Best virtual credit cards for businesses in May 2025
- Best virtual credit card providers for businesses
- Why businesses use virtual cards
- What to look for in a virtual business credit card
- Choosing the right virtual credit card
- Simplify payments with Ramp virtual cards
A virtual credit card is a randomly generated card number that can be used for online payments and in-person contactless payments. It replaces the credit card number on your physical card, keeping your actual card number safe in the event of a data breach. Like a physical credit card, virtual credit cards contain a cardholder's name, card number, expiration date, and a 3- or 4-digit CVV.
Virtual cards are not an alternative to traditional credit cards. Instead, they’re a service connected to your credit card account that you can use for extra security. Most major credit card issuers give you the option to generate and use a virtual card number.
The best virtual card providers for businesses include:
- Best overall: Ramp Business Credit Card
- Best for flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Spark 2X Miles
- Best for premium travel perks: The Business Platinum Card from American Express
- Best for international business: Revolut Business Card
Best virtual credit card providers for businesses
Each of these virtual credit card providers offers unique benefits for different business needs, with features ranging from expense management tools to travel rewards:
Ramp Business Credit Card
- Cashback on purchases
- No annual fees or interest charges
- Advanced expense management tools
- Requires $25,000 minimum balance to qualify
- Not suitable for carrying balances
The Ramp Business Credit Card is a versatile solution for businesses of all sizes seeking an expense management platform with integrated controls. The card offers cashback rewards on purchases, unlimited physical and virtual employee cards, and automated expense management tools to help you save money. You can track, categorize, and approve your team’s spending with features like automated receipt matching, accounting software integrations, and spending controls.
Ramp identifies cost-saving opportunities, often resulting in an average savings of 5%. As a cardholder, you can access more than $350,000 in partner rewards and discounts, like 30% off a 12-month QuickBooks subscription, 50% off shopping costs with UPS, and up to $5,000 in Amazon Web Services credits.
As a charge card, you must pay the balance in full each billing cycle. To be approved, your business must be registered in the U.S. and have a minimum of $25,000 in a business bank account.
Key features:
- Unlimited employee cards with virtual credit card access
- Built-in employee spending controls on individual transactions, vendors, and categories
- Automated expense management tools to track, categorize, and approve spending
- No annual fee, foreign transaction fees, or interest charges
- Average savings of 5% on your spending and over $350,000 in partner perks
Capital One Spark 2x Miles
- Unlimited 2x miles on all purchases
- No foreign transaction fees
- Transfer miles to over 15 travel loyalty programs
- Up to $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Annual fee after the first year
- No introductory APR offer
- High standard APR
The Capital One Spark 2X Miles is a travel-focused business credit card that offers access to virtual credit card numbers, which you can create online and easily track, lock, or delete.
The card earns an unlimited 2X miles on all purchases, whether you’re spending on client dinners or business equipment. You also earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One’s travel portal, making it a good option for businesses that do a lot of travel. When it comes time to redeem, you can book travel through Capital One’s travel portal, transfer miles to hotel or airline partners, or redeem for gift cards and merchandise.
Additional perks include up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck and no foreign transaction fees, so if your business does a lot of international travel, you can enjoy faster airport security lines and avoid extra charges on purchases made abroad. Despite its strong travel perks, the card’s high variable APR and lack of an intro APR offer means you should only consider this card if you don’t plan to carry a balance.
Key features:
- 2 miles per dollar on all purchases
- 5 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars through Capital One Travel
- Miles can be transferred to over 15 travel loyalty programs
- Credits for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck
The Business Platinum Card from American Express
- 5x points on flights and prepaid hotels booked via Amex Travel
- No preset spending limit
- Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite and Hilton Honors Gold status
- Access to airport lounges and other travel perks
- No foreign transaction fees
- “Pay Over Time” offers payment flexibility on eligible purchase
- High annual fee of $695
- Rewards program is relatively complex
- Benefits are primarily travel-focused, less so on other business expenses
- Requires full balance payment each month
The Business Platinum Card from American Express is designed for business owners seeking premium travel benefits, the most impressive being access to over 1,400 airport lounges worldwide and over $1,000 in travel and business statement credits. As a cardholder, you can access credits like $200 in credits for purchases with Dell Technologies, $200 in credits for airline fees, and $360 in credits toward purchases with Indeed.
American Express lets you enroll your card and receive a virtual card number. Each time you make a purchase online, a new 4-digit security code will populate to use at checkout. When you make purchases, you will earn 5X Membership Rewards points on flights and prepaid hotels booked through AmexTravel.com and 1.5X points on eligible purchases in select business categories or purchases of $5,000 or more. Business categories include things like electronics, software, and hardware supplies.
Alongside these premium perks comes a $695 annual fee, which may not justify its value for businesses that won’t use them. Additionally, as a charge card, balances must be paid in full each month in most cases.
Key features:
- 5x Membership Rewards® points on flights and hotels through amextravel.com
- 1.5x points on purchases over $5,000 or in specific categories
- Access to over 1,400 airport lounges
- Annual credits for airline fees and CLEAR® membership
Revolut Business Card
- Ideal for international spending
- No foreign transaction fees
- Integrated expense tracking
- Limited or no rewards program
- Best suited for businesses with global operations
The Revolut Business Card is a versatile tool for businesses operating internationally. It allows for multi-currency spending in over 25 currencies without foreign transaction fees and provides competitive exchange rates.
The card, which technically operates as a prepaid business debit card, comes with features like real-time spending insights, customizable employee spending controls, and automated expense tracking. The virtual card seamlessly integrates with its app, offering advanced tools for managing expenses and tracking budgets.
While Revolut excels in global operations, it lacks a traditional rewards program, which may not appeal to businesses looking for cashback or points-based incentives. Additionally, some advanced features are only available under paid subscription plans, limiting the card’s appeal for businesses seeking free solutions.
Key features:
- Multi-currency accounts with over 25 supported currencies
- Real-time spending insights and automated expense tracking
- Competitive exchange rates and no foreign transaction fees
- Customizable employee card controls
Note that most business cards operate on the Visa or Mastercard network, ensuring wide acceptance.
Why businesses use virtual cards
Virtual credit cards offer added security and protect your credit or bank account information. Here are a few reasons to use virtual cards instead of physical cards:
- Improved security: Virtual card numbers protect your actual card information from exposure during online purchases, reducing the risk of fraud and identity theft when shopping online.
- Spending control: Some virtual card providers allow you to issue cards with built-in controls and spending limits. This means you could instantly issue a single-use virtual card with an expiry date.
- International transactions: Virtual credit cards can be particularly useful for international travel or online transactions. You might not want to use your primary card information due to higher fraud risks or currency exchange concerns.
- Agility: Depending on the provider, you can issue your virtual cards instantly, so employees get access to the card details for online purchases fast.
- Convenience for subscriptions: These cards are ideal for free trials that require a card number, preventing unwanted charges from the merchant after the trial period ends
What to look for in a virtual business credit card
Before you apply for a business credit card with virtual card access, it’s important to carefully consider the rates, rewards, perks, and security. In doing so, you can determine which features are most important to you and your business and which you could live without.
Rates and fees
Beyond virtual card access, interest rates and fees are some of the most important factors to consider when choosing a business credit card.
Business cards may charge an annual fee between $95 and $695 or more; typically, the more benefits offered, the higher the annual fee. That said, there are plenty of great no-annual-fee business cards that break that mold, including the Ramp Business Card
If you anticipate carrying a balance, pay close attention to interest rates. A business credit card with lower interest rates (ideally well under 20% variable APR) could save you money over time. You might also consider cards with intro 0% APR offers on purchases, which can help you make a large purchase (such as bulk materials or a piece of equipment) and pay it off over time without interest.
Lastly, consider any foreign transaction fees if you travel outside of the country or make international purchases. These fees can add up if you have multiple employees making charges abroad.
Rewards
Many business credit cards offer rewards on spending, whether it be in the form of points, miles, or cashback. If earning rewards is important to you, consider the type of rewards you want, the bonus category structure you prefer, and the redemption options available.
Rewards can be doled out at a flat rate (like 2X points on an spending) or with a tiered bonus category structure (like 5X points on travel, 3X points on dining, and 1X miles on miscellaneous spending). You may also stumble upon rotating bonus category cards that earn rewards on different purchases each quarter.
If your team travels often, you may want a card that earns points or miles and redeem for airline and hotel travel. On the other hand, cashback credit cards offer a great way to boost your bottom line with money back on everyday expenses.
Additional card perks
The best business credit cards offer extra benefits outside of rewards rates (and virtual credit card numbers, for that matter). Benefits can be anything from dining statement credits to business software integrations to airport lounge access.
One of the most common perks is a welcome bonus. Typically, you’ll need to meet a certain spending threshold within the first few months of card ownership to qualify. For example, a card may feature a $500 cashback bonus for spending $1,500 in the first three months from account opening.
As you compare business credit cards, takenote of the benefits each card offers and focus on perks that best align with your business needs.
Security and purchase protections
Most business credit cards offer some form of protection, with the most basic being perks like $0 fraud liability and security alerts. Travel cards tend to offer protections like trip cancellation insurance or baggage delay insurance.
For virtual credit card perks, check with the issuer to confirm what security features are included, like the ability to lock or delete virtual cards or control where they can be used.
Choosing the right virtual credit card
Before comparing card features, identify your business priorities. Consider whether you value travel benefits, cashback rewards, expense management tools, or international transaction capabilities. For growing organizations, corporate cards with virtual capabilities offer scalable solutions that provide centralized oversight while meeting the diverse needs of multiple departments.
Card feature comparison
Annual Fee
$0
APR
N/A
Capital One Spark 2X MilesNet Savings
$95
APR
18.49%–26.49%
American Express Business Platinum CardAnnual Fee
$695
APR
18.49% to 27.49% variable
Revolut Business CardAPR
N/A
Fees
$0 for basic plan; paid plans start at $39.99/month
Simplify payments with Ramp virtual cards
Virtual cards offer convenience and an added layer of security for your business transactions. With a virtual card, you can pay merchants online or in-store with contactless payments without worrying about your information being stolen.
Ramp offers unlimited virtual credit card numbers to its users, meaning you and any employees with access to a Ramp Business Card can access virtual credit card numbers.
Our business card offers built-in expense management functionality designed to save your business money with AI-powered spending insights as well as expense tracking and reporting automation tools that can save you hours of manual work.
Watch our product demo to see how Ramp can help you streamline your business finances with virtual cards.
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