Global · Card issuing
Virtual USD Card Top-Up
Sometimes you don't want cash — you want to pay for AWS, Adobe, Meta ads or a Netflix plan. Convert gift-card value into a virtual USD card and spend it anywhere cards are accepted online.
You have gift-card value and a bill in dollars that your local card keeps declining. This rail turns the card's balance into a usable USD card number instead of local currency you'd only convert back.
At a glance
What this rail delivers.
Top-up time
1–2 min
Currency
USD
Per-card ceiling
$5,000
Success rate
97.8%
How it works
From gift card to settled payout.
01
Lock the USD value
The card's rate is applied in dollars — no local FX leg, because the destination is already USD.
02
Create or pick a card
Issue a fresh single-merchant card, or top up an existing one from your WePesa wallet.
03
Spend it
Card number, expiry and CVV appear in the wallet immediately after the top-up settles.
Coverage
Providers, banks, and wallets we settle to.
| Use case | Works | Notes | Typical settle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud & SaaS (AWS, Adobe, Figma) | Yes | Recurring billing supported | 1–2 min |
| Ad platforms (Meta, Google, TikTok) | Yes | Use a dedicated card per account | 1–2 min |
| Streaming & app stores | Yes | Netflix, Spotify, Apple, Google Play | 1–2 min |
| Travel & hotel bookings | Partial | Pre-auth holds may need extra headroom | 1–2 min |
| Crypto exchange purchases | No | Blocked by the issuer's MCC rules | — |
| ATM / physical retail | No | Virtual, online-only | — |
Limits & fees
Exactly what lands in your account.
| Tier | Per top-up | Per card | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| New seller | $200 | $500 | Absorbed |
| ID verified | $1,000 | $5,000 | Absorbed |
| Hub / pro account | By agreement | By agreement | Absorbed |
| Cards per account | — | 5 active | — |
Rail fees are absorbed by WePesa unless a row says otherwise. The quote you lock is the amount that settles.
Reliability
How we keep the rail up when the network isn't.
One card per merchant
Issue a dedicated card for each subscription. If a merchant leaks or over-charges, you freeze that one card and nothing else breaks.
Pre-auth headroom
Hotels and rentals hold more than they charge. The top-up screen suggests headroom so a booking doesn't decline at the counter.
Decline transparency
Declines show the real issuer reason — insufficient balance, blocked merchant category, or 3DS failure — instead of a generic error.
Convertible either way
Unspent balance moves back into the WePesa wallet and out to M-Pesa, PIX, UPI, MoMo or USDT at any time.
For builders
Trigger payouts programmatically.
POST /v1/payouts — virtual card
json
{
"rail": "virtual_card",
"destination": { "card_id": "vc_2b81", "create_if_missing": true },
"source_card": { "brand": "amazon_us", "face_value_usd": 100 },
"quote_id": "qt_9dd402"
}
// 201 Created
{
"id": "po_9Vc1",
"status": "queued",
"amount_usd": 84.00,
"card_last4": "4417",
"eta_seconds": 90
}API access is available to verified Hub accounts. Sandbox keys are issued same day.
FAQ
What sellers ask about this rail.
Is the card a real Visa or Mastercard?+
Yes — an issued virtual card number that works on standard online card rails, subject to the merchant categories listed above.
Can I use it for Meta or Google ads?+
Yes, and it's one of the most common uses. Issue a dedicated card per ad account so a billing dispute never affects the rest.
Why was my transaction declined?+
Usually insufficient balance including the merchant's pre-auth, or a blocked category such as crypto purchases and gambling. The wallet shows the exact issuer reason.
Can I withdraw cash from it?+
No — it's online-only. Move the balance back into your wallet and cash out over a local rail instead.
Does unspent balance expire?+
No. It stays in your WePesa balance and can be paid out over any supported rail.
Fund a virtual card.
Lock a quote, upload the card, watch the payout land. Escrow protected end to end.
Related
Keep exploring.
USDT payouts
Dollar payouts to your own wallet instead.
/integrations/usdt →
Buy gift cards with crypto
The reverse direction.
/buy-gift-cards-with-crypto →
Your WePesa wallet
Where cards are issued and funded.
/wallet →
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