Card Issuance

What Is Card Issuance?

Card issuance is the process of creating a new virtual Visa card via Bitnob’s API. You can create cards on-demand for:

Individual users (wallets, platforms, loyalty programs)

Internal teams (corporate spend, operational budgets)

Temporary use cases (marketing campaigns, influencer spend)

Programmatic flows (auto-issue card when user receives a payout or tops up)

Bitnob works with licensed issuing banks and Visa card program managers to make the card available instantly. You interact with Bitnob — we handle the infrastructure behind the scenes.

When Should You Issue a Card?

scenario	strategy
End-user wants to shop online	Issue a general-purpose card linked to their Bitnob wallet
Subscription use case	Issue a persistent card, allow recurring transactions
Business spend	Issue per-employee or per-department with spend limits
One-time purchase	Create disposable cards and auto-terminate after use
Auto payout → spend flow	Issue card at payout time, preload it, and send it to user
Non-technical users	Create cards from dashboard (coming soon)

Supported Card Type

property	value
Card Scheme	Visa
Card Type	Virtual (no plastic)
Currency	USD
Spend Scope	Online-only (CNP: card-not-present)
Issuance Time	Instant
3DS Support	Not currently enabled (coming soon)

Pre-requisites

requirement	description
API Key	Use your Bitnob production or sandbox API key
Funding Source	You must have a wallet or balance from which cards can be funded
KYC	You are responsible for verifying your end users before creating cards on their behalf

Bitnob enforces platform-level KYC. Additional cardholder KYC may be required based on volume, spend limits, or regulatory scope.

API Endpoint

Request Body

JSON Request Body

Parameters

field	type	required	description
userReference	String	Yes	Unique ID of the user in your system tied to this card
label	String	Yes	Human-readable name (for dashboard or reporting)
initialLimit	Number	Yes	USD max spend for the card (can be topped up later)
callbackUrl	String	Yes	Webhook listener to receive card event updates

Example Response

JSON Response

🔒 Full card details (PAN, expiry, CVV) are only returned once, and must be stored on your side or shown securely to the user immediately.

Webhook: card.created

After a card is successfully created, Bitnob will send a webhook to your callback URL.

Webhook Payload

Always verify webhook signature and use the webhook as the source of truth for downstream actions (e.g., showing card in UI).

Best Practices

tip	why
Always label your cards	Makes dashboards and ops audits easier
Store card metadata securely	You will not receive PAN and CVV again
Assign cards to userReference IDs	Enables transaction mapping and user visibility
Handle webhook verification	Prevents spoofed or replayed events
Build a freeze button in your UI	Users want control if something goes wrong

FAQ

Q:Can I issue multiple cards per user?

Yes. You can create as many cards per user as your use case requires.

Q:How long does card creation take?

Cards are created instantly via our regulated partners.

Q:Are the cards reusable?

Yes, until you freeze, terminate, or the card expires.

Q:What happens if I call create again with the same userReference?

You will create a second card. To avoid this, use idempotency or track active cards in your system.