Capital One Virtual Credit Cards: What They Are and How To Get One

• Written by Robin Saks Frankel
  

  Robin Saks Frankel

  Credit, credit cards, travel rewards, credit building, family travel, premium travel

  Robin has worked as a personal finance writer, editor and spokesperson for over a decade. Her work has appeared in national publications including Forbes Advisor, USA TODAY, NerdWallet, Bankrate and HerMoney. She holds an M.S. in Business and Economic Journalism from Boston University, a Poynter ACES Certificate in Editing and is a Certified Educator in Personal Finance (CEPF®).

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• Edited by Emily Gadd
  

  Emily Gadd

  Credit Cards, Personal Finance, Health and Wellness

  Emily Gadd is a certified credit counselor, editor and personal finance expert responsible for writing about personal finance and credit cards. She got her start writing and editing at Healthline. She is passionate about creating educational content that makes complex topics accessible. Emily holds a credit counselor certification, accredited by the National Association of Certified Credit Counselors (NACCC). She lives in Seattle with her husband and two cats.

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• Reviewed by Jasmin Baron
  

  Jasmin Baron

  Credit Cards, Travel Rewards, Loyalty Programs, Family Travel, Credit Building, Credit Scores

  Jasmin Baron is CardCritics’ senior editor, responsible for editing and writing credit cards, travel rewards, loyalty program, and other credit-related content. She is passionate about personal finance education and enjoys sharing tips and tricks for making the most credit card points and miles with her readers. Her expertise in maximizing credit card travel rewards originated from over two decades of aviation industry experience, including 18 years working as a pilot and college professor/flight instructor in her native Canada. Her work has appeared on sites such as CNN Underscored Money, Business Insider, The Points Guy, and point.me. When she’s not planning her next trip with credit card rewards, you’ll probably find her tinkering around in the kitchen, hanging out with her three kids, or playing with her dog, Benji.

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• Last Updated Dec 4, 2025

Online shopping lets you order practically anything imaginable, delivered to your doorstep. But this can also mean your credit card number is widely stored on more websites than you can likely remember. 

One way to reduce the chances of your number being stolen online is with a virtual credit card number, and Capital One makes it easy to create these numbers for an extra layer of security.

What Is a Capital One Virtual Card?

A Capital One virtual credit card is a digitally generated card number designed to be a stand-in for your real account information. It looks like a traditional credit card number, with the same number of digits, an expiration date and a security code, but none of the details match what’s on your actual physical Capital One credit card. 

When you pay for your online purchase with a virtual card, the charge still posts to your underlying account number, and you’ll still earn any rewards or other benefits as you would if you had used your actual account number.

The biggest advantage of using virtual card numbers is privacy. Every time you enter your card number online, it becomes susceptible to data leaks or other nefarious activity. But with a virtual card number, you can simply cancel it without needing to replace your actual physical card.

How To Get a Capital One Virtual Card

Capital One makes it straightforward to create virtual card numbers, and unlike other issuers, you’re not restricted to a specific browser or device. You can generate a virtual card number through the Capital One mobile app, your Capital One online account via the Capital One website or Capital One’s Eno browser extension.

How To Create a Capital One Virtual Card Number:

• Log in to your Capital One online account or the mobile app
• Navigate to the section for virtual card numbers or the Eno virtual assistant
• Follow the instructions to generate a new virtual card (you can also set the card for one-time use, or to expire after a certain date)
• Use the number at checkout just like you would with a physical card
• Track and manage your virtual numbers with your account dashboard, either through the mobile app or your online account

Where Can You Use a Capital One Virtual Card?

Capital One virtual card numbers work anywhere you can use a credit card to make an online purchase. They are designed to be used for digital transactions, and an in-person transaction would require a digital wallet, or for the merchant to manually enter the card number to process your payment.

Some of the scenarios where you can use a virtual card number include:

• Online retail purchases
• Recurring subscriptions or trial offers
• Purchases on unfamiliar sites
• Food delivery and ride share apps
• Travel bookings 
• International online purchases

Benefits of Capital One Virtual Credit Cards 

Capital One offers one of the most robust virtual card programs among issuers in the U.S. The key advantages are:

• Additional privacy and protection for your actual account information
• Ability to create specific numbers for specific merchants or scenarios
• Quick replacement of virtual numbers without affecting your existing card or other payments not tied to the virtual number
• Easy set-up and management through the browser extension, Eno assistant or mobile app
• Ideal for online trials or first-time purchases from a retailer you aren’t familiar with
• Broad acceptance across a variety of browsers and digital wallets

Drawbacks of Capital One Virtual Credit Cards

Although Capital One virtual cards are convenient, they’re not perfect. Here are some potential disadvantages to consider:

• May not be accepted in person if there’s not a digital wallet-enabled payment terminal
• Refunds on purchases or subscription changes may require the original virtual card number
• Some merchants may not accept virtual numbers
• It can be cumbersome to juggle multiple numbers for the same card account

How Do Capital One Virtual Credit Cards Compare to Others?

Feature	Capital One	Bank of America	American Express	Citi
Standalone virtual card generator	Yes, via online account, mobile app or Eno account assistant	Yes, via mobile wallets only	No	Yes, via Google Pay, Citi account or Citi app
Works for in-person transactions	No	No	No	No
Ease of setup	Easy	Easy	Moderate	Easy
Browser compatibility	Any	None, only via mobile wallets	Google Chrome	Any
Mobile wallet compatibility	Google Pay, Android	Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay	Google Pay, Android	Google Pay, Android, iPhone *but need to generate a new CVV with each purchase