Virtual credit cards, Apple Pay & Google Pay

What is a virtual credit card?

A virtual credit card is a card number with an expiry date and security code, but without a plastic card. It is created in the provider's app and can be used straight away for online purchases or for mobile payments with your smartphone.

It comes in three forms: as a digital version of a plastic card that appears in the app first while the physical card is still in the post; as a purely virtual card with no plastic card at all; and as a single-use or additional card that some providers generate for individual online purchases or subscriptions and let you delete at any time.

Virtual card, smartphone or plastic card?

What you can pay for with which option depends on what you need it for:

How Apple Pay and Google Pay work

When you pay with your phone, your real card number is not transmitted. Instead, the wallet stores a separate device card number (token) and generates a one-time code for every payment. The merchant never sees your real card details.

To pay, you hold your smartphone or smartwatch near the card terminal. You approve the payment on the device with face recognition, your fingerprint or the device passcode. Because this approval already happens on the phone, the terminal usually doesn't ask for a PIN, even for larger amounts.

Set up your card in 4 steps

Setup only takes a few minutes:

• Open the wallet app (Apple Wallet or Google Wallet) or start the feature directly in your bank's app
• Add your card and scan or enter the card details
• Confirm your identity with an SMS code or in your banking app
• Done – you can now pay contactless with your smartphone

Free cards for smartphone and online payments

Almost all cards in our comparison can be added to Apple Pay or Google Pay. It is best to check with the provider before you apply whether the card supports your smartphone's wallet. The following table shows the top-rated cards with no annual or monthly fee – including debit cards, which come without a credit line of their own, and genuine credit cards.

How secure is mobile payment?

Mobile payment is considered at least as secure as a plastic card: thanks to tokenisation, no real card data is transmitted, you have to approve every payment on the device with biometrics or the device passcode, and if you lose your smartphone, the card stored on it can be blocked on its own without affecting your plastic card.

The biggest weak spot is a device passcode that is easy to guess. Use a secure passcode, turn on your device's find-my feature and only add a card to your wallet if you have just started that process yourself. Fraudsters specifically try to trick people into handing over confirmation codes so they can add a card to their own device.

Frequently asked questions about virtual cards and mobile payment

Do I still need a plastic card?

For everyday use, often not. But a plastic card still makes sense for car rental and hotel deposits, for ATMs without a contactless function and as a backup when your battery is flat.

Does the contactless limit also apply when I pay with my smartphone?

Usually not in the same way. Because you approve every payment on the device, the terminal generally doesn't ask for a PIN, even for larger amounts. Whether a very large amount goes through at the terminal also depends on the merchant, though.

What should I do if I lose my smartphone?

Lock or erase the device using its find-my feature, and remove the card in your banking app or have your bank block it. The wallet card can usually be blocked on its own, so your plastic card remains usable.

How do I return something I paid for with my smartphone?

Refunds go to the card you paid with. In a shop, you may need to hold your smartphone to the terminal again, because the till knows the device card number, not the number of your plastic card.