Provider profile · 2026 edition
Highnote review 2026: scores, pricing and alternatives.
A US platform combining card issuing, credit, acquiring and money movement, with programme management and in-house KYC and transaction monitoring.
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A US platform combining card issuing, credit, acquiring and money movement, with programme management and in-house KYC and transaction monitoring.
Highnote scores 2.3 out of 5 (46 out of 100) in the Buckingham Intelligence Card Issuing Index 2026 and ranks 10 of 11. It is strongest for US firms wanting debit, credit, charge and prepaid on one platform, with 5 out of 5 for card range. Not published or not stated on the pages read: pricing, issuing countries, integration, regulatory standing and programme support.
Scores from the Card Issuing Index 2026.
| Segment | Score out of 100 | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| For fintechs and e-money firms | 48 | 9 of 11 |
| For expense and B2B payment platforms | 42 | 10 of 11 |
| For banks and lenders | 47 | 9 of 11 |
The score out of 5 is the overall score out of 100 divided by 20. Leader goes to the top three overall, Best for to the first in each segment, and Top rated for to a score of 5 out of 5 on a criterion. Awards cannot be bought.
Where it scores best, and where to check closely, as shown in each ranking.
US firms wanting debit, credit, charge and prepaid on one platform.
What Highnote publishes on its own pages, read on 26 October 2026.
A US platform combining card issuing, credit, acquiring and money movement, with programme management and in-house KYC and transaction monitoring. It publishes a test environment and dashboard sign-up. It does not publish prices, issuing countries, its sponsor bank or security certifications on the pages read.
| Fact | What the provider publishes |
|---|---|
| Card range | "Virtual, physical, and tokenized digital cards"; debit, credit, prepaid, fleet and virtual cards; templates for consumer and commercial credit, charge and prepaid. Blog: "supports debit, credit, charge, and prepaid in a single system". |
| Pricing | Not published on the pages read. |
| Issuing countries | Not published; the pages read refer only to US regulators and US state licences. |
| Integration | GraphQL API and SDKs; a Test environment for simulating transactions; account creation through the Dashboard sign-up page. No launch time published. |
| Regulatory standing | Highnote Payments, Inc. "is registered as a Money Services Business with FinCEN" and is pursuing state money transmitter licences, operating "pursuant to a bank sponsorship model" meanwhile; bank not named. PCI DSS and SOC 2 not stated on the pages read. |
| Programme support | "End-to-end card program management"; in-house teams handle KYC and KYB, transaction monitoring, daily reconciliation and settlement. |
| Date read | 26 October 2026 |
A fact that is not published is scored as not offered or, for a fee, as if it were high. It is never estimated.
Facts read on 26 October 2026 from: docs.highnote.com/docs/issuing/about-issuing, docs.highnote.com/docs/get-started/…, highnote.com/blog/…, highnote.com/blog/…, docs.highnote.com/docs/get-started/….
Each score with the evidence behind it.
Each criterion is scored 0 to 5 against the best published offer in the Card Issuing Index. 0 means not offered or not published. How it is scored
The other providers in the same ranking, ordered by score.
| Provider | Score out of 5 | Rank | Strongest for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe Issuing | 4.3 | 1 of 11 | Platforms wanting published prices and self-serve launch |
| Marqeta | 3.1 | 2 of 11 | Large programmes needing high volumes across many countries |
| Nium | 3.0 | 3 of 11 | Travel and B2B platforms issuing in Asia Pacific, Europe and the US |
| Enfuce | 3.0 | 4 of 11 | UK and EEA programmes wanting issuing and BIN sponsorship from one firm |
| Lithic | 2.9 | 5 of 11 | Developers wanting a self-serve sandbox and full programme management |
| Paymentology | 2.8 | 6 of 11 | Banks and fintechs in emerging markets across many countries |
| Airwallex | 2.5 | 7 of 11 | Platforms wanting multi-currency cards across many countries |
| Thredd | 2.5 | 8 of 11 | Programmes with their own issuer needing wide country coverage |
| Galileo (SoFi Tech Solutions) | 2.4 | 9 of 11 | North and Latin American programmes wanting a stated launch time |
| Adyen Issuing | 2.2 | 11 of 11 | Platforms already using Adyen for payments in Europe, the UK and US |
Side by side on every criterion, fact and award.
Head-to-head comparisons cover pairs within the top five of each ranking. Highnote is compared with its alternatives in the table above.
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