Short answer. If you already own USDC somewhere, send it — that costs a fraction of a cent. If you are starting from cash, a bank transfer costs roughly ten times less than a card. A card is the most expensive route by a wide margin, and the advertised percentage is not the whole fee.
Percentages are hard to feel, so here is the same $500 through each door. Figures are typical published rates as of July 2026 and vary by provider, country and payment method.
| How you add money | All-in cost | You end up with | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Send USDC you already own | under $0.01 on Base | ~$500.00 | Seconds |
| Bank transfer (ACH) | 0–2% | $490–500 | Days, and often held after arrival |
| Debit or credit card — cheaper provider | ~4.5–6% | $470–478 | 1–5 minutes |
| Debit or credit card — expensive provider | ~7–8% | $460–465 | 1–5 minutes |
The spread between the top row and the bottom row is about $35 on a single $500 transfer. Repeat that monthly and it is more than $400 a year, spent entirely on the choice of door.
Every on-ramp shows a percentage. Most of them also earn a second, quieter amount on the exchange rate — the price they give you for the dollar versus the market price. That part is not itemised, so a "3.99% fee" can land closer to 6% once it is included.
Published comparisons put the all-in cost of a card purchase at roughly 4.5–6% with the cheaper providers and 7–8% with the more expensive ones, against advertised card fees of about 4–4.5%. The gap between those two numbers is the spread.
How to see it yourself: before confirming, compare the amount of crypto you are quoted against the market price for the same dollars. The difference, minus the stated fee, is the spread. Any provider unwilling to show you that comparison is telling you something.
ACH is dramatically cheaper than a card — often under 1%, sometimes zero. The catch is not the fee, it is the hold: several providers keep funds bought by bank transfer for 7–10 days before allowing you to move them out. The money is yours, it is visible in the balance, and it cannot leave.
That matters if you were planning to send it onward. Being surprised by a ten-day hold is a worse experience than paying a fee you knew about.
This page is not an argument that the cheap route is always correct. Cards exist for a reason:
The mistake is not using a card. The mistake is using a card repeatedly, for large amounts, without knowing it costs 5–8%.
We charge nothing to add money, by any route. Card and bank purchases go through licensed providers — MoonPay and Coinbase — and their fees are theirs, not ours. We do not add a markup on top.
Which means the honest recommendation costs us money: if you already own USDC, send it in and skip the on-ramp entirely. We earn nothing on that path, and it is still the right advice. Our full pricing is on the fees page, including the parts where we are more expensive than doing it yourself.
Not buying it at all — sending USDC you already own from another wallet or exchange costs a fraction of a cent on Base. If you are starting from cash, a bank transfer (ACH) is roughly ten times cheaper than a card.
Card networks charge the provider a processing fee, the provider adds its own margin, and most providers also earn on the exchange rate. Those three layers stack to roughly 4.5–8% all-in, against an advertised card fee of about 4–4.5%.
It is cheaper, but not always better. Several providers hold funds bought by bank transfer for 7–10 days before you can move them out. If you need the money to be usable immediately, a card may be worth its higher cost.
The spread is the difference between the exchange rate you are given and the market rate. It is not shown as a fee. Compare the amount of crypto you are quoted against the market price for the same dollars — the difference beyond the stated fee is the spread.
No. Adding money is free from us by every route. Card and bank purchases go through third-party licensed providers whose fees are their own, and we do not mark them up.