Ready Card, a Starknet-based USDC▼$0.9997 card, drew backlash after giving non-EEA users one hour before card deactivation.
Ready Card users complained that the USDC card’s sudden non-EEA shutdown showed how much crypto payment products still depend on traditional card issuers.
The incident has turned a small card-service disruption into a wider debate over whether self-custody wallets can promise decentralization while relying on centralized payment rails.
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A notice shared by users on X said Ready Card would be deactivated “within the next hour” because of changes made by its card provider, mainly affecting cards used outside the European Economic Area.
“Your account and assets are safe,” the notice said, adding that these changes “only affect your Ready Card.”
Ready also said it would automatically refund remaining months of card subscriptions within 10 business days and would contact users when it had updates on its card offering.
Read Card’s One-Hour Notice Draws Complaints
Tristyn Pawson, a crypto user posting under the handle @CryptoGuyTris, said on X that thousands of Ready users had been given a one-hour warning before their cards were shut down:
“Oh the irony, today thousands of Ready users were given a 1 hour wanring before their cards were shut down. Sure, assets are safe and transferrable, but it ultimately proves that these accounts are not as decentralized as we’re promised.”
Although Ready’s card may be tied to a self-custody crypto wallet, spending through Mastercard still depends on issuing partners, compliance rules and access to card networks.
Ready (formerly known as Argent) is a Starknet-linked crypto wallet project whose card lets users spend USDC anywhere Mastercard is accepted.
Ready’s support materials say card identity checks are handled by Kulipa, a Paris-registered card issuer, and that only USDC on Starknet can be spent through the card.
As of press time, Ready issued no public comments on the matter.
