What is Reserve, and who is it for?
Fold Reserve is a new kind of balance, built for the money you're already moving through Fold. Swiping your card, paying a bill, buying bitcoin. Its only job is to make that activity as rewarding as possible.
Fund your Reserve and it does two jobs at once:
It sets your rewards tier. The balance you commit sets your rates on card spend and bill pay. Higher tiers earn higher rates.
It stays useful. Spend your Reserve on bitcoin, buy gift cards, or transfer to your Spending account on Fold.
Reserve is for people who already run a real share of their money through Fold, or want to. It's a good fit if you:
Put regular spend on your Fold card
Pay rent, your mortgage, or other bills through Fold
Buy bitcoin regularly and would rather skip the Fold fee
Keep a cash cushion somewhere anyway, and would rather it unlock better rewards
Is Fold a bank? Is Reserve FDIC insured? Where is the money?
No, Fold is not a bank. Fold's banking services are provided by Lead Bank, Member FDIC.
When you fund Reserve, you're purchasing prepaid value from Fold. It isn't a deposit, and the money isn't held in a separate account in your name. Reserve is not FDIC insured.
Instead, Fold holds Reserve funds together in a pooled reserve, kept at Lead Bank, Member FDIC, in U.S. Treasuries, and in money market funds. These funds fully back Reserve balances and are never lent out or rehypothecated.
Your Fold Spending balance works differently. That money is held at Sutton Bank, Member FDIC, and is eligible for FDIC insurance up to applicable limits. You'll find it on the home screen of the Fold app.
Why is Reserve separate from my cash account?
Your cash account is where your paycheck lands, where money moves in and out, and where your FDIC protection lives. Different jobs, different economics. Money in Reserve is money you've committed to using at Fold. That commitment creates the economics on our side, so we can hand it back as zero-fee bitcoin and increased rewards on all your expenses including your biggest ones like mortgage, rent, utilities and more.
How do I use Reserve? Can I move it back to cash?
You can use your Reserve anytime. There's no holding period, it doesn't expire, and there's no fee to hold it.
There are three ways to use it:
Buy bitcoin. Use your Reserve to buy bitcoin on Fold. That bitcoin is yours.
Buy gift cards. Use your Reserve to buy gift cards in Fold.
Move to cash. Use your Reserve to buy bitcoin, then sell that bitcoin for dollars in your Fold cash balance. This transfer is instant and minimizes any potential slippage. From there you can pay bills, pay your credit card, use your debit card, or withdraw. Because this runs on bitcoin rails, a small amount of price movement between the buy and the sell is possible.
A few things to know:
Reserve isn't a cash balance. That's why moving to cash happens through a bitcoin buy and a separate sell.
Selling bitcoin can have tax consequences, even when the gain or loss is small.
Using your Reserve lowers your balance. If it drops below your tier threshold, your rewards rate can drop too. Below $5,000, you lose Reserve tier benefits.
All use is subject to the limits and controls in Fold's terms.
Does Reserve pay interest?
No, Reserve doesn't pay interest. Its benefits come from the money you move through Fold:
No transaction fee and no added Fold spread on bitcoin buys
Higher rewards on card spend and bill pay, earned in bitcoin
That trade works on money that's moving, not money that's sitting.
It's important to know that while a savings account pays interest, the bank keeps a cut of what your money earns first, and the interest you get is taxed as income. Reserve is not a savings account, Fold doesn't take a cut, and rewards on spending aren't taxed.
How much you put in Reserve is up to you. Use this calculator to estimate your rewards based on how much bitcoin you buy, your monthly bills, and what you spend on your Fold card.
Boosted rewards apply to the first $5,000 in card spend and the first $5,000 in bill pay each month. After that, rewards return to your base rate until the 1st of the next month. Boosted card rewards apply to one card: your Fold credit card if you have one, otherwise your Fold debit card.
How do tiers work, and how do I pick one?
Your tier is set by the amount of Reserve you hold and determines your rewards rate. Using your Reserve to buy bitcoin or gift cards can move you to a lower tier. Rates and tier thresholds are set out in the Fold Reserve Terms and Conditions and may change upon notice. Tier 1, $5k, gets you fee-free bitcoin and bill-pay rewards.
Tier | Reserve balance | Credit card | Debit card | Bill pay | Bitcoin trading | Withdrawals |
Non-Reserve | $0 to $4,999 | 1.5% | 0.25% | 0% | 1% fee + spread | Network Fee |
1 | $5,000 | 1.5% | 0.25% | 0.25% | 0% fee + 0% Fold spread | Free |
2 | $15,000 | 1.75% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0% fee + 0% Fold spread | Free |
3 | $25,000 | 2% | 1% | 1% | 0% fee + 0% Fold spread | Free |
4 | $50,000 | 3% | 1.5% | 1.5% | 0% fee + 0% Fold spread | Free |
5 | $75,000 | 4% | 2% | 2% | 0% fee + 0% Fold spread | Free |
6 | $100,000 | 5% | 3% | 3% | 0% fee + 0% Fold spread | Free |
You will earn the tiered reward rate on the first $5,000 in spending via the Fold Bitcoin Credit Card by default, or the Fold Prepaid Debit Card if you do not have or do not use a Fold Bitcoin Credit Card. Spending above $5,000 earns 1.5% on credit, 0.25% on debit, and nothing on bill pay.
What happens to my tier when I spend from Reserve?
Spending from your Reserve lowers your balance, and your tier follows it. If your balance drops below your tier threshold, your tier and benefits drop with it.
Two ways to stay where you want to be:
Keep a buffer. Hold a little more than your tier requires, like $6,000 instead of $5,000 for the first tier.
Add to your Reserve. Once your balance is back above the threshold, your tier immediately moves back up.
If a purchase from your Reserve will drop your tier, we'll let you know before you confirm.
Does the bitcoin I already hold at Fold count toward my tier?
No. Currently, bitcoin balances do not count towards your Reserve tier.
How does the 3% bonus work?
Fund your Reserve during the launch window and you can earn a bonus worth 3% of your balance. You'll see the full amount in your membership value right away, but it pays out in three parts, one a year, in bitcoin. Your Reserve has to have stayed funded when each payout comes due. Most bonuses reward spending. This one rewards leaving your money alone.
What does Reserve unlock, and how rewarding is it?
Reserve unlocks two things: lower fees, bill pay rewards, and better perks starting at $5,000, and higher card rewards starting at $15,000.
Starting at $5,000 (Tier 1)
No fee, no additional spread bitcoin buys and automated buys. Our partner's spread still applies. A spread is a small markup built into the bitcoin price.
Fold covers the network fee when you send bitcoin on-chain
No ATM fees
No international fees on card purchases
Elevated gift card rates
Upgraded spin wheel
0.25% back in bitcoin on your first $5,000 in bill pay each month
Tier 1 doesn't raise your card reward rates. Those go up starting at $15,000.
Rewards by tier
Reserve balance | Credit card | Debit card | Bill pay | Bitcoin trading | Withdrawals |
Under $5,000 | 1.5% | 0.25% | 0% | 1% fee + spread | Network Fee |
$5,000 | 1.5% | 0.25% | 0.25% | 0% fee + 0% Fold spread | Free |
$15,000 | 1.75% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0% fee + 0% Fold spread | Free |
$25,000 | 2% | 1% | 1% | 0% fee + 0% Fold spread | Free |
$50,000 | 3% | 1.5% | 1.5% | 0% fee + 0% Fold spread | Free |
$75,000 | 4% | 2% | 2% | 0% fee + 0% Fold spread | Free |
$100,000 | 5% | 3% | 3% | 0% fee + 0% Fold spread | Free |
Tier rates apply to your first $5,000 in eligible card purchases and your first $5,000 in bill pay each month. Above that, card purchases earn the base rate (1.5% credit, 0.25% debit) and bill pay earns nothing. Higher tier card rates apply to one card only: your Fold credit card if you have one, otherwise your debit card. The 5% rate requires the Fold Bitcoin Credit Card and a $100,000 Reserve balance. Rewards are earned on your eligible spend, not on your balance.
What stays the same at every tier
Base card rewards: 1.5% on credit, 0.25% on debit, no spending cap
Instant debit deposits and withdrawals: 1.5% fee, with a $0.25 minimum on withdrawals
Without Reserve
You still earn 1.5% back in bitcoin on credit and 0.25% on debit, and you still have access to Fold's bitcoin exchange. The difference is fees and perks:
Bitcoin buys: 1% fee plus spread
On-chain sends: you pay the network fee
ATM withdrawals: $3.50 each
International card purchases: $3.00 each
If your Reserve drops below $5,000, these fees apply starting with your next transaction.
How rewarding is it?
Here's what the $5,000 tier adds over a year compared to no Reserve, if you use bill pay to its monthly cap:
Card rewards: $900 either way ($5,000 a month on the Fold credit card at 1.5%)
Bill pay rewards: $150 added ($5,000 a month at 0.25%)
Bitcoin fee savings: depends on how much you buy. Every $1,000 of bitcoin you buy saves $10 in Fold fees, plus the Fold spread.
The more you move through Fold, the more Reserve gives back.
Rewards are provided by Fold, not Celtic Bank. Rates are subject to change. See the Cardholder Agreement and our Terms and Conditions. The Fold Bitcoin Credit Card™ is issued by Celtic Bank, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc.
Rewards in bitcoin: when can I move them, do they expire?
Rewards become available to withdraw 30 days after the purchase settles. Bitcoin's price moves, and rewards you receive can be worth more or less later than when you received them. Your bitcoin amount stays the same, even if the dollar value may fluctuate. Fold does not provide investment or tax advice. Rewards are subject to Fold's Terms and Conditions.
I had Fold+. What happens now?
Moving forward there are no more membership fees. Fold no longer charges monthly or yearly fees. You keep earning bitcoin. Every eligible purchase with your Fold card earns:
1.5% back in bitcoin with the Fold Bitcoin Credit Card*
0.25% back in bitcoin with the Fold Prepaid Debit Card**
Nothing to cancel, nothing to set up. Just keep using your card.
Your refund is already in your account. We've issued a prorated refund for any remaining time on your membership, straight to your Fold balance. It's yours to use however you like: buy bitcoin, pick up gift cards, or keep it for whatever comes next.
Almost nobody rewards bill pay. With Reserve, we can reward some of the biggest expenses in your life, like your mortgage, rent, and tuition.
Reserve is for money you plan to use across Fold in the near term. It isn't FDIC-insured, and it isn't meant to replace your long-term savings.