Have heard about credit and debit cards but haven’t yet heard about virtual card? Don’t worry, read on. This article will introduce you to virtual card apps and will discuss everything about how to use them.

What are Virtual Cards?

Virtual Card or Digital Card or Cloud Card is a payment card which is a plastic representation of a card. Unlike credit and debit cards, virtual cards are not physical cards. They are virtually hosted on the Internet. A virtual card is mostly used with credit card, loyalty card, insurance card, driver’s license, etc. Virtual Card Technology was created with a view to increase security of user’s credentials. So a virtual card is basically a randomly generated 16 digit number which is associated with your actual credit card. It has its own CVV number and you can set limits to maximum money access per day.

In this article, we’ll share about Indian Apps to get Virtual Cards for Free and How to Use the Virtual Cards using the apps. Read on to know more.

Best Virtual Card Apps in India

So let get to know more about India’s best virtual cards providing platforms. Have a look:

SBI Virtual Card

The State Bank Of India(SBI) is a public sector multinational banking organization headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It has 16 regional hubs and 57 zonal offices located in imminent cities of India. SBI provides its own virtual card which can be used at all the places where you use your physical plastic card. A virtual card can issue Indian currency only with a minimum amount of issue at Rs.100 and maximum amount of issue at Rs. 10,000. The SBI Virtual Card can be used in Nepal and Bhutan including India. Your transaction will get completed only when you provide the One Time Password sent to the registered phone number. You can avail a virtual card very easily by using the bank’s internet banking facility.

How to use?

• Create an account on the SBI app and link your bank account to that account.
• Then find and select the “Requests or e-cards” → State Bank Virtual Card option.
• Click on “Generate Virtual Card” option.
• Enter the amount and account to be debited for funding.
• Enter the 8-digit OTP sent to your mobile phone number.
• After successful validation, the Card image, CVV number, expiry date, etc. will be generated on the screen and can be used for online transactions.

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Kotak Mahindra Bank Netc@rd

Netc@rd is a virtual card payment solution provided by Kotak Mahindra Bank. Kotak Mahindra Bank is an Indian private sector bank having headquarters in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It was founded by Uday Kotak in February 2003. Since then, it offers services such as Digital Banking, Investing advice and relations, credit cards, debit cards, virtual cards ,etc. Kotak’s Netc@rd can be used at any place where you use your VISA cards. Anyone who are registered for net banking access and who have at least one valid current/savings account in Kotak Mahindra Bank is eligible for availing this virtual card. 

How to use?

• Purchase whatever product you wish to on a shopping site and select the payment mode as “Debit Card” (VISA).
• Generate Kotak Mahindra Netc@rd by clicking on the “Generate Card” option in the “Netc@rd” tab.
• Enter the amount to be deducted.
• Create the card.
• Once the card is created, CVV number, expiry date will be generated.
• Enter the generated details to your shopping website and proceed for the payment.
• And the transaction will be successful as long as the details are entered correctly.

HDFC Bank Netsafe

HDFC is an Indian private bank founded in 1994. It is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It serves its customers by providing many services such as credit cards, consumer banking, investing options, mortgage loans, private banking, private equity, wealth management, etc. Netsafe service is free for all the HDFC users using Master Credit Card and Debit Card HDFC Bank Visa card. Users having HDFC Infinite and Regalia credit card can generate 5 Netsafe cards per day and maximum amount to be debited is Rs. 1,50,000 whereas using rest of the cards can generate 3 Netsafe cards per day with maximum amount of Rs. 75,000.

How to use?

• For registering for Netsafe, agree to their terms and conditions, enter your credit card number, expiry date.
• Once you enter this, a one time password will be sent to your phone number.
• Once registered, you can use the same card on your next purchase by just generating a different virtual card every time you make a purchase.

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Udio by RBL

RBL or Ratnakar Bank is a private sector bank based in Mumbai, Maharashtra in India. It offers all the necessary services such as corporate banking, institutional banking, business banking, retail assets, Insurance services, loans, etc. Udio one such service provided by RBL. Udio is a type of virtual card on the go. It is powered by Visa and user needs to maintain a minimum of Rs. 5000.

How to use?

• Go to the “Debit Card” page on the payment’s page.
• Enter the credit card details i.e. expiry date, CVV number, card number.
• Enter the OTP sent to your phone to complete the transaction.  

Pockets Wallet By ICICI Bank

ICICI is an Indian multinational banking institution based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It was founded in 1994 and provides many financial services and banking products for corporate and retail customers. It also provides investment banking, mortgage loans, wealth management, etc to its customers. Pockets by ICICI bank is an e-wallet service which provides Visa virtual cards.

How to use?

• First of all register yourself in the Pockets app.
• Then link your bank account into it.
• To complete the purchase go to select the other mode instead of Linked ICICI bank account.
• Then click Next.
• Then write your wallet number in the space provided for the credit card number.
• Then enter the CVV and expiry date.
• Once done, the transaction will be executed. 

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Ewire

Ewire is an online financial services technology company founded in 2017. It supports customers with cross-border payments, business-to-customer payments, business-to-business payments, merchant payments, shopping, etc. It also provides a virtual prepaid card that can do online transactions for you just like a credit card or a debit card. To use the card you need to follow the following steps.

How to use?

• Create an Ewire account by signing up with your mobile number.
• Add money from your bank account to your Ewire prepaid wallet.
• Now you can use this card anywhere on the Internet.

Oxigen Wallet

Oxigen Wallet is India’s leading payments solution provider founded in 2004. It serves users by providing various services such as instant recharges, monthly payments, transfer of money, etc. Oxigen Wallet serves almost 5 million customers now. It offers RuPay card that can be managed and activated using the Oxigen Wallet app. Oxigen RuPay card can be used for both online and offline payments.

How to activate ?

• Login to Oxigen Wallet dashboard.
• Go to ‘Card Management’ tab.
• Select order new cards.
• Select the number of cards and place the order.

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Lime Wallet By Axis Bank

Lime Wallet was India’s first app integrating shopping, wallet, payments, and banking in 2015. It was launched by India’s third largest private sector bank – Axis Bank. Some of the features of Lime Wallet are Shared Wallet, Pool Money, Shopping payments, recharging, etc.

How to activate?

• To activate your Axis Bank Virtual Debit Card, you need to create an Axis ASAP account by going to Axisbank official website.
• Once you create Axis Bank ASAP account, virtual card will be automatically generated.
• You can use it on any merchant’s website.

Conclusion

Thus, using virtual cards not only give us security from fraudsters but also helps us get more seamless transactions. So, these are the best virtual card apps in India that you can use hassle free. Hope you’ve liked the article. If you have any query related to the article, you can ask us via the comment section. We will try to answer as soon as possible. You can also read about Best App Hider Apps.