Crypto.com review: Our experience with the crypto platform

More and more start-ups are proving that cryptocurrencies and traditional money are not mutually exclusive. The same applies to Crypto.com a crypto exchange platform, which offers a credit card in addition to a bank account, and free bitcoins up to $50 for new customers. Particularly noteworthy is the possibility to invest directly in over 50 cryptocurrencies using fiat money. In addition, investors holding a CRO token can earn a return of up to 14% by betting their tokens. Read our experience and reviews on Crypto.com below.

What is Crypto.com?

Crypto.com has been in existence since 2016, when the company still operated under the name Monaco Technologies. The name was only changed to Crypto.com in July 2018. One of the most important factors of the name change is the corresponding domain name, which Crypto.com secured for an estimated $12 million.

The company is now one of the established providers in the cryptocurrency trading market with a Visa account and debit card. With the crypto.com mobile app alone, one can trade more than 50 cryptocurrencies with many fiat currencies – including the euro.

In Europe alone, the company has three branches: in Bulgaria, Malta and Switzerland. The company also has several branches in China, Hong Kong, Singapore and the United States. Transparency and security therefore play a particularly important role in its development. To date, numerous updates and improvements have been made to the application, allowing users to benefit from new features and services.

Crypto.com credit card 1% – 5% cashback

Card type	Midnight Blue	Ruby Steel	Royal Indigo / Jade Green	Rose Gold / Icy White	Obsidian
CRO stake equivalent in €	€0	€350	€3500	€35 000	€350 000
Cashback	0%	1%	2%	3%	5%
Free withdrawal per month	€200	€400	€800	€800	€1000
Free currency conversion per month	€2000	€4000	€10 000	€15 000	Unlimited

Midnight Blue card from Crypto com with 0% cashback

One of the main features of Crypto.com is the credit card. Some rather interesting cashback promotions are available. Users who do not have a CRO on their gambling can apply for a free Midnight Blue card with a 0% cashback

Ruby Steel card with 1% cashback

Those who have already wagered 1,000 CRO can obtain the Ruby Steel Red debit card. In this case, the CRO premium increases to 1% for all spending made with the card. This way, you will get a 100% refund of your Spotify subscription. At the time of writing, 1,000 CRO is equivalent to about 400 dollars, or about 350 euros.

Royal Indigo or Jade Green card with 2% cashback

If you want to deposit €3,500 to claim €10,000 CRO, you can apply for a Royal Indigo or Jade Green debit card. There is currently 2% cashback on all transactions and full cashback on Spotify and Netflix, plus free access to airport VIP lounges.

Rose Gold / Icy White card with 3% cashback

Another card is the Pink Gold/Ice White card. Here, with an investment between 35,000 and 100,000 CRO, in addition to a higher cashback – in this case 3% – you are also entitled to a refund on the cost of membership:

• Spotify
• Netflix
• Amazon Prime
• VIP lounges at airports

The Obsidian Black card offers 5% cashback

The range of premium black cards is particularly rich. In this case, an investment of more than EUR 350,000 is required for 1,000,000 CROs. In return, users receive5% cashback when they pay with the card. And, in addition, several monthly subscriptions:

• Spotify
• Netflix
• Amazon Prime
• VIP lounges at airports
• 10% discount at Expedia
• 10% at Airbnb

Overall, the cashback campaigns are particularly interesting and significantly different from the offers of established credit card operators.

Those who choose to use a credit card from Crypto.com must remember to confirm their address. For this purpose, you can use a letter from your bank, a utility bill or a mobile phone bill.

Reviews of Crypto.com – our experience with the app

By design, Crypto.com is a product that combines the classical world of finance with that of cryptocurrency.

The app, available on Android and iOS, plays an important role in this. Using a Visa debit card, users can also use the account to make payments at traditional points of sale.

The cryptocurrency credit card can be used nationwide, and the use of Visa guarantees high availability of payment transactions. However, transactions cannot be offset exclusively with fiat currencies. Instead, users have the possibility to exchange their cryptocurrencies for euros or other national currencies.

Therefore, in our experience, Crypto.com undertakes one of the most complex processes related to the use of cryptocurrencies in everyday life. However, Crypto.com only gained real relevance when the credit card for the European market was released. It was officially announced on 21 January 2020 and the shipping of cards began in May.

The Crypto.com experience – how the wallet behaves in everyday life

After installing the application and opening an account, Crypto.com functions similarly to any modern bank account. However, there are no English texts yet, so a basic knowledge of the language is essential.

Each cryptocurrency has its own wallet. More than 50 different cryptocurrencies and tokens are available. These include popular coins such as Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin. However, popular tokens such as Chainlink can also be traded through Crypto.com. Unlike other marketplaces, cryptocurrency trading is commission-free.

Particularly impressive in the test were the flexible payment options. SEPA and non-SEPA payments are made within the euro area. For this, investors receive their own IBAN number based in England. Our first transfer arrived within 2 working days and other users reported even faster transactions.

However, investors can also keep their credit card and buy cryptocurrencies. In the test, however, the first credit card transaction was blocked – only a clarifying conversation with the bank helped.

Finally – and this is particularly interesting – gift cards can also be purchased in the Crypto Wallet. Users receive up to 10% cash back for this. We tested the Apple App Store prepaid card to check its functionality. The corresponding cashback was received as CRO credit. The cashback is currently available for more than 120 companies.

Crypto.com Token – CRO

Until August 2020, Crypto.com offered two different tokens: MCO and CRO. However, the operators decided to discontinue MCO and focus on the CRO token. On Coinmarketcap, CRO is currently in 19th place and has managed to overtake other projects such as Tezos and EOS.

Crypto Earn – cryptocurrency loans on Crypto.com

The ‘Crypto Earn’ programme is particularly interesting for investors. Crypto Earn is a service through which you can earn interest using your cryptocurrencies. In addition to cryptocurrency earnings, investors can currently earn up to 14%. However, investors only get such a high interest rate with CRO. For this, tokens must be invested systematically for three months.

Alternatively, investors can invest in other coins and tokens. The popular USDC stablecoin has an interest rate of up to 14% per annum. Since this is a lending service, the return is obviously not fixed. In essence, Crypto.com lends coins and tokens to other investors and pays interest on these loans. The lenders (investors) and their costs can be covered by the agreed interest rate.

Crypto.com adds interest to the portfolio every seven days. It is not automatically reinvested. Those who deposit at least 10,000 CROs can benefit from a higher interest rate. Based on our experience with Crypto.com and other lending platforms, we can say that a return of 18% on the invested CRO is very good. However, other currencies also achieve good returns of up to 12%. Especially at the beginning, we were surprised by the wide range of prices, and the terms from 1 to 3 months are also favourable. However, we do not like the fact that the investment is fixed. Consequently, I do not have the possibility to sell the coins within the agreed term. Furthermore – this is a common flaw of the platform – I, as an investor, do not have a private key. Consequently, as an investor, I have no real control over my coins.

How do Crypto Earn’s high interest rates come about?

The gain from cryptocurrencies is only one side of the coin, because in addition to the interest on the invested capital, there is also an interest-bearing loan offer. All loans are backed by cryptocurrency, which borrowers have to deposit. This approach significantly reduces the risk of loan default and also allows Hodlers to store their cryptocurrency.

As you can see from the list, Earn is a perfectly valid business model for Crypto.com. Crypto Earn generates between 2 and 8 per cent fees – this is the interest due on the investment. On the other hand, however, the service earns between 8 and 12 per cent return. In the worst case, the company earns nothing from this service.

Whoever takes out a loan from Crypto.com accepts that the company acquires the right to sell the cryptocurrencies deposited during the term of the contract. From the platform’s point of view, this makes sense for good trading opportunities. In this way, the rate of return can also be increased significantly, from 8 to 12 per cent.

Our experience with Crypto Earn

Based on our experience, we can say that Crypto Earn is an effective way to generate passive income. In our test, we deposited 10,000 CROs in one month and achieved a rate of return of 16% per year. 10.000 CRO is usually a sufficient benchmark, as the achievable return increases.

Cryptocurrency Earn can also be interesting in terms of usability. It is simple to use and appears to be hassle-free. If the base currency is the euro, earnings are automatically converted into euros. As soon as withdrawals are received in the CRO wallet, a notification is sent. On the one hand, this is convenient and on the other hand it is very clever, as regular withdrawals are definitely motivating.

All withdrawal packages and individual interest credits can be exported as a CSV file. In this way, the data can be seamlessly integrated into the portfolio presentation. In order to be able to react more flexibly to the market environment, one-month terms are ideal. Particularly interesting is the compound percentage effect of the additional yield of CRO tokens.

Welcome bonus: up to 50 free cryptocurrencies

Crypto.com was only founded in 2016, so it is still relatively young. However, the company is working on its development and counts on a rapidly growing number of users.

And what could be better than a good experience with Crypto.com? Good and honest recommendations from friends and acquaintances. Crypto.com also takes advantage of this option and offers both parties an initial bonus of up to USD 50. You can also get a welcome bonus of up to USD 50 by using the mobile link.

Explore the market at Crypto.com

In the final part of our test, we focus on the Crypto.com exchange, which supports more than 50 cryptocurrencies. The offer does not include other trading systems such as Kraken, Binance or BitMex, but beginners can easily find the most important tokens there.

The exchange can only be accessed via a web browser. Currently, access via the app is not possible. However, users can view their current credit on Exchange, and integration with the app is also planned.

Of particular importance on the Exchange is the trading volume of individual cryptocurrencies. Through so-called syndicates, Crypto.com offers users with a sufficient number of CROs the opportunity to buy individual coins at a lower price.

Conclusion – Crypto com’s opinion: the test is positive

At first, Crypto com gave us the impression of a hodgepodge of different services without a clear purpose. Meanwhile, it has become clear to us that the credit card app and Crypto Earn are an interesting way to trade cryptocurrencies.

Earn and Credit are two products that more closely resemble banking. Both services are based entirely on cryptocurrencies.

Of particular interest is the Visa Debit Card, which allows each user to earn an attractive cashback. While the Midnight Blue Visa Card is the entry-level model, the Obsidian Black CRO Visa Card is the premium model for investors.

The CRO is also an interesting cryptocurrency that works well as a supporting token. With the token, investors get a number of benefits, such as the possibility of higher returns or discounts on purchase prices.

From our point of view, Crypto.com is a good overall package for beginners. The exchange is quite large and offers good trading opportunities. However, the rates for individual cryptocurrencies are higher here. The $25 bonus for new customers is quite attractive. To do so, simply register of this link and then stake your first 1,000 CROs.

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