Virtual card services allow you to generate payment cards instantly through a web dashboard. Each card includes its own number, CVV and expiration date. You can choose single‑use cards that deactivate after one transaction or reusable cards with adjustable limits. Affiliates assign cards to specific campaigns or traffic sources, keeping their main account separate.
-
1
Available currencies: USD, EUR, GBP
Variety of BINs and cards with 3DS security
Is oriented towards affiliate teams and large IT companies -
2
Mass payments, multi-currency transactions
Supports crypto
Card issuance costs $5
Monthly service fee is $5 -
3
Two types of cards: limited and cards with a shared balance
Card issuance fee: from $0
Balance top-up fee: 3%
Offers 40+ trusted BINs from the US, Estonia, the UK, and Hong Kong
Why Affiliates Use Virtual Cards — and How to Choose a Provider
In practice, affiliates rely on virtual cards for a few very specific reasons.
Paying for Ads Across Multiple Platforms
Facebook, Google, TikTok, and other ad platforms require a card to be linked to each ad account. Reusing the same card across many accounts quickly leads to flags and bans. That makes it impossible to test or scale campaigns using one or two cards — each account needs its own payment method.
Paying for Services and Tools
Many advertising tools, SaaS platforms, and infrastructure services operate only with Visa or Mastercard. Depending on your location, access to these payment systems can be limited, which makes virtual cards a practical workaround for subscriptions and one-off purchases.
Scaling Profitable Campaigns
Once an affiliate finds a working setup, scaling usually means launching it across dozens of ad accounts. Not every card will bind successfully, and some will fail without clear reasons. Having a reserve of cards is not optional — it’s part of normal scaling.
Moving Funds From Crypto to Fiat Spending
Some affiliate programs and CPA networks don’t support direct crypto payments for expenses. In these cases, affiliates use virtual cards to move funds from crypto wallets or exchanges and pay for ads or services directly, without additional intermediaries.
Because of this, using 1–2 personal cards, borrowing cards, or buying random cards online is inefficient and risky. Dedicated virtual card services exist specifically to solve these problems.
What Matters When Choosing a Virtual Card Service
Not all card issuers are equally useful for affiliate work. To avoid wasted time and unnecessary costs, affiliates usually evaluate services using the following criteria.
Fees and Real Costs
Most providers advertise low or “transparent” fees, but the actual cost often includes more than just top-ups. Transfers between cards, currency conversion, hidden service fees, and bank commissions can significantly affect the final spend. Before choosing a service, affiliates typically clarify all fees with support — not just the headline numbers.
BIN Quality and Availability
BINs define the card’s issuing bank, country, and payment system. Ad platforms actively blacklist BINs with a bad history. Cards from these BINs may fail to bind or get rejected immediately. This often happens after abuse by users who spend aggressively and disappear. Reliable services regularly rotate BINs and replace problematic ones.
Card Issuance Model
Some providers issue cards for free but charge higher top-up fees. Others charge a small issuance fee ($2–3) with lower operational costs. Some offer free cards but require monthly maintenance payments. There’s no universal “best” model — affiliates choose based on how often they need new cards and how long they plan to keep them active.
Bonus Programs and Volume Incentives
Certain services offer cashback on spending or reduced fees for long-term or high-volume users. For teams and active affiliates, these programs can noticeably reduce operational costs over time.
Dashboard Usability and Support
A clean interface, fast card replacement, and responsive support matter more than design. When cards fail or get blocked mid-campaign, response speed directly affects results. Reliable services usually replace faulty cards and help diagnose binding issues instead of sending generic replies.
How This List Was Compiled
To build this selection, we reviewed popular virtual card services used in affiliate marketing, spoke with provider support teams, and gathered feedback from active affiliates and media buyers. The focus was not on marketing claims, but on real-world usability in paid traffic workflows.
Ratmir started his copywriting career back in 2016. He is now editor-in-chief with an MA with Honors in Linguistics.
His primary expertise is in affiliate marketing, EdTech, education, IT, and sports.
Ratmir specializes in content marketing, content management, proofreading, and translation.