Which crypto should you use for gift cards? 2026 comparison

Three criteria dominate: (1) the network fees paid for the transfer, (2) confirmation speed (which determines when you get the code), (3) the price stability between the order and the payment (volatility).

A fourth: the crypto you actually hold. Targeting USDT TRC-20 is pointless if you only have ETH; conversion fees would wipe out the benefit.

1. USDT or USDC on Tron (TRC-20) — dollar-stable, usually the lowest stablecoin fees, confirmed in about a minute. Best choice for most buyers.

2. Solana (SOL) — fees of a fraction of a cent and confirmation in under a minute. The SOL price moves, but only for the few minutes of the payment.

3. Monero (XMR) — fees of a few cents and about 20 minutes to confirm. The private choice: sender and amount stay hidden.

4. TRX (Tron) — low fees; handy if you already hold TRX.

5. Litecoin (LTC) — fees of a few cents and 2.5-minute blocks.

6. Bitcoin on-chain — fees depend on network load and the first confirmation takes 10 to 30 minutes. Fine for €100+ cards.

7. Ethereum, and USDT/USDC on ERC-20 — gas fees make them costly for small cards; for stablecoins, prefer Tron.

Best simplicity/cost ratio: USDT or USDC on Tron. Most private: Monero. Holding BTC or ETH: pay directly, especially on larger cards. Not accepted at StackGift: Lightning, TON, Polygon, BNB Chain and Dogecoin.