The one principle
Network fees are roughly fixed per transaction. Platform markups are proportional to the order. That single asymmetry explains every recommendation on this page.
A $3 network fee on a $500 card is 0.6% — a rounding error. The same $3 on a $15 mobile top-up is 20%, which is worse than any platform markup you will ever encounter. So on small orders, obsess about the rail and ignore the platform. On large orders, ignore the rail and obsess about the rate.
The rails compared
Fee bands below are indicative of conditions observed through 2026, not live quotes — network fees move with demand. What does not move is the ranking.
| Rail | Typical fee | Speed | Support | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BTC — Lightning | <$0.01 | Instant | Good and growing | Best available option for small orders |
| Litecoin | ~$0.01–0.05 | ~2.5 min | Very wide | The reliable default when Lightning is absent |
| USDT / USDC on a low-fee chain | Cents | Seconds | Very wide | Best all-rounder; no rate drift |
| Dogecoin | Cents | ~1 min | Moderate | Cheap and fast; fewer platforms price it well |
| Solana | Fractions of a cent | Sub-second | Coinsbee and others | Excellent where accepted |
| Monero | Low | ~2 min per block | Rare — CoinCards, Coinsbee | Choose for privacy, not for price |
| BTC — on-chain | Cents to several dollars | 10+ min | Universal | Fine above $150, poor below $50 |
| ETH — mainnet | Frequently the most expensive | Fast | Wide | Avoid on small orders |
| ETH or USDC on an L2 | Cents | Fast | Often not credited | Cheap but risky — confirm support first |
Choosing by order size
| Order | First choice | Second choice | Do not use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under $25 | Lightning | LTC, stablecoin on a cheap chain | BTC on-chain, ETH mainnet |
| $25–$100 | Lightning or stablecoin | LTC, SOL, DOGE | ETH mainnet |
| $100–$500 | Stablecoin | Whatever the platform prices best | — |
| $500+ | Whichever coin gives the best rate | Split across two platforms if the spread is wide | — |
Stablecoins: the quiet default
Stablecoins win on a dimension that never appears in fee tables: quote stability. Between the moment a platform quotes you an amount and the moment your payment confirms, a volatile coin's price can move. Some platforms absorb small moves; others invalidate the quote and make you start again, and a few credit you short and open a ticket.
Paying in USDT or USDC removes the variable. $100 is $100 at quote time and at confirmation time. On a large order that certainty is worth considerably more than a few cents of network fee, which is why it is our default recommendation on anything above about $100. See buying gift cards with USDT.
The caveat is that "stablecoin" describes a category, not a guarantee. Choose widely used, widely redeemed tokens, and pick the network with care — which brings us back to the layer-2 warning above.
The tax angle nobody mentions
In most jurisdictions, spending a volatile cryptocurrency is a disposal. If you bought BTC at $20,000 and spend it at $90,000, that purchase realises a gain, and the gain is reportable even though you bought a coffee card with it.
Practical consequences. Spending a stablecoin you acquired at par realises essentially nothing, which keeps your records clean. Spending appreciated BTC on small everyday purchases generates a long tail of tiny taxable events that are genuinely annoying to reconstruct. And if you hold coins at a loss, spending those first can be the sensible order of operations.
None of that is tax advice, and the rules vary by country. But the person who pays for gift cards in stablecoins and holds their BTC is usually making their own life easier. Related reading: crypto gift tax rules in the US.
Three ways to lose money on the rail
Avoid these
- Paying from an exchange when an exact amount is required. Exchanges deduct their withdrawal fee from the amount you send, so the payment arrives short and the order stalls. Pay from a wallet where you set the fee, or add the withdrawal fee on top.
- Sending on an unlisted network. If the platform lists "USDT (TRON)" and you send on another chain, that is often gone permanently. Read the network string, do not skim it.
- Underpaying the network fee to save money. A transaction that sits in the mempool past the quote window turns a two-minute purchase into a support ticket. Pay the going rate, or use a rail where the question does not arise.
Rail-specific detail is on the four coin pages: Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDT and Litecoin. For the platform side of the cost equation, read crypto gift card fees.
Choosing a payment coin: FAQ
What is the single cheapest way to pay for a gift card?
Bitcoin over the Lightning Network, where the platform supports it — the fee is fractions of a cent and delivery is effectively instant. If Lightning is not offered, Litecoin or a stablecoin on a low-fee chain are the next best. The cheapest option you can actually use beats the theoretically cheapest one.
Why do platforms price the same card differently in different coins?
Because their own costs differ. A platform that receives a lot of BTC and needs USD may price stablecoins better, since it avoids a conversion. Liquidity, custody arrangements and hedging all feed into the quoted rate. It costs you nothing to switch the coin selector and look at both numbers.
Should I pay with a volatile coin or a stablecoin?
Stablecoin, unless you have a reason not to. It removes price movement between the quote and the confirmation, which is the failure mode that turns an instant delivery into a re-quote. The counter-argument is tax: spending a volatile coin is a disposal in most jurisdictions, and if it has appreciated, that is a taxable event you may prefer to defer.
Is Monero worth using?
Only if privacy is the point and the platform accepts it — CoinCards and Coinsbee are among the few that do. Fees are low and the privacy properties are real, but liquidity is thinner and the rate you are quoted often reflects that. Do not choose XMR to save money; choose it because you want the privacy.
Does the coin affect how fast I get the code?
Yes, substantially. Lightning is sub-second. Litecoin and most cheap chains confirm in seconds to a couple of minutes. Bitcoin on-chain waits for blocks, and during congestion an underpriced transaction can sit for hours — which can outlast the platform's quote window.
Sources and further reading
Figures on this page were checked in August 2026. Fees, country lists and promotions change without notice — always confirm on the operator's own site before you pay.
- Bitrefill — payment methods — Lightning and on-chain support, supported coins
- Coinsbee — supported cryptocurrencies — 200+ coins including SOL, TON and XMR
- CoinCards — Monero and multi-coin support