- Standard ($0 a year): 1.5% USD cashback on the first $2,000 of card spend a month, so at most $30 a month. No KAST Points.
- Premium ($1,000 a year): 2% on the first $10,000 a month, at most $200, plus 1% in KAST Points.
- Private ($10,000 a year): 3% on the first $40,000 a month, at most $1,200, plus 2% in KAST Points.
- Paid tiers: on cashback alone, Premium only beats Standard from about $5,670 of card spend a month.
- Cashback is spend-only: you redeem it in the app and it pays for later card purchases. It can't be withdrawn, and it doesn't expire.
KAST cashback rates and monthly caps
KAST's cashback rewards article (updated 2026-09-18) and its fees and conditions article (updated 2026-10-12), both checked 2026-10-13, list the same three tiers. The cap is a monthly spend cap: card spend above it earns no USD cashback that month.
| Tier | Annual fee | USD cashback | Monthly spend cap | Max cashback per month | KAST Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | $0 | 1.5% | $2,000 | $30 | None |
| Premium | $1,000 | 2% | $10,000 | $200 | +1% in points |
| Private | $10,000 | 3% | $40,000 | $1,200 | +2% in points |
The maximums are our arithmetic: 1.5% of $2,000 is $30, 2% of $10,000 is $200, and 3% of $40,000 is $1,200. Over a year that is at most $360, $2,400 and $14,400 of USD cashback before fees.
What earns nothing: ATM withdrawals, cash advances, money transfers, quasi-cash, fees, and refunded or reversed purchases. Eligibility follows the merchant category code (MCC), and cashback on a refunded purchase can be clawed back. The KAST Card review lists the excluded categories in more detail.
Boosted days: since 1 September 2026 KAST's help centre has described a daily Rock Paper Scissors game in the app. A win doubles your tier's cashback rate for 24 hours, within the same caps and exclusions.
When does a paid tier pay for itself?
This counts USD cashback only and leaves KAST Points out, because Points have no published cash value. The arithmetic is ours, from KAST's published rates.
- Premium vs Standard. Premium costs $1,000 / 12 = about $83.33 a month. Above $2,000 of spend, Standard is stuck at $30, so Premium has to earn $30 + $83.33 = $113.33 a month to come out ahead. At 2%, that is $113.33 / 0.02 = about $5,670 of card spend a month.
- Private vs Standard. Private costs $10,000 / 12 = about $833.33 a month. Private has to earn $30 + $833.33 = $863.33, and at 3% that is $863.33 / 0.03 = about $28,800 a month.
- Private vs Premium. The fee gap is $9,000 a year, or $750 a month. Above $10,000 Premium is capped at $200, so Private has to earn $200 + $750 = $950. At 3% that is $950 / 0.03 = about $31,670 a month.
If you count Points at face value, the Premium breakeven falls to about $3,780 a month (3% of $3,780 is about $113), but Points are not cash. Using the referral discount on the first year (below), Premium costs $900, so the first-year breakeven is ($30 + $75) / 0.02 = $5,250 a month; Private costs $9,000, so ($30 + $750) / 0.03 = $26,000 a month. From the second year, the full fee applies.
For most people that makes Standard the sensible tier for cashback: 1.5% on up to $2,000 a month with no annual fee.
KAST Points: no standard token launch
KAST's KAST Points article (updated 2026-09-10, checked 2026-10-13) says KAST "is no longer planning a standard token launch for points" and is exploring a different structure, targeted for Q4 2026. Until that structure is published, do not value Points as a future token or an airdrop.
Our arithmetic from those figures: at 125 points per $1,000, earning 25,000 points takes $200,000 of Premium card spend; at 250 points per $1,000, earning 250,000 points takes $1,000,000 of Private card spend. Treat Points as a slow membership discount, not as part of your cashback.
How to redeem KAST cashback (and the can't-withdraw rule)
- Cashback is credited in US dollars to your Rewards balance when the card purchase is authorised. It starts locked; KAST's rewards article mentions a 14-day lock period.
- Redemption is manual: once it unlocks, tap Redeem in the app. The amount is used first on your next card purchases.
- It can't be withdrawn to a bank or an external wallet. It can only be spent through KAST.
- You need at least $0.10 in your main balance for redeemed cashback to apply.
- Cashback doesn't expire.
Source: How Do Cashback Rewards Work on KAST? (updated 2026-09-18, checked 2026-10-13). In practice, KAST cashback is a discount on future KAST card spending, so it is worth most to people who keep using the card.
FX costs that eat into cashback
USD card spend has no FX fee. Spending in any other currency adds a 0.5–1.75% FX fee on top of the live exchange rate, depending on your country of residence, where the purchase happens and the card program. Non-USD purchases under $25 also cost $0.10, and a purchase declined for insufficient balance costs $0.50 (fees and conditions, updated 2026-10-12).
| Non-USD purchase on Standard | 1.5% cashback | FX at 0.5% | FX at 1.75% | Net |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $20 (under $25, so +$0.10) | $0.30 | $0.10 + $0.10 | $0.35 + $0.10 | +$0.10 to −$0.15 |
| $100 | $1.50 | $0.50 | $1.75 | +$1.00 to −$0.25 |
| $1,000 | $15.00 | $5.00 | $17.50 | +$10.00 to −$2.50 |
Our arithmetic from KAST's published rates. At the top of the FX range, Standard's 1.5% does not cover the fee; on Premium (2%) and Private (3%) the cashback rate stays above 1.75%, but the annual fee still has to be covered. When a terminal offers to charge you "in USD", decline and pay in the local currency: KAST warns that third-party conversions often cost more. The KAST card fees guide covers deposits, ATMs and transfers.
KAST Reserve is a separate way to earn
Cashback comes from spending. The USD Reserve Account pays a promotional reward on USD you leave in it: on the KAST Reserve page (checked 2026-10-13), Standard 8%, Premium 10% on the first $50,000 and Private 12% on the first $200,000, with 8% above the cap. On 2026-10-13 the app said 8% "until mid-2027", returning to 4% after, while the Reserve terms still say through 31 December 2026 or until total reserves reach $100 million. Reserve is not a deposit and has no deposit insurance.
For scale (our arithmetic, at the current promotional rate): $2,000 held in Reserve on Standard at 8% earns about $160 a year, while Standard's cashback is at most $360 a year. The two stack, and you can spend from Reserve with the card. The KAST Reserve guide explains the end-date conflict.
10% off a paid membership with a referral code
If you decide a paid tier is worth it, KAST's help centre (updated 2026-09-24) says a referred user gets 10% off their first membership: $100 off Premium or $1,000 off Private. The KAST referral code guide explains where to enter the code and what to confirm at checkout. Standard is free, so the discount only matters if you upgrade.
Advertising disclosure: the KAST button is our referral link, and we may be paid if you sign up. It does not change the cashback or fees described here.
FAQ
How much cashback does the KAST card pay?
By tier: Standard (free) pays 1.5% on the first $2,000 of card spend a month, so at most $30; Premium ($1,000 a year) pays 2% on the first $10,000, at most $200, plus 1% in KAST Points; Private ($10,000 a year) pays 3% on the first $40,000, at most $1,200, plus 2% in KAST Points. Checked on KAST's help centre on 2026-10-13.
Is KAST Premium worth it just for cashback?
Only for heavy card spenders. Counting USD cashback only, Premium beats the free Standard tier from about $5,670 of card spend a month, Private beats Standard from about $28,800 a month and beats Premium from about $31,670 a month. KAST Points are left out because they have no published cash value. This is our arithmetic from KAST's published rates.
Can I withdraw KAST cashback to my bank or wallet?
No. KAST's cashback article (updated 2026-09-18) says cashback is redeemed manually in the app and can only be spent through KAST; it cannot be withdrawn to a bank or external wallet. It does not expire, and you need at least $0.10 in your main balance for redeemed cashback to apply.
Will KAST Points become a token?
KAST's Points article (updated 2026-09-10) says KAST is no longer planning a standard token launch for points and is exploring a different structure targeted for Q4 2026. Today Points can be redeemed for membership: 25,000 points for Premium and 250,000 points for Private.