Virtual cards for shopping and bookings

Online stores, marketplaces, hotels and flights: what to expect when you check out or book with a prepaid virtual card.

Buy now, pay later vs prepaid: two different ideas of budget

One spreads a cost into the future, the other caps it today. How the two approaches compare for online purchases.

Birthdays, holidays and thank-yous on one card with one budget. Easier to plan, easier to stop.

Most stores take one card per order. The options when the cart costs more than any single card can hold.

Foreign stores expect their own address formats. How to fill the fields so the payment and the parcel both arrive.

Tips added later, temporary holds and surge prices all touch the card. How app payments really work.

Large marketplaces split orders, pre-authorize and charge later. What that means when a card has a fixed balance.

Prepaid rates, pay-at-hotel rates and incidental deposits work differently. Choose the booking type that suits your card.

Airlines run extra fraud checks on card payments. What they look at and how to make a booking go through.

Ticket queues reward speed, and fees reward patience. Prepare a card in advance and you get both.

Total = balance + top-up charge + issue fee

Open an account, switch on two-factor sign-in and order the balance you need. You only ever pay for a card you order.

Open my account See the fees