Issue fee vs top-up charge: how a card price splits in two
One part of the price is fixed per card, the other grows with the balance. Worked numbers show how they combine.
In this guide
Every card order on BuyVCC has a price made of two parts. One part is fixed: an issue fee of $5.00 for each card. The other part scales with the card: 15% of whatever balance you pick, called the top-up charge. Add the balance itself and you have the order total. Seeing the two fees separately, instead of one blended number, makes it easy to understand why small cards cost proportionally more and how to size cards sensibly. This guide explains each part and works through examples at several sizes.
The formula
For any card:
- Balance: the amount you can spend with the card.
- Top-up charge: 15% of the balance.
- Issue fee: $5.00, once per card.
- Order total: balance + top-up charge + issue fee.
The order page shows each line before you pay, and the pricing calculator shows the same lines for any balance between $10.00 and $5,000.00. Nothing is added later: there are no monthly fees, no inactivity fees and no charge for revealing card details. All money calculations use exact cents, so totals are never rounded in surprising ways.
What each part pays for
The issue fee
Creating a card has costs that do not depend on its size: the work of issuing it, reviewing the order by hand, and keeping the card's records. A $20 card and a $2,000 card need the same steps. That is why this part is fixed.
The top-up charge
Loading money onto a card has costs that grow with the amount, such as funding and payment processing. A percentage reflects that: bigger balances carry a bigger top-up charge.
Worked examples
To show how the parts combine, here are examples using an illustrative top-up charge of 10% and an issue fee of $5. The rates that apply to your order are 15% and $5.00; the calculator uses those live figures.
| Balance | Top-up charge (10%) | Issue fee | Order total | Fees as a share of balance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $25 | $2.50 | $5.00 | $32.50 | 30% |
| $50 | $5.00 | $5.00 | $60.00 | 20% |
| $100 | $10.00 | $5.00 | $115.00 | 15% |
| $250 | $25.00 | $5.00 | $280.00 | 12% |
| $1,000 | $100.00 | $5.00 | $1,105.00 | 10.5% |
The pattern holds whatever the actual rates are: the percentage part stays the same share at every size, while the fixed part matters a lot on small cards and very little on large ones.
What this means for sizing
- Very small cards are the most expensive per dollar. If you need $15 for a single purchase, ask whether that purchase could share a card with something else you have planned.
- Larger cards dilute the issue fee, but tie up more money and leave more at stake if a card is misused. A balance you will actually spend is better than a big one that sits unused.
- Several cards for one purpose cost extra issue fees. Splitting $300 into three $100 cards costs two more issue fees than one $300 card. That can still be worth it for control; see one big card or several.
How crypto payment fits in
You pay the order total on a hosted crypto checkout. The checkout may show the total in the cryptocurrency you choose, at the current rate. Network fees for sending the payment come from your wallet and are separate from the card price; make sure the amount that arrives covers the full total. Budgeting for network fees explains how to estimate them, and fixing an underpaid order covers what happens if a payment arrives short.
Fees and refunds
Both fees pay for work that is already complete once the card exists, so they stay with the order even when a balance is returned. Only the balance can come back, under the refund rules: a never-used card's full balance; a used card's balance minus 10% when at least $500.00 is left; smaller used balances are not refundable. Refund math with worked examples walks through each case.
Comparing with other offers
Some card services advertise a single low fee and add monthly charges, conversion markups, reveal fees or minimum spends elsewhere. Two transparent parts make our price easy to compare: everything you pay is visible on the order page. Compare card offers by total cost shows how to compare any two offers fairly.
When fees change
The issue fee and top-up charge can be adjusted over time, as costs change. Any change applies to new orders only. An order you have already paid keeps the price shown when you placed it, and an issued card is never charged again. That is why the order page and the calculator always show the current figures, and why it is worth checking them before each order rather than relying on a number you remember from months ago. If you budget cards far in advance, for example for a year of renewals, recheck the calculator when you are ready to order.
A quick check before you order
- Decide the balance you need, including tax, conversion and a margin for the merchant.
- Enter it in the calculator and read the total.
- Ask whether combining this with another planned purchase would save an issue fee.
- Check that the total, plus your wallet's network fee, is what you are ready to send.
Quick answers
Is the issue fee charged again when the card renews?
Cards do not renew or reload. Each new card has its own issue fee, once.
Are there monthly fees?
No. The order total is the whole price.
See how it works for the full order flow. Paid orders are usually checked and issued within a few hours.
BuyVCC Team
The people who review BuyVCC orders write these guides from the questions customers send us. Notice something outdated? Let us know.