Crypto Card Spending Hits Record $759M as Stablecoins Drive Everyday Payments

TLDR:

• Crypto card spending reached a record $759M in July 2026, up roughly 2.5x from $306M a year earlier.
• Nearly 9M crypto card purchases were made in July, with the average transaction size at approximately $86.
• USDC captured 58% of July crypto card spending, while USDT added 26%, making digital dollars dominant.
• RedotPay, EtherFi, and KAST generated about 77% of July’s $759M in tracked crypto card spending volume.

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Crypto payment cards recorded $759 million in monthly spending during July 2026, marking the highest level captured by Paymentscan since tracking began in October 2023. The milestone shows how blockchain-linked balances are increasingly being used through card networks for routine transactions.

According to a16z crypto report based on Paymentscan figures, July spending rose from $306 million a year earlier, representing roughly 2.5 times growth. Volume had remained below $1 million when the dataset began, showing how quickly the payment category expanded within three years.

Crypto Card Spending Climbs as Consumer Transactions Surge

Transaction counts rose alongside spending, strengthening the picture of broader consumer use. Nearly 9 million Crypto card purchases were completed in July, compared with about 5.2 million during July 2025.

The average transaction measured approximately $86, indicating that activity was spread across smaller purchases rather than being concentrated only in large-value transfers. That pattern places stablecoin spending closer to everyday commerce, even though the sector remains small against traditional card networks.

RedotPay remained the largest individual program tracked by Paymentscan, generating $395.1 million in July volume. Its spending increased from $266.4 million one year earlier.

EtherFi recorded another $100.3 million, while KAST generated roughly $89.6 million. Together, the three programs represented about 77% of the reported $759 million total.

However, the dataset includes different reporting methods across programs. Paymentscan primarily tracks blockchain transactions, but some figures also come from issuers using off-chain reporting.

RedotPay data, for example, is self-reported. Some Crypto card structures also rely on batched settlements or account top-ups that may not directly match merchant spending.

The network mix has also changed considerably. Gnosis once handled most tracked activity in early 2024, but its share fell to about 2% by July 2026.

Optimism led with roughly 29% of spending, while Solana and Base each represented about 19%. That distribution shows activity spreading across several blockchain networks instead of remaining concentrated on one system.

USDC and USDT Capture 84% of July Crypto Card Spending

The currency mix shifted even more dramatically toward dollar-backed stablecoin assets. USDC accounted for approximately 58% of July spending, while USDT represented another 26%.

By comparison, euro-backed EURe controlled about 88% of tracked spending in early 2024. However, its share had fallen to roughly 2% by July 2026, highlighting the growing dominance of digital dollars within crypto card payments.

As a result, most users are effectively spending digital dollars, while merchants continue receiving conventional local currency through existing payment infrastructure. That model connects blockchain balances with standard checkout systems without requiring merchants to accept cryptocurrency directly.

Meanwhile, Visa reported approximately $5.2 billion in stablecoin-linked card volume during 2025, representing 319% year-over-year growth. The company currently supports more than 130 stablecoin-linked programs across over 50 countries, further expanding access to blockchain-funded payments.

Visa also expects the number of supported programs to roughly double during 2026. In addition, its partnership with Stripe-owned Bridge is targeting stablecoin-linked card availability in more than 100 countries by the end of the year.

Despite that rapid expansion, stablecoin-linked cards still represent a small share of global payments. Visa processed approximately $14.2 trillion in total payment volume during 2025, placing the emerging segment in perspective.

Its $5.2 billion in stablecoin-linked card activity accounted for only about 0.04% of that total. Still, July’s record spending level shows that blockchain-funded cards are becoming a more measurable part of everyday payment activity.

The post Crypto Card Spending Hits Record $759M as Stablecoins Drive Everyday Payments appeared first on Blockonomi.

Source: https://blockonomi.com/crypto-card-spending-hits-record-759m-as-stablecoins-drive-everyday-payments/