Card for foreign services and subscriptions, topped up with crypto
AI tools, app stores, streaming, design and work apps, game stores, travel bookings, ad accounts and cloud hosting charge a card, not a crypto wallet. An ExCards virtual Visa or Mastercard closes that gap: you top it up with any crypto and pay the service like with any other card. For monthly subscriptions Visa E-commerce usually fits; for large ad or cloud bills, Visa Universe or Mastercard Business.
Services we have looked at
For each service we read its official billing help and wrote down what it says about cards: the first nine services on 10 October 2026, the rest on 14 October 2026. We have not made test payments, and no service guarantees that it will accept a particular card. Each page has the details, step-by-step setup and fixes for declines.
AI tools
| Service | What the official help says | Card that usually fits | Page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude, Anthropic API | Credit or debit cards; billing address and country must be supported; 3D Secure may be required. Source | Visa E-commerce for a plan, Visa Universe for large API purchases | Card for Claude |
| ChatGPT, OpenAI API | Card and card issuer must be in a supported region; prepaid cards cannot buy API credits. Source | Visa E-commerce for ChatGPT Plus | Card for ChatGPT |
| Midjourney | Pays through Stripe: major credit and debit cards, some wallets; charges in USD only. Source | Visa E-commerce | Card for Midjourney |
| Gemini, Google AI Pro | Google AI Pro is bought through Google One, and the first payment method must be a credit or debit card. The Gemini API runs on Google Cloud billing, which does not accept prepaid cards. Google, Google Cloud | Visa E-commerce for Google AI Pro; for the API a prepaid card may be refused | Card for Gemini |
| Perplexity | Credit and debit cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay; the web checkout is a Stripe page. Prepaid cards are not mentioned either way. API credits are bought separately in the API Console. Source | Visa E-commerce | Card for Perplexity |
| Cursor, GitHub Copilot | Cursor takes the card in Stripe checkout from its billing dashboard and does not mention prepaid cards. GitHub says prepaid credit and debit cards are not accepted, so a Copilot payment may be refused. Cursor, GitHub | Visa E-commerce for Cursor; Copilot may refuse a prepaid card | Card for Cursor |
| Suno, ElevenLabs | Suno takes Visa, Mastercard and American Express credit and debit cards. ElevenLabs says prepaid cards are not something it directly supports, so a payment may be blocked. Suno, ElevenLabs | Visa E-commerce for a personal plan, Visa Universe for a large yearly plan, Mastercard Business for a studio | Card for Suno |
Subscriptions and work
| Service | What the official help says | Card that usually fits | Page |
|---|---|---|---|
| App Store, Apple ID | Most credit and debit cards; available methods depend on the country or region. Source | Visa E-commerce | Card for App Store |
| Google Play | Credit and debit cards; accepted card types vary; temporary authorizations may appear. Virtual credit cards (VCC) are on the "can't be used" list, so a virtual card may be refused. Source | Visa E-commerce | Card for Google Play |
| Telegram Premium | Bought through the App Store, Google Play or @PremiumBot, so the card is charged by one of them. Source | Visa E-commerce | Card for Telegram Premium |
| Spotify, Netflix | Netflix lists credit or debit cards among payment options; Spotify's methods differ by country. Netflix, Spotify | Visa E-commerce | Card for Spotify and Netflix |
| Duolingo, Duolingo English Test | Super is sold on the website and in the apps, where Apple or Google charges the card; Max only in the app. The English Test takes major credit cards. Duolingo, English Test | Visa E-commerce | Card for Duolingo |
| Canva, Adobe Creative Cloud | Canva takes credit and debit cards and charges in US dollars if your currency is not available. Adobe takes credit cards and may place a small temporary charge to verify a new card. Canva, Adobe | Visa E-commerce monthly, Visa Universe for a yearly plan, Mastercard Business for a team | Card for Canva and Adobe |
| Notion, Figma | Notion takes debit and credit cards through Stripe and bills each member upfront. Figma takes credit or debit cards and bills in USD, EUR, GBP, CAD or JPY. Prepaid cards are not mentioned. Notion, Figma | Visa E-commerce for one seat, Visa Universe for a yearly team plan, Mastercard Business for a company | Card for Notion and Figma |
| Meta Ads, Google Ads | Google Ads takes credit or debit cards; a temporary authorization is usually removed within a week. Source | Visa Universe or Mastercard Business | Card for ads |
| AWS and cloud hosting | AWS manages cards under Payment preferences in the Billing console and has a procedure for unverified cards. Source | Visa Universe or Mastercard Business | Card for AWS |
Games and travel
| Service | What the official help says | Card that usually fits | Page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam, PlayStation Store, Xbox | Steam Wallet can be funded by credit or prepaid card. PlayStation Store lists Visa and Mastercard, and 3D Secure may fail on a console. Xbox cards are added in the Microsoft account. Steam, PlayStation, Xbox | Visa E-commerce; Visa Universe for large wallet top-ups | Card for games |
| Booking.com, Airbnb | On Booking.com the property usually charges the card, often at check-in, and may block the amount in advance. Airbnb holds the full amount at booking and charges it once the reservation is accepted. Booking.com, Airbnb | Visa Universe for a stay paid in full online; Visa E-commerce or Mastercard Business to pay at the property | Card for Booking and Airbnb |
Which card for which kind of payment
All three cards pay online, pass 3D Secure 2 and work with Apple Pay and Google Pay. What changes is the cost of each top-up and each payment.
| 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; $0.10 under $1 | $0.50 flat, 3D Secure included |
| Limit per payment | $1,000,000 | $20,000 | $250,000 |
| Daily / monthly limit | $3,000,000 / $3,000,000 | None / none | $500,000 / $1,000,000 |
| Offline payments in shops | No | Yes, via Apple Pay or Google Pay | Yes, via Apple Pay or Google Pay |
Subscriptions of $10 to $100 a month: Visa E-commerce. A payment from $1 costs only the 3D Secure check.
Ads and cloud bills in the hundreds or thousands: Visa Universe, where the 2% top-up fee saves more than the flat $0.50 per payment costs. Mastercard Business if it is company spending and you also want offline payments.
You can hold all three cards at once: they share one wallet, so you top up once and move funds to the card that fits the payment.
Why payments to foreign services get declined
A decline rarely comes with a clear reason. These are the usual causes, roughly in order of how often they are behind it.
- Not enough on the card. The balance has to cover the charge plus the authorization fee: $0.50 on Visa Universe and Mastercard Business. Some services also place a small temporary hold when you add the card.
- 3D Secure not finished. All ExCards authorizations go through 3D Secure 2. If the confirmation window was closed or timed out, the payment fails.
- Billing address or country. Many services compare the billing address and country with what they expect. Enter your real address and the country you live in.
- The service does not work in your country. AI services and app stores publish lists of supported countries, and some check both where you are and where the card was issued.
- Card type rules. Some services accept only credit and debit cards for certain purchases. OpenAI, for example, does not accept prepaid cards for API credits.
- Retrying again and again. Repeated attempts look like fraud to risk systems. On Visa E-commerce a $0.80 surcharge applies if more than 10% of the card's payments are declined.
If a service charges in a currency other than USD, the issuer converts at its rate, which can include a markup of up to 2%. Where the cards can be used is on the geo restrictions page.
How to start paying with the card
- Issue the card at app.excards.io or in the Telegram mini-app @ex_cards_bot: pass the light passport check, choose a card and pay its price at issuance.
- Top up with any crypto as a separate step: USDT on several networks, BTC, ETH and other coins, converted to USDT on arrival. The first top-up is at least 10 USDT.
- Add the card to the service in its billing or payment settings: card number, expiry date, CVC and your real billing address.
- Confirm 3D Secure when the window appears. Renewals then charge the same card while there is money on it.
The long read on how this works, with network choice and examples, is in our guide to crypto cards for AI services.
Frequently asked questions
Can I pay for foreign subscriptions with crypto?
Most services take cards, not crypto. You top up a virtual ExCards Visa or Mastercard with any crypto, and the service sees an ordinary card payment in dollars. Whether a specific payment is approved is decided by the service and card processing, so no card can promise it.
Which ExCards card is best for subscriptions?
For monthly subscriptions Visa E-commerce usually fits: payments from $1 carry no authorization fee, a 3D Secure check costs $0.03, and the card has no daily or monthly cap. For large monthly bills such as ads or cloud, Visa Universe has the lowest top-up fee, 2%, and Mastercard Business suits company spending.
Why was my card declined by a foreign service when it has money on it?
The usual reasons are a balance that does not cover the charge plus the authorization fee, an unfinished 3D Secure check, a billing address or country that does not match, a country the service does not support, or a service rule against a card type. The service rarely says which one, so go through them in that order.
Do services accept prepaid cards?
It depends on the service. Some help centers list only credit and debit cards, and OpenAI states that prepaid cards cannot be used to buy API credits. An ExCards card spends a balance you top up in advance, so check the service page before relying on it for a critical payment.
Is the card price taken from my top-up?
No. These are two separate operations. The card price is paid once when the card is issued, and top-ups come after that. Each top-up carries the fee of the card: 2% on Visa Universe, 3.5% on Visa E-commerce and Mastercard Business.
Is identity verification required?
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.
One card for your foreign subscriptions
A virtual Visa or Mastercard topped up with any crypto: light KYC for every card, issued within 10 minutes after verification, no monthly fee.
Get your card