Paying with crypto is no longer strange or rare. For many people today, it doesn't feel any different from using a normal Visa card. You can pay for food, shopping, travel, or online services, while your crypto balance is converted in the background. Now, new data shows that this way of spending is growing very fast.
In 2025, spending on Visa crypto cards rose sharply. Data from Dune Analytics shows net spending climbed from about $14.6 million at the start of the year to $91.3 million by December, a 525% increase in just twelve months. That jump signals a clear shift. Crypto is no longer used mainly for holding and speculation. More people are now spending it on everyday purchases.
This change didn't happen overnight. Early crypto payments were often slow, confusing, or volatile. Today, improved infrastructure has removed much of that friction. Visa has spent the last few years connecting crypto wallets, cards, and merchants so payments feel familiar. Behind the scenes, balances are converted instantly, allowing merchants to receive funds in traditional currencies without additional risk.
Acquah Nana Yeboah
How Stablecoins Make Crypto Easier to Spend
A major driver of this growth is stablecoins. These tokens are pegged to fiat currencies like the US dollar, which makes their value far more predictable. That stability makes people more comfortable spending crypto rather than holding it.
Visa has also expanded stablecoin support across multiple blockchains, helping crypto cards behave more like standard debit cards. Among the cards tracked in the data, EtherFi led spending in 2025 with more than $55 million in payments. Cypher followed with roughly $20 million, while GnosisPay and Moonwell also recorded steady growth. Together, they show that crypto card usage is moving beyond niche online purchases into everyday spending.
Polygon researcher Alex Obchakevich described the shift as crypto cards moving “from experiments to real payment tools” within Visa’s global network. The numbers back that up. What once felt risky or unfamiliar is starting to feel routine.
Is Visa Alone in Making This Shift to Crypto Payments?
Visa isn't the only payments giant moving in this direction. Mastercard is also pushing deeper into crypto and stablecoin payments. In 2025, Mastercard announced new systems that allow people and businesses to use stablecoins for everyday spending at normal merchant locations. The company said its goal is to make using stablecoins feel just as easy as spending money from a bank account.
Mastercard has also partnered with major crypto companies like MetaMask, Kraken, Gemini, and Crypto.com. These partnerships allow crypto-linked cards and wallets to work at millions of stores worldwide. In some cases, merchants can even receive payments settled directly in stablecoins, instead of traditional money.
The 525% jump in Visa crypto card spending is more than a big number. It marks a turning point. Crypto is slowly leaving the world of speculation and entering the world of real use. With both Visa and Mastercard investing heavily in this space, the path toward everyday crypto payments is becoming clearer.
If 2025 was the year crypto cards proved they work, 2026 could be the year they become truly common.
David Adubiina
