A number of digital-only banks now offer virtual cards, but note that these are debit rather than credit cards. These include Revolut, Monese, Monzo and Starling Bank. We also have an in-depth guide on virtual debit cards.
With Revolut, you can choose between a standard and a disposable virtual card. The Revolut virtual card works in the same way as your regular Revolut card and you can freeze or unfreeze it as you wish. The Revolut disposable virtual card is for single use only.
At Monese, every customer can set up 1 virtual card per currency account which you can lock immediately after each transaction and unlock again when you need it. You can also link your virtual card to Apple Pay and Google Pay for ease of use.
Starling Bank also lets customers add digital (or virtual) cards to their digital wallet through the Starling app.
Another option you could consider is Bits. This is a virtual credit card, but you can only use it to make purchases in the Bits store. Each month, you’ll be charged a subscription fee to your card and your card will then automatically pay off the fee. This payment will be reported to credit reference agencies with the aim of helping you build up a credit history. You can find out more in our Bits review.