Virtual cards make payments faster and easier to control. But card data is also one of the most targeted types of information online. If your business issues cards to staff, or offers them to customers, security is part of the product, not an add-on.
Here is what to focus on.
1. Know the standard: PCI DSS
The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is the global rulebook for handling card data. It covers how card details are stored, transmitted, and accessed, and applies to any business that touches them.
Two things to remember. First, you should never store the CVV after a transaction is authorized. Second, if you don't need to hold full card details, don't. The less card data you keep, the less there is to steal.
Payscribe is PCI DSS certified, so the infrastructure behind your cards is built to this standard from day one. Certification covers the platform, though. How you handle card data on your side still matters.
2. Never pass card details in plain text
This is where many businesses slip. Card numbers sent in plain text through an API response, an email, a chat message or a log file can be intercepted or exposed.
Good practice:
- Use encrypted connections (TLS) for every request
- Never send card details by email, WhatsApp or Slack
- Keep card numbers and CVVs out of your logs and error reports
- Encrypt card data at rest if you must store it at all
3. Payscribe now encrypts card details
To make this easier, we have introduced encryption for card details when a card is created through our platform. Instead of receiving plain card details in the initial response, you receive an encrypted payload. Each merchant generates a dedicated key from the dashboard and uses it to decrypt the data securely on their own side.
The result is that card details stay protected in transit, even if the request is intercepted along the way.
4. Protect your keys and access
Encryption is only as strong as your key handling. Treat your API keys and encryption keys like cash.
- Store them in a secrets manager or environment variables, never in code repositories
- Rotate keys regularly and immediately after any suspected leak
- Give team members the minimum access they need
- Remove access as soon as someone leaves the team
5. Verify your webhooks
Attackers can send fake webhook calls to trick your system into thinking a payment or card event happened. Always verify the signature on incoming webhooks before acting on them, and reject anything that fails the check.
6. Use the controls the cards already give you
Virtual cards are safer than physical ones because you can limit the damage from the start.
- Issue separate cards for separate vendors, tools or team members
- Terminate a card instantly if something looks wrong
If one card is compromised, only that card is affected, not your whole business account.
7. Watch your transactions
Review card activity regularly. Unfamiliar merchants, sudden spikes and repeated small charges are common signs of misuse. The sooner you spot them, the smaller the loss.
8. Train your team
Most breaches start with people, not systems. Phishing emails, fake support calls and shared credentials are still the easiest way in. Make sure everyone who handles cards knows never to share card details or login credentials, even with someone claiming to be from support.
Security is shared
A secure card program takes two sides. The provider keeps the infrastructure compliant and protected. The business keeps its own systems, keys and people disciplined. When both do their part, virtual cards stay what they should be: a safer, more controllable way to pay.
Want to see how Payscribe virtual cards work for your business? Visit www.payscribe.co