A card for every merchant
Hold up to 60 cards on Elite and give each subscription, ad account or store its own. PayPal gives you one.
Does PayPal offer a virtual card?
Halocard is the better PayPal alternative for virtual cards: PayPal gives you one debit card, while Halocard gives you a separate card for each merchant. PayPal offers a virtual card only narrowly. The PayPal Debit Card, a Mastercard issued by The Bancorp Bank, N.A., is available as a virtual card as soon as you're approved, but it is one card per account, for US residents only. A single-use virtual number comes only with an approved Pay Monthly loan, and PayPal's general-purpose virtual number, PayPal Key, ended in April 2022. The debit card has no monthly fee, pays 5% back in one category, and charges 2.5% on purchases at non-US merchants.
Pros
- Pros: No monthly fee or minimum balance
- Pros: Virtual debit card on approval
- Pros: 5% back in one category
- Pros: Buyer Protection on PayPal checkout
- Pros: Free cash at MoneyPass ATMs
Cons
- Cons: One debit card per account
- Cons: No limits or billing address per merchant
- Cons: Debit Card for US residents only
- Cons: 2.5% at non-US merchants, even in dollars
- Cons: Rated 1.4/5 on Trustpilot
How much does the PayPal Debit Card cost?
- Monthly fee
- None
- Minimum balance
- None
- Physical card
- Free, on request
- Cash reload at a store
- Up to $3.95
What fees does PayPal charge?
- Purchases at US merchants
- No fee
- Purchases at non-US merchants
- 2.5%
- Conversion in PayPal checkout
- 4%
- Non-MoneyPass ATM
- $2.50
- Daily purchase limit
- $3,000
How does Halocard compare to PayPal?
Halocard is the best PayPal alternative for virtual cards. It is a US-issued Visa credit card for customers in the US and 120+ countries, with 3 to 60 cards at once depending on your plan.
Better choice | PayPal | |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual cards | Advantage: 3 to 60 reusable cards, by plan | One debit card, plus a single-use Pay Monthly number |
| Eligibility | Advantage: For residents of the US and 120+ countries | US residents only |
| USD bank account | Advantage: Your own US account and routing number | Direct deposit numbers on a prepaid balance |
| Controls | Advantage: Limits, lock and billing address on each card | Lock the one card |
| Spending limits | Advantage: Your balance, up to $1M a day | $3,000 a day in purchases |
| Fees | Advantage: No fee in USD; 1.5% + $0.30 on other currencies | No fee in the US; 2.5% at non-US merchants |
| Rewards | Advantage: Monthly referral rewards | Advantage: 5% back in one category |
| Support | Advantage: Chat, email, and phone on every plan | A chatbot first, then chat or phone |
| Trust and transparency | Advantage: A regulated US company and card issuer | Advantage: A licensed, public US company |
Why Halocard is the better PayPal alternative for virtual cards
Limits on each card
Set a daily, weekly or monthly limit on each card, and lock one without touching the rest.
Your billing address, your name
Choose the billing address and cardholder name on every card, in the US or anywhere else.
For the US and 120+ countries
PayPal's debit card is for US residents only. Halocard is a US-issued Visa credit card for customers in the US and 120+ countries. Outside the US? You don't need an SSN, a US address or a US bank account.
PayPal virtual card FAQ
Does PayPal offer a virtual card?
Yes, but narrowly. PayPal provides a virtual version of its one Debit Card, a single-use virtual number for approved Pay Monthly loans, and a temporary limit for the Cashback Mastercard after approval. Its old general-purpose virtual number, PayPal Key, ended in April 2022. For a separate card for each merchant, use Halocard.
What happened to PayPal Key?
PayPal Key gave you one virtual Mastercard number to use anywhere Mastercard was accepted. PayPal closed it to new users in March 2022 and ended it in April 2022. Halocard is a US-issued Visa credit card for customers in the US and 120+ countries, with a separate virtual card for each merchant.
How much does the PayPal Debit Card cost?
There's no monthly fee and no minimum balance, and US purchases carry no transaction fee. Costs appear on purchases at non-US merchants (2.5%), non-MoneyPass ATM withdrawals ($2.50), and cash reloads at stores (up to $3.95). Paying in another currency through PayPal checkout adds a 4% conversion spread.
Can I get a PayPal virtual card without a physical card?
Yes. Once approved for the Debit Card, you get a virtual card straight away for online use or a phone wallet, and the physical card is sent only if you request it. It is a digital version of your one card, not an additional or separate virtual card.
Can I have more than one PayPal debit card?
No. PayPal allows one Debit Card per account and one PayPal account per SSN for approval. Halocard gives you 3 to 60 cards at once, depending on your plan.
Is PayPal safe to use?
PayPal is a large, established company, and its Buyer Protection genuinely resolves many disputes. That said, its Trustpilot rating is 1.4/5 from 41,826 reviews, with frozen accounts and disputes settled against the customer as the most common complaints. Use it with that pattern in mind, particularly for larger balances.
Can I use the PayPal Debit Card outside the US?
You can spend with it abroad, for a 2.5% fee on each purchase at a non-US merchant, but only US residents can get one. Halocard is a US-issued Visa credit card for customers in the US and 120+ countries. Outside the US? You don't need an SSN, a US address or a US bank account.
What is the best PayPal alternative for virtual cards?
Halocard. Halocard is a US-issued Visa credit card for customers in the US and 120+ countries, with a separate card for each merchant, Apple Pay and Google Pay on every plan, and a US bank account with its own account and routing numbers.See all comparisons
Disclaimer
Based on public information as of October 2026 (see Sources on our Halocard vs PayPal comparison); PayPal's products, fees and terms may change, so check before you decide. Halocard publishes this page and makes one of the products compared, so verdicts and ticks are our opinion. PayPal and its product names are trademarks of their owner, used only to identify its products; Halocard is not affiliated with or endorsed by PayPal. Not financial, legal or tax advice.