Best Virtual Credit Cards for May 2022 – CNET

Virtual credit cards help make online shopping more protected by providing you a short-lived account number, expiration date and security code that are tied to your charge card account.Since the actual information of your physical credit card are never supplied online, your account progresses secured versus information breaches or criminal hackers. If your virtual credit card information is jeopardized, you can quickly cancel it without shutting down your whole credit card account.Some charge card companies will use virtual account numbers through apps or browser extensions. For the finest virtual credit cards of May, however, weve just selected cards that supply access to virtual account numbers directly via online accounts. Check out on to discover our top choices for virtual credit cards.

Best cash-back card with virtual account numbers

Our Take.

Best travel card with virtual card ability.

Make 2x points on every dollar spent.
When you invest $15,000+ in a year, earn 3x points on every dollar invested that entire year.
4X points for 30 days for each good friend you welcome who gets the card.

Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% money back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you spend for those purchases.

Balance Transfer Fee 2% of the quantity of each transfer.
Balance Transfer APR12.75%– 19.75% Variable.
Penalty APR None.

Introduction Balance Transfer APR0% introduction for 18 months on Balance Transfers.
Balance Transfer Fee There is an intro balance transfer cost of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) finished within the very first 4 months of account opening. A balance transfer cost of 5% of each transfer ($ 5 minimum) applies if completed after 4 months of account opening.
Balance Transfer APR14.24% – 24.24% (Variable).
Late Payment Fee Up to $40.
Foreign Transaction Fees 3%.
Charge APR Up to 29.99% (Variable).

For multiple and momentarily authorized users.

Yearly Fee$ 0.
Intro Purchase APRN/A.

Intro OfferN/A.
APR10.99% to 21.99% (Variable).
Recommended Credit N/A.
Reward Rates.
Apple Card offers you endless 3% Daily Cash back on whatever you buy at Apple.
With every purchase you use your Apple Card with Apple Pay, you get 2% Daily Cash back.

Long intro APR deal with virtual account numbers.

Intro OfferEarn 60,000 perk ThankYou ® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the very first 3 months of account opening.
APR16.24% – 24.24% (Variable).
Recommended Credit Excellent, Good.
Reward Rates.
Make 3 Points per $1 invested at Restaurants and Supermarkets.
Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Gas Stations, Air Travel and Hotels.
Earn 1 Point per $1 invested in all other purchases.

Our Take.

Make 3 Points per $1 invested at Supermarkets and restaurants.
Make 3 Points per $1 spent at Gas Stations, Air Travel and Hotels.
Make 1 Point per $1 invested on all other purchases.

The sign-on reward of 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in the very first 3 months after the account opens (a comparable worth of $600 in gift cards when redeemed at thankyou.com) is extremely competitive, putting this card at the top of our picks for best welcome benefit credit cards. For more information on all of this cards benefits, examine out our full review of the Citi Premier Card.

Annual Fee$ 0.
Introduction Purchase APRN/A.

Annual Fee$ 95.
Intro Purchase APRN/A.

FAQs.

Balance Transfer Fee Balance transfer cost uses with this deal 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.
Balance Transfer APR16.24% – 24.24% (Variable).
Late Payment Fee Up to $40.
Foreign Transaction Fees 0%.
Charge APR Up to 29.99% (Variable).

The Citi ® Double Cash Card is a good choice for a virtual charge card if youre seeking to optimize your acquiring cash-back and desire to avoid the inconvenience of decoding point systems. While its cash-back rate is generally competitive with Apple Card, this card might be better for somebody who does not have Apple products or is less technically inclined. To access virtual credit cards for the Citi Double Cash Card, you need to pick “Other Services” on your account homepage, then navigate to “Virtual Account Numbers.”.

The Apple Card is unique because by design it has 3 credit card numbers constructed into one. One is the card number used by your Apple Wallet, which is kept secured, one is for your physical card (presuming you demand one), and the other is considered your virtual charge card– it can be used for online deals or in-person transactions where the merchant doesnt accept Apple Pay. Best of all, if this virtual credit card number is compromised, you can ask for and get a free replacement number quickly without interrupting using your account through Apple Wallet or the physical card.

Introduction OfferN/A
APR14.24% – 24.24% (Variable).
Recommended Credit Excellent, Good.
Reward Rates.
Make 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% money back when you purchase, plus an additional 1% as you spend for those purchases.

The X1 Card, though brand-new and not yet widely offered, uses an unique setup with regard to virtual credit cards. Youll require to download an app for account management as there is no account gain access to via web internet browser. Through that app, you can generate one-time use virtual cards like the other cards included in this list. You likewise have the opportunity to set auto-expiration dates for virtual charge card, which can come in useful for instantly canceling complimentary trials or for providing a card number to a trusted individual like a family member or caretaker for a set time period.

Apple Card gives you unrestricted 3% Daily Cash back on everything you purchase Apple.
With every purchase you use your Apple Card with Apple Pay, you get 2% Daily Cash back.

Intro OfferEarn a $150 Statement Credit after you invest $500 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening.
APR13.99% – 23.99% (Variable).
Recommended Credit Excellent, Good.
Reward RatesN/A.
Annual Fee$ 0.
Introduction Purchase APR0% for 12 months on Purchases.

Our Take.

Our Take.

The Citi ® Diamond Preferred ® Card not just offers virtual account numbers right from your online account house page, it likewise boasts a 0% introductory APR period. With account approval, you can take pleasure in 12 months of 0% introductory APR on purchases from the date of the account opening and a whopping 21 months of 0% initial APR on balance transfers (though with a proportionate 5% or $5 balance transfer fee, whichever is higher).

Immediate virtual credit card.

Introduction Balance Transfer APR0% for 21 months on Balance Transfers.
Balance Transfer Fee Balance transfer fee uses with this deal 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.
Balance Transfer APR13.99% – 23.99% (Variable).
Late Payment Fee Up to $40.
Foreign Transaction Fees 3%.
Penalty APR Up to 29.99% (Variable).

Annual FeeNone.
Introduction Purchase APRN/A.

Intro OfferN/A.
APR12.75%– 19.75% Variable.
Recommended Credit Excellent/Good Credit.
Reward Rates.
Earn 2x points on every dollar spent.
When you invest $15,000+ in a year, make 3x points on every dollar invested that whole year.
4X points for 30 days for each good friend you invite who gets the card.

Our Take.

What are the finest virtual charge card?

For the sake of the simpleness of having the ability to create a virtual account number anywhere you have internet access, the very best virtual charge card are ones you can get directly from your online credit card account, without downloading pesky extensions or extra apps. Those include Apple Card, Citi Double Cash Card, Citi Premier Card, Citi Diamond Preferred Card and the X1 Card.Other charge card providers might use extra apps or browser extensions. Capital One has the Eno web extension for its cards.

What is a virtual credit card?

Our methodologyCNET evaluates charge card by extensively comparing them across set criteria developed for each significant classification, including cash back, welcome reward, travel benefits and balance transfer. We consider the typical costs habits of a variety of consumer profiles– with the understanding that everybodys financial situation is different– and the designated function of a card. For cash-back credit cards, for instance, essential aspects include the annual cost, the “welcome bonus offer” and the cash-back rate (or rates, if they vary by investing category). For miles and rewards cards, we determine and weigh the net financial value of a cards particular benefits. And with balance transfer charge card, we examine specifications such as the period of the introductory 0% APR period and the balance transfer cost, while acknowledging secondary factors such as the basic APR and the length of time you have to make a balance transfer after you open the account. * All details about the Apple Card and X1 Card has actually been collected individually by CNET and has actually not been reviewed by the issuer.The editorial material on this page is based exclusively on objective, independent assessments by our writers and is not influenced by marketing or collaborations. It has not been supplied or commissioned by any third party. However, we may get compensation when you click on links to services or items provided by our partners.

There are numerous company apps and internet browser extensions that enable virtual charge card generation for accounts that do not have actually the function integrated in. They require an extra action (downloading the app or extension) to utilize initially, and limit you to making purchases specifically on hardware youve installed the program on. As an example, a Click to Pay account allows Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover cardholders to pick to look for a virtual credit card at checkout.

Virtual credit cards assist make online shopping more safe and secure by giving you a temporary account number, expiration date and security code that are connected to your credit card account.Since the actual information of your physical credit card are never offered online, your account ends up being better safeguarded against data breaches or criminal hackers. If your virtual credit card details is compromised, you can quickly cancel it without shutting down your entire credit card account.Some credit card companies will provide virtual account numbers through apps or internet browser extensions. One is the card number utilized by your Apple Wallet, which is kept protected, one is for your physical card (presuming you demand one), and the other is considered your virtual credit card– it can be used for in-person deals or online deals where the merchant doesnt accept Apple Pay. The sign-on reward of 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in the very first three months after the account opens (a comparable worth of $600 in present cards when redeemed at thankyou.com) is extremely competitive, putting this card at the top of our picks for best welcome bonus offer credit cards. Those include Apple Card, Citi Double Cash Card, Citi Premier Card, Citi Diamond Preferred Card and the X1 Card.Other credit card providers may offer additional apps or browser extensions.

The editorial content on this page is based entirely on objective, independent evaluations by our writers and is not affected by marketing or collaborations. It has not been provided or commissioned by any 3rd party. We may receive payment when you click on links to items or services provided by our partners.

A virtual charge card, or virtual account number, is a short-term charge card number utilized to make purchases online or over the phone safely. That implies you dont need to reveal your actual account info, sparing you possible identity theft. The virtual account number is produced arbitrarily and ends after a set duration of time so that it can not be abused in the future.

My charge card doesnt use virtual account numbers. How can I shop online safely?

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