Push to card sends money to the account linked to an eligible payment card, using card credentials rather than bank details. Visa routes these payments through Visa Direct, and Mastercard through Mastercard Move. Most payouts arrive within minutes, though the receiving card issuer decides when the money is available.
For a stablecoin wallet, push to card is a stablecoin off-ramp: the user's balance is converted or debited, a provider submits a card-network payout, and the receiving issuer credits the account behind the card. The recipient does not receive stablecoins on the card. Separately, businesses can now use USDC to prefund some Visa Direct payouts, and both networks have introduced or announced payouts to stablecoin wallets.
How Push to Card Works
A card purchase pulls funds from the cardholder. Push to card reverses the direction and credits the account linked to the card.
Visa distinguishes between an account funding transaction and an original credit transaction:
| Transaction | Direction | Function | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| TransactionAccount funding transaction (AFT) | DirectionPull | FunctionDebits the account linked to a card to fund another account | Typical UseWallet top-ups and the funding side of some person-to-person transfers |
| TransactionOriginal credit transaction (OCT) | DirectionPush | FunctionCredits the account linked to an eligible card | Typical UsePayouts, cash-outs, disbursements, and the receiving side of person-to-person transfers |
Visa documents both through its Visa Direct for Card APIs. A cash-out uses the push transaction, while a card-funded transfer between two people may pair an AFT from the sender with an OCT to the recipient.
A payout runs in four steps:
- The recipient enters or selects an eligible card.
- The app or payment provider validates and tokenises the card details.
- The provider converts or debits the source balance and submits the payout through Visa Direct or Mastercard Move.
- The card issuer accepts the payment and credits the account linked to the card.
The card number is a routing credential: the money lands in the account behind the card, not on the card itself. Most wallets and platforms reach the networks through a payment provider or acquiring institution, which handles card eligibility checks, network connectivity, compliance, transaction status, and any currency conversion.
Where Stablecoins Enter the Flow
Stablecoins can appear at three different points:
| Stablecoin Role | How It Works | Relationship to Push to Card |
|---|---|---|
| Stablecoin RoleSource balance | How It WorksA user's stablecoin or token balance is converted or debited before the card payout is submitted | Relationship to Push to CardPart of a stablecoin-funded cash-out |
| Stablecoin RolePayout prefunding | How It WorksThe payment business supplies stablecoins to fund payouts that Visa Direct delivers through supported endpoints | Relationship to Push to CardChanges how the sender funds the payout infrastructure |
| Stablecoin RoleRecipient asset | How It WorksThe recipient receives a stablecoin in a compatible wallet | Relationship to Push to CardA separate payout endpoint, not push to card |
Visa introduced stablecoin-prefunded payouts as a pilot in 2025. In October 2026, Inyo Global became the first provider to bring USDC prefunding into commercial production for eligible Visa Direct clients. A business can supply USDC closer to the time of a cross-border payout instead of relying only on pre-positioned fiat, and Visa Direct still delivers the payout.
Stablecoin-wallet payouts solve a different problem. Visa launched a pilot for creator and gig-worker payouts in November 2025, in which the platform funds the payout in fiat and an eligible recipient receives a USD-backed stablecoin such as USDC. Mastercard and Thunes announced an integration that would add stablecoin wallets to Mastercard Move's account, card, and cash endpoints, described as an integration to be added rather than an endpoint available to everyone.
Neither development turns a card payout into an onchain transfer: push to card still ends at the account behind a card, while a stablecoin-wallet payout ends at a blockchain address. Stablecoin prefunding is also separate from the stablecoin settlement between card issuers and the networks, covered in our Visa and Mastercard stablecoin settlement explainer.
Three Stablecoin Cash-Out Models
Coinbase, MoonPay, and 
Wirex show three ways a crypto balance can reach a card.
Coinbase: Cash Balance to Card
Coinbase requires most eligible users to sell or convert their crypto into a local-currency balance first, then sends it to a verified card enabled for Visa Fast Funds or Mastercard Send. Coinbase says these cash-outs typically arrive within 30 minutes, though the receiving bank or card provider can take up to 24 hours. Its help documentation notes that card eligibility and supported networks vary by market.
MoonPay: Sell to Card
MoonPay combines the sale and the payout in its Sell product: a user sends a supported crypto asset, MoonPay converts it, and the proceeds are paid to an eligible card. It advertises push-to-card sales in more than 80 countries, with delivery taking from a few minutes to two business days, depending on the receiving bank.
Wirex: Token Balance to External Card
Wirex documents push to card as a transfer from a user or corporate wallet to an external Visa or Mastercard card over OCT rails. The card is tokenised in Wirex's PCI-compliant environment and saved as a recipient; an estimate then shows the available token balances, exchange rate, and fee, and the selected balance is debited. Its retail documentation says transfers typically arrive within minutes, subject to the receiving card and issuer, and availability depends on the partner program and user configuration. Wirex also offers push to card alongside its virtual accounts and local payouts.
What Determines Speed, Eligibility, and Cost
"Instant" describes the intended service level, not a guarantee for every card. Four factors decide the result:
- Card eligibility. The card and its issuer must support incoming push payments in the relevant market.
- Issuer availability. The receiving issuer decides when an accepted payment becomes available to the cardholder.
- Conversion. A stablecoin cash-out may include a token sale, stablecoin-to-fiat conversion, or foreign exchange before the payout is submitted.
- Provider pricing and limits. The wallet, exchange, or payment provider sets user-facing fees and may impose transaction or daily limits.
Stripe says its eligible Instant Payouts normally reach a debit card or bank account within 30 minutes. Its published fee is 1% in most supported countries and 1.5% in the US, Australia, and New Zealand, which is what Stripe users pay, not a Visa Direct or Mastercard Move price. Coinbase publishes fees of up to 1.5% for US instant card cash-outs and up to 2% in the UK and EU, with minimum fees, and MoonPay says its sale fees vary by asset and payment method, from 1% to 4.5%.
These figures don't compare directly: Stripe's is business payout pricing, while Coinbase's and MoonPay's cover a consumer cash-out that includes conversion. What matters is the amount the recipient receives after conversion, provider fees, and any issuer charges.
Push-to-card transfers can also be harder to reverse than card purchases. Wirex's business terms state that an account-to-card transfer is final once credited and does not carry the refund or chargeback rights of a conventional purchase.
Push to Card vs Other Payout Routes
| Route | Recipient Provides | Typical Delivery | Main Constraint | Best Suited To |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RoutePush to card | Recipient ProvidesEligible card credentials | Typical DeliveryUsually minutes, but issuer-dependent | Main ConstraintCard, country, and issuer eligibility | Best Suited ToConsumer cash-outs to an existing card |
| RouteInstant bank payment | Recipient ProvidesAccount number, IBAN, or another bank identifier | Typical DeliveryUsually seconds on a participating rail | Main ConstraintBank and domestic or regional rail coverage | Best Suited ToLocal-currency payouts, including larger transfers |
| RouteStablecoin payout | Recipient ProvidesWallet address on a supported network | Typical DeliveryUsually seconds to minutes | Main ConstraintWallet, network, asset, provider, and jurisdiction support | Best Suited ToOnchain or cross-border recipients who can hold or use stablecoins |
Push to card asks the least of the recipient, because many people already have an eligible card, and it avoids collecting local bank details in each market. Instant bank rails are more direct and may take larger payouts, but each works within one currency and banking network; our comparison of US payout rails sets them side by side. A stablecoin payout uses neither the card nor the bank account, and the recipient then needs a way to hold, spend, or convert the stablecoin.
When to Use Push to Card
Offer push to card for consumer cash-outs to a card the recipient already holds: it needs only card details and usually lands in minutes. Route larger local-currency payouts over an instant bank rail, and pay recipients who can hold or use stablecoins to their wallet. Whichever routes you offer, compare them on what the recipient receives after conversion and fees, and check card eligibility in each market before calling a payout instant.