Holders of a Revolut account can now create a custom design for their payment cards. Users can use images, text, emojis, or create a sketch inside the Revolut app. The designs are engraved on cards for Revolut Metal plan subscribers or printed in black and white on regular plastic cards for all other plans.

Revolut’s custom design option is the latest in a series of initiatives that digital-first banks have implemented to match new customers’ expectations. Germany’s N26 has chosen a different path by turning their cards into a full-on design statement. Users can only select a series of color options. Still, the whole card activation experience has been re-engineered to resemble a refined lifestyle product's unboxing rather than a boring banking device. 

Both Revolut and N26’s design choices reflect a new trend in how cards are used and perceived by customers. With the digitalization of payment systems brought forward by Apple Pay and Google Pay, credit cards have found themselves in an interesting limbo. The physical item still holds its value but is paired with a digital equivalent with the same functionalities. Paired with the lean card management systems developed by digital-first banks, this has allowed designers to explore new design solutions, bridging the gap between the real-world item and its virtual surrogate.