
These temporary cards typically last for a short period of time - usually just 24 hours, though some providers may maintain a temporary card for up to one year. It’s the card number that a merchant sees when you complete a transaction with them. What is a temporary card?Ī temporary card is what’s generated each time you create a new virtual card or change the virtual card number that you are using to make a purchase. That said, virtual cards can only be used for online purchases, some over-the-phone transactions and (if you add your virtual card to Apple Pay or Google Pay) at qualifying physical stores that accept those Apple or Google payment platforms. You can create new card numbers for different stores, change your card number on the fly, set spending limits and even lock or delete a card number without having it affect your actual account. Virtual cards provide much more flexibility. They’re generally - but not always - intended for one-time use, so even if a company you’ve done business with falls victim to a data breach and your card number is retrieved, your actual account won’t be compromised. Virtual cards can generate a unique card number for each transaction you make, protecting your real account number. What’s different about a virtual card, though, is that it doesn’t have the same security limitations as a physical card. You’ve likely been asked to read your card number over the phone or enter it when shopping online, so you already have an idea of how this works. The easiest way to think of a virtual credit card may be to simply imagine your credit card without its physical form, reduced to a 16-digit primary account number.
