What You Can't Pay for with a Virtual Card — and Why

A virtual card cannot pay for everything. This is not a limitation of the issuer — it's the decision of specific merchants or payment systems. Here are several common cases.

Car Rentals and Hotels with Deposits

Rental companies typically require a physical card to freeze a deposit (from $300 to $3000 depending on the rate). Virtual cards are usually declined — they have no physical limit for the hold, and the company cannot charge for damages if something happens to the car.

In large chains (Hertz, Avis) this is part of the terms. With local rental companies, a virtual card may sometimes work — but without guarantees, and it's better to check in advance by calling the office, not just on the website.

Government Services and Tax Authorities

The Russian Federal Tax Service website, the US IRS, EU tax portals — typical places where virtual cards do not work. The reason is filtering by card type: prepaid and virtual cards are immediately rejected.

Airlines and Training with Refunds

Some airlines (especially US low-cost carriers) accept virtual cards but prohibit refunds to them. If the card is later blocked or expires, the refund will be lost, and you'll have to retrieve the payment through support.

Solution: for large tickets with cancellation options, use a card with a long validity period and do not close it until the refund is fully processed.

P2P Services and Zelle

Venmo, Cash App, Zelle (USA) are not classic acquirers but closed P2P systems. Virtual cards cannot be linked to them. Alternative: transfer funds via USDT/USDC if the recipient accepts it, or find a provider that supports ACH.

What Usually Works

Subscriptions, SaaS, advertising, marketplaces (Amazon, eBay, AliExpress), streaming services, AI tools, gaming platforms, eSIM, most OTAs (Booking, Expedia, hotels.com) — here a virtual card is usually accepted without issues.

If in doubt, it's better to run a test charge for a minimal amount. That's faster than arguing with support later.