Trastra Review (2023)

Trastra is a European fintech company that offers a number of crypto-related tools including its flagship Trastra Card. The Trastra Card is a crypto-backed Visa debit card that lets you quickly convert your coins and tokens into a spendable Euro (EUR) cash balance.

In this Trastra Review, I’m going to take you through everything you need to know about this card and how it works. I’ll discuss every aspect of the Trastra Card, including its fees, features, limits, and more.

Advantages & Disadvantages

Advantages

Disadvantages

What is Trastra?

Trastra is a fintech company that specialises in crypto-related products for individuals and businesses. Founded in 2017 by serial entrepreneur Roman Potemkin, Trastra is a multinational company with offices in the UK, Czech Republic, and Ukraine. It is also registered as a virtual currency exchange operator in Lithuania.

Although Trastra offers a number of tools for crypto investors, one of its main features is the Trastra Visa Card, which is a crypto-backed debit card.

The Trastra Visa Card features its own IBAN and account numbers so you can receive EUR from external bank accounts. You can also link the card to your Trastra wallet (available on the web and as a mobile app for iOS and Android). Doing so lets you quickly exchange crypto from your wallet for EUR in order to top up your card.

For a quick video overview, watch this short (< 1min) video.

Key Features of Trastra Card

The Trastra Card is a straightforward way to convert your crypto into a spendable Euro (EUR) balance. Some of its key features include:

• Available in the UK and the EEA.
• Visa co-branded card that’s widely accepted worldwide.
• Has its own IBAN number to receive SEPA transfers.
• Linked to your Trastra Wallet for easy card top-ups.
• No transaction fee for payments made in the Eurozone.
• Fee-free crypto-to-EUR conversions.
• Card management platform available as a web-based and mobile app.
• Free crypto and EUR deposits to the Trastra Wallet.

How Does the Trastra Card Work?

The Trastra Visa Card is marketed as a crypto-backed debit card that also has its own IBAN number so it can receive Euro (EUR) deposits through the SEPA network.

And while it’s true that you can link your Trastra Card to your Trastra Wallet (that can hold cryptocurrency), you can’t directly buy things using your crypto balance. The card can’t “hold” crypto, so it doesn’t actually let you pay for purchases using your Bitcoin (BTC).

You can either:

• Top up your Trastra Card directly with EUR through a SEPA transfer.
• Convert the crypto in your Trastra Wallet to EUR and then load that money onto your card for spending or for withdrawal at an ATM.

This is similar to alternatives like the Embily Card, which automatically converts any crypto you deposit into EUR. True crypto-backed debit cards like the CoinJar Card or Coinbase Card let you spend crypto by automatically converting your coins into fiat at the point of sale.

Supported Countries

The Trastra Visa Card is available in the UK and in most EEA countries.

Head to Trastra’s website to find its full list of supported countries.

Supported Cryptocurrencies

Trastra currently supports 7 cryptocurrencies in its non-hosted hot wallet:

• Bitcoin (BTC)
• Ethereum (ETH)
• Litecoin (LTC)
• Bitcoin Cash (BCH)
• Ripple (XRP)
• Tether (USDT)
• USD Coin (USDC)

But remember: The Trastra Card doesn’t store these cryptocurrencies. You’ll need to manually convert your coins into Euro (EUR) to top up your card.

Trastra Fees

Trastra has an extensive fee schedule that governs its debit card, crypto wallet, and built-in exchange, all of which you’ll likely use if you order the Trastra Card.

Here’s what you need to know.

Account & Service Fees

There are two noteworthy account and service fees with the Trastra Card:

• Annual Service Fee: €15
• Card Issuance Fee: €9

The card issuance fee isn’t that unusual, but the €15 service fee for the Trastra Card is a bit steep. You can get plenty of crypto-backed debit cards that don’t charge an annual or monthly fee.

Deposit & Withdrawal Fees

Trastra has different fee structures for sending and receiving both crypto and Euro (EUR) with your account.

All EUR deposits to your Trastra Card account via SEPA are free. But if you withdraw EUR from your card, the fee is €3.

For crypto, there are no fees to deposit coins to your Trastra Wallet

The fees for withdrawing supported cryptocurrencies are variable, and based on the standard network fee at the time you’re sending it. This is quite standard practice across places that I’ve reviewed.

Trastra lets you select a lower priority transaction speed so that you can minimise fees if you’re not in a rush.

Crypto Trading Fees

Trastra doesn’t charge any explicit fees for selling your crypto for EUR (which is required to top-up your card). However, I’ve found that its exchange rate isn’t as competitive as what you can find at a major exchange.

Buying crypto with Trastra is a different story.

Trastra charges a 5% fee (minimum €5) to buy crypto through its wallet. You’ll get a much better deal if you use alternatives like CoinJar or Coinbase.

Card Transaction Fees

The Trastra Card charges the following transaction fees:

• Card Load Fee: Free
• Transaction Fee (EUR): Free
• Non-EUR Transaction Fee: 3%

Using an ATM with your Trastra Card incurs the following fees:

• ATM Withdrawal (EUR): €2.25
• ATM Withdrawal (Non-EUR): €2.25 + 3%
• ATM Balance Request Fee: €0.35
• ATM PIN Change Fee Fee: €0.40

It’s good to see there are fee-free transactions you get when making purchases in the Eurozone with the Trastra Card. But the card’s high fees for non-EUR transactions make it impractical for regular use in the UK or anywhere else outside the Eurozone.

The card’s ATM fees are also a bit high, especially at a non-EUR ATM.

Trastra Limits

The standard limits on the Trastra Card are:

• Maximum Card Balance: €8,000
• Daily Spend Limit: €7,700
• Weekly Spend Limit: None
• Monthly Spend Limit: €9,900
• Daily ATM Limit: €300
• Contactless Payment Maximum: €90 (per transaction)

Note that the €9,000 standard monthly spend limit includes all point-of-sale transactions, ATM withdrawals, and outward SEPA transfers that you make in a month.

Trastra also has a set of “PRO” card limits that you can access if you pass enhanced due diligence checks and provide information about your source of funds.

There’s no difference between most of the standard and PRO limits on the Trastra Card. The only notable limit increase is the monthly spend limit, which is raised to €248,000 if you have a PRO verified account. But you’re still limited to the same standard daily spending limits, regardless of your verification level

You can check out all Trastra’s limits on their website if you’re interested.

Trastra Card Alternatives

My favourite Trastra Card alternative is the CoinJar Card.

The CoinJar Card is a crypto-backed debit card that lets you spend any of the 50+ coins in your CoinJar wallet.

Any of the crypto that you spend with your CoinJar Card is automatically converted to British Pounds (GBP) at the point of sale to cover the cost of your transaction, so you don’t have to sell your coins in advance. Plus, the CoinJar Card has a simple fee schedule of 1% per transaction and every pound you spend on the card earns you CoinJar Rewards points.

Interested in cashback rewards instead? The Crypto.com Visa Card is worth checking out.

With the Crypto.com Visa Card, you can spend a handful of different cryptocurrencies anywhere that Visa is accepted. You can also earn up to 5% cashback with this card if you stake a sizable amount of Cronos (CRO), but it’s also possible to unlock a little bit of cashback if you stake £300 worth of Cronos (CRO).

The Bottom Line: The Best Bitcoin Debit Card?

At first glance, the Trastra Card seems like a potential winner in the world of crypto debit cards. That’s because it seemingly offers a way to load your card with both crypto and Euro (EUR) so you can manage your daily spending all in one place.

But I wasn’t impressed with what I saw from the Trastra Card.

There are many aspects of the Trastra Card that left me wanting, including:

• Lack of Crypto Support: The Trastra Card doesn’t let you spend actual cryptocurrencies because you can only load the card with Euro (EUR). This makes the card a bit of a disappointment for people who wanted an easy way to convert their crypto into spendable cash at the time of a transaction.
• Euro-Centric Design: The fact that each Trastra Card comes with a personal IBAN number so you can receive SEPA transfers to your account is pretty cool. But, even though the card is available in the UK and around the EEA, it’s really only useful if you live in the Eurozone. The card’s lack of support for GBP and its 3% non-EUR transaction fee makes it impractical for most people in the UK.
• High Fees: Overall, the Trastra Card’s fees aren’t horrible, but the €15 annual service fee is annoying. Trastra also charges a high 5% fee to buy crypto in its wallet and all its fees for transactions outside the Eurozone aren’t exactly competitive.

If you happen to live in a country in the Eurozone and you want a simple way to convert your crypto to Euro (EUR) so that you can load those funds onto a debit card, I can see some of the appeal of the Trastra Card.

However, if you live in the UK or want a debit card that lets you spend crypto, this card probably isn’t right for you.

Better UK alternatives are the CoinJar Card and Wirex Card.

Any Questions?

Thanks for checking out this Trastra review.

What do you think? Is the Trastra Card something you’d get?

Or have a question you want to ask me about it?

Let me know in the comments below!