Protect Your Payments With Virtual Credit Cards That Offer Privacy, Convenience, and Eco-Friendly Benefits

In a Nutshell: Our U.S. readers may not appreciate how different the payment card market is in the European Union, where many nations operate debit card networks that don’t allow international transactions. Times are changing, in part because of Getsby, a Netherlands-based virtual debit card issuer that appeals to EU and UK consumers with a global mindset. Virtual cards from Getsby securely mask payment details while providing consumers with all the modern conveniences and benefits, including access to eCommerce and mobile wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay.

At the risk of overgeneralizing, EU consumers are more accepting of state-based financial systems and less likely to carry significant amounts of debt than U.S. consumers. In many EU countries, consumers use state-based payment systems for the vast majority of their everyday transactions.

However, as the global marketplace continues to coalesce around digital payments, eCommerce, and mobile wallets, more EU consumers realize the limitations of their traditional payment systems. Many are turning to Getsby, which issues virtual debit cards that circumvent the sometimes convoluted payment pathways and inefficiencies of the older systems.

In short, Getsby provides what increasing numbers of EU and UK consumers expect from a modern payment system: A virtual card that arrives instantly after a quick online application. By virtue of their Mastercard affiliation, Getsby cards provide worldwide access along with privacy, safety, and convenience.

And in a culture that values green solutions, Getsby doesn’t require energy, manufacturing, or transportation infrastructure to deliver cards, making them as eco-friendly as they can be.

CEO Stefan Kroesbergen founded Getsby in 2014 to provide physical gift card solutions in the EU. He discovered consumers tended to use the cards themselves rather than give them away. Business took off when he switched to a virtual card solution.

“These days, people don’t want to wait — they want everything quickly,” Kroesbergen said. “You see a trend toward virtual in the card market because of this need for speed.”

The EU/UK based Financial Institute DiPocket issues the cards on the Getsby platform, with Kroesbergen acting as program manager. The cards are available across the EU and UK. Fees are minimal, considering the value.

Getsby empowers consumers to decide for themselves where, when, and why they purchase goods and services with minimal interference from the state. It’s a sign of things to come.

“More and more consumers just don’t remember the last time they paid with a plastic card,” Kroesbergen said. “For me, I think it was more than a year ago — and that’s not unusual.”

Getsby still offers a virtual gift card solution to business customers. EU and UK companies purchase cards to issue worldwide as promotions and incentives for employees and customers.

It issues debit cards to consumers. Its flagship product is its reloadable Virtual Green Card. Valid for three years, the Virtual Green Card comes with two fee-free introductory months.

Spend and ATM withdrawal limits are generous. For a card that consumers often use for international transactions, it comes with a reasonable and predictable 2% foreign exchange fee.

The Virtual Black card provides a disposable option, meaning that the card is for one-time use only. It’s easy to spin up a new card for a significant transaction while protecting bank details. For maximum convenience, the Virtual Black Card does not carry monthly or transaction fees.

Topping off your Virtual Green Card balance is easy because Getsby connects through Visa and Mastercard and integrates with Apple Pay and Google Pay.

“Before Apple Pay and Google Pay, people wanted to have plastic because they could use it in stores,” Kroesbergen said. “But now, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers are so used to paying with their mobile phones that virtual is the logical solution.”

One use case for Getsby cards arises among consumers in nations such as the Netherlands, where systems use clunky Visa and Mastercard integration to support international transactions. Even so, many are reluctant to take on a credit card account because of a cultural aversion to excessive debt.

Moreover, even if they were willing to do so, they might wait days or weeks for plastic to arrive via snail mail. Getsby can put a card in a mobile wallet in minutes.

Another use case arises across Getsby’s market footprint among consumers interested in leveraging virtual payment technology for safety and privacy. With many EU countries increasing scrutiny over consumer card transactions, Getsby presents a privacy-focused alternative.

“We keep their transactions off their regular bank statements,” Kroesbergen said.

What’s pulling consumers in Getsby’s direction is tokenization. Virtual cards wall off payment details through complex algorithms tied to industry benchmarks and regulatory protections. Each virtual card receives a unique 16-digit card number, three-digit CVV number, and expiration date.

“Merchants can’t see your actual bank details,” Kroesbergen said. “Even in the improbable event of a data breach or a hack at the merchant, they could only possibly gain access to a single-load card with a few euros left on it.”

Tokenization is impressive but difficult to explain. The token ID is the algorithmically generated number that replaces the actual card number.

The system processes your card details using an algorithmic code that translates the data into an indecipherable string of numbers and letters. Even if you had the info right in front of you and you were the most heartless criminal around, you couldn’t do anything with it.

“People want that extra layer of security and privacy online,” Kroesbergen said.

Getsby authenticates data across its network through Mastercard 3D Secure 2.0, which helps prevent online fraud by implementing an additional authentication step for online payments.

It works as follows: Cardholders enter their details into the merchant’s payment gateway, which verifies that the details are correct and that 3D Secure is active. When 3D Secure is active, it redirects customers to a 3D Secure page on the card issuer’s platform.

There, the cardholder verifies their identity by entering a one-time authentication PIN code (sent via email or text message) or by answering a security question. Completing that task redirects the transaction back to the merchants for confirmation that the transaction has gone through. Support for biometric verification and mobile PIN codes contributes additional layers of support.

“You’re adding an extra layer in the payment process,” Kroesbergen said.

Tokenization and authentication lock down transactions, increasing consumer peace of mind in an environment where fraud seems endemic. Getsby’s other game-changing benefit — the green benefit — helps consumers feel more comfortable transacting with technology designed to have a minimal impact on the environment.

Given the widespread support for a cleaner and greener environment in the EU, virtualization may become a technology whose time has come.

“There’s no carbon production, there’s no shipping, and there’s no waste when a card is expired,” Kroesbergenm said.

To add to the benefit, Getsby accounts for the minimal energy expenditure when users fire up their phones to perform a transaction. In partnership with the nonprofit Eden Reforestation Project, Getsby donates 0.2% of every transaction to support reforestation in Indonesia and Kenya.

“That’s one of the main reasons why we moved away from plastic,” Kroesbergen said.

EU and UK consumers use Getsby virtual debit cards for various reasons. The general benefit of shopping access in global marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay, and AliExpress is a prime reason to sign up.

Users also deploy cards for specialized reasons. Some reserve virtual accounts for subscription payments, online gaming networks, or charitable contributions.

You can see the value if you stop and think for a moment about how many platforms you’ve entered payment information on that you’ve forgotten about or no longer use. The cost of convenience is so reasonable that there really isn’t a reason not to use a virtual card.

“If you want to pay fast, you need to access fast — that’s why virtual is the way to go,” Kroesbergen said. “Combine that with privacy over your bank details, and people don’t have any stress.”