- The episode, led by Andrés Díaz, explains virtual cards as digital, plastic-free numbers generated by your bank or fintech for online purchases. They offer control over spending, expiry, and security, keeping your main card safe if a merchant is breached.
- A virtual card can be created quickly in your banking app. You can set its goal (one-time purchase, subscription, or trip), define limits (per-transaction, monthly, per-merchant), choose its validity, and enable real-time notifications. After use, you can freeze or delete it.
- Practical use cases:
- Subscriptions: one card per service with a monthly limit to automatically decline extra charges.
- New or unknown stores: temporary card with a tight limit.
- International purchases: enable international mode only when needed with strict caps.
- Free trials: small limit to ensure charges fail if not canceled.
- Security and refunds: add two-factor authentication, use dynamic security codes, and benefit from tokenization. Refunds go back to the same account even if the virtual card is closed; chargebacks work like with a regular card.
- Smart tips: don’t store the virtual card in stores, name cards by purpose, enable alerts for small and large amounts, review weekly summaries, and close inactive cards.
- Warnings: hotels and car rentals may require a physical card; avoid public Wi‑Fi when paying; beware suspicious links.
- Takeaway: using virtual cards reduces risk and gives you control over spending. A simple three-rule start is objective, limit, and lifespan. Virtual cards can also coexist with digital wallets in many cases.
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