A guide to virtual business credit cards

In the past few years, it has been much easier to keep track of business costs. It's easy to see why more and more companies are transitioning from real cards to virtual corporate credit cards. Virtual cards can be a faster and more flexible method to keep track of your money, whether you need to pay suppliers, keep track of team spending, or manage subscriptions. They are really worth learning about for businesses that wish to see and regulate their daily spending better.

What is a credit card for a virtual business?

A virtual company credit card is like a regular credit card, but it's only available online. You get a unique card number, expiration date, and CVV instead of a physical card. You can use these to pay for products online or in an app.

If you already have a business credit card, a virtual one is usually linked to the same account. You can use it with your physical card or as a separate way to pay, depending on what you require.

What are virtual business credit cards and how do they work?

When you ask for a virtual card, your provider makes a unique set of card details that you may use right away to buy things online, sign up for software, or complete any other transaction that doesn't need a physical card.

You can make more than one virtual card from the same account with some providers. Each card has its own spending limit and function. You could, for instance, make one card for marketing, another for travel, and a third for office supplies. You may turn on, pause, or cancel each card separately, which gives you full control over where and how your money is spent.

You can see exactly what has been spent, by whom, and on what in your account in real time. This makes reconciliation faster and makes the end-of-month paperwork less labour.

What are the pros of having a virtual business credit card?

Security: Each virtual card has its own set of information, which makes it less likely that someone will use it to commit fraud. You can cancel a card right away if its number is stolen. This won't affect your primary account or any other virtual cards. A lot of suppliers also let you set cards to be used only once, so the information is no longer valid after one transaction.

Control: You may set separate spending limitations for each virtual card, which makes it easy to keep track of budgets for different teams or departments. You don't have to chase down receipts or wait for expenditure reports after the fact.

Speed: It only takes a few seconds to get a virtual card. There is no need to wait for a real card to arrive in the mail if a team member needs to buy something or pay a new provider urgently.

Convenience: You can use virtual cards to pay online anywhere that accepts card payments. You can also add them to digital wallets like Apple Pay or Google Pay, which makes them helpful for spending in person as well.

Visibility: With real-time transaction data, you can always see how much money your organisation is spending. This is especially helpful for companies that need to keep track of costs for certain projects or client accounts.

Why should you think about getting a virtual business credit card?

For some business purchases, a virtual card might be better than a real card.

Virtual cards make it easier for firms with remote or distributed teams to avoid having to share real cards or pay employees back for personal spending. Each team member may have their own virtual card with set restrictions, which makes it easy to see and track spending. With the Funding Circle Cashback business credit card, you can give your employees company credit cards. This way, everyone can spend within set limitations, and you can make money on every purchase.

Businesses that pay for software, tools, or services online can easily allocate a separate virtual card to each subscription. You can cancel the virtual card instead of having to change the information on your main card on all of your devices if you no longer require the service.

Businesses who care about security can greatly reduce their risk of fraud by creating unique card data for each transaction or vendor. Also, think about the benefits you could get. A cashback credit card that works with virtual cards lets you earn money on every transaction, whether you make it in person or online, without giving up control.

What can I do with my virtual business credit card?

You can use virtual company credit cards to pay for most business expenses, such as online purchases, payments to suppliers, software subscriptions and SaaS tools, advertising and marketing charges, trip bookings and accommodations, and utilities and other regular business costs.

They don't work as well when you need a real card, or when you have to pay in person and can't use contactless or digital wallet payments.

Check out our resource page to learn more about what a business credit card is and how it operates. The Funding Circle Cashback card could be a good next step if you want to start getting cash back on your company purchases.

14/05/2026: While we want to help as much as we can, the information found here is provided solely for informational purposes and should not be considered financial or legal advice. To the extent permitted by law, Funding Circle does not accept any liability for any loss or damage which may arise directly or indirectly from the use of, or reliance on, the information contained here. If you have any questions, please speak to your professional adviser or seek independent legal advice.