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What is a virtual card, and how does it work?

A virtual card is a Visa card number you create online and use without plastic. Here is what it is, how it works, what you can control, and where it fits.

By Virtual Card Maker EditorialUpdated 3 min read

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A friendly professional in a modern office with a gold Zil Money virtual Visa card, explaining what a virtual card is.

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What a virtual card is

A virtual card is a Visa card that exists only as a number. You create it online and use it the same way you would type a plastic card into a checkout: a 16-digit number, an expiry date, and a security code.

There is no plastic to wait for. The card is ready in your dashboard, and you can add it to a mobile wallet where available.

It is funded from a wallet you load, so spending draws from money you have set aside.

How a virtual card works

The flow is short, and it helps to see how virtual cards work from funding to checkout:

  • You load a wallet by ACH or wire.
  • You create a card and set its spending limit.
  • You use the number online, or add it to a mobile wallet to tap in person where available.
  • Every charge appears in your dashboard, where you can adjust the limit or cancel the card.

Virtual card vs a plastic card

A virtual card is the number; a physical card is the plastic version mailed to you. Both are Visa cards from the same wallet. For a full breakdown, see virtual card vs physical card.

What you can control on a virtual card

Each card carries its own rules:

  • Spending limit. A charge over your cap can be blocked based on your controls.
  • Merchant restriction. Restrict the card to the intended merchant based on supported controls.
  • Time window. Set when the card is active.
  • Cancel. Cancel from your dashboard and future charges stop clearing.

What a virtual card is good for

  • Paying for anything online, from supplies to ads.
  • Subscriptions, with one card per vendor capped at the plan price.
  • Paying a one-off vendor without sharing your main card number.
  • Giving remote staff a card without waiting for the mail.
  • Separating spend by project, so each card tells its own story.

Is a virtual card safe to use?

Yes. Because you can cap, restrict, and cancel each card, a leaked number is far less useful to anyone else, and there is nothing physical to lose. More detail in are virtual cards safe?

Related reading: The virtual card API for business, built to issue cards programmatically.

People also ask

What is a virtual card in simple terms?
A Visa card that exists as a number you create online, with no plastic. You set a limit, use it at checkout, and cancel it whenever you want.
How do I get a virtual card?
Create an account, fund a wallet, then create a card and set its limit. The card is ready to use from your dashboard.
Does a virtual card have a card number?
Yes. It has its own 16-digit number, expiry date, and security code, so it works in standard online checkout.
Can I use a virtual card anywhere?
It works wherever Visa is accepted online, and in person through a mobile wallet where available.
Is a virtual card a real Visa card?
Yes. It is a virtual Visa card funded from your wallet and accepted the same as any Visa card by merchants.
Can I cancel a virtual card?
Yes. Cancel it from your dashboard and future charges stop clearing, without affecting your other cards.
Try it

Issue a card with these rules on it.

Set the limit, restrict the merchant, choose the active window, and send the card. Every charge lands in one dashboard, already attributed.

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