Crypto card for AI coding tools: pay Cursor and GitHub Copilot
Cursor and GitHub take cards, not crypto, so the route is a virtual ExCards Visa or Mastercard that you top up with any crypto. For Cursor, Visa E-commerce usually fits: payments from $1 carry no authorization fee, and you pay in Stripe checkout from the billing dashboard. GitHub Copilot is stricter: GitHub does not accept prepaid cards.
Which card fits Cursor and Copilot
All three cards pay online, pass 3D Secure and work with Apple Pay and Google Pay. For coding tools the difference is in the fee on each payment and on each top-up.
| Visa Universe | Visa E-commerce | Mastercard Business | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Card price (one-time, at issuance) | 29 USDT | 35 USDT | 50 USDT |
| Top-up fee | 2% | 3.5% | 3.5% |
| Fee per payment (authorization) | $0.50 flat | Free from $1, plus $0.03 per 3D Secure check | $0.50 flat, 3D Secure included |
| Online payments and 3D Secure | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Apple Pay and Google Pay | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Limit per payment | $1,000,000 | $20,000 | $250,000 |
Cursor Pro, Pro+ or Ultra: Visa E-commerce. The plan charge and any on-demand usage on top of it cost only the 3D Secure check from $1, and the card has no daily or monthly cap.
A Cursor team plan: Mastercard Business, if the company also wants offline payments and higher limits for other spending. Seats added mid-cycle create separate pro-rated charges.
GitHub Copilot: any of the three cards technically pays online, but read GitHub's card rules below before you count on it.
None of this guarantees that a payment is approved. That decision belongs to the service's payment checks and card processing.
What Cursor and GitHub say about payments
We read the official help pages of Cursor and GitHub on 14.10.2026. We have not made test payments to either service, so below is what they state, not our experience.
Cursor
- Checkout is Stripe. To upgrade, go to cursor.com/dashboard/billing, click Adjust plan on your current plan, choose a plan and complete payment through Stripe checkout. The change takes effect immediately. Source: Pricing and plans, checked 14.10.2026.
- Charges between renewals. On-demand usage is billed after the included usage is consumed, and team seats added mid-cycle are charged pro-rata. Source: Billing and payments, checked 14.10.2026.
- Where the card lives. For a plan billed on cursor.com you change the card with Manage in Stripe on the billing page. For a plan bought in the iPhone app, Apple manages the payment, and on-demand usage is charged to a separate card under Spending on the web dashboard. Source: Billing and payments, checked 14.10.2026.
- Failed payments. Cursor suggests retrying from the billing dashboard, checking the card number, expiry, CVC and billing address in Stripe, trying a different credit or debit card and asking the card issuer whether online charges are enabled. Prepaid cards are not mentioned either way. Source: Payment issues, checked 14.10.2026.
GitHub Copilot
- Prepaid cards are not accepted. GitHub's list of payment methods says that prepaid credit and debit cards are not accepted as a valid form of payment. Besides cards, GitHub lists PayPal among payment methods. Source: Supported payment methods for GitHub, checked 14.10.2026.
- A verification hold at checkout. When you subscribe to Copilot Pro, Pro+ or Max, GitHub may place a temporary authorization hold on the card; it is not the subscription charge. If verification fails or you skip the activation step, the plan does not activate. Source: Getting started with a GitHub Copilot plan, checked 14.10.2026.
- Where the card lives. Settings, Billing & Licensing, Payment information, then Edit next to the payment method. Source: Managing your payment and billing information, checked 14.10.2026.
- After a decline GitHub emails the reason and gives a few days to fix it before charging again. Some card issuers restrict international, e-commerce and recurring payments. Source: Troubleshooting a declined credit card charge, checked 14.10.2026.
Put plainly: Cursor's pages do not exclude a card like ours. GitHub excludes prepaid cards by name, and an ExCards card spends money topped up in advance, so be ready for Copilot to refuse it.
How to pay for Cursor or Copilot, step by step
- Issue the card. Sign up at app.excards.io, pass the light passport check and choose a card. The card price is paid once, at issuance. The virtual card is ready within 10 minutes after verification.
- Top up with any crypto. This is a separate step after the card is issued: send USDT, BTC, ETH or another supported coin to your deposit address. The first top-up is at least 10 USDT, and the top-up fee of your card is taken from each top-up. Put on the card a little more than the plan, with room for on-demand usage.
- Add the card. Cursor: cursor.com/dashboard/billing, Adjust plan, then enter the card in Stripe checkout. Copilot: on GitHub's Copilot plans page click Get started under the plan, then enter your billing information and payment details and click Submit. Enter the billing address you actually live at.
- Confirm the payment. If a 3D Secure window opens, complete it right away. On GitHub, finish the activation step after checkout. After that, renewals charge the same card while there is money on it.
Subscribing inside the iPhone app goes through your Apple ID instead; that route is on our App Store page.
Common declines and what to do
| What you see | Likely reason | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Card declined in Stripe checkout | Balance below the charge: on Visa Universe and Mastercard Business each payment also costs $0.50 | Top up with a margin and try once more |
| Payment stuck, then declined | The 3D Secure check was not finished or timed out | Retry and complete the confirmation without closing the window |
| Cursor on-demand charge failed | Usage beyond the plan was billed while the card balance was low | Keep a margin on the card for usage beyond the plan |
| GitHub refuses the card when you add it | GitHub does not accept prepaid cards | Stop retrying; Copilot may simply not take this card |
| Copilot still shows the free plan after checkout | The verification hold failed or the activation step was skipped | Check the payment method and finish activation |
| Email from GitHub about a declined renewal | Not enough money on the card on the billing date | Top up within the few days GitHub gives before the next attempt |
Do not press "pay" over and over. On Visa E-commerce a $0.80 surcharge applies if more than 10% of the card's payments are declined. If the merchant charges in a currency other than USD, the issuer converts at its rate, which can include a markup of up to 2%. Where cards are available at all is on the geo restrictions page.
Frequently asked questions
Can I pay for Cursor with a crypto card?
Cursor charges a card, not crypto, so you top up an ExCards card with crypto and pay Cursor with the card. Cursor bills plans on cursor.com through Stripe checkout and asks you to try a different credit or debit card if a payment fails. Whether a particular payment goes through is decided by Cursor, Stripe and card processing, so no card can promise it.
Does GitHub Copilot accept prepaid cards?
No. GitHub states that prepaid credit and debit cards are not accepted as a valid form of payment. An ExCards card spends a balance topped up in advance, and how GitHub classifies it we do not know, so Copilot is the less predictable of the two.
Which ExCards card fits Cursor Pro?
Visa E-commerce usually fits best: payments from $1 carry no authorization fee, only $0.03 for a 3D Secure check, and the card has no daily or monthly cap. That matters because on-demand usage can add charges between renewals.
Why was I charged by Cursor before my renewal date?
Cursor says on-demand usage is billed after the included usage is consumed, and team seats added mid-cycle are charged pro-rata. Keep enough on the card for these extra charges, not only for the plan.
What is the temporary charge when I subscribe to Copilot?
GitHub may place a temporary authorization hold on your payment method at checkout to verify it. GitHub says the hold is not the subscription charge. If the verification fails, the plan does not activate.
Is identity verification needed to get the card?
Yes. KYC is required for every ExCards card: a light passport check by the card issuer partner plus sanctions screening. The virtual card is issued within 10 minutes after verification is approved.
Get a card for Cursor
A virtual Visa or Mastercard topped up with any crypto: light KYC for every card, issued within 10 minutes after verification, no monthly fee.
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