How Much CRO Do You Need to Stake for a Crypto.com Card?
Based on verified official data as of 20.07.2026; hands-on update coming.
For the EU program: nothing for Midnight Blue (0% cashback), €450 in CRO locked for 12 months for Ruby Steel (2%), €4,500 for Royal Indigo/Jade Green (3%), €45,000 for Frosted Rose Gold/Icy White (4%), and €450,000 for Obsidian (5%). Since the 2026 revamp, Ruby and Indigo tiers can alternatively be paid as a subscription — €3.99/month or €24.99/month — instead of locking CRO. Unstake, and your rewards drop to whatever tier your remaining stake or subscription supports.
TL;DR
- EU lockups (12-month CRO staking): €0 → €450 → €4,500 → €45,000 → €450,000 across the five tiers, for 0/2/3/4/5% cashback.
- Ruby Steel and Royal Indigo can be unlocked by subscription instead: €3.99/month (€39.90/year) or €24.99/month (€249.90/year).
- Cashback is capped at $25/month (Ruby) and $75/month (Indigo); the two top tiers are uncapped.
- Unstaking triggers a roughly 36-day unbonding period and demotes your rewards — no stake and no subscription means Midnight Blue treatment at 0%.
Tier requirements (EU program, 20 July 2026)
Figures from the official Crypto.com cards page for the EU program. The stake is a 12-month CRO lockup valued at purchase time — the euro figures below are the amount of CRO you buy and lock, and its market value moves with CRO afterwards.
| Tier | CRO lockup (12 months) | Subscription alternative | Cashback | Monthly cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Midnight Blue | None | — | 0% | — |
| Ruby Steel | €450 | €3.99/mo or €39.90/yr | 2% | $25 |
| Royal Indigo / Jade Green | €4,500 | €24.99/mo or €249.90/yr | 3% | $75 |
| Frosted Rose Gold / Icy White | €45,000 | — | 4% | No limit |
| Obsidian | €450,000 | — | 5% | No limit |
What happens when you unstake
Unstaking is not instant: Crypto.com applies an unbonding period of roughly 36 days, during which the CRO earns no staking or booster rewards. Once the stake is gone, the card keeps working but cashback falls to the rate your remaining stake or Level Up subscription supports — with neither, you are effectively on Midnight Blue at 0%.
Tier perks go with it: streaming rebates and lounge access are tied to an active stake or subscription, and an unstaked, unsubscribed prepaid card is reissued as a Midnight card at expiry.
The opportunity cost, in one example
Take Royal Indigo: €4,500 locked for 12 months, earning 3% cashback capped at $75/month. Spending €1,000/month yields about €30/month — roughly €360/year, paid in CRO.
The lockup has two costs. First, forgone yield: €4,500 sitting in a 3% savings or staking product elsewhere would earn about €135/year. Second, price exposure: a 20% CRO drawdown on €4,500 is €900 — more than two years of cashback at that spend level.
That is why the €24.99/month subscription (€249.90/year) exists: it costs more than the forgone yield but removes the CRO price exposure entirely. If you would not otherwise hold CRO, the subscription is the cleaner trade; if you hold CRO anyway, the lockup turns it into cashback.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Cashback is conditional on an active stake or Level Up subscription, so after unstaking your rewards drop to the tier you still qualify for — 0% if nothing remains. Unstaking also starts an unbonding period of about 36 days with no staking rewards, and tier perks such as streaming rebates end. The physical card itself keeps working.
Alan Wake
Editor & lead card reviewer
Reviews and fee data on NomadCard are compiled and checked against each issuer's official documentation. Our scoring method is public — see the methodology.
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