Card Issuance

What Is Card Issuance?

Card issuance is the process of creating a new virtual Visa card via Bitnob’s API. You can create cards on-demand for:

Individual users (wallets, platforms, loyalty programs)

Internal teams (corporate spend, operational budgets)

Temporary use cases (marketing campaigns, influencer spend)

Programmatic flows (auto-issue card when user receives a payout or tops up)

Bitnob works with licensed issuing banks and Visa card program managers to make the card available instantly. You interact with Bitnob — we handle the infrastructure behind the scenes.

When Should You Issue a Card?

scenario	strategy
End-user wants to shop online	Issue a general-purpose card linked to their Bitnob wallet
Subscription use case	Issue a persistent card, allow recurring transactions
Business spend	Issue per-employee or per-department with spend limits
One-time purchase	Create disposable cards and auto-terminate after use
Auto payout → spend flow	Issue card at payout time, preload it, and send it to user
Non-technical users	Create cards from dashboard (coming soon)

Supported Card Type

property	value
Card Scheme	Visa
Card Type	Virtual (no plastic)
Currency	USD
Spend Scope	Online-only (CNP: card-not-present)
Issuance Time	Instant
3DS Support	Not currently enabled (coming soon)

Pre-requisites

requirement	description
API Key	Use your Bitnob production or sandbox API key
Funding Source	You must have a wallet or balance from which cards can be funded
KYC	You are responsible for verifying your end users before creating cards on their behalf

Bitnob enforces platform-level KYC. Additional cardholder KYC may be required based on volume, spend limits, or regulatory scope.

API Endpoint

For full request and response details, see the Create Card API Reference.

API Endpoint

Request Body

JSON Request Body

Parameters

field	type	required	description
card_type	String	Yes	The type of card to issue. Accepted values: virtual, physical, or lite.
name	String	Yes	The cardholder's full name as it will appear on the card.
currency	String	Yes	The currency denomination for the card (e.g., USD). All transactions will be settled in this currency.
amount	Integer	Yes	Initial funding amount in microunits (e.g., 5000000 = $50.00 USD, where 1 USD = 100000 microunits).
webhook_url	String	No	Callback URL to receive webhook events for this card.
created_by	String (UUID)	No	The ID of the user or admin creating the card.
contactless_payment	Boolean	No	Enable contactless (NFC/tap) payments on the card.
customer	Object	Yes	Customer details including customer_type, first_name, last_name, date_of_birth, id_type, id_number, email, phone_number, dial_code, and address fields (line1, city, state, postal_code, country).
card_limits	Object	No	Spending limits for the card. Includes single_transaction, daily, weekly, and monthly limit fields.

Example Response

JSON Response

Webhook: virtualcard.created.complete

After a card is successfully created, Bitnob will send a webhook to your callback URL. For full webhook details, see the Card Issuing Webhooks page.

Webhook Payload

Always verify webhook signature and use the webhook as the source of truth for downstream actions (e.g., showing card in UI).

Best Practices

tip	why
Always label your cards	Makes dashboards and ops audits easier
Store card metadata securely	You will not receive PAN and CVV again
Assign cards to userReference IDs	Enables transaction mapping and user visibility
Handle webhook verification	Prevents spoofed or replayed events
Build a freeze button in your UI	Users want control if something goes wrong

FAQ

Q:Can I issue multiple cards per user?

Yes. A user can have up to three (3) active cards at any given time.

Q:How long does card creation take?

Cards are created instantly via our regulated partners.

Q:Are the cards reusable?

Yes, until you freeze, terminate, or the card expires.

Q:What happens if I call create again with the same userReference?

You will create a second card. To avoid this, use idempotency or track active cards in your system.