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BasicPayments1 min

A virtual card is a payment card with no plastic: it has a number, an expiry date and a CVV but exists only in an app or a bank’s online account.

In plain words

It is issued in minutes and used for online payments or added to Apple Pay or Google Pay. It is often linked to the same account as your main card but has a separate number. That is handy for subscriptions and unfamiliar websites: if the details leak, switching off a virtual card is easier than reissuing the main one. Some virtual cards are single-use or have their own spending limit.

Example. For a trial subscription you create a virtual card with a UAH 100 limit: even if the service tries to charge more, the payment will not go through (the numbers are illustrative).

Related terms

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Word of the dayCold walletIntermediate

A cold wallet is a way of keeping cryptocurrency keys offline, without a permanent internet connection: a hardware device or a seed phrase written on paper or metal.

Example. You buy a hardware wallet, write the seed phrase on paper and keep it in a safe, while the money for everyday spending stays in a mobile wallet.

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