The Best Virtual Credit Cards of 2022

Despite the fact that credit card theft and fraud are on the rise, one can understand why someone might be wary of using a credit card to make online purchases. Even if an online merchant employs consistent safety measures to safeguard your information, hackers may still attempt to breach the company’s defenses. Therefore, virtual credit cards are gaining in popularity, and many people want virtual credit card numbers on the credit cards they choose! We’ll present an in-depth overview of virtual credit cards in this article. Here we’ll discuss the best virtual credit cards for both personal and professional use.

So, What Are Virtual Credit Cards?

How does a virtual credit card function? In simple terms, a virtual credit card is a unique credit card number associated with your main credit card account that does not divulge your main credit card number. Using a virtual credit card number with each store you visit can protect you from fraudsters obtaining your main credit card information, set spending limits, and putting an expiration date on each virtual credit card number. Overall, virtual credit cards offer even more security for online purchases as well as the benefit of managing and limiting spend with each virtual credit card number.

List of the Best Virtual Credit Cards

Citi Premier Card

  • Annual Fee: $95
  • Pros: No foreign fees, triple the reward bonuses for hotels, gas stations and etc, access to partnering transfers
  • Cons: The annual fee
  • Credit required: 670+

Overview

Citi offers one of the finest credit cards for daily purchases with the Citi Premier card. It’s also nice to know that you can create virtual credit cards. You don’t need to enroll before you create your first virtual credit card, but you do need to enroll before using one. Virtual credit card numbers cannot be used for in-person or in-app purchases, so just remember that when you create a virtual credit card on the Citi website.

The Citi Premier Card is a great all-in-one travel rewards credit card. The card provides a fast method to accumulate points with amazing 3x bonus categories such as restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, airfare, and hotels. It also provides access to airline and hotel alliance partners, doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, and has a low annual charge.

In addition to a wonderful welcome offer, you’ll earn up to 3x ThankYou Points on your purchases: 1x point for every $1 spent on everything else.

Key Features

  • You can earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou Points after spending $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of opening an account
  • Earn 3 ThankYou Points per $1 spent at Restaurants and Supermarkets
  • 60,000 ThankYou Points are redeemable for $600 in gift cards when redeemed at thankyou.com
  • Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases
  • Annual savings on hotels
  • Earn 3 ThankYou Points on every $1 spent at Gas stations, travel, and hotel
  • There is no expiration date on the rewards point you rack up
  • No extra foreign transaction fees (Which is perfect for travelers)

Citi Double Cash Card

  • Annual Fee: $0
  • Pros: No annual fee, for every $1 spend is 2% uncapped, redemption options are flexible
  • Cons: Not many travel benefits, 3% transaction fee, no extra categories for bonuses
  • Credit required: 670+

Overview

Another excellent example of a Citi card that provides rewards and a virtual credit card number is the Double Cash card. The 0% balance transfer APR on the Double Cash card is currently attractive, but the real benefit of this card is that it earns up to 2x ThankYou Points for every dollar spent. You get 1% back when you buy and 1% back when you pay, for a total of 2% cash back (from 2x ThankYou Points).

The Double Cash card, on the other hand, is unique in that you can combine the ThankYou Points you earn with the Citi Premier card to earn a return on your spending of 3.2% if you have it. This card includes no fraud liability, no authorized user fees, and access to Citi Entertainment.

Key Features

  • You can earn 2% on every purchase with the unlimited 1% cash back plus an additional 1%
  • In order to earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time
  •  0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months. Afterward, the variable APR will be 14.74% – 24.74%, based on your credit
  • Balance transfers don’t earn cash back
  • The standard variable APR for Citi Flex Plan is 14.74% – 24.74%, based on your creditworthiness. Citi Flex Plan offers are made available at Citi’s discretion.

Apple Instant Card

  • Annual Fee: $0
  • Pros: No annual fees, users can get a titanium card (numberless), money management tools, data privacy, dynamic security features
  • Cons: No onboarding bonuses, low cashback, require Apple Pay/iOS system
  • Credit required: 650+

Overview

Apple’s first venture into the credit card industry resulted in a product with several appealing features. To begin with, you can apply for the card through the Wallet app on your iPhone in minutes, and if accepted, it can be used immediately anywhere that mobile wallet payments are accepted.

Along with having access to getting virtual card numbers, you will also receive 3% cash back on all Apple purchases—from hardware to downloads from the iTunes library, 2% back on every Apple Pay purchase, whether it’s made from your iPhone, Apple Watch, Mac, or iPad, and 1% back on everything else. No annual fees, no foreign exchange fees, or late fees are charged, and you can access your cash-back earnings the day after a purchase.

The card is paired with an app to help you evaluate its pros and cons by paying off a credit card over time.

Key Features

  • Virtual card numbers – Making it safer for online shopping
  • Right after you sign up, you can use it right away
  • You can get 3% back on everything you buy from Apple, whether it’s from the Apple Store, Apple.com, the App Store, or iTunes
  • Get 2% back on every purchase made with Apple Pay. It includes every category, with no limits
  • The Apple Card gives you 1% of all other purchases back in form of Daily Cash
  • Every purchase made gives you Daily Cash, so you can spend it on whatever you’d like, straight from your iPhone.
  • The Apple Card doesn’t have any fees. Ever
  • This is actually the first credit card that actually encourages you to pay less interest