Virtual card. Dutch Design.

The single-use virtual card is a popular payment method for businesses

Many businesses provide their employees with virtual cards, giving managers the ability to limit and better control spending.

Virtual cards are highly versatile thanks to modern management tools. They make it possible to check the balance at any time.

Some businesses use them to simplify the tracking and recording of expense reports. This approach improves spending traceability and ensures supporting documents are always available.

With Qonto, you get a fully online business account along with a range of additional services, including virtual cards. Give your teams greater autonomy by giving them access to online payment cards while keeping full control over your organization's overall spending.

Enhanced security

Cybercrime has led many online stores to adopt 3D Secure. Yet threats remain, with the rise of phishing.

Virtual cards have changed this landscape entirely. They offer enhanced security for online users. The available balance — as well as the validity period — can be capped.

With Qonto's virtual card service, you can adjust the limit on each of your cards whenever you need to. Receive notifications as soon as a transaction is made and stay in control of your finances.

This significantly reduces the risk of losing funds if your payment details are stolen online. You can also block your virtual card the moment you suspect unauthorized access or unusual activity.

Greater peace of mind

The rapid digitalization of everyday life exposes users to card fraud. You can lose a physical payment card at any time, and the risk multiplies when you issue cards to your employees.

In the event of loss or suspected theft, blocking your card is often the recommended course of action. With Qonto, you can block your payment card directly from your account, check whether it's genuinely lost, and unblock it or request a new one if needed.

With a virtual payment card, you regain peace of mind. You no longer have to worry about your card details being compromised online.

Paying with a virtual card works the same way as with a physical card, but entirely digitally. You use the card number, expiry date, and CVC code for online payments.

You can use a virtual payment card for:

1. Online purchases from web stores
2. Software subscriptions (SaaS tools)
3. Advertising costs (such as Google or social media)
4. Hotel or flight bookings

Some virtual cards can also be added to Apple Pay or Google Pay, so you can pay by mobile or contactless.

For businesses, this is particularly useful: you can create a separate virtual card for each employee, with their own spending limit, giving you full control over business expenses.

The cheapest virtual credit card varies by provider and depends on how you use it. Some providers include a virtual payment card as part of a business account package, while others sell standalone prepaid or online credit cards.

When comparing options, don't just look at the monthly price — also consider:

1. Transaction fees
2. Fees for international payments
3. Foreign exchange markup
4. Number of virtual cards included
5. Costs for additional cards

For business owners, the "cheapest" virtual card isn't always the best choice. A solution with clear limits, real-time visibility, and straightforward integration with your accounting can save money in the long run.

A virtual credit card is a digital credit card: there's no physical card involved — just a card number, expiry date, and security code that you can use right away. You request the virtual card in your provider's app and can use it immediately for online payments or contactless in-store payments via Apple Pay or Google Pay. You can also add the card to your Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. Behind the scenes, a virtual card with credit works just like a standard credit card: you spend up to your credit limit, and the amount is automatically settled later — usually at the start of the following month. No longer need the card? Block or delete it with a single tap in the app.

There's no single best virtual credit card — it depends on what you need. Compare virtual card providers on these points: how quickly you can request and use a new virtual card, what credit limit you get, whether you can create multiple cards for different purposes (such as a separate card per subscription or project), and how much control you have to block or delete a card immediately. Also look at the costs: some providers charge per card, while others include virtual cards for free within a package. For freelancers and businesses, it's also worth checking whether the virtual card connects directly to your accounting software, so every transaction is recorded automatically.

Yes, a virtual credit card can work with credit — that's essentially what a credit card is. Instead of deducting the amount from your balance immediately, as a standard debit card does, you borrow up to a pre-set credit limit and repay it later, usually at the start of the following month. Not every provider offers this combination: many virtual cards are purely digital payment cards with no credit facility. Not sure? Check with your provider whether the virtual card you're applying for is a credit card or a standard payment card, and what credit limit applies.

A single-use credit card — also known as a single-use virtual card — is a temporary virtual card that you create for one payment or for use within a pre-set period. You choose your own validity period, from one day to one year, along with a spending limit, and the card expires automatically after that. This makes it ideal for one-off online purchases, trial subscriptions, or payments to a new supplier whose card details you don't want to store permanently. Whether a single-use card is a true credit card (with credit) or a standard payment card depends on the provider: with many single-use virtual cards, the amount is deducted directly from your balance, with no credit facility.