How to use virtual cards

1  min  watch  •  5  min  read

Heard about virtual cards but have no clue what they are? Or just need a bit more information before signing up? 

A virtual card is a digital payment card linked to your credit or debit card or bank account. It works like a proxy for your actual card or account, but it doesn’t reveal any of your personal details when you buy stuff.

Virtual cards are a popular way to shop because you get your purchases and no one gets your personal information.

Let’s take a closer look:

  • A virtual card is digital, so it sits on your device, not in your physical wallet.

  • It is linked to your debit or credit card or bank account, but it actually has its own card number, CVV and expiry date.

  • You can use your virtual card online or over the phone or anywhere you need to give someone your credit card number.

  • Since the virtual card has its own details, your details are safe: the merchant doesn’t get your data and neither do data brokers or criminals. Even your transaction details (what you bought and where) are kept private from your bank.

  • The virtual card doesn’t have its own balance. Charges made on it are forwarded directly to your linked card (i.e. debit or credit card).

  • You can use this type of card for a one-off payment or for all your purchases.

  • You can close a virtual card at any time to stop unwanted charges.

Here's what makes MySudo virtual cards so good:

  • Combined with the Sudo email and phone number, a MySudo virtual card lets you completely compartmentalize (silo) your spending across purposes. This organizes your spending and breaks your data trail to protect you against data breaches, data brokers and criminal activity.

  • MySudo virtual cards give you a choice of funding source – link them to either a debit or credit card or a bank account. Detailed transaction history is visible to you in the MySudo app but not on your bank statement, where transactions appear only as ‘MySudo transactions’.

  • You can cancel a MySudo virtual card at any time without affecting the rest of your Sudo’s functionality. You have a limit of one active virtual card per Sudo, so if you cancel one of your Sudo’s virtual cards, you can create another one.

For more on MySudo, head to our blog or our popular podcast, Privacy Files.