How to use and pay with Revolut virtual card in Ireland: Fees, limit and how to get it

In recent times there’s been many developments in how we use our bank cards, from the release of digital wallets to the mainstream use of contactless payments.

Along with these developments has come the introduction of virtual cards which have been embraced around the world for providing a viable alternative to the physical card.

In this guide we’re going to take a look at the Revolut virtual card, including how it works, where you can use it and what the fees are.

We’ll also introduce the Wise virtual card, another option that’s readily available if you are in Ireland.

Discover all the benefits
of the Wise virtual card 💳

Revolut virtual card: What is it?

Virtual cards are payment cards that don’t have a physical form.¹

With Revolut you can generate virtual cards as needed, using the app.² These cards are connected to your Revolut account and can be used to spend money.

When you generate a Revolut virtual card you’ll get a set of card details that are different to what’s on your physical card. Like the normal card, the details will be under your name and include the following pieces of information:

• 16-digit card number
• Expiry date
• CVV number

Virtual cards are useful for making online payments, especially in situations where you’d prefer not to share your physical card details.

You can also use them to tap and pay with the help of Apple Pay or Google Pay, but we’ll go more into that later.

Types of Revolut virtual cards in Ireland

Revolut offers two types of virtual cards, with slight differences between them.

Virtual Card²	Disposable Virtual Card³
Card details can be viewed and reused multiple times Generated manually through the app by the user You can have up to 20 active virtual cards at once	For one-time use only Automatically regenerated after a transaction You’re limited to having 1 disposable card linked to your account at a time²

Which virtual card you chose to use will depend on the situation surrounding the transaction.

➡️ A virtual card is usually better for subscriptions, digital wallets or online marketplaces like Amazon because you can save the details and leave it.

➡️ The disposable card is handy for one off payments, especially if you're unsure of the seller's security or it’s an organisation you’d rather wasn’t able to save and reused your card details.

Revolut virtual card fees 💶

For Irish customers, there are no fees (it's free) for generating the Revolut virtual card.

This is great news because it means you can generate as many as you need (within the limit) without worrying about charges, although the other transaction and account fees still apply.

How to pay with Revolut virtual card in Ireland?

You can use your Revolut virtual card to pay for items online or in stores.

Paying with Revolut virtual card online

To pay with a Revolut virtual card online you just input the 16-digit card number, expiry date, CVV number and your name like you would with a physical card.²

Most websites will accept the virtual card with no issue as it has all the same information as a normal card.

Using the Revolut virtual card details to pay

Some businesses let you make payments over the phone or by submitting your card details in writing via email or a form.

Similar to an online payment, you just give them the card information and they can process the details manually as if it was a physical card.

Contactless payments with a Revolut virtual card

If you want, you can use third party apps to complete contactless payments with a Revolut virtual card.

Two ways you could do this are using Apple Pay or Google Pay. All you need to do is get the Revolut virtual card details from the Revolut app and input them into your digital wallet app.

Once this is done you can use your Revolut virtual card to tap and go at any of the shops, restaurants or businesses that support contactless payments.

How to withdraw money from Revolut with a virtual card

Unfortunately you can’t use a Revolut virtual card to withdraw money.¹ ❌

This is because unlike a physical card, it doesn’t have the chip or magnetic strip which are required to make cash withdrawals.

Pay and spend in 40+ currencies with Wise virtual card

Revolut isn’t the only provider out there with virtual cards on offer - Wise has them too. 💡

If you open a Wise Account you can order a physical Wise debit card and generate Wise virtual cards. Signing up for the account is free and creating a virtual card too.

With both cards you benefit from being able to hold, pay and spend in 40+ different currencies. The Wise cards are accepted almost anywhere Visa are and can help make spending abroad a little easier.

Whenever you use your physical or virtual Wise cards to make a foreign currency transaction, the card will automatically pull from your local currency balance first.

If the balance is too low or you’re out of local funds the card will complete a currency conversion for you using another Balance. Wise will automatically exchange at the mid-market exchange rate with no hidden fees to worry about.

Some other benefits of the Wise virtual card:

✅ No need to wait for the physical card to arrive - you can start using the digital one
✅ Add it to digital wallets: Apple Pay, Google Pay, Fitbit Pay and Garmin Pay
✅ Virtual card number is different to your physical card

Open your Wise Account
for free 🚀

Please seeTerms of Use for your region or visitWise Fees & Pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.

FAQ: Revolut virtual card in Ireland

Back to the Revolut virtual card, here’s what else you might want to know.

How to get a Revolut virtual card? Step by step

Creating a virtual Revolut card is pretty simple.² To do that you need to open a Revolut account first.

1. Open the Revolut app
2. Go to ‘Cards’
3. Tap ‘Add card’
4. Select ‘Virtual debit card’ then follow the prompts to generate the card.

If you want to generate a disposable virtual card you just need to follow these steps and you’ll get the chance to choose that option after you’ve selected ‘Virtual debit card’.³

Can I use Revolut virtual cards abroad?

Revolut lets you use your virtual cards abroad with no restrictions or processes in place to make it any different to using the card in Ireland.

You can use your virtual Revolut card abroad to make payments in any of the supported currencies and countries. Here’s just a few of currencies you can make payments in⁴:

• Australian Dollar (AUD)
• Canadian Dollar (CAD)
• Euro (EUR)
• Icelandic Krona (ISK)
• Pound Sterling (GBP)
• Swiss Franc (CHF)
• Thai Baht (THB)
• Turkish Lira (TRY)
• United States Dollar (USD)

The Revolut exchange rate is based on the interbank rate.⁵ However, the currency exchange fees can vary depending on the day, time, and the currency you want to exchange. For example, there are different fees for weekdays and weekends, which have 1% additional fee.⁷

You can check it on the app before completing a transaction and the Revolut card will just automatically exchange your currency at the current rate if a conversion is needed.

If you want to avoid this variation, you can try out Wise and always get the mid-market rate, even on weekends or when the financial market is closed.

Can you have a virtual and physical Revolut card?

Yes, there is nothing to stop you having virtual and physical Revolut cards. In fact, for many people it makes sense to have both.

How to put money on a Revolut virtual card?

The Revolut virtual card is attached to your Revolut account so to top it up you’ll need to add more money to your account.

To this you just login to your account and navigate to the section labelled ‘Add money to spend later’.⁶ You can then add funds using one of these methods.

• External card
• Apple Pay
• Google Pay
• Bank transfer

Is there an alternative for Revolut virtual cards in Ireland?

Like we mentioned before there are alternatives out there for virtual cards in Ireland, with Wise being one such option.

If you’re curious about the Wise virtual cardand how it works just sign up for an account and try it out for yourself. It’s free to join and you can register online!

Open your Wise Account today 🚀

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Sources used:

1. Revolut Blog - What is a virtual card?
2. Revolut - How do I create a virtual card?
3. Revolut - What is a disposable virtual card and how do I use it?
4. Revolut - What currencies are supported for spending
5. Revolut - What foreign currency exchange rate will I get?
6. Revolut - How do I add money to my account?
7. Revolut - Charges for exchanging currencies

Photos:

1. Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash
2. Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

Sources last checked on date: 28/04/2023