Virtual credit card

la531983

Colin1866 said:

born_again said:

Colin1866 said:

Hi,

I want to make regular payments to a website (piano lessons) that charges in USD but doesn't use Paypal. My debit card doesn't handle foreign currency and I don't have a credit card. I'm thinking of a virtual credit card where I top it up to the required amount from my UK bank account in GBP just before the monthly payment is due.

Is this the best solution? Are there some virtual cards that are free and with good exchange rates?

Thanks for any advice

Col.

Strange. Which bank is this with?

As cards are regulated by Visa/Mastercard & there is no block on foreign transactions. But you may incur a charge for this.

It's Metro Bank.

Not sure why they have told you that, they certainly do, in fact within Europe no fees apply (they will for a USD transaction though)

https://www.metrobankonline.co.uk/globalassets/documents/customer_documents/personal/using-your-debit-and-credit-card-abroad_moreinformation.pdf

DigSunPap

I have been with Monzo for years now and I have never had an issue. With Monzo premium you also can withdraw up to £600 fee free for 30 days whilst abroad.

Lions_89

HSBC global money card

vizovcccard

in 2026,

If you can’t get a credit card, a virtual credit card isn’t really necessary. Your Metro Bank debit card should work for USD payments, but you’ll likely be charged a foreign transaction fee. A simpler option is opening a fee-free digital bank account like Starling Bank or Chase UK, which don’t charge for overseas spending and are easy to set up. If you prefer a virtual card solution, services like Yellowdotpay could also work, but overall a no-FX debit account is usually the cheapest and most reliable choice for one monthly USD payment.

northwalesd

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81905840#Comment_81905840

I'm sure the OP sorted themselves sometime during the past 18 months.