How a dollar card works
- The money sits in your dollar balance (you receive in dollars or convert reais for 0.5%).
- Each purchase debits that dollar balance, with no new conversion.
- The card is international: accepted at millions of stores, contactless, Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Reais card vs dollar card
With a Brazilian credit card, every purchase abroad adds 3.5% IOF (Decree 12.499/2025) and the bank spread, which can reach 7%, a total of 4% to over 10%. A dollar card, funded with your USD balance, removes most of that.
What you pay with Ruvo
Receiving dollars, fiat (via ACH) or digital, is free, with instant access, and spending that dollar balance on the card is free too: 0% IOF and 0% spread (1% on other currencies). The only cost appears if you need to convert reais to digital dollars: 0.5%, at the commercial rate. If you already earn in dollars, you pay nothing to receive or to spend. For the full fee breakdown, see international card fees.
Why digital dollars don’t pay IOF
IOF applies to foreign-exchange operations, converting reais into a foreign currency, and to international card purchases (3.5%). With Ruvo, you use digital dollars (dollar-backed stablecoins): adding funds and spending from that dollar balance isn’t the traditional FX operation that triggers the card IOF, so IOF stays at 0%. Note that rules for digital assets are evolving in Brazil; Ruvo tracks the changes, and it’s always worth confirming the current rules.
Where a dollar card pays off most
- Travel: hotels, restaurants, transport and shopping abroad.
- Software & subscriptions: work tools, AI, streaming and apps billed in dollars.
- Ads: Meta, Google and other media platforms.
- International online shopping: foreign stores charging in dollars or another currency.
How to get started
- Open the account with your CPF (or company, for a business).
- Add dollars, via Pix (0.5% to convert) or by receiving directly in dollars.
- Use the virtual card right away; the physical card ships on request (handy for hotels and car rentals).
- Spend contactless, with Apple Pay or Google Pay.
Tips to spend smarter
- Always pay in the local currency. Abroad, when the terminal asks whether to charge in dollars or the local currency, choose the local currency: the terminal's own markup can run 10% to 20% and is outside Ruvo's control, while Ruvo converts at 1% on non-dollar purchases. In the US, the card is charged in dollars, the local currency.
- Keep balance for pre-authorizations. Hotels and car rentals hold a larger amount as a deposit; it is released later.
- Control in the app. Set spending limits and lock or freeze the card whenever you want.
| Cost factor | Ruvo dollar card | Brazilian credit card |
|---|---|---|
| IOF on purchases | 0% | 3.5% |
| FX spread | 0% (dollar purchases) | 3% to 7% |
| Total cost on dollar purchases | ~0% | ~4% to 10.5% |
| Load from reais | 0.5% at commercial rate | 3% to 7% (tourist rate) |
| Pix payout from balance | Yes — any Pix key | Not available |
| Spend the dollar balance | Free | — |
Sources
- Decree 12.499/2025, IOF on international cards — Planalto
- IOF on international travel, what changed (CRCSP)
- Central Bank and stablecoins: the IOF landscape for digital assets (InfoMoney)
Updated on October 7, 2026
This content is for information only and is not financial or tax advice. How we write
