Cake Pay: spend crypto on gift cards
Cake Pay is Cake's gift card and prepaid card shop, built into Cake Wallet's Apps tab and also available at cakepay.com. You sign in with only an email address, pay with Bitcoin (on-chain or Lightning), Litecoin (including MWEB), Monero or Zcash, and receive the card code by email, usually within an hour. Purchases are limited to $5,000 per day.
Cake Pay turns crypto into spending power at ordinary shops. Instead of selling coins to a bank account, you buy a gift card or prepaid card at face value and receive the code by email. It launched in Cake Wallet version 4.4.4 in August 2022 and Cake says it now covers more than 150,000 merchants (Cake Pay docs, 2026). It is run by the same company as Cake Wallet; we are independent and have no affiliate arrangement with it.
Key facts (October 2026)
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Where | Apps tab in Cake Wallet, or cakepay.com typed into your browser |
| Products | Gift cards and prepaid cards, catalogue by country |
| Account | Email address and a one-time code; no name, no ID |
| Coins | Bitcoin (on-chain; Lightning on software wallets), Litecoin (on-chain; MWEB when enabled), Monero, Zcash |
| Limit | Up to $5,000 per user per day; other limits may apply |
| Price | Face value plus a very small crypto conversion fee |
| Delivery | By email, most within about an hour, rarely up to a business day or longer |
| Refunds | Case by case; not all orders are eligible |
Which coins you can pay with
The payment options depend on which wallet is open. The app's code offers Bitcoin and, for wallets whose keys are on the phone, Lightning; Litecoin and, when MWEB is enabled, MWEB; Monero; and Zcash. Ethereum, Solana, Tron and other wallets have no payment option, so you would need to switch wallets or swap first (Cake Pay docs, 2026). Lightning is not offered for hardware wallet accounts.
Paying from MWEB or Monero keeps the payment private on-chain. Paying on-chain with Bitcoin or ordinary Litecoin is visible on the public blockchain, like any other payment. See Litecoin MWEB and Lightning.
How to buy a card
- Open the wallet you will pay from and let it sync.
- Go to the Apps tab and open Cake Pay.
- Choose the country where you will redeem the card. Choose it honestly: cards and stock differ by country and a card for the wrong country may not work.
- Browse the catalogue. You can look without an account.
- To buy, sign in with your email and enter the code sent to it.
- Choose a card and an amount, tap to purchase, and pay the exact invoice amount from your wallet before the "Offer expires in" timer runs out.
- Save the order ID. The code and redemption link arrive by email.
Privacy
Cake Pay asks for "no name, no ID", only an email address, which it uses to deliver codes and for support (Cake Pay docs, 2026). That is far less than a bank or exchange would ask. It is not anonymous, though:
- Your email address links your orders together. A separate address used only for Cake Pay keeps them apart from the rest of your life.
- The merchant may ask for personal details when you redeem or register a card, especially for prepaid cards.
- Your IP address is visible to Cake Pay unless you use Tor or a VPN. Cake Wallet's docs note that a VPN or Tor can stop the verification email or catalogue from loading, so you may need to switch it off.
Fees and pricing
Cards are sold at face value "with a very small fee added to cover cryptocurrency conversion costs", and the conversion between fiat and crypto can make prices shown differ slightly, under 1% (Cake Pay docs, 2026). No exact percentage is published. You also pay the network fee for your payment, which on Bitcoin on-chain can matter for small cards. The app notes that some cards are available at a discount. More on all costs in Cake Wallet fees.
If a card does not arrive
- Allow time for your payment to confirm, then for delivery. The app says the card "should be sent to your e-mail within 1 business day".
- Search your email, including spam and other tabs.
- Check whether the card must be activated on the merchant's site and that you are redeeming in the country you selected.
- If you paid but nothing arrived, contact Cake Pay support through live chat on cakepay.com or at [email protected], from the same email address as the order, with the order ID and the transaction ID.
- If a Monero payment shows
Error: Exception, Cake Wallet's docs suggest waiting until your previous Monero transaction appears and trying again.
Crypto payments cannot be reversed, so send the exact invoice amount. Support never needs your seed phrase.
Avoiding Cake Pay scams
Gift cards are a favourite payment method for scammers because they are hard to reverse. Never buy a card because someone you met online, a "support agent" or a "tax office" tells you to and asks for the code. Treat a card code like cash: share it only with the merchant where you redeem it. Reach Cake Pay only through the Apps tab or by typing cakepay.com yourself, not through links in messages.
Is Cake Pay worth using?
| Good for | Less good for |
|---|---|
| Spending crypto without a bank account or exchange | Large amounts, given the $5,000 daily limit |
| Email-only sign-up | Countries with a small catalogue |
| Paying from Monero, MWEB or Lightning | Merchants that require registration or ID at redemption |
Frequently asked questions
What is Cake Pay?
Cake Pay is a gift card and prepaid card shop for more than 150,000 merchants, built into Cake Wallet's Apps tab and also at cakepay.com, paid with crypto.
Which coins does Cake Pay accept?
Bitcoin (on-chain, and Lightning on software wallets), Litecoin (including MWEB when enabled), Monero and Zcash.
Do I need ID for Cake Pay?
No. You sign in with an email address only. Some merchants may ask for details when you redeem a card.
What is the Cake Pay limit?
Up to $5,000 per user per day, and other limits may apply.
How long does a Cake Pay card take?
Most codes arrive by email within about an hour. Rarely it can take a business day or longer.
Can I get a refund from Cake Pay?
Refunds are case by case. Contact Cake Pay support from your order email with the order ID and transaction ID.