Overview
- Tuyo rolled out a Visa debit card that runs on the USDC stablecoin and sometimes waives purchases through an in-house algorithm.
- The company said it waived charges on more than 1,700 transactions soon after launch in what it frames as a satisfaction algorithm rather than a game of chance.
- Tuyo does not publish odds for a free purchase and its terms say waivers are discretionary and can be revoked at any time.
- Legal and consumer advocates, including fintech attorney Ariel Givner, warn the unpredictable rewards mirror casino mechanics that can encourage overspending.
- Users hold USDC in a self-custodied wallet and spend like with a standard debit card with no credit or overdrafts, and the app layers a TUYOs points program with seasonal multipliers.