A US-issued Visa credit card for customers in the US and 120+ countries
A Canadian money app with a prepaid Mastercard
Halocard is the better choice than KOHO for virtual cards: several independent US-issued cards instead of one Canadian card inside a domestic money app. KOHO's virtual card is a prepaid Mastercard drawn from one Canadian-dollar account, open only to Canadian residents. Halocard is a US-issued Visa credit card for customers in the US and 120+ countries, with 3 to 60 cards by plan, daily, weekly or monthly limits and a billing address you choose on each. KOHO's strengths sit outside the card: cash back, interest and credit building, which make it a strong pick for a Canadian managing everyday money. Halocard has no free plan, but Essential is free with 3 referrals, and every friend you refer earns you $5 or more a month.
The two answer different needs. KOHO is a Canadian money-management app where the card is one feature of a wider account. Halocard exists solely to issue virtual cards, and it does so for users almost anywhere, in a US format Canadian cards cannot match.
| Standalone virtual cards | HalocardYes | KOHONot supported |
|---|---|---|
| Cash back | HalocardNot supported | KOHOUp to 2% |
| Interest on your balance | HalocardNot supported | KOHOUp to 3.5% |
| Credit building | HalocardNot supported | KOHOOptional, paid |
KOHO is a capable personal-finance kit for someone banking day to day in Canada. But when the virtual card itself is the reason you are looking, you are signing up for a whole spending account to reach one card. Halocard hands you virtual cards on their own, with no wider account to run. See how Halocard cards work
| Residents of Canada | HalocardYes | KOHOYes |
|---|---|---|
| Residents of the US, Europe, Asia, Africa or Latin America | HalocardYes | KOHONot supported |
| Card currency | HalocardUSD | KOHOCAD |
KOHO is a domestic product by design: you must be a Canadian resident with a Canadian address to open an account. Someone in Toronto, Vancouver or Montreal can open one; someone in the US, Europe, Asia, Africa or Latin America has no way to. Halocard is a US-issued Visa credit card for customers in the US and 120+ countries. Outside the US? You don't need an SSN, a US address or a US bank account. See supported countries
| Card network | HalocardVisa | KOHOMastercard |
|---|---|---|
| Issued in | HalocardThe US | KOHOCanada |
| Card class | HalocardCredit | KOHOPrepaid |
| Apple Pay and Google Pay | HalocardYes | KOHOYes |
Halocard sits on a US Visa BIN and is classed as a credit product, so it satisfies both the country-of-issue test and the credit-versus-prepaid test that many US platforms enforce. KOHO's virtual card works anywhere Mastercard is accepted online, and through phone wallets in person. Two limits matter here: platforms that decline prepaid cards on subscriptions or recurring billing can balk, and it is Canadian-issued, so US services that screen by card country, or expect a US billing address, will frequently reject it. Check merchant acceptance
| Bank transfer | HalocardUSD, CAD, EUR or GBP | KOHODirect deposit and Interac e-Transfer, in CAD |
|---|---|---|
| Debit or credit card | HalocardVisa, Mastercard | KOHODebit card |
| Cash | HalocardNot supported | KOHOAt Canada Post |
| Stablecoins | HalocardUSDC, USDT | KOHONot supported |
| Crypto | HalocardBTC, ETH, SOL | KOHONot supported |
KOHO funds entirely within the Canadian system: direct deposit, Interac e-Transfer, cash at a Canada Post counter, or a debit-card load, spent from a Canadian-dollar balance. There is no crypto or stablecoin route and no multi-currency balance, and none of it is reachable from outside Canada. Halocard keeps one US-dollar balance you top up by debit/credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, bank transfer, stablecoins, or crypto, including bank transfers in CAD. See how to deposit
| Your own account and routing number | HalocardYes | KOHONot supported |
|---|---|---|
| Receive ACH transfers | Halocard1 to 3 business days | KOHONot supported |
| Receive same-day ACH | HalocardYes | KOHONot supported |
| Receive domestic wires | HalocardThe same day | KOHONot supported |
| Send ACH and wire transfers | HalocardYes | KOHONot supported |
Halocard includes a US bank account with its own account and routing numbers, so you can receive salary, transfers from friends and family, and any other payment you'd send to a US checking account. ACH transfers arrive in 1 to 3 business days and domestic wires the same day, straight into your Halocard balance and ready to spend. KOHO accounts hold Canadian dollars, with Canadian account details for deposits, not US account and routing numbers. Send and receive USD payments
| Cards available | Halocard3 to 60 at once, by plan | KOHO1 personal, plus 1 joint-account card |
|---|---|---|
| Single-use cards | HalocardAnnual plans, from 2 a month | KOHONot supported |
| Separate card for each merchant | HalocardYes | KOHONot supported |
KOHO's model is one durable card tied to your account, with a second for joint spending. That covers a household's everyday needs, but it cannot separate ten merchants onto ten cards. Halocard scales to 60, each independent, which is what makes it workable for subscriptions at volume or ad spend across campaigns. Compare Halocard plans
| Spending limit on each card | HalocardDaily, weekly or monthly | KOHOYour balance |
|---|---|---|
| Lock or unlock a card | HalocardInstant | KOHOInstant |
| Custom billing address | HalocardYes, on each card | KOHONot supported |
KOHO's controls are built for a single account: instant lock and unlock, Face ID or a passcode gating the card details, a separate number for the optional physical card, and a distinct card for a joint account. Halocard's are built around running many cards at once: you can set daily, weekly or monthly limits on each card, lock or cancel any card instantly, and choose the billing address and cardholder name on each card. Set a card's name and address
| Monthly fee | Halocard$12, $15 and $75 a month | KOHOEssential free on annual billing or with direct deposit; Extra CA$12, Everything CA$14.75 |
|---|---|---|
| What the fee buys | HalocardA card product usable worldwide | KOHOCash back, interest and credit-building discounts |
| Referrals pay for your plan | Halocard3 referrals cover Essential | KOHONot supported |
KOHO's free Essential plan is genuinely hard to beat if you want a Canadian spending account with cash back, and the paid plans pay their way through rewards for heavy domestic spenders. It is not a like-for-like match, though: KOHO's fee buys a rewards-earning money app, while Halocard's buys a dedicated card product usable worldwide and on US platforms KOHO cannot reach. Halocard plans are $12, $15 and $75 a month, and Essential is free with 3 referrals. Compare Halocard plans
| Purchases in the card's currency | HalocardNo fee in USD | KOHONo fee in CAD |
|---|---|---|
| Purchases in other currencies | Halocard1.5% + $0.30 | KOHO1.5% on Essential; none on Extra and Everything |
KOHO charges 1.5% on non-Canadian purchases on Essential, and nothing on Extra and Everything. Halocard charges nothing on US-dollar purchases and 1.5% + $0.30 on others, so a US checkout costs nothing extra. See all Halocard fees
| Chat | HalocardYes | KOHOYes, in the app |
|---|---|---|
| HalocardYes | KOHOYes | |
| Phone | HalocardYes | KOHOExtra and Everything |
Halocard answers by chat, email, and phone on every plan. KOHO answers by in-app chat, a chatbot first, and email on every plan, with phone support from 8am to 8pm ET on its paid plans. Visit the help centre
| Company and country | HalocardHalocard LLC, USA | KOHOKOHO Financial Inc., Canada |
|---|---|---|
| Registration or licence | HalocardFinCEN, BSA ID 31000317046430 | KOHOFINTRAC money services business |
| Card issuer | HalocardThird National | KOHOKOHO Financial Inc. |
| Account held at | HalocardSSB, Member FDIC | KOHOCDIC members, if earning interest |
| Founders named | HalocardEdward Taylor | KOHODaniel Eberhard |
| Founded | Halocard2024 | KOHO2014 |
| Trustpilot | Halocard4.2/5 (11 reviews) | KOHO4.5/5 (2,668 reviews) |
KOHO is a well-established Canadian fintech, rated 4.5/5 from 2,668 reviews; only balances opted into interest are held in trust at CDIC members, and it is still pursuing a banking licence. Halocard names its company, card issuer, account bank and founder. About Halocard
Rated 4.5/5 on Trustpilot from 2,668 reviews. The most common complaints:
Users report fraud and scam disputes rejected even after they sent evidence.
KOHO will not support you through…
“KOHO will not support you through fraudulent charges, including scams and phishing incidents.”
It’s really a scam
“I tried to dispute the transaction, I got a police report, and I provided all the information they asked for. … In the end, they refused to dispute the transaction and rejected my claim.”
Complaints about chats bouncing from a chatbot between agents without a fix.
The customer service is attrocious
“I spoke to a chatbot because I couldn't create an account, and obviously it couldn't help me with my particular issue, then I got transfered to an agent that took minutes to respond using ChatGPT prompts. … When I asked to speak to a different agent, I got disconnected.”
Absolutely terrible customer service.
“I spent the entire day dealing with this issue and was transferred between four different agents, receiving conflicting information and repeatedly having to explain the same situation.”
Reports of failed ATM withdrawals and e-Transfers with the money held for weeks.
DO NOT TRUST KOHO WITH YOUR MONEY
“They are currently holding $360 of my hard-earned cash hostage because of an ATM error.”
Etransfer in limbo for 2 weeks
“Transfer has been in limbo for over 2 weeks. … Customer care team admitted it was a technical bug but have had no updates and no timeline.”
KOHO's virtual card comes bundled inside a full Canadian spending account, with cash back, savings and credit tools you take on whether or not you want them. Halocard hands you virtual cards on their own, with no wider account to run and no Canadian residency needed.
KOHO gives a Canadian card to Canadian residents, so it serves nobody abroad and stumbles on US platforms expecting a US card. Halocard is a US-issued Visa credit card for customers in the US and 120+ countries.
KOHO gives you one personal card plus a joint-account card, both pulling from the same balance, with locking as the main lever. Halocard runs up to 60 separate cards, and you can set daily, weekly or monthly limits on each card, lock or cancel any card instantly, and choose the billing address and cardholder name on each card.
Halocard is accepted at Google Ads, Meta Ads, TikTok Ads, and X Ads, OpenAI and Anthropic, and each tool or ad account can have its own card and billing address.
Fund with debit/credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, bank transfer, stablecoins, or crypto, from inside Canada or anywhere else.
You need a Canadian address to open an account, so nobody outside Canada can sign up.
Platforms that decline prepaid cards, or filter by card country, often reject a Canadian-issued card.
One personal card and one joint-account card can't separate subscriptions, vendors or ad accounts.
KOHO cards carry your own Canadian details, which doesn't help where a platform checks for a US billing address.
Even within a strong score, recent reviewers describe chats passed from a chatbot between agents, fraud disputes rejected, and transfers stuck for days.
Halocard is a US-issued Visa credit card for customers in the US and 120+ countries, and its single job is issuing virtual cards. You sign up, add money, and create cards, with no broader account to run and no credit line involved. Halocard works like a debit card: you spend the balance you load, with no credit line and no credit check.
Create cards in seconds from a web browser, set daily, weekly or monthly limits on each card, lock or cancel any card instantly, and choose the billing address and cardholder name on each card. Fund your balance by debit/credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, bank transfer, stablecoins, or crypto. Outside the US? You don't need an SSN, a US address or a US bank account.
KOHO is a Canadian fintech offering a reloadable spending account built around day-to-day money management: cash back on everyday categories like groceries, transport and dining, interest on your balance, an optional paid credit-building subscription, budgeting tools, savings goals and joint accounts. It is not itself a bank, though it is pursuing a federal banking licence, and it says it has 2.5 million+ customers.
Every KOHO account comes with a virtual prepaid Mastercard, available instantly in the app with its own number, expiry and CVV, and usable through Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay. It draws on your loaded balance, and you can add a separate card for a joint account. KOHO is open only to Canadian residents with a Canadian address.
Based on public information as of October 2026 (see Sources above); KOHO's products, fees and terms may change, so check before you decide. Halocard publishes this page and makes one of the products compared, so verdicts and ticks are our opinion. KOHO and its product names are trademarks of their owner, used only to identify its products; Halocard is not affiliated with or endorsed by KOHO. Quoted reviews are verbatim Trustpilot excerpts of individual experiences, not verified by us. Not financial, legal or tax advice.
