Short answer: a Pink Card only holds US dollars. When a merchant charges in another currency (yen, pounds, yuan and so on), the card network converts the amount to USD at that day’s rate, and that dollar amount comes off your balance, plus the usual $1 per-transaction fee. Pink Card does not add a foreign-exchange or cross-border fee. Two things to watch: exchange rates move, so the same local price costs a different number of dollars each month, and you should keep a little extra balance; and if a checkout converts a USD price into your local currency, you end up paying more dollars than the USD price. On our cards that was about 6%. Pick USD whenever the checkout lets you.
Written by the Pink Card team (pinkcard.cc). The data comes from our own card charges from 2026-07-23 to 2026-10-21 (the last 90 days); fees are the live settings on 2026-10-21. Which currency a merchant charges in is the merchant’s decision; the checkout page is what counts. Pink Card is not affiliated with any of the services mentioned.
How a foreign-currency charge is converted
- The merchant charges in its chosen currency. ChatGPT, for example, bills some accounts in yen, won, Taiwan dollars, pounds or euros.
- The card network converts the amount to US dollars at that day’s rate.
- The converted dollar amount is taken from your card, plus the $1 per-transaction fee. The transaction list under "Balance & Top Up" shows that dollar amount.
- Pink Card adds no FX or cross-border fee. The only fees are the ones listed at the end of this page.
What we see on our own cards
- Of 486 successful charges in the last 90 days, 105 were in a foreign currency, on 49 cards, in 13 currencies: Philippine peso, Japanese yen, Chinese yuan, British pound, Danish krone, Singapore dollar, Hong Kong dollar, euro, Vietnamese dong, Korean won, Taiwan dollar, Mexican peso and Macau pataca.
- ChatGPT accounts for most of them. The same monthly web subscription was billed as 3,000 JPY, 26,364 KRW, 690 TWD, 143.20 DKK, 23 EUR, 16.67 GBP, 522,500 VND or 982.14 PHP on different accounts.
- Next come Google Play and Google One (pounds, Hong Kong dollars, Singapore dollars, yen). ChatGPT bought in the Android app was billed 28.98 SGD, for example.
- Grok, Cursor, X, GoDaddy and Genspark charged some cards in yuan, most likely because the checkout showed a local price.
Same local price, different dollar amount every month
- One account billed 3,000 JPY for ChatGPT: $18.70 on July 29, $19.21 on August 29, $19.55 on September 29. $0.85 more in two months.
- One account billed 26,364 KRW: $18.42 on July 26, $19.53 on August 26, $19.69 on September 26, about 7% more in two months.
- One account billed 982.14 PHP: $16.48 on August 5, $16.08 on September 23. Rates can move in your favor too.
Why paying in local currency cost more
Some merchants price in US dollars but show you a local-currency price at checkout. The money is then converted twice: first by the merchant, from its USD price into your currency at its own rate, then by the card network, back into USD for your card. After two conversions you pay more than the USD price.
- SuperGrok (listed at $30 a month): the 3 charges on our cards in USD were exactly $30.00. The 3 charges in yuan were 211.26, 209.30 and 208.92 CNY, which came to $31.82–$31.83, $1.83 or about 6% more each month.
- Cursor: a monthly charge attempted in USD was $20.00; a charge in yuan of 139.20 CNY came to $21.21, again about 6% more.
- Monthly cost with Pink Card fees: SuperGrok in USD is $30 + $1 + $2.50 = $33.50; in yuan it is $31.83 + $1 + $2.50 = $35.33.
How to pay in USD where you can
- Check the currency and total on the checkout page before you pay. If there is a currency switch (a USD option), choose USD.
- Enter the card’s billing address from your card email. Currency and tax often follow the billing address and region.
- Subscriptions bought in a mobile app (App Store, Google Play) are priced in the store country’s currency and cannot be switched to USD. Web subscriptions can follow your region too; ChatGPT web subscriptions on our cards were billed in yen and won.
- If a subscription is already billed in a foreign currency, you do not need to cancel and resubscribe; just keep the extra balance above.
Declined foreign-currency charges are mostly a balance problem
- 118 foreign-currency charges were declined on 35 cards in the last 90 days; 82 of them (about 7 in 10) were limit or balance declines: after conversion, the charge was a little more than the balance.
- That is why a balance that exactly covers the USD price can fall short once the charge is converted, especially when the rate moves.
- Each declined charge costs $1 (at most 3 a month per card). After a decline, top up first instead of retrying.
Top up the same card with USDT or USDC
- Open pinkcard.cc/en, click "Balance & Top Up" at the top, and enter the 16-digit card number and the 3-digit lookup code.
- Choose an amount (minimum $30) and pick USDT or USDC. Send exactly the amount shown, on exactly the network you picked: USDT on BEP-20 (BSC) or ERC-20, USDC on ERC-20.
- Wait until the page shows the top-up has arrived on the card, usually within about 30 minutes. The card number does not change, so subscriptions keep billing the same card.
- Top-up cost: $5 plus 5% of (top-up amount + $5). A $30 top-up is $36.75 in total; $100 is $110.25.
Already have a Pink Card? Enter the card number and lookup code and top up this card now ($30 prefilled, you can change it)
Pink Card fees (as of 2026-10-21)
- Card issuance: $10 one-time, plus a 3% service fee on (card amount + $10). Presets start at $110; custom amounts from $100. A $110 card is $123.60 in total.
- From the card balance after activation: $1 per transaction and $2.50 per month. No FX fee on foreign-currency charges.
- Failed authorizations are charged $1 too (at most 3 failed charges per card per month).
- Top-up of the same card: $5 plus 5% of (top-up amount + $5), minimum top-up $30, usually on the card within about 30 minutes; the card number does not change. Full fee table: pinkcard.cc/en/fees.
- Pay for a new card or a top-up with USDT (BEP-20 or ERC-20) or USDC (ERC-20).
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