Staking

Staking is committing crypto for a set time in exchange for something — a yield, a better cashback rate, or both. Card programs often use it as the price of admission to their top reward tiers.

Why it matters: a lock-up is a trade, and the cost is flexibility. While your crypto is staked you usually can’t sell or spend it, so you’re exposed to the token’s price the whole time — a tier you bought into at one price can be worth far less by the time the lock ends. Read two things before committing: how long the funds are frozen, and whether a price drop can quietly demote your tier or shrink the APY you were promised.

For example: Crypto.com unlocks its cashback tiers by locking CRO for 12 months — the more you lock, the higher the rate, but that capital is frozen for a year and rides CRO’s price the whole time. ether.fi takes a different angle: its Cash card spends against staked ETH held as collateral, so your stake keeps earning yield while it also backs your spending, and higher tiers come from staking its ETHFI token.