What is a Visa virtual card API? How does it work?
A Visa virtual card API allows businesses to generate Visa virtual cards through an API. An API stands for an application programming interface. It is a set of tools, protocols, and subroutines that can be used to build software. A Visa virtual debit card application programming interface is a specialized type of application programming interface that allows businesses to generate virtual Visa debit or credit cards instantly.
When a business owner uses an application programming interface to generate Visa virtual cards, the cards are not physical. They are instead randomly generated 16-digit credit card numbers and CVV codes that are linked to your underlying debit account or credit card so that you can securely make remote purchases.
Why use a Visa virtual card API?
Having the ability to instantly create virtual Visa cards can allow your company to pay invoices automatically rather than going through a protracted process. Virtual cards also cannot be used to access your money or information if the numbers are intercepted by hackers or stolen by employees.
The protection from fraud that virtual cards offer is one of the main reasons why they are increasing in popularity. Once the numbers have been used to make the desired purchases, the cards will not work, meaning that the numbers will be useless if they are stolen.
Who uses Visa virtual APIs?
Many savvy consumers use virtual Visa cards to make secure purchases online, but they do not make enough transactions to justify having their own Visa virtual card application programming interfaces. Instead, businesses are the primary users of these tools.
A good application programming interface can easily integrate with a business’s applications, and integrating it into your own applications can take as little as one day to implement. After it is set up, you will be able to generate as many Visa virtual debit cards as you need.
What features should you look for when shopping for a Visa virtual API?
When you are shopping for a Visa virtual debit or credit card application programming interface, there are several features that you should look for. Check the security that the company uses. You should choose a company that protects your information with 256-bit SSL encryption technology.
The application programming interface should also be able to be fully integrated with your applications, including your accounting software and others. It is best if a single application programming interface can be used to generate different types of cards for your business needs and to allow you to execute other functions.
Why is a Visa virtual card service API important for businesses?
Digital payments are quickly growing. In the U.S., the total value of digital transactions in 2018 is $884,506 million. That value is expected to grow at an annual rate of 9.1 percent CAGR. Businesses make up a large share of the digital payments market and complete numerous transactions every day.
Businesses need a way to complete remote transactions digitally that is safe. Unfortunately, many businesses are the victims of payments fraud. Generating virtual Visa cards can allow businesses to prevent fraud while they are making purchases and payments.
How does a Visa card application programming interface differ from using an online dashboard?
An application programming interface allows business owners to generate as many numbers as they need instantly, and the cards will be ready to use within minutes. While you can create cards using an interface, it is more time consuming and may require you to click on buttons repeatedly.
An application programming interface has all of the functionality of an online dashboard, but it can be used within applications and allows you to approach different tasks in a more programmatic manner.
Expense management workflows can be automated
A great feature of a Visa card API is the ability to automate your expense management workflows. For example, you can automate the payment of invoices by assigning unique card numbers to different suppliers. When their invoices arrive, they can be charged to the numbers that are assigned to them.
The application programming interface also allows you to automatically import and categorize transaction data, including photographs of receipts. They can import directly into the correct categories, making expense management, reconciliations, audits, and tax preparation much smoother.
Where can I get a Visa virtual card API?
You can find a Visa card API online by conducting some research. There are several companies that offer this feature to their customers. You will want to carefully compare the features that are offered and look at how the application programming interfaces function. To start comparing features, you should have a developer look at the API documentation each service provides. That will give you an understanding of what each API is capable of doing.
A good application programming interface should be straightforward to integrate with your applications, and you should have the power to instantly create as many Visa cards as you need. You also should not be charged transaction fees. A good option worth looking at would be Bento for business’s Visa debit card API.
Expense management and controls
The Bento for Business Visa debit card application programming interface allows business owners to set spending limits, choose how much money to place on each card, restrict different cards to different vendors or merchants, and choose when the cards will work and when they won’t.
For example, you could create a card for a factory worker who needs to purchase safety gear. The card can be restricted to a certain dollar amount for the safety gear from your preferred vendor. Once the purchase has been made, the number can expire and will not work again. If the worker tries to use the number later to buy something off of Amazon, the attempt will be declined. You can see all the features the API has to offer by reading the API documentation.
About
The Bento for Business Visa debit cards offer great payment solutions to businesses. You can get the first two Bento cards per year for free, and you can order up to 10 cards for $29 per month. If you need more Bento cards, there are larger packages available.
Bento does not charge an annual fee, and you will not be charged interest. Your credit will not be checked when you apply because the cards are not credit cards.
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