What is Pluton (PLU) Crypto Coin? A Clear Breakdown of Its Use, Supply, and Real-World Value
Pluton (PLU) isn’t another Bitcoin clone. It doesn’t aim to replace banks or disrupt global finance. Instead, it does something far more specific-and oddly practical. It’s a loyalty token built into a payment app that lets you earn cash back in crypto when you spend Bitcoin or Ether. If you’ve ever collected airline miles or got 2% back on your credit card, Pluton works like that… but entirely on blockchain.
How Pluton Actually Works
Pluton isn’t a standalone network. It’s an ERC-20 token running on Ethereum. That means it’s not mined or validated on its own blockchain. It lives inside Ethereum’s system, just like hundreds of other tokens. But here’s the twist: Pluton only has real value if you use the Plutus app.The Plutus app lets you load it with Bitcoin or Ether. Then, when you pay at any store with a contactless card reader, you tap your phone like you would with Apple Pay. Simple. But here’s where Pluton kicks in: every time you deposit Bitcoin into the app to make a purchase, you automatically earn 3% back in Pluton tokens.
Those tokens don’t sit idle. You can use them right away to pay for your next purchase. No exchange. No conversion fees. No waiting. If you spend $100 in Bitcoin, you get 3 PLU back. You then use those 3 PLU to pay for coffee tomorrow. That’s it. No middleman. No bank. Just crypto in, crypto out-with a little extra.
Supply and Circulation: The Numbers Don’t Add Up
Pluton has a maximum supply of 20 million tokens. That’s fixed. But here’s where things get messy.According to CoinGecko, only about 11 million PLU are circulating right now. MarketBeat says the number is closer to 1.8 million-but they admit it’s unverified. Even the total supply is disputed: CoinGecko says 14 million are in circulation, while MarketBeat claims the full 20 million were created at launch.
Why the confusion? Because 95.75% of the total supply is locked in a smart contract that releases tokens only as users earn them through spending. That’s not a reserve. It’s not a team wallet. It’s a rebate engine. Every time someone uses Bitcoin to pay with Plutus, the system mints new PLU as a reward. So the circulating supply grows slowly, tied directly to app usage.
As of March 2025, the market cap hovered between $6.9 million and $16.8 million, depending on the source. That’s tiny compared to major coins. Pluton ranked #2022 on CoinGecko. Its price fluctuated between $0.60 and $0.83. That’s a far cry from its all-time high of $32.76 in January 2018. Since then, it’s lost over 98% of its peak value.
Where You Can Buy and Store Pluton
You won’t find Pluton on every exchange. It’s not a mainstream coin. The biggest trading volume happens on Coinbase Exchange, where the PLU/USD pair accounts for over $1 million in daily trades. KuCoin and Uniswap V3 (Ethereum) also list it.To hold Pluton, you need an Ethereum-compatible wallet. That includes:
- Software wallets: Atomic Wallet, Jaxx, Coinomi
- Hardware wallets: Ledger Nano X, TREZOR
- Plutus’s own wallet app
Don’t store PLU on an exchange unless you’re actively trading. Use a wallet you control. Since it’s an ERC-20 token, any wallet that supports Ethereum tokens can hold it.
Why Pluton Is Different (And Why It’s Limited)
Most cryptocurrencies try to be everything: money, smart contracts, decentralized apps. Pluton doesn’t. It’s a single-purpose tool. Think of it like a loyalty card that only works at one store chain-but that store chain lets you pay with crypto.That’s its strength and its weakness.
Strength: If you already use Bitcoin to pay for groceries, Pluton gives you instant, zero-fee cash back. No waiting for a bank transfer. No hidden fees. You earn and spend in the same system. It’s a closed loop that rewards usage.
Weakness: If no one uses the Plutus app, Pluton has no value. It doesn’t work on Amazon, PayPal, or your local hardware store unless they’re integrated with Plutus. And as of 2026, merchant adoption is still narrow. There’s no data showing big brands using it. No enterprise deals. No partnerships. Just individual users.
Compare that to Bitcoin or Ethereum. They’re used everywhere. Pluton is used… well, wherever Plutus is used. And that’s not many places.
Performance and Market Sentiment
Over the past week in early 2026, Pluton rose 4.4%. That’s better than the overall crypto market, which only climbed 0.8%. But it lagged behind Ethereum-specific tokens, which jumped 12.7%. That tells you something: Pluton isn’t riding the wave of Ethereum’s growth. It’s stuck in its own lane.There’s no clear roadmap. No major updates announced. No team interviews or product launches. The last major update was years ago. The token’s design is simple: earn 3% when you spend Bitcoin, spend it again. That’s it.
Investors who bought PLU at its peak in 2018 are still underwater. Newcomers buying at $0.65 are betting on one thing: that more people will start using Plutus. And that’s a big bet.
Who Is Pluton For?
Pluton isn’t for speculators. It’s not for DeFi traders. It’s not for hodlers waiting for a 100x.It’s for people who:
- Already use Bitcoin or Ether for everyday spending
- Wish they got cash back on those purchases
- Don’t mind using a single app to manage rewards
- Prefer earning crypto rewards instead of airline miles
If you’re the type of person who checks your credit card rewards monthly, Pluton might make sense. If you’re looking for a coin that’ll explode in value, you’re looking in the wrong place.
Final Thoughts
Pluton (PLU) is a quiet experiment. It’s not flashy. It doesn’t have a whitepaper full of buzzwords. It doesn’t promise to change the world. It just tries to make spending crypto a little more rewarding.Its value is tied entirely to the Plutus app’s success. No app growth? No token growth. Simple as that. And right now, the app isn’t exploding. The trading volume is low. The community is quiet. The price is a shadow of its past.
But if you’re already using crypto to pay for coffee, and you want to earn something back, Pluton might be worth a look. Just don’t expect it to make you rich. It’s not designed for that.
Think of it as crypto cash back. Not a revolution. Just a small, smart perk.
13 Comments
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sabeer ibrahim
February 7, 2026 AT 15:34And don't even get me started on the supply numbers. 11M? 1.8M? 20M? Someone's clearly not auditing their own smart contract. CoinGecko's data is garbage.
Kieren Hagan
February 9, 2026 AT 11:46sachin bunny
February 11, 2026 AT 08:51Bro the whole thing is a pyramid scheme disguised as a rewards app. 95% of tokens locked? That means the devs are holding back supply to manipulate price. When they finally dump it? 💥
And don't trust CoinGecko. They're owned by Big Finance. They want you to think this is real. It's not. It's a distraction. 🕵️♂️💎
Olivette Petersen
February 11, 2026 AT 16:38It's not about becoming a millionaire. It's about making crypto feel useful in your daily life. That’s the real win. I’ve been using it for coffee, groceries, even my Netflix subscription. The 3% adds up. And honestly? It’s the first time I’ve felt like crypto actually works for me-not against me. 💪
Michelle Anderson
February 11, 2026 AT 20:21Kyle Pearce-O'Brien
February 13, 2026 AT 11:02Pluton is the financial equivalent of a fidget spinner: trendy for 3 weeks, then forgotten. The fact that it’s built on Ethereum is both its lifeline and its coffin-gas fees eat the 3% reward for small transactions. And don’t even get me started on the ‘closed loop’ rhetoric. It’s not a loop-it’s a dead end. 🤓✨
Molly Andrejko
February 14, 2026 AT 18:47So many crypto projects scream ‘revolution’ while ignoring actual human behavior. Pluton doesn’t try to change the world. It just tries to make one small part of it easier for people who are already doing the work. That’s humble. That’s rare. And honestly? That’s more valuable than another NFT project with a Discord server full of bots.
orville matibag
February 16, 2026 AT 15:07It’s not glamorous. But it works. And that’s more than I can say for 90% of the coins on my portfolio.
Mendy H
February 17, 2026 AT 17:10Michael Sullivan
February 19, 2026 AT 14:543% back? Try 3% after gas fees. Try 3% when your wallet charges $5 to send it. Try 3% when no one accepts it outside a niche app.
This isn’t innovation. It’s nostalgia. And nostalgia doesn’t pay bills.
perry jody
February 20, 2026 AT 03:58Paul Jardetzky
February 20, 2026 AT 05:19Most crypto is built for traders. Pluton is built for people who just want to buy stuff. No drama. No leverage. No margin calls. Just spend. Earn. Spend again.
If you’re tired of gambling on coins, this might be the quiet alternative you didn’t know you needed.
Paul Gariepy
February 21, 2026 AT 05:06Don’t overthink it. If you spend crypto, try it. Worst case? You get a free coffee. Best case? You start seeing crypto as something useful. Not a lottery ticket. Not a meme. Just… money.