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Virtual cards for online shopping without a bank card

A BitriPay virtual card lets you pay online, subscribe to services and shop at BitriPay merchants from your wallet balance, with a card you can freeze, refill or close in a tap.

Many people who have never had a bank card have paid for a phone subscription, a course or a bus ticket online through someone else's card. A virtual card gives you your own.

What it is

A card number, expiry date and CVV that live in your app. You fund it from your balance, spend online, and move any leftover back. The number is stored encrypted and shown only after your PIN or fingerprint.

Issue one

Go to Virtual cards → New virtual card, choose the currency and a label such as "Subscriptions", and confirm with your PIN. The card appears immediately with a zero balance.

Fund it for what you plan to spend

Tap Fund and move exactly what you need. Because the card holds only that amount, a merchant cannot take more than you put on it. Refunds from merchants land back on the card; Withdraw moves them to your wallet.

Freeze and close

Freeze stops all spending instantly; unfreeze when you shop again. Close ends the card for good and returns the balance to your wallet. Card details are revealed only with your PIN, and the loud alert tells you about every charge.

Where it works

At BitriPay merchant checkouts everywhere, and, in countries where a card programme with a licensed issuer is live, at online merchants on the card network. Your card's page states which of the two applies. We do not claim network acceptance where a programme is not yet live.

Safety habits

  • Fund per purchase, not per month.
  • Keep the card frozen between uses.
  • Never share the CVV over chat; a merchant checkout never asks for it in a message.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I use it?

At any merchant that accepts BitriPay checkout, and, where a card programme is live in your country, at online merchants that accept the card network. The app tells you which applies to your card.

Is my main balance at risk?

No. The card only holds what you moved onto it. Freeze it when you are not shopping and move any balance back to your wallet at any time.

What does it cost?

Issuing a card is free. Some online merchants charge their own fees; the app never adds hidden ones.

Sources and further reading

  1. PCI Security Standards Council
virtual cards online shopping getting started
Try it with a free account

Send with a QR code, add money by card or mobile money, issue a virtual card. Sandbox balances let you explore before any real money moves.

Open an account

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