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What is a virtual card?

The phrase “virtual card” can mean different things. In the most generic sense, “virtual card” means the digital display of a card number to an end user without a corresponding plastic card – this is how a “virtual card” is defined at PEX. Sometimes “virtual card” means the ability to generate a unique card number per merchant. All card numbers draw on the same card account or pool of funds. This use of virtual cards is more secure than providing a single card number for purchases as each merchant receives a unique card number. The preferred term for this use case is “ghost card”. “Virtual card” can sometimes also mean the ability to instantly provision a digital card and make secure purchases through a device such as a mobile phone. The preferred term for this use case is “digital card”.

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Does PEX offer virtual cards?

PEX offers virtual cards for all customers. Please see How to Create Virtual Cards for details on how to create virtual cards. PEX also offers support for digital cards. Please see Adding a PEX Card to a Digital Wallet. Virtual cards can also be provisioned and retrieved via an API endpoint. For more information, please see our API documentation. Note: you will need to sign up for a free developer account to access this page.
Last modified on April 23, 2026