A closed crypto card: what happened to SORA and where to go next
Available in USThe SORA card was a debit card linked to the SORA ecosystem, converting XOR cryptocurrency into euros for everyday spending. The programme is no longer open to new applicants, and the card and its app functions ended on 30 January 2026 at 18:00 GMT. If you are reading this because you are considering applying, there is nothing to apply for. If you already hold a card or had a balance, the situation is more complicated and the rest of this review is for you.
The conditions described here are current as of October 28, 2026.
Verdict
The SORA card programme received a total score of 2.2 out of 10 in our rating. That figure reflects a product that cannot be obtained, a closure with disruption for existing users, and everyday-use features that were promised but never fully delivered. Below is how the score breaks down by criterion.
| Criterion | Score | Why it scored this way |
|---|---|---|
| Who can get it | 0 / 10 | Card and app functions stopped after 30 January 2026 at 18:00 GMT |
| Cost | 5 / 10 | Card issuance and monthly fees were €0; membership was €39 per year after the first year; international payments €0.90 + 1.1%; ATM €1.20 + 3% |
| Top-up options | 2 / 10 | Only XOR-to-EUR conversion or SEPA transfer; no direct crypto load |
| Reliability and complaints | 1 / 10 | Programme closed, issuer Unlimit EU Ltd suspended some accounts, balances inaccessible pending review |
| Everyday use | 3 / 10 | Physical and digital card existed; ATM withdrawals worked; Apple Pay and Google Pay were promised for a later phase |
| Total | 2.2 / 10 |
This card was aimed at people already in the SORA ecosystem who wanted a euro-denominated way to spend their XOR balance. That audience is now left with the closure process and the question of where to move next. If you are an existing cardholder trying to withdraw your balance, the relevant section below walks through what is and is not available. If you are shopping for a new crypto card, skip to the alternatives.
What Happened to the Programme
The SORA card was issued by Unlimit EU Ltd, an electronic money institution licensed in Cyprus, and marketed by SORA Biome, a Bulgaria-based company behind the SORA decentralised exchange and the SORA Wallet app. Before the closure, the card was available to residents of the European Economic Area, Russia, Iran, and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea were explicitly excluded, with the full exclusion list published on the card’s blacklist page. Eligibility was based on residence rather than nationality. KYC (Know Your Customer) verification was required: a selfie, a government-issued ID document, and proof of address. Details of the verification process itself were not stated on the public pages.
The product itself was a physical and digital debit card. The card network was not named on the pages we read, though Unlimit EU Ltd operates primarily as a Visa programme manager in this segment. Fees were published on 17 September 2024 and were as follows:
- Card issuance, virtual and physical, first card: €0
- Monthly fee: €0
- Client membership: €39 per year, charged after the first year
- International card payments: €0.90 + 1.1%
- Domestic transactions: free for the first 10 online and 10 in-store payments per period
- Top-up: €0
- Crypto conversion via XOR/EUR partner (the spread was not stated)
Apple Pay and Google Pay support were announced for a “Phase 2” that never arrived before the closure. There was a single product tier, with the €39 annual membership being the only paid level. Direct conversion was possible between XOR and euros, and the terms noted that withdrawals in a currency other than the card’s own currency would be charged as international transactions, but the card’s base currency was not named on the page.
The iOS app was listed on Apple’s App Store under “SORA DAE” and the Android app on Google Play under the package name jp.co.soramitsu.sora. Ratings were not checked because the app’s card functions have since ended.
The closure itself was announced on 10 January 2026. The card, the app, and all card functions stopped after Friday 30 January 2026 at 18:00 GMT. Holders of GateHub wallets linked to the programme were told to empty those wallets before the cutoff. Unlimit had already suspended some accounts before the official closure, and SORA Wallet as a self-custody application continues to operate independently.
If You Already Have the Card
The most important question for existing holders is what happens to any balance left on the card or in a connected wallet. After 30 January 2026 at 18:00 GMT, the app no longer provides access to balances. The only route to recover funds is to contact Unlimit support directly at [email protected]. Some accounts were suspended by Unlimit before the closure; those accounts may still display a balance inside the app, but the balance remains inaccessible until Unlimit completes its review. SORA cannot submit release requests on behalf of users; the issuer holds that authority.
SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area) outgoing transfers and SEPA Instant outgoing transfers were charged at €0.50 each while the programme was active, but the question of whether these channels remain open for post-closure withdrawals was not addressed in the closure notice.
For ATM withdrawals while the card was operating, the fees were:
- Domestic (EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway): €1.20 + 3%
- International: €1.75 + 3%
- One free balance inquiry per month
Spending limits were not stated on the pages we read; the card’s fee page referenced a separate limits section that was not present in the content fetched. Closure fees and replacement card costs were not listed.
Support channels included the SORA card help portal, email, Discord, Telegram, X, and Reddit. The site was available in English and Spanish; Russian was not offered. Support hours were not stated. Dispute and chargeback procedures were not publicly stated.
The practical steps for a cardholder, in order, are:
- Stop using the card for new transactions; the authorisation window has closed.
- Check whether your account is in the “suspended” or the “closed” state, because the recovery path differs.
- Email [email protected] with your account details and request a balance release.
- If you had a GateHub wallet connected, confirm that any remaining crypto was withdrawn before the 30 January 2026 cutoff, because GateHub balances outside the card programme may sit with a different provider.
- Continue using SORA Wallet for self-custody of XOR if that remains part of your crypto holdings; the wallet app is separate from the card programme.
What Can Go Wrong
Several risks are visible in the closure itself, and several are structural features of how the card was set up.
The headline risk is that the issuer, Unlimit EU Ltd, suspended some accounts before the public closure date. When an account is suspended, the app may show a balance figure that is real but unreachable. The official position is that funds will be released after Unlimit’s review, but no timeline was given, and the SORA team stated it cannot act on a user’s behalf. This places the entire recovery burden on the individual cardholder, with no intermediary pushing the case forward.
The second risk is regulatory rather than operational. Unlimit EU Ltd is an electronic money institution (EMI) licensed by the Central Bank of Cyprus under licence number 115.1.3.7. EMIs in the EU safeguard customer funds by segregating them in dedicated accounts or insuring them, but those safeguarded funds are not the same as bank deposits. The SORA card funds were not covered by the Cyprus Deposit Insurance Fund. If Unlimit’s safeguarding arrangements fail, the path to compensation is through the firm’s wind-down procedure, not through deposit insurance.
The third risk is the conversion model. The card was topped up by converting XOR to euros or by SEPA transfer; there was no direct crypto load at the point of sale. This means a cardholder was exposed to the XOR/EUR exchange rate on top-up, and then again on any currency conversion at the merchant (charged as an international payment at €0.90 + 1.1%). The conversion spread was not disclosed, which makes it hard to compare against other cards or to know what the actual cost of spending was.
A fourth risk worth flagging is the gap between announced and delivered features. Apple Pay and Google Pay were promised for a “Phase 2” that did not arrive before the card closed. Reward programmes and merchant category restrictions were not stated on the public pages. For a cardholder planning long-term use, the gap between roadmap and reality is itself a risk.
A fifth, category-wide risk applies to any crypto-funded card: on-chain transfers are irreversible, and a deposit sent to the wrong address or on an unsupported network can be lost or stuck pending manual recovery, with no guarantee of resolution. Blockchain fees (gas, bandwidth) are charged by the network, not the card provider, and they apply on top of any provider fee.
Finally, the closure itself is part of a wider pattern. Visa terminated its global agreements with FTX in November 2022, and the FTX US debit card was wound down by its issuer. WaveCrest, which supplied several crypto card programmes in Europe, was suspended by Visa in 2018, closing all WaveCrest-issued Visa programmes on the continent. Custodial platforms have a record of large-scale failures, including Mt. Gox (around US$350 million reported stolen between 2011 and 2014), Coincheck (around US$400 million in 2018), and Ronin Network (US$625 million in 2022). None of these comparisons are predictions about Unlimit, but they show how quickly a card programme can end and how exposed customers can be in the gap between announcement and recovery.
What to Take Instead
Three alternatives are worth considering, depending on what you want from a crypto card. None is a direct replacement for the SORA card’s XOR-to-euro conversion, because no other mainstream card uses XOR as a funding token. Each is judged on a separate score, not on a head-to-head with SORA.
BloFin Wallet Card (6.9 / 10)
BloFin offers a Visa Platinum card branded “BloFin Wallet.” The list of supported countries is not published on the card page itself; the app asks you to select your country or region. The starting data referenced 35 countries including the United States, Australia, Japan, the UAE, Brazil, Mexico, Malaysia, and New Zealand. Whether the eligibility rule is by citizenship or by residence is not stated.
Cost structure: activation, annual, issuance, and dormancy fees are all $0.00; cancellation carries no fee. The spend fee is “1% or lower” and depends on VIP tier, with VIP 0 paying 1.00%, VIP 1 at 0.90%, VIP 2 at 0.80%, VIP 3 at 0.50%, VIP 4 at 0.20%, and VIP 5 at 0.00%. The fee is charged at the moment of payment. The foreign exchange fee is not stated.
Top-up is via USDT and USDC on the Arbitrum and Base networks. There is no cashback or rebate programme; the lower spend rate is presented as the equivalent benefit.
Decaf (6.2 / 10)
Decaf issues a Visa card, virtual or physical, with the physical card sent by tracked delivery. The card currency is not stated. The card is not issued in Belarus, China, North Korea (DPRK), India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Syria, Turkey, Cuba, Ukraine, Venezuela, Vietnam, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, or Nigeria. In the United States, residents of Arizona, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Maryland, Montana, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin are restricted. Whether the rule is by citizenship or by residence is not stated.
Cost: virtual card activation is $5 worldwide; physical card activation is $10 in the US or $90 elsewhere. There is no annual or monthly fee. Decaf adds no foreign exchange fee on top of the Visa exchange rate, which is how the card is positioned against competitors.
Top-up can be made to a Decaf payment link or to account details by card, bank transfer, or USDC. The app runs on Solana and Stellar, and the sample balance on the site is shown in USDC. The specific coins and networks that fund the card itself are not stated. Rewards are not stated.
SafePal (6.2 / 10)
SafePal offers a virtual Mastercard debit card. A physical card is not mentioned. Spending limits are denominated in euros, tied to a Swiss Fiat24 account. The eligibility list is “citizens of supported regions who live in supported areas,” but the page listing regions was empty when fetched.
Cost: there is no account creation or management fee, and the card issuance fee is not stated. Standard top-up fee is 0%. Mastercard non-USD settlement carries a 1% foreign exchange fee. Refund processing costs 1 USD/EUR/CHF or 7 CNH. Crypto swaps include a spread that is not quantified, although a separate bank page elsewhere quotes a crypto top-up fee “as low as 0.4%” on the top tier.
Top-up is via crypto from more than 40 blockchains, converted to USDC by default or to fiat, with transactions on the Arbitrum network. There is no cashback. Referral commissions can reach up to 40% of referred users’ top-up fees, and tier privileges are tied to deposit volume, referral activity, and SFP token staking.
Quick comparison
| Card | Score | Funding | Notable fee | Issuer note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BloFin Wallet | 6.9 / 10 | USDT/USDC on Arbitrum and Base | Spend 1% down to 0% by VIP tier | FX fee not stated |
| Decaf | 6.2 / 10 | USDC, bank, card | No FX fee on top of Visa rate; physical card $10 US / $90 elsewhere | Long restricted-country list |
| SafePal | 6.2 / 10 | 40+ blockchains to USDC or fiat | 0% top-up, 1% non-USD Mastercard settlement | Virtual only; Swiss Fiat24 account |
Who I Would Recommend This To
In its current state, I would not recommend the SORA card to anyone as a new product, because it is not available to new applicants. For existing cardholders, my recommendation is narrow and practical: contact Unlimit support at [email protected], follow the balance-release process to its conclusion, and do not load new funds into the card or the connected app, because the spending and loading windows are closed.
If you are shopping for a crypto card and the SORA ecosystem is not part of your crypto holdings, look at the alternatives section. If your portfolio is heavy in XOR and you want to keep that exposure, the practical path is to hold XOR in SORA Wallet (which continues to operate as a self-custody application), convert to a more widely supported stablecoin like USDC on a major network, and then top up a card from the alternatives list. That adds an extra conversion step but broadens your funding options and your recovery options if anything goes wrong.
For someone who simply wants a low-fee crypto-funded card and is not committed to a particular token, the BloFin Wallet Card and Decaf are both worth a closer look. BloFin’s fee structure is transparent if you are already familiar with the VIP ladder; Decaf’s no-markup FX pricing is the most straightforward cost story of the three.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the SORA card?
The SORA card was a debit card linked to the SORA ecosystem, letting holders convert XOR cryptocurrency into euros and spend the balance at merchants or withdraw cash from ATMs. The programme was run by SORA Biome in Bulgaria and the card was issued by Unlimit EU Ltd, an electronic money institution licensed in Cyprus. The card is no longer issued.
How did the SORA card work?
You held XOR in a connected wallet, converted it to euros through a partner, and the resulting euro balance was loaded onto the card. The card then behaved like a standard prepaid debit card at the point of sale. There was no direct crypto load at the merchant; the conversion happened at top-up.
Is SORA a bank?
No. SORA Biome is a technology company, and the card was issued by Unlimit EU Ltd, which is an electronic money institution. EMIs are licensed to issue e-money and payment cards but cannot lend, and their safeguarded funds are not the same as bank deposits and are not covered by deposit insurance.
Who owns SORA?
SORA Biome, registered in Bulgaria, operates the SORA decentralised exchange, the SORA Wallet app, and the marketing side of the card programme. The card itself was issued by Unlimit EU Ltd in Cyprus, and Unlimit held the regulatory relationship with the card network.
Is the SORA card available in my country?
Not for new applicants. The card programme closed on 30 January 2026, and no new cards are being issued. If you held a card before that date, your path forward is the Unlimit support channel rather than a new application.
How do I get my money back from the SORA card?
Email [email protected] with your account details and request a balance release. The app no longer provides access to balances, so support is the only route. If your account was suspended by Unlimit before the public closure, the balance may still show in the app but will remain inaccessible until Unlimit completes its review.
Does the SORA card require KYC?
KYC was required before the closure. The process called for a selfie, a government-issued ID document, and proof of address. The level of due diligence applied and the processing time were not stated on the public pages.
How do I top up the SORA card?
You cannot, because top-up is closed along with the rest of the card programme. Before the closure, the only top-up methods were XOR-to-euro conversion through a partner and SEPA bank transfer. There was no direct crypto load.
Is the SORA card safe?
The card was issued by a licensed EMI and used standard safeguards including two-factor authentication and biometrics. The SORA Wallet component is self-custodial, meaning the user holds the keys. The closure itself, however, shows that even licensed programmes can stop, and balances are only as accessible as the issuer chooses to make them.
Is the SORA card worth it?
As a current product, no, because it is not available. As a historical one, the value depended on whether you wanted to spend XOR directly and were comfortable with the limited funding options and the €39 annual membership after the first year. For most people in 2026, the alternatives in the comparison section offer broader funding, clearer fee structures, and an active card programme.
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