KAST Discloses Rewards Subsidies As Card Offers Set Limits

KAST's August Reserve company press release identifies a direct subsidy: the company says its revenues and corporate balance sheet fund the rewards.

A comparison of KAST, Bleap and Bybit's documents available on 2nd November 2026 shows that advertised percentages apply to different balances, spending categories and reward types.

KAST's Reserve Cap Measures Balances

At Reserve's August launch, KAST advertised rewards ranging from 6% to 12% across membership tiers. It said rates would fall in January 2027 to a range of 4% to 8%. Those figures describe the launch offer. Its Reserve terms say the promotional period ends on 31st December 2026 or when total funds in Reserve accounts reach $100 million, whichever happens first.

The $100 million threshold therefore measures customer balances in the product. It is not a commitment to spend $100 million on rewards, and it cannot establish the subsidy's cost without the balances, rates and time each customer qualifies.

Those terms describe rewards as discretionary and variable, with the rate able to fall to zero. They also state that Reserve has no deposit insurance.

The AI Card Has A Separate Funding Promise

KAST's AI Card Cashback Programme terms name KAST as the sole funder, excluding any funding or guarantee obligation for the card issuer or card network. This is a separate promotional programme from Reserve.

Schedule B sets progressive cashback bands: 10% on the first $1,000 of monthly eligible spending, then 3% on the next $4,000 and zero above $5,000. At exactly $5,000 of fully eligible spending, the stated bands produce $220: $100 plus $120. That is 4.4% across that amount, rather than 10% on the entire payment total.

Eligibility requires both the merchant name and its merchant category code, the classification attached to a card payment, to match KAST's approved list. The reward is provisionally credited before becoming redeemable and remains subject to refund and reversal rules. AI-card transactions earn USD cashback and no KAST Points. The general terms treat cash rewards and points separately; points have no intrinsic cash value.

Bleap's Payment Caps Change The Headline Amount

Bleap's cashback terms specify that fair usage caps apply to eligible payment amounts unless stated otherwise. Its default 1% rate has a €3,000 monthly eligible-payment cap and a €500 cap per transaction. The monthly default bucket can therefore produce up to the equivalent of €30, assuming payments also satisfy the transaction cap and other conditions.

Its listed 20% ChatGPT offer applies to at most €30 of eligible payments a month, producing up to the equivalent of €6. This is a different offer from the default rate, rather than a 20% return on every purchase. Cashback is credited after settlement in USDC, Circle's token designed to follow the US dollar. Refunds can trigger recovery of the reward, including an obligation to repay if the account lacks sufficient funds.

Our USDC explainer covers the token’s backing and routes for converting it into money.

Our OnePay deposit report examines a separate payment product that converts incoming USDC into a dollar checking balance.

Bybit Makes Funding Eligibility Part Of The Offer

Bybit's September notice restricted card cashback to eligible cryptocurrency-funded transactions from 5th October 2026. It also removed the 100% eligible-subscription benefit for non-VIP Tier 2 Beta users while retaining it for VIP users in that tier, subject to terms.

Neither Bleap's cashback terms nor Bybit's notice and rewards FAQ identify a financing source equivalent to KAST's Reserve disclosure. These documents describe the offers and their conditions, without providing audited costs or profitability.

Bybit's FAQ, updated on 30th October, describes points, tier caps and redemption into the selected coin. It says that when a refunded transaction's points have already been used, their equivalent value is deducted from the account. The refund does not restore room under the monthly points cap.