Quick answer: In the UAE you can get a virtual card three ways: a virtual version of a bank credit card (needs Emirates ID, a minimum salary and a credit check), a debit card from a digital bank such as Wio or Liv, or a prepaid virtual card that you load before you spend. Cardwisechoice offers US-issued prepaid virtual Visa and Mastercard cards in US dollars, with no salary requirement or credit check, built for US and international websites. They are not a UAE product, so compare them with the licensed local options below.
Searching for the best virtual credit cards in the UAE usually means one of two things: you want a card number you can use online today, or you want to shop on US websites that keep declining your UAE card. This guide compares every type of card on offer, explains how to apply online, what each option costs, how your money is protected, and which card fits businesses and individuals, from personal shopping and subscriptions to company spending. UAE e-commerce reached AED 42.2 billion in 2025, about 15.7% of all retail sales, and as online shopping in the UAE continues to grow, more UAE residents are turning to virtual cards for reliable payment online (EZDubai and Euromonitor via Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism).
"Virtual credit card" is used for four quite different products. A virtual card is simply a digital payment card: banks issue it under their own card program, fintech card providers offer virtual cards through an app, and some cards come without a physical card at all. The card issuer, meaning the bank or licensed provider behind the card, decides who qualifies, and card issuance can take seconds in an app or days for a bank credit card. Knowing which one you need saves you a rejected application.
| Bank virtual credit card | Digital bank debit card | Prepaid virtual card | Corporate virtual card | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Examples | Mashreq Instant Digital Card, American Express | Wio, Liv. by Emirates NBD | US-issued prepaid cards, like ours | Qashio, Pemo |
| Whose money? | The bank's credit line | Your bank balance | Money you load first | Company funds |
| Credit check (AECB) | Yes | Account checks | No | Company onboarding |
| Emirates ID and salary | Usually required | Emirates ID required | Not required | Trade licence required |
| Best for | Rewards, miles, borrowing | Everyday banking | Online and US shopping, subscriptions | Team and business spending |
If you want a true credit card with a credit limit, you apply to a bank. Most banks now let you apply online or in their app, and some show the virtual card straight away once you are approved. For example, Mashreq says its Instant Digital Card can be used as a virtual credit card after approval, with the full card number, expiry date and CVV shown in the app (Mashreq).
Comparison sites put the usual entry point at a monthly salary of AED 5,000, with premium cards asking for AED 8,000 to AED 25,000 or more, and applicants typically need to be at least 21 with a valid Emirates ID, a residence visa and a healthy AECB credit score, which runs from 300 to 900 (Emirates Islamic, Paisabazaar). These are market norms rather than a fixed rule, so always confirm on the bank's own page.
If you are looking for easy approval credit cards, you have three realistic routes:
Be careful with any site promising "instant approval" for a credit card: every licensed bank has to check your income and credit record before lending.
A virtual card works without a physical card: you get the card number, expiry date and CVV on screen and use it for online purchases, subscriptions and, through a phone wallet, contactless payments in shops. A physical card is still the better choice when you need ATMs or a merchant asks you to show the card.
| Virtual card | Physical card | |
|---|---|---|
| Ready in | Minutes | Days, by courier |
| Online transactions | Yes | Yes |
| Shops | Through Apple Pay or Google Pay | Yes |
| ATMs and cash | No | Yes |
| Risk if lost or stolen | Nothing to lose; replace the number | Must block and reissue the card |
Many banks give you a virtual and physical card together: you use the virtual card over a physical one at first, then switch when the plastic arrives. With no plastic to make or post, virtual cards are also a small way to go green.
Full details of each card, including its BIN and price, are on our cards page.
Our cards are US-issued prepaid virtual cards that hold a balance in US dollars. Because the dirham is pegged to the US dollar at AED 3.6725 per USD, a dollar balance is easy to plan with: $100 is always about AED 367.
| Card | Network and BIN | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mastercard USA Reloadable | Mastercard debit, BIN 527520 | Global platforms that prefer US-issued cards | $100 |
| Reloadable Visa Standard | Visa | Everyday online payments and subscriptions | $120 |
| Visa Card USA Reloadable | Visa debit, BIN 434769 | Higher spending and US-only merchants | $150 |
Every card is reloadable, valid for one year, has no monthly fee, supports 3-D Secure, works with Apple Pay and Google Pay, comes with a US billing address and offers a spending limit of up to $10,000. There is a one-time $5 card issue fee, and top-ups are made in crypto with a 5% top-up fee (see our pricing page). You can check what a merchant sees about any card with our free BIN checker.
Virtual cards have become a standard feature of local banking. Here is how the main virtual card options compare, from banks and digital banks to corporate platforms and international prepaid cards.
| Provider | Type | Virtual card facts | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wio Bank | Digital bank, licensed by the Central Bank of the UAE | Offers virtual debit cards: create as many as you need in the Wio Personal app | Needs a Wio account (Wio) |
| Liv. by Emirates NBD | Digital bank account, Visa debit | Account opened in the app with Emirates ID and passport | Physical debit card delivered to your door (Liv.) |
| Mashreq Instant Digital Card | Credit card | Usable as a virtual credit card right after approval | Activate the physical card within 180 days to keep using it (Mashreq) |
| American Express | Credit or charge card | Up to 6 virtual cards: 1 for you and up to 5 supplementary, at no extra cost | Supplementary members need a physical card first (Amex) |
| Qashio | Corporate cards | Unlimited virtual and physical corporate cards with spend controls | For businesses; cards issued by NymCard, licensed by the CBUAE (Qashio) |
| Pemo | Corporate cards | Card creation takes seconds, with each card's own number, expiry and CVV | Free plan for up to 2 card users (Pemo) |
| Cardwisechoice | Prepaid virtual Visa or Mastercard (USD) | Instant, email signup, US billing address | No salary or credit check; US-issued, not CBUAE-licensed |
Features and fees change often, so check the latest terms on each provider's own page before you apply. For travel, banks also offer prepaid cards for travel, such as First Abu Dhabi Bank's multi-currency prepaid card and Emirates Islamic's TravelWise card, which hold several currencies on one card.
Sometimes, but "free" usually comes with conditions. Amex virtual cards cost nothing extra, but only once you hold an Amex card, which has its own fees and eligibility. Digital banks such as Wio include virtual cards with the account, and corporate platforms such as Pemo offer free plans for small teams. A truly free virtual credit card with no account, no salary check and no fees does not really exist.
We prefer to be upfront: our cards cost the card price plus a one-time $5 issue fee, with a 5% fee on each top-up and no monthly fee. In return, you skip the Emirates ID, salary and credit checks entirely.
A virtual prepaid card is a reloadable card you top up before you spend. For many UAE customers it is the best prepaid card option for online and international spending, because it is quick to get and easy to control.
To choose the right virtual card, compare these points before you sign up:
| Feature | What to look for | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Eligibility | Emirates ID, minimum salary, AECB check | Decides whether you can get the card at all |
| Currency | AED, multi-currency or USD | For international transactions, local cards typically add a foreign currency transaction or conversion fee of around 2–3% on top of the foreign exchange rate; check your card's Key Facts Statement |
| Billing address | Local or US | Many US merchants check the billing country |
| Fees | Annual, issue, top-up and foreign transaction fees | The real cost of using the card |
| Recurring payments | Multi-use card, not single-use | Single-use numbers stop subscriptions after one payment |
| 3-D Secure and wallets | OTP checks, Apple Pay and Google Pay | Needed for most online checkouts and contactless in-store payments |
| Regulation | Who issues the card and where it is licensed | Decides which consumer protection rules apply |
Virtual cards offer a secure way to pay online because your real card details never reach the merchant.
Cards issued by local banks and licensed providers fall under the Central Bank of the UAE's rules and complaint process. Our cards are issued in the United States and are not a UAE product: we are not licensed by the Central Bank of the UAE, so its consumer protection rules do not apply to them. Funding a card with crypto also carries its own risks, so only use crypto you understand. The sensible approach with any prepaid card is the same: load what you plan to spend and top up as you go.
Many residents want to buy from US stores that either do not ship to the Gulf or refuse cards issued outside the US. As one Aramex Shop & Ship guide points out, some merchants "don't accept international credit cards or credit cards of billing addresses outside the USA" (ExpatWoman on Aramex Shop & Ship). Here is how to get around both problems:
Because the dirham is pegged at AED 3.6725 per US dollar, a USD card makes US prices easy to compare with what you would pay at home, and it is a simple way to manage international payments without sending money abroad.
For companies, virtual corporate cards replace shared company cards and expense claims. UAE businesses use a card platform such as Qashio or Pemo to simplify spending: finance teams issue a card per employee, supplier, subscription or ad campaign, each with its own limit.
These platforms need a UAE trade licence and company onboarding. Freelancers and small teams that mainly pay US software, AI tools and ad platforms can instead use separate prepaid virtual cards, one per service. Our guide to virtual cards for small business owners shows practical setups.
| You are | Good fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Salaried resident who wants rewards | Bank virtual credit card | Points, miles and a credit limit |
| New arrival without an Emirates ID yet | Prepaid virtual card | No salary or residency checks |
| Freelancer paying US tools and clients | Prepaid USD virtual card | US billing address and USD balance |
| Student | Prepaid virtual card | No income needed and no debt |
| Local company with a trade licence | Corporate cards (Qashio, Pemo) | Team cards, limits and accounting sync |
Before choosing any card, compare it with the licensed local options in the table above, and remember that our cards are US-issued and not regulated in the UAE. You can see every card on our cards page.
Paying from elsewhere in the Gulf? See our guides to a virtual credit card in Saudi Arabia, a virtual credit card in Qatar and a virtual credit card in Kuwait.
A virtual card is a digital payment card that exists only online, with a card number, expiry date and CVV, used for online purchases, subscriptions and phone wallets. It can be a virtual version of a bank credit card, a digital bank debit card, a prepaid card or a corporate card.
For a bank credit card, apply on the bank's website or app with your Emirates ID, residence visa and salary documents, and wait for approval after an AECB check. Prepaid virtual cards from international providers such as Cardwisechoice are issued online after you fund them, usually within minutes, without a credit check.
Some banks show your virtual card instantly once you are approved, but approval itself always involves income and credit checks. Prepaid virtual cards skip approval because they do not lend money.
Some providers include virtual cards at no extra cost, such as Amex for existing cardholders or digital banks for account holders, but the underlying card or account usually has eligibility rules and fees. Our cards have a card price, a one-time $5 issue fee and a 5% top-up fee, with no monthly fee.
It depends on where you shop. For local stores, a prepaid card in the UAE from a bank or a fintech app such as Pyypl works well. For US and international websites, a USD virtual prepaid card with a US billing address avoids foreign exchange fees and declined payments.
Entry-level cards with lower salary requirements and secured cards backed by a fixed deposit are usually the easiest to get. If you cannot meet any salary rule, a prepaid virtual card needs no salary or credit check at all.
Comparison sites put the usual minimum at AED 5,000 a month, with some banks accepting around AED 3,000 and premium cards asking for much more. Each bank sets its own rule.
Local banks and digital banks require an Emirates ID. Prepaid virtual cards issued outside the UAE, such as ours, only need an email address to sign up.
Common reasons are a non-US billing address, merchants that only accept US-issued cards, and failed 3-D Secure or fraud checks on cross-border payments. A US-issued card with a US billing address avoids most of these problems.
Pay with a card US stores accept, such as a US-issued virtual card, and use a parcel forwarding service like Aramex Shop & Ship to get a US delivery address. Budget for 5% customs duty and 5% VAT on orders above the customs threshold.
Qashio and Pemo are popular platforms for virtual corporate cards, offering team cards, spending limits and accounting integrations for companies with a UAE trade licence. Freelancers and small teams can use separate prepaid virtual cards for each subscription or ad account.
Yes, most virtual cards can be added to phone wallets, and our cards work with both Apple Pay and Google Pay for contactless payments.
Yes. Your main card number stays hidden, payments are confirmed with 3-D Secure, and wallets use tokens instead of your real number. Cards from locally licensed issuers also fall under the Central Bank's consumer protection rules.
For online payments, usually yes. A separate virtual card keeps your main bank card details away from merchants, and with a prepaid card the balance caps what anyone could take. For cash and ATMs, you still need a physical card.
Digital banks such as Wio and Liv., banks such as Mashreq and American Express, corporate platforms such as Qashio and Pemo, and international providers such as ours all offer virtual cards, each with different eligibility rules and fees.
Yes, for online payments and, through Apple Pay or Google Pay, contactless in shops. Because the dirham is pegged to the dollar at 3.6725, it is easy to know what you are paying in AED.