UAE Virtual Card: Paying UAE Sites With a Card From Abroad

Quick answer: None of the cards sold by Cryptaacard is issued in the United Arab Emirates, so you cannot buy a card from a UAE bank here. Its prepaid virtual cards for online payments are issued in the USA, Turkey, Argentina, Egypt, China or Japan, or listed as global, and they are bought with crypto instead of through a bank. A UAE website or app decides for itself whether it takes a card issued elsewhere, so confirm that before buying.

Every card is prepaid rather than credit, so no credit check is run and spending stops at the card balance: a charge above it declines. Prices are one-time, from $100 to $300 per card, shown before you buy and paid from your crypto balance, and there is no monthly or yearly fee. Activation apply. Balances can be funded with USDT, USDC, BTC, ETH, SOL and the other coins listed below. Browse the full card list and the pricing page first.

Three things people mean by a UAE virtual card

This search can mean one of three things, and only one of them matches what is sold here:

• A card issued in the UAE. A virtual card from a bank or card company in the country, with a card number, expiry date and CVV but no plastic. No card of that kind is sold here.
• A card for paying UAE merchants. A card that works on a website, app or online service based in the UAE, wherever it was issued. That depends on each merchant, as the checks below explain.
• A card without a bank account. A way to pay online without opening a bank account, or to spend crypto online. This is the need these cards are set up for: no bank account is needed and you pay in crypto.

Before paying a UAE website with a card from abroad

To a merchant in the UAE, every card here is a card issued abroad. Whether that is acceptable is the merchant's call, not the card seller's. Work through these points in order before you spend anything:

Start with the networks the merchant shows

Look at the card logos on the payment page or in the app's payment settings. Cards here come on five networks: Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, UnionPay and JCB. There is little point buying a card on a network the merchant does not display.

Look for a note about cards from other countries

Certain merchants take only cards issued in their own country. Read the merchant's payment or help page for anything about cards issued outside the UAE. If it says only cards issued in the UAE work, none of the cards sold here is a fit.

Check where the card you pick was issued

Each card page shows the card's issuing country and network. A card number's opening digits, known as its BIN, also identify where the card was issued, and the free BIN checker lets you look one up.

Ask about 3D Secure if the merchant uses it

If a merchant's checkout uses 3D Secure, the cardholder may be asked for an extra confirmation. Cards offer it where supported, so ask support which card to choose before you buy.

Load enough for the whole charge

The balance must cover the full amount, including delivery or anything else the merchant adds at checkout, because a charge above the balance declines. For a monthly plan, the balance also has to be there each time the renewal is charged.

Picking a card by network

The store lists 17 cards and none is issued in the UAE. Grouped by the network a merchant shows at checkout, they are:

Cards with "Reloadable" in their name can be topped up from the dashboard while they are valid; single-use cards are spent once. Every card is valid for one year, and you can hold as many as you need in one dashboard, for example a separate card for each app or service you pay.

The global cards do not show a network, so check with support before relying on one for a merchant that displays only some logos.

No bank account needed: funding with crypto

You do not need a bank account to buy a card. Instead, you top up your balance in crypto, using only these networks and coins:

• TRON (TRC20): USDT, TRX
• Ethereum: USDT, USDC, ETH
• BNB Chain: USDT, USDC, BNB
• Base: USDC, ETH
• Polygon: USDT, USDC, POL
• Arbitrum: USDT, USDC, ETH
• Optimism: USDT, USDC, ETH
• Avalanche: USDT, USDC, AVAX
• Solana: USDT, USDC, SOL
• Bitcoin: BTC

Not accepted: Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, Toncoin, Lightning Network, card or bank payments. Send each coin only on a network listed for it.

For a fuller walk-through of paying in crypto, see how to buy a VCC with crypto.

Buying a card on Cryptaacard, step by step

1. Sign up for a Cryptaacard account.
2. In your dashboard, open Add funds and select the coin and network you plan to send.
3. Send the amount to the address displayed.
4. Submit the transaction hash together with a screenshot of the transfer.
5. When the payment is confirmed, your balance updates.
6. Buy the card that matches the merchant's network. The price is taken from your balance. Activation apply.
7. Open your dashboard to see the card number, expiry date and CVV.

What these cards will not do

• None of them is issued in the UAE. Each card's issuing country is the one shown on its card page.
• They do not lend money, involve a credit check or report anything to a credit bureau.
• They do not promise acceptance by any UAE website, app or service. That decision stays with the merchant.
• They are for online payments, and their details are shown only in your dashboard, never sent by email or chat.

To protect the account that holds your cards, turn on two-factor sign-in.

FAQ

Can I buy a card issued in the UAE here?

No. None of the 17 cards is issued in the United Arab Emirates. They are issued in the USA, Turkey, Argentina, Egypt, China and Japan, or listed as global.

Do I need a bank account to buy a Cryptaacard card?

No bank account is needed. You fund your balance with crypto on a supported network, and the card price comes out of that balance.

Will a UAE website or app take one of these cards?

Only the merchant can decide. Certain merchants take only cards issued in their own country, so read its payment page and compare it with the network and issuing country on the card page before buying.

Which coins can I top up with?

USDT, USDC, ETH, TRX, BNB, POL, AVAX, SOL and BTC, each only on a network listed for it. Bitcoin, USDT on TRON and Solana are all accepted.

Is there a monthly fee?

There is no monthly or yearly fee. Each card has a one-time price from $100 to $300, shown before you buy. Activation apply.

The short version

Cryptaacard has no card issued in the UAE. What it offers is a prepaid card, bought with crypto and without a bank account, that you can try on a UAE merchant once you have read its payment page, matched the network and checked the card page. If you also pay sites in other countries, see the guide to a virtual credit card for international payments. Questions about 3D Secure or a global card's network go to support on Telegram @cardsupport247, WhatsApp or live chat via the contact page.