Ready Card Tutorial for Singapore Users

Ready Card — formerly Argent — is a self-custodial Mastercard that lets you spend USDC anywhere in the world without handing your funds to a custodian. For Singapore users, the story is more nuanced than most crypto card reviews let on: Ready Card application is restricted to UK and EEA residents only. If you have a Singapore address and nothing else, you cannot apply directly. But if you are a Singapore expat living or working in the UK or Europe — or a Singapore-based crypto investor comparing your options — this guide explains exactly how Ready Card fits into your setup and how to make it work.

Singapore has no capital gains tax on cryptocurrency. That single fact makes it one of the most favourable jurisdictions in the world for crypto card users who accumulate STRK cashback. The challenge is the KYC eligibility gate — and this article covers every workaround, every on-ramp route from SGD, and every honest comparison against the alternatives that do accept Singapore applications directly.

Key Takeaways for Singapore Users

• Eligibility gate: Application requires a UK or EEA residential address — Singapore residents cannot apply without one. Once issued, the card works globally including Singapore (140+ countries, wherever Mastercard is accepted).
• Two tiers: Metal (120 USDC/year upfront) and Lite (free card, $6.99 shipping only)
• Metal cashback: 3% in STRK on up to $5,000/month spend (max $150/month, $1,800/year) — funded quarterly by Starknet Foundation, not permanently guaranteed
• Lite cashback: 0.5% in STRK on all eligible purchases (max $150/month shared cap)
• FX fees: Metal = 0%; Lite = 1% — both use the official Mastercard rate with no hidden spread
• SGD on-ramp: Binance SG (PayNow/FAST, ~0.1% fee) or Independent Reserve (FAST) → USDC → Starknet bridge → Ready Card
• Singapore tax advantage: No capital gains tax on crypto; STRK cashback accumulation is tax-efficient for Singapore tax residents (verify with your tax adviser)
• Google Pay: supported now; Apple Pay: coming soon — not yet available
• SG competitors: OKX Card and Bybit Card accept Singapore applications directly if you do not have a UK/EU address

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Who Can Actually Use Ready Card from Singapore?

This is the most important section in this guide, so let us be completely direct. Ready Card is issued by Kulipa, a regulated e-money institution operating under EEA regulations. The card issuer’s licensing framework is UK- and EEA-centric, which means Kulipa can only conduct KYC and issue cards to applicants with a verified UK or EEA residential address.

Ready Card is not regulated or licensed by Singapore’s Monetary Authority (MAS). It is not available through any Singapore payment institution framework. This is not a legal barrier to spending in Singapore — Mastercard is accepted globally — but it is a hard barrier to the application itself.

Here is who can use Ready Card with a Singapore connection:

• Singapore expats in the UK or EU: You have a UK/EU residential address for KYC. You can apply, receive your card at your UK/EU address, and use it worldwide — including when you travel back to Singapore. This is the primary Singapore user segment for Ready Card.
• Singapore PRs or nationals with dual residency: If you maintain a registered UK or EEA address (e.g. through a work assignment, student visa, or second home), you may be eligible to apply.
• Singapore investors comparing options: Ready Card is not directly available to you today, but understanding its fee structure and self-custody model is valuable context when choosing between OKX Card, Bybit Card, and other options.

The application restriction only applies to where you sign up, not where you use the card. A Singapore expat in London who holds a Ready Metal card can tap it at Grab, Shopee Pay terminals, or Singapore Airlines — anywhere Mastercard is accepted.

Ready has publicly stated plans to expand to more countries from 2025 onwards, but as of April 2026 no specific timeline for Singapore or broader Asia-Pacific has been announced. If you want to check the latest eligibility status, visit ready.co/blog/card-faqs directly.

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Plans & Fees — What Singapore Users Need to Know

Ready offers two physical tiers and a virtual card. For Singapore expats who travel frequently between Europe and Singapore, the fee structure is where Ready genuinely stands out against the field.

Feature	Metal	Lite
Annual cost	120 USDC (paid upfront, first year)	Free (only $6.99 shipping)
FX fee	0%	1%
Cashback rate	3% on up to $5,000/month spend	0.5% on all eligible purchases
Cashback currency	STRK (Starknet token)	STRK (Starknet token)
Max monthly cashback	$150 in STRK	$150 in STRK
Max annual cashback	$1,800 in STRK	Varies with spend
ATM withdrawals	Free up to $800/month	2% fee on every withdrawal
Exchange rate	Official Mastercard rate, no markup	Official Mastercard rate + 1%
Card material	16g premium metal (gold or metal finish)	Plastic
Google Pay	Yes	Yes
Apple Pay	Coming soon	Coming soon

Spending and ATM limits (same for both plans): Single transaction maximum $5,000. Daily spending limit $10,000. Rolling 30-day limit $30,000. ATM: $500/day, $2,500 per rolling 30 days, $30,000/year.

Why 0% FX matters for Singapore expats: A Singapore expat in London will typically spend in GBP daily and in SGD when visiting home. With a standard UK bank card, each SGD transaction during a Singapore trip incurs a 2–3% FX fee. On a two-week visit with $3,000 in local spending, that is $60–90 in hidden fees. Ready Metal eliminates that entirely. The $120/year card fee pays for itself on FX savings alone at roughly $5,000 of multi-currency spend — which is not a high bar for an active expat.

Break-even calculation for Metal: At 3% STRK cashback on $5,000/month, you earn $150/month. The annual fee is $120. Once you spend roughly $333/month on the Metal card, the cashback covers the fee — everything above that is net positive. Singapore expats with high London/Europe daily spend and regular Singapore trips hit this threshold easily.

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How to Get SGD onto Ready Card — Singapore On-Ramp Guide

Ready Card only supports USDC for loading and spending. If your money starts in Singapore dollars, you need a conversion path from SGD to USDC on Starknet before the card can draw on your balance. Singapore’s modern payment infrastructure — PayNow and FAST — actually makes this one of the fastest on-ramp routes in Asia.

Recommended Path: Binance SG → USDC → LayerSwap → Ready Card

This is the fastest and lowest-cost route for most Singapore users. Binance Singapore is licensed as a Major Payment Institution (MPI) by MAS, which means it can accept SGD deposits via PayNow and FAST.

• Transfer SGD from your DBS/OCBC/UOB account to Binance SG via PayNow or FAST. Both are near-instant and available 24/7. The fee at Binance SG is approximately 0.1%.
• On Binance SG, buy USDC using your SGD balance. USDC/SGD trading pairs are available.
• Withdraw USDC from Binance SG. In the Ready app, go to “Fund” → “From an exchange or other chain” (powered by LayerSwap, built into Ready). Select Binance as your source and follow the bridge prompt. Alternatively, withdraw USDC from Binance directly to your Ready Starknet wallet address — Starknet withdrawals are supported on Binance.
• USDC arrives in your Ready wallet in typically 30 seconds to a few minutes. You can now spend immediately via your virtual card or Google Pay.

Alternative: Independent Reserve (FAST enabled)

Independent Reserve is a Singapore-based exchange with FAST SGD deposits enabled. Their maker fee is around 0.5%, slightly higher than Binance SG, but the exchange has a strong Singapore reputation and good USDC liquidity. The process mirrors Binance SG: SGD via FAST → buy USDC → withdraw to Starknet → Ready Card.

Alternative: Coinbase SG via Wise

For Singapore expats already using Wise for international transfers: SGD from your Singapore bank → Wise (convert to USD) → Coinbase SG (deposit USD → buy USDC). This route takes 2–3 business days and carries approximately a 0.75% conversion fee on Wise. Use this if you are already in the Wise/Coinbase ecosystem and want to consolidate — otherwise Binance SG is faster and cheaper.

Advanced: LayerSwap from Ethereum/Arbitrum/Polygon

If you already hold USDC on Ethereum mainnet, Arbitrum, Optimism, or Base, you can bridge directly to Starknet using the LayerSwap integration built into the Ready app: “Fund” → “From an exchange or other chain.” No need to go through a Singapore exchange at all. Starknet transaction fees are under $0.01, making this route very efficient for anyone already active in the EVM ecosystem.

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Step-by-Step Application Guide (for UK/EU-Based Singapore Expats)

If you have a UK or EEA residential address, the application process is straightforward. Everything happens inside the Ready app — no web forms, no branch visits. Most people complete it in under 15 minutes, with KYC review adding 1–3 business days.

Step 1: Download the Ready App and Create Your Starknet Wallet

Search “Ready” on the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android). On first launch, select “Create new wallet.” The app generates a Starknet self-custodial wallet and immediately prompts you to back up your seed phrase. Do this before anything else — your seed phrase is the only recovery mechanism. There is no “forgot password” option with a self-custodial wallet. Write it down and store it offline, not in a cloud notes app.

Step 2: Choose Metal or Lite

Navigate to the “Card” tab in the app. Choose Metal (120 USDC upfront) or Lite (free, $6.99 shipping). For Singapore expats who travel between Europe and Asia frequently, Metal’s 0% FX fee and 3% STRK cashback justify the annual cost at any monthly spend above $333. Lite is the right starting point if you want to test the product before committing.

Step 3: KYC — What Singapore Nationals Need to Prepare

KYC is handled by Kulipa, the regulated card issuer. You will need:

• Government-issued ID: A Singapore passport (international, any country’s passport is accepted), Singapore NRIC, or Singapore PR card — any of these work as primary ID
• Proof of UK or EEA address (mandatory): A utility bill, rental agreement, council tax notice, or bank statement showing your UK/EU residential address. This is the eligibility gate — without a verifiable UK/EU address on record, the application cannot proceed.
• Video selfie: Liveness verification via the Kulipa KYC flow (standard for all regions)

SingPass MyInfo is not required for Ready Card KYC — it is a Singapore government digital ID system that Ready/Kulipa does not integrate with. It can be useful for verifying your identity at Binance SG or Coinbase SG during the on-ramp process, but it plays no role in the Ready Card application itself.

Step 4: Enter Your UK/EEA Shipping Address

Once KYC is approved, enter your UK or EEA delivery address. Physical cards typically arrive within 5–10 business days. Your virtual card activates immediately after KYC approval — add it to Google Pay and start spending straight away while you wait for the physical card.

Step 5: Fund with USDC via Singapore On-Ramp

Follow the SGD on-ramp path outlined above (Binance SG → USDC → LayerSwap or direct Starknet withdrawal → Ready wallet). The card draws directly from your Starknet USDC balance — there is no separate “card top-up” step. Once USDC is in your wallet, it is immediately available for spending.

For broader context on the Ready Card and how it compares internationally, see our full [INTERNAL_LINK: /posts/ready-card-tutorial/] guide.

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Spending in Singapore — Practical Use Cases

Once your Ready Card is issued and loaded with USDC, it functions as a standard Mastercard anywhere in Singapore. The merchant sees a contactless Mastercard payment; nothing about the transaction looks different from a conventional card.

Where it works in Singapore:

• Grab: Mastercard payments are widely accepted on Grab rides and GrabFood. Google Pay (which Ready supports) also works for Grab in Singapore.
• Shopee SG and Lazada SG: Both accept Mastercard for online checkout. Shopee’s Mastercard acceptance has been consistent for international cards.
• Singapore Airlines: Full Mastercard acceptance for ticket bookings and KrisFlyer ancillary purchases. The 0% FX fee on Metal means no conversion surcharge on SGD-denominated bookings.
• Amazon SG: Mastercard accepted; Singapore’s Amazon marketplace operates with standard international card support.
• Streaming services (Netflix, Spotify): Both accept Mastercard globally. Subscription billing converts USDC to SGD automatically at the official Mastercard rate.
• International hotels in Singapore (Raffles, Mandarin Oriental, business travel): Standard Mastercard acceptance; concierge and restaurant charging all work normally.
• Contactless terminals: Google Pay works across Singapore’s contactless payment infrastructure — MRT, taxis, hawker centres with card readers, shopping malls.

Apple Pay note: Ready Card does not yet support Apple Pay. This matters in Singapore because Apple Pay adoption is lower here than in Hong Kong or Japan — Google Pay is the dominant mobile wallet and works at all major terminals. For most Singapore spending scenarios, Google Pay via Ready is sufficient.

ATM withdrawals in Singapore: Ready Card ATMs follow standard Mastercard ATM access — DBS, OCBC, UOB, and HSBC ATMs all work. Metal gets $800/month in fee-free withdrawals (ATM network fees from the operator may still apply); Lite pays 2% per withdrawal. The daily ATM limit is $500, with a $2,500 rolling 30-day limit.

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STRK Cashback — The Singapore Tax Angle

Ready’s cashback programme pays rewards in STRK — the native token of the Starknet Layer-2 network. Cashback is credited automatically to your Ready wallet by the 15th of the month following your spending. No claiming required.

For Singapore tax residents, STRK cashback intersects with a significant policy advantage: Singapore has no capital gains tax on cryptocurrency. In the UK, STRK received as cashback may constitute a taxable receipt, and any subsequent disposal of STRK could trigger Capital Gains Tax. A Singapore tax resident faces no CGT equivalent on crypto gains. If you are a Singapore expat in the UK, your tax residency situation determines which regime applies — consult a qualified tax adviser, as this is not straightforward for expats with income and assets across multiple jurisdictions.

The IRAS (Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore) may classify frequent crypto-to-fiat conversions as income rather than capital gain if it constitutes a trading activity — but passive accumulation and holding of STRK cashback rewards sits in a different category for most users. Again, professional advice is the correct path for anyone with meaningful holdings.

Programme structure — what you need to know:

• Metal tier: 3% cashback on up to $5,000/month spend. Maximum monthly reward: $150 in STRK. Maximum annual: $1,800 in STRK.
• Lite tier: 0.5% cashback on all eligible purchases. Same $150/month cap applies.
• Funded by the Starknet Foundation — not by Ready or Kulipa directly. The programme is reviewed quarterly and is not guaranteed to continue indefinitely or at the current rate.
• STRK price risk: Cashback is denominated in STRK tokens. The actual SGD or USD value depends on STRK’s market price when you receive or convert the tokens. The nominal rate is 3%, but the effective fiat value fluctuates with STRK’s price.
• Excluded categories: Gambling, cash-equivalent transactions, money transfers, and similar high-risk transaction types are excluded from cashback.

For Singapore’s tech-forward crypto community: STRK cashback is unique among crypto cards — no major competitor (OKX Card, Bybit Card, RedotPay) issues Layer-2 ecosystem token rewards. If you are already invested in the Starknet ecosystem or want exposure to STRK as part of a broader Layer-2 thesis, the cashback programme compounds naturally on everyday spending. If STRK is unfamiliar to you, treat it as an added bonus rather than a primary financial decision driver.

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Ready Card vs OKX Card vs Bybit Card — Singapore Comparison

OKX Card and Bybit Card dominate Singapore crypto card search volume. Both accept Singapore applications directly and offer SGD top-up routes without the eligibility complexity of Ready Card. Here is an honest side-by-side.

Feature	Ready Metal	OKX Card (SG)	Bybit Card
Singapore application	No — UK/EEA address required	Yes (MPI-pending)	Yes (international shipping)
Annual fee	120 USDC	Varies by tier	Free (basic tier)
FX fee	0% (Metal)	1–2% (varies)	Varies by tier
Cashback	3% in STRK (up to $5k/month)	Varies by tier and OKB holdings	Varies by tier
Custody model	Self-custodial (Starknet)	Custodial (OKX platform)	Custodial (Bybit platform)
Supported assets	USDC only	Multiple crypto assets	Multiple crypto assets
SGD direct top-up	No (requires USDC via exchange)	Yes (PayNow/FAST via OKX SG)	Limited SGD on-ramp
Card network	Mastercard	Mastercard/Visa (varies)	Mastercard/Visa (varies)
Singapore MAS licensing	Not MAS licensed (Kulipa is EEA)	MPI application pending	International licence

When Ready Card is the right choice for Singapore users:

• You are a Singapore expat with a verified UK or EU residential address and you want the lowest FX fees for frequent travel between Europe and Singapore
• You prioritise self-custody — your USDC stays in your own Starknet wallet until the moment of spend, eliminating custodial platform risk (post-FTX, a meaningful portion of Singapore’s crypto community has become wary of platform custody)
• You want STRK ecosystem exposure as part of a Layer-2 investment thesis and the cashback programme adds to that
• You already hold USDC on Starknet or another EVM chain and want a card that draws from it directly

When OKX Card or Bybit Card may be more practical for Singapore:

• You have a Singapore residential address only and cannot meet the UK/EU eligibility requirement
• You want to top up in SGD directly without going through an exchange conversion and bridge step
• You hold BTC, ETH, or platform-specific assets (OKB, BIT) and want to spend those rather than converting to USDC first
• Mainstream recognition from Singapore’s MAS licensing framework matters to you

RedotPay is another option worth noting — a self-custodial Visa card with strong Southeast Asia market penetration (approximately 80.6% of its user base comes from emerging markets including Singapore). RedotPay does not have the same UK/EEA eligibility restriction, which makes it a closer alternative to Ready Card’s self-custody model for Singapore-based users who cannot qualify for Ready.

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Referral Rewards

Ready runs a referral programme with different reward structures depending on which plan your referred friend chooses.

Plan	Your reward	Friend’s reward	Unlock condition
Metal	$15	$15	Friend orders Metal card and spends $50
Lite	$1 (after 5+ successful referrals)	$5	Friend completes card setup

The Metal referral is the more valuable path for both parties. Your referred friend must use your referral link, choose the Metal plan, and spend at least $50 on the card. Both parties then receive $15 in USDC. For the Lite referral, your $1 reward only activates after five or more successful Lite referrals — the friend’s $5 reward is immediate.

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Singapore User Scenarios

To make the abstract concrete, here are realistic use cases for Singapore-connected users.

Singapore Expat in London

You are Singaporean, working in London on a work visa, with GBP salary and a UK residential address. You travel back to Singapore 2–3 times a year. You apply for Ready Metal, pass KYC with your UK address, and use Coinbase UK to convert GBP to USDC directly into your Ready wallet. In London you spend daily — groceries, restaurants, the Tube — earning 3% STRK cashback on all of it. When you are back in Singapore visiting family, you spend SGD at Grab, Kopitiam hawker centres, Shopee, and Singapore Airlines — all on the same card with 0% FX fee. No currency conversion surcharge, no hidden spread. The card earns on Singapore spending just as it does on London spending.

Singapore Digital Nomad Based in Berlin

You are Singaporean, living in Berlin on a freelance visa, EUR income, and occasional trips home. You apply for Ready Metal with your Berlin address. Your EUR salary goes into a German bank account; you convert a portion monthly to USDC via Coinbase EU and load your Ready wallet. Daily Berlin spending earns 3% STRK on EUR transactions with 0% FX. Singapore trips run through the same card with no penalty. You hold STRK in your Starknet wallet — as a Singapore tax resident, you have no CGT exposure on any unrealised gains. For a high-spending digital nomad, the combination of 0% FX + STRK accumulation + Singapore’s tax treatment is genuinely hard to beat.

Singapore Crypto Investor (Self-Custody Priority)

You are Singapore-based, hold USDC on Arbitrum, and are evaluating crypto cards post-FTX with a strong preference for self-custody. You cannot apply for Ready Card directly — no UK/EU address. However, you are considering OKX Card as a near-term practical option while tracking whether Ready expands to Singapore. In the meantime, you use this guide to understand the Ready architecture: Starknet self-custody, Mastercard settlement, Kulipa as the regulated issuer. The product you want exists; the geography gap is the only barrier.

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FAQ — Singapore-Specific Questions