What to Know
- Pudgy Penguins launched the Pengu Visa Card with KAST for global crypto spending
- Users can pay with crypto or stablecoins at 150M+ merchants and earn up to 12% rewards
- Card comes in Standard, Black, and Gold tiers with waitlist and referral access
Pudgy Penguins has announced a big move into everyday payments with the launch of the new Pengu Visa Card. The card is built in partnership with Visa Inc. and crypto finance app KAST. It allows users to spend crypto and stablecoins directly at more than 150 million merchants around the world, while also earning rewards and yield on their balance. The team says this launch marks Pengu’s entry into consumer finance, going beyond NFTs and crypto culture into daily spending and retail use.
What Is the Pengu Visa Card?
The Pengu Visa Card is a payment card that lets users pay using their crypto or stablecoin balance instead of converting to cash first. That means users can swipe and pay directly from their crypto wallet without sending funds to a centralized exchange to convert.
According to the announcement, the card will work anywhere Visa is accepted globally. Users can earn up to 12% in rewards and up to 7% yield depending on the card tier and balance. Pudgy Penguins shared the news on social media, calling it a step toward being part of people’s everyday spending and earning habits. A launch party was also held in Hong Kong to celebrate the rollout.
Card Tiers and Reward Structure
The Pengu Visa Card will be offered in three different tiers:
- Pengu Standard Card – base level with lower rewards (around 6%)
- Pengu Black Card – higher benefits and reward rates
- Pengu Gold Card – top tier with up to 12% rewards
Users must first join a waitlist. After joining, they receive a unique referral code. People who invite more friends move higher on the leaderboard. The top 10 referrers will receive a free Pengu Black Card. The company said the waitlist will stay open for a few weeks. A virtual card will launch first, followed later by a physical card.
How Users Can Apply
To become eligible for the Pengu Card, users need to:
- Create an account on the KAST app
- Complete account verification
- Deposit funds
- Join the Pengu Card waitlist
- Share their referral code
Early users have already started testing payments. Aaron Teng, CEO of Igloo APAC, posted a video showing what he called the “first Pengu card payment,” highlighting that the product is already in live use testing.
Token Reaction
The launch also had an impact on the Pengu token price. PENGU is trading around $0.0063 as of the time of writing, rising roughly 7% in 24 hours, while its trading volume jumped 56%. On Coinbase, $PENGU volume spiked 179.13% in a 15-minute window, confirming strong buyer interest. The price is rebounding from multi-week lows. The immediate trigger is the card news. If the token holds above the $0.006 support level, the next resistance is near $0.007–$0.008.
Why This Launch Matters
Crypto payment cards are not new, but Pudgy Penguins entering this space is notable because it shows how NFT and community brands are expanding into traditional finance tools.
By working with Visa and KAST, Pudgy Penguins is trying to bridge crypto and everyday shopping. The promise of direct crypto spending, strong rewards, and yield could attract both existing crypto users and new customers. The success of the Pengu Visa Card will depend on how smoothly onboarding works and how many users adopt it after launch. But for now, it marks one of the biggest utility pushes yet from the Pudgy Penguins brand.
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