By John EganPros and Cons of Virtual Credit Cards
By John Egan
Quick Answer
The benefits of virtual credit cards include greater security and easier online shopping, while the drawbacks include the lack of widespread availability of virtual credit cards.
Virtual credit cards offer features that add protection and convenience, but they might not be the right fit for you—especially if you don't shop online often or if you prefer to use your smartphone for online transactions. Read on to learn the pros and cons of virtual credit cards, and whether they're something you should consider.
What Is a Virtual Credit Card?
A virtual credit card is a digital, one-time card number that differs from the number on your credit card and can help protect your account from fraudsters. Virtual credit cards often are used for online purchases.
The 16-digit number for a virtual credit card is connected to your account, but is not the same as the number on your physical credit card. Additionally, the security code and expiration date for a virtual credit card differ from the security code and expiration date on your physical credit card. A virtual card might even come with a different credit limit.
A virtual credit card typically can be used only online. In some cases, you might need a special app, special browser extension or another tech tool to take advantage of a virtual card number. You may also need to use it with your laptop or desktop computer rather than a mobile device.
Otherwise, virtual credit cards are pretty much the same as their traditional counterparts. For example, virtual card transactions pop up on your monthly statement just like physical card transactions do.
Best credit cards of 2026
Compare cards from our partners with intro bonuses, cash back or points offers, and annual fees as low as $0.
Offers from our partners
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
Intro bonus:You may be eligible for as high as $200 cash back after spending $2,000 in purchases on your new Card in the first 6 months. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Cash back is received as Reward Dollars, redeemable for statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout. Terms Apply.
Intro APR:0% on Purchases and Balance Transfers for 15 months
Ongoing APR:19.49%-28.49% Variable
Rewards:1% - 3% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$0
Wells Fargo Reflect® Card
Intro APR:0% intro APR for 21 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers
Ongoing APR:17.49%, 23.99%, or 28.24% Variable APR
Rewards:N/A*
Annual Fee:$0
Discover it® Chrome
Intro bonus:INTRO OFFER: Unlimited Cashback Match for all new cardmembers. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards.
Intro APR:0% intro APR for 6 Months on Purchases and 0% intro APR for 18 Months on Balance Transfers
Ongoing APR:17.49% - 26.49% Variable APR
Rewards:1% - 2% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$0
Revel® Platinum Mastercard®
Ongoing APR:35.90% Fixed
Rewards:N/A*
Annual Fee:$75 - $125
Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card
Intro APR:0% for 21 months on Balance Transfers and 12 months on Purchases
Ongoing APR:16.49% - 27.24% (Variable)
Rewards:N/A*
Annual Fee:$0
FIT™ Platinum Mastercard® - $400 Credit Limit
Ongoing APR:35.90% Fixed
Rewards:N/A*
Annual Fee:$99 first year; $125 thereafter
The opensky® Secured Visa® Credit Card
Ongoing APR:23.89% Variable
Rewards:10% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$35
Credit One Bank American Express® Card for Rebuilding Credit
Ongoing APR:29.74% Variable
Rewards:1% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$75 First year. $99 thereafter, billed monthly at $8.25
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
Intro bonus:You may be eligible for as high as $300 cash back after spending $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in the first 6 months. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Cash back is received as Reward Dollars, redeemable for statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout. Terms Apply.
Intro APR:0% on Purchases and Balance Transfers for 12 months
Ongoing APR:19.49%-28.49% Variable
Rewards:1% - 6% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.
American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Card
Intro APR:0% for 15 months on Balance Transfers
Ongoing APR:19.49% - 29.49% (Variable)
Rewards:2x (Miles per dollar)
Annual Fee:$0
Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi
Ongoing APR:18.74% - 26.74% (Variable)
Rewards:1% - 5% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$0
American Express® Gold Card
Intro bonus:You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
Ongoing APR:See Pay Over Time APR
Rewards:1x - 4x (Points per dollar)
Annual Fee:$325
First Latitude Secured Mastercard® Cash Back Rewards
Ongoing APR:27.49% Variable
Rewards:1% - 10% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$0
Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®
Ongoing APR:19.49% - 29.49% (Variable)
Rewards:2x (Miles per dollar)
Annual Fee:$99, waived for first 12 months
Avant® Cashback Rewards Mastercard®
Ongoing APR:35.99%*
Rewards:1% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$75*
Citi® / AAdvantage® Globe™ Mastercard®
Ongoing APR:19.49% - 29.49% (Variable)
Rewards:1x - 6x (Miles per dollar)
Annual Fee:$350
Avant® Cashback Rewards Mastercard®
Ongoing APR:35.99%*
Rewards:1% (cash back)
Annual Fee:Introductory fee of $75 for the first year. After that, $99 annually.*
Avant® Cashback Rewards Mastercard®
Ongoing APR:35.99%*
Rewards:1% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$39*
Credit One Bank® Platinum X5 Visa® Metal Card
Ongoing APR:29.74% Variable
Rewards:1% - 5% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$95
First Progress Prestige Secured Mastercard® Cash Back Rewards
Ongoing APR:13.49% Variable
Rewards:1% - 10% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$49
First Progress Select Secured Mastercard® Cash Back Rewards
Ongoing APR:17.49% Variable
Rewards:1% - 10% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$39
Credit One Bank® Premier American Express® Credit Card
Ongoing APR:29.74% Variable
Rewards:1% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$39
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
Intro bonus:Earn 200,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 5/13/2026.
Ongoing APR:19.49%-28.49% Variable
Rewards:2x - 6x (Points per dollar)
Annual Fee:$650
Discover it® Miles
Intro bonus:UNLIMITED BONUS: Unlimited Mile-for-Mile match for all new cardmembers. Discover gives you an unlimited match of all the Miles you’ve earned at the end of your first year. There’s no signing up, no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a Miles-for-Miles match. You could turn 35,000 Miles into 70,000 Miles.
Intro APR:0% intro APR for 15 months on Purchases and Balance Transfers
Ongoing APR:17.49% - 26.49% Variable APR
Rewards:1.5x (Miles per dollar)
Annual Fee:$0
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
Intro bonus:Earn 70,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases with your new Card, and an additional 20,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $2,000 in purchases on the Card, both within your first 6 months. Ends 04/01/2026.
Ongoing APR:19.49%-28.49% Variable
Rewards:1x - 2x (Miles per dollar)
Annual Fee:$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150.
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
Intro bonus:Earn 130,000 Bonus Points plus a Free Night Reward after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 4/15/2026.
Ongoing APR:19.49%-28.49% Variable
Rewards:3x - 12x (Points per dollar)
Annual Fee:$150
Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card
Intro bonus:Earn 10,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
Ongoing APR:19.49%-28.49% Variable
Rewards:1x - 2x (Miles per dollar)
Annual Fee:$0
One Key+™ Card
Intro bonus:Earn $350 in OneKeyCash™ after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. OneKeyCash is not redeemable for cash and can only be used on Expedia®, Hotels.com® and Vrbo®. To learn more, please refer to the One Key Terms and Conditions at www.expedia.com/one-key-terms.
Ongoing APR:18.49%, 23.49%, or 28.49% Variable APR
Rewards:2x - 3x (Points per dollar)
Annual Fee:$99
Avant® Cashback Rewards Mastercard® - With A Higher Credit Limit
Ongoing APR:35.99%*
Rewards:1% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$125*
Avant® Cashback Rewards Mastercard®
Ongoing APR:35.99%*
Rewards:1% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$0*
See all our best credit cards for 2026.
How to Get a Virtual Credit Card
You can request a virtual credit card from your card issuer through the issuer's website or app. Keep in mind, though, not every card issuer offers virtual cards.
American Express and Capital One are among the issuers that provide virtual credit cards. Capital One provides a different number each time you ask for one. On the other hand, American Express supplies a virtual card number and provides dynamic security codes every time you use the card.
Benefits of Using Virtual Credit Cards
Not every virtual card works the same, so the features can vary. But here are four benefits you likely can expect from virtual credit cards.
Heightened Security
One of the key benefits of a virtual credit card is that it's much easier to cancel than a physical credit card, potentially keeping your account safer.
When a physical card is lost or stolen, you generally must cancel it and await the arrival of a new card. But when you need to cancel a virtual card number, you normally can do so by logging in to your account and following the card issuer's directions—all while still being able to use your physical card.
Additionally, virtual credit cards aren't directly connected to your physical card or your account details, cutting back on the risk of fraud. Still, information from a virtual credit card might be as prone to hacking as information from a physical credit card.
Better Control of Spending
Virtual credit cards can help you keep tabs on spending. That's because some of these cards enable you to set spending limits.
For example, if you give your teen your credit card number to make a purchase online, a virtual card might prevent them from going overboard. Or a business might provide virtual cards with dollar limits to limit employee spending.
Greater Convenience
It seems obvious, but a virtual credit card doesn't require you to keep track of a physical card. So, when you're ready to make a purchase from a merchant that accepts virtual cards, you don't need to scramble to find your physical card.
Ease of Online Purchases
A virtual card might simplify online shopping. For instance, rather than typing out a card number every time you make an online purchase, you may be able to rely on virtual card numbers that autofill the spots where payment information is entered.
Drawbacks of Virtual Credit Cards
Here are four potential drawbacks of virtual credit cards.
Trouble With In-Person Transactions
You can't use a virtual credit card for in-store purchases, such as buying groceries. In addition, a virtual card might not be ideal if you need to verify your identity when you're picking up an online order. Furthermore, a virtual credit card may not work if you need to produce a physical credit card when you're checking into a hotel or renting a car, for example.
Tech Issues
If a virtual credit card is tied to a browser extension, you might need to rely on a laptop or desktop computer to use the virtual card number. Therefore, a mobile device might not be able to accommodate a virtual card number.
On top of that, you simply might be more comfortable with low-tech physical cards than high-tech virtual cards.
Problems With Recurring Transactions
Because a virtual card number is usually temporary, it might not be wise to use one for recurring payments, such as credit card bills. Why? Because the virtual card might expire ahead of the next payment due date.
Lack of Widespread Availability
Traditional credit cards have been around since the 1950s. Virtual credit cards, on the other hand, are newer innovations. Some credit card issuers do not currently offer them.
How to Decide if Virtual Cards Are Right for You
Even though a virtual card isn't a permanent replacement for a physical card, it still may be a good idea to use one as protection from fraud or as an emergency backup in case you lose track of a physical card.
Here are four questions you should ask to decide if virtual cards are right for you:
- Are you a digital fanatic? If so, virtual cards may be a great alternative to physical cards.
- Do you do a lot of online shopping? If you do, virtual cards might help beef up your online security.
- Do you do a lot of shopping at brick-and-mortar stores? If this is the case, you might prefer physical cards (or a digital wallet) over virtual cards.
- Are you seeking flexibility in terms of where you can use a credit card? If so, a more widely accepted physical card might be preferable to a less accepted virtual card.
The Bottom Line
Virtual credit cards enable account holders to tap into the digital capabilities of payment technology, offering potential benefits such as enhanced security. However, virtual cards might not be right for everybody, like someone who does a lot of shopping at brick-and-mortar stores. Knowing your shopping habits can help you make the best choice for your situation.
Don’t apply blindly
Apply for credit cards confidently with personalized offers based on your credit profile. Get started with your FICO® Score for free.
See your offers
About the author
John Egan
John Egan is a freelance writer, editor and content marketing strategist in Austin, Texas. His work has been published by outlets such as CreditCards.com, Bankrate, Credit Karma, LendingTree, PolicyGenius, HuffPost, National Real Estate Investor and Urban Land.
Read more from John