How to Properly Close a Virtual Card

A virtual card is easy to issue and just as easy to close. But between clicking the close button and everything being correct there are a couple of steps that help avoid surprises.

Why Close at All

• The card is no longer needed (the service is not used).
• Data has been compromised – just in case.
• You want to cancel a subscription without contacting the service – simply close the card.
• To avoid paying a periodic fee for maintaining the card (depends on the tariff).

Step 1. Check Active Subscriptions

Before closing, look at the list of recent transactions on the card. If there are recurring charges (Spotify, Netflix, AI services), after closing they will either simply not go through (good), or the merchant may try to collect the subscription through alternative channels (bad: some services pass the debt to collectors or suspend the account with a promise to resume later).

If you want to end the subscription cleanly, first cancel it in the service itself, then close the card. If the service is no longer useful and you don't care about contacting them, just close it.

Step 2. Transfer the Balance

In the card section – Withdraw or Transfer to main account. Enter the entire balance. After that, the card balance = 0.

This is important: closing a card with a balance usually nullifies the ability to withdraw money – the funds physically go away, but without an additional procedure. It's better to transfer first, then close.

Step 3. Close

In the card settings – Close card. Confirm the action (often via PIN). The card gets the status Closed and no longer works for payments.

Important: closing is irreversible. If you decide to use it again, you need to issue a new one with a new number. So don't close if you're not sure.

Step 4. Check After a Week

Within 7–14 days after closing, delayed transactions may arrive. For example, a merchant made an authorization but didn't settle it – and will do a clearing after you closed the card. Such transactions usually don't go through (the card is closed), but sometimes they do and become a debt.

If two weeks after closing there are no debts or warnings in your account, everything is clean.

Alternative: Blocking Instead of Closing

If you're not sure closing is final, use blocking (freezing). The card temporarily stops working, but you can unblock it later. This is useful when you don't use the card but don't want to spend on issuing a new one if it's suddenly needed.

Blocking is usually free, unlike issuing a new card. For rarely used cards, this is often a more economical option.

Expired Cards

A virtual card is usually issued for 2–5 years. When the term expires, the card automatically becomes invalid. No action is required. If you want to continue using it, you can either reissue (new term, new number) or simply issue a new one.