Can merchants tell I'm using a virtual card?

No, merchants cannot determine whether a card is virtual or physical.

When you make a payment, your card's Bank Identification Number (BIN — the first six to eight digits of your card), indicates the card network (Visa), issuing country, and card type (for example, credit, debit, or prepaid). "Virtual" is not a card type and there is no flag in the transaction data that tells a merchant whether a card is virtual or physical, or that it was issued by Halocard specifically.

That said, some merchants apply their own rules based on card type or risk signals (such as prepaid cards, issuer region, or verification results). In these cases, a transaction may be declined even though the card itself is valid.

For example, a merchant might decline payments if they detect a customer is in an unsupported region for their service, or if a customer's region is different to the region their card was issued in. This is likely due to the merchant’s own payment rules and risk signals, not because the card is "virtual".

This is why Halocards are virtual credit cards, designed to give you the highest acceptance rate that is on par with a traditional Visa credit card.

Every Halocard also has a unique card number, so merchants never see your real card details, your bank account, or any information beyond what you provide at checkout. You can also set a custom billing address on each Halocard to keep your personal address private.

Updated on: 18/10/2026