Virtual Cards for Traffic Arbitrage — How to Choose and Use

To run traffic to any offers without restrictions, you need to have enough consumables on hand. This broad concept includes accounts, proxy services, anti-detect browsers, and much more. But no setup will work without a payment method for advertising. An effective solution is virtual cards. Together with Moneta.ad, we examine the features and advantages of virtual cards, where they are used, and how to choose a reliable seller of such cards.

What virtual cards are and how they work

Virtual cards are analogues of physical cards that everyone has in their wallet. They are a payment method that, like a physical card, includes a personal number, a limited validity period, a CVC code, and the cardholder's name. There is only one fundamental difference — virtual cards operate without the need for physical issuance.

Fast issuance of cards is a significant advantage. You don't need to wait for them by mail or visit a bank to get them. They also integrate more conveniently with services for paying traffic: such cards require simpler verification, and you can get new details in a couple of clicks and minutes.

For traffic arbitrage, the most popular cards for advertising are Visa and MasterCard. These are the largest payment systems, and their products are accepted for payment worldwide. Having them, you can pay for traffic in almost any ad network, regardless of its country of registration.

Main advantages of virtual cards for arbitrage specialists

For webmasters, marketers, and everyone who runs traffic, virtual cards are the go-to option for making payments. They have several important benefits, which we will review below.

Multifunctionality

For webmasters, marketers, and everyone who runs traffic, virtual cards are the go-to option for making payments. They have several important advantages that we will review below.

Quantity and speed of issuance

Traffic arbitrage traditionally implies frequent account rotation: ad blocks are a market reality that cannot be avoided. It's simply impossible to cope with them using only physical cards. Moreover, many ad networks like Facebook limit the reuse of the same payment details. By issuing new virtual cards instantly and in any quantity, you will hardly feel any restrictions.

Example of «perks» provided to clients by the virtual card service for advertising. Source: Moneta.ad

Anonymity and payment security

The data control in card issuance services is significantly more lenient than in traditional banks. This is a major plus, because few arbitrage specialists want to disclose personal information when paying for grey ad campaigns. Even when running fully "white" offers, it's usually better to preserve anonymity.

Choice of systems and currencies

You may need dozens of different currencies to pay for ads. The good news is you can issue virtual cards in any currency. This is an impressive contrast to banks, which always offer limited service packages.

Cost control

Pay for advertising only as much as you decide. If an ad network tries to charge more from the card, a pre-set limit will prevent it. Charge limits help you plan campaigns more effectively and increase spending only when necessary.

Simplified financial control

Few arbitrage operators run activities with full business registration and paperwork. With ordinary (non-corporate) cards, there is always a risk of account bans or blocks for large unexplained expenses. Using virtual cards significantly eases this problem — you become less dependent on the issuing bank and have a tool designed specifically for advertising costs.

Using cards with traffic sources: Facebook Ads, Google Ads and TikTok

Virtual cards are an ideal choice for working with ad networks, including the largest ones. Let's look at examples of how cards are effectively used with popular traffic sources.

Paying for Facebook Ads

In the world's most popular social network, bank cards are a convenient payment method: they are easy and quick to link, allowing campaigns to start fast. PayPal is more restrictive towards large spend and is unavailable in some countries. The same applies to bank transfers and local payment systems.

Meta Advertising Payment Methods

Trusted virtual cards for Facebook Ads allow you to start running ads with a decent initial amount — $30–50 for the first cycle. The platform operates post-pay, meaning funds can be settled after spending. Over time, the system will increase the credit amount, enabling seamless campaign scaling.

Paying for Google Ads

In this ad holding, virtual cards are a universal choice for payments. Note the screenshot below: although Cyprus was chosen as the GEO, this is a common set of payment methods. Few in affiliate marketing use bank accounts or physical credit cards, and we have already discussed the difficulty of issuing debit cards — virtual cards remain the practical choice.

Google Ads Advertising Payment Methods

In rare cases Google Ads allows local payment systems. In theory, this can help overcome obstacles: you set a VPN, connect under the desired GEO, and top up the account with a suitable payment method. However, whether this is more complex than entering virtual card details in one minute is for you to decide.

Paying for TikTok

In this Chinese social network you might expect different ad payment methods, but it's largely similar to the American giants. We used supported methods for the USA as an example, and you can see PayPal, credit and debit cards are also available. The situation is similar across other GEOs; even if new e-wallets appear occasionally, they add little convenience. Virtual cards, however, are widely supported.

TikTok Advertising Payment Methods for the USA

Fast top-ups and self-set limits are obvious reasons to choose virtual cards as a payment method in TikTok Ads. These advantages remain relevant when switching to any other ad network.

What to look for when choosing a virtual card service

We reviewed the advantages of virtual cards and their use cases. The next step is to understand how to choose a reliable service to order virtual cards. There are several criteria to help make the right decision.

1. Product range. Different issuers work with different GEOs, and their cards will have different BINs. As a result, the effectiveness of each card for a particular source will vary. The more types of cards a service offers, the better. Remember that some sources require specific BINs.
2. Pricing policy. Each service may charge for card issuance, top-ups, withdrawals, and even turnover on the card account. Make sure all fees are transparent and documented in the terms.
3. Trust. A platform may offer quality virtual cards for all sources, but it's useless if it doesn't honor guarantees or deceives clients: hidden charges or account blocks without withdrawal options. Check reputation via reviews or ask colleagues in niche arbitrage communities.
4. Convenience. The card issuance service will be your daily tool — it's great if it has a simple and pleasant interface. A dedicated mobile app makes routine tasks even easier.
5. Team interface. Often underestimated, this matters because many arbitrage teams share a service. If the platform supports admin and regular user roles, it scales better with team growth.

Of course, there are more criteria — support response times, GEO-based user restrictions, referral programs, and more. Still, these five points form a basic checklist when comparing virtual card services.

Conclusion

Virtual cards are a core payment functionality for arbitrage specialists. Their advantages outweigh those of other payment systems — with virtual cards you can pay for advertising across most ad sources worldwide.