.

Crypto payment cards connect digital assets such as USDC and USDT with established card networks, allowing users to spend stablecoin balances at conventional merchants. Their growth is closely watched as a gauge of whether cryptocurrencies are moving beyond trading, investment and cross-border transfers into routine retail payments, where price stability and broad merchant acceptance are critical.

Spending on crypto payment cards reached $759 million in July, according to the latest data from venture-capital firm a16z crypto. The cards processed nearly 8.8 million transactions during the month, with both spending and transaction volumes rising significantly from a year earlier. USDC and USDT together accounted for more than 80% of purchases, underscoring stablecoins’ dominant role in crypto-funded consumer payments.