What is a virtual card? How they work, and how to issue your own
By SendPay Business · · 2 min read
A virtual card is a real card number with no plastic. It lives in an app, works online and, once added to a phone wallet, in shops. Here's how they work and what issuing them from your own app involves.
How a virtual card works
It has a card number, expiry date and security code like any card, and spends from the same balance. Because it's created in the app, it's ready in seconds and can be frozen or replaced just as fast.
What people use them for
- Shopping online without exposing their main card.
- A separate card for each subscription, so one can be cancelled without affecting the rest.
- Business spending: one card per employee or supplier, each with its own limit.
Virtual or physical?
Many apps offer both: a virtual card straight away and a physical one in the post for cash machines and shops that don't take phone payments.
Issue your own
On a SendPay Business platform with card issuing, each virtual card costs 20p and each physical card £4 before shipping, and you set what your customers pay. The card issuing platform is £3,500 as a one-off build.
Build it
Create your own financial platform.
Pick a template, name it, brand it, preview every page before you pay. Your brand, your users, your fees.
Build my platform →Questions people ask
Are virtual cards safe?
They can be frozen or replaced instantly in the app, and a separate card for each shop or subscription limits the damage if one number leaks.
Where can I read more about card issuing?
The branded Visa cards guide covers issuing cards under your own name.
Branded Visa cards →How do I start?
Pick the card issuing template, name it and preview every page before you pay.
Build my platform →Read next
This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. SendPay Business is a technology company, not a bank, and does not take deposits; regulated services on the platforms are provided by licensed partners. PayPal, Patreon and Substack are named as reference points only and are not affiliated with SendPay Business.