Why Virtual Cards Still Aren’t Easy. And What We’re Doing About It

Virtual cards have been around for years. So why does it still feel so hard to use them?

If you’ve ever tried to implement virtual cards for B2B invoice payments, you already know the answer: most virtual card products weren’t actually designed for modern AP. They were built into legacy platforms, weighed down with corporate expense controls, and delivered through complex onboarding processes that require months—not days—to go live.

At Highnote, we think it’s time to change that.

The Promise of Virtual Cards vs. the Reality

The idea behind virtual cards is powerful: replace checks, manual internal processes and slow bank transfers with instantly issued, highly controlled digital payment instruments. Businesses can manage risk, earn interchange, unlock their funds, and enable tighter reconciliation, all while paying vendors more efficiently.

But despite that promise, adoption has lagged. Why?

Because many solutions in the market were built with entirely different users and use cases in mind, including consumer cards, travel spend, corporate expenses. When those same systems are shoehorned into invoice-based B2B workflows, they break. Or at the very least, they overcomplicate what should be simple.

And while enterprise AP teams want to modernize, they’re often caught in a frustrating dilemma: build something highly customized from the ground up (which takes 6–12 months), or settle for a bloated, off-the-shelf tool that doesn’t fit the job.

We Built Virtual Card Express (VCX) for This Exact Problem

That’s why we created Virtual Card Express (VCX), a fast-launch, lightweight virtual card product purpose-built for AP use cases. VCX enables businesses to issue virtual cards in a matter of days, not months, with minimal lift and zero unnecessary baggage.

It’s not a corporate expense tool repurposed for payments. It’s not bundled with dozens of features you don’t need. It’s a pure-play card issuance solution designed to help you:

• Pay vendors, carriers, contractors, and providers instantly
• Maintain full control with secure, programmatic issuance
• Integrate quickly via Highnote’s APIs
• Start small and scale as your needs grow

Start Simple, Scale Smart

One of the most important things we’ve learned from working with fast-growing companies and large enterprises alike is this: speed matters, especially when it’s paired with optionality.

VCX is built to deliver immediate value, even if you’re still designing a more robust, custom card program behind the scenes. You don’t have to wait for a full platform deployment to unlock the power of virtual cards. With VCX, you can launch now, learn fast, and evolve your program over time.

It’s an example of how we’re thinking differently at Highnote and replacing rigid, all-or-nothing infrastructures with modular capabilities that integrate exactly when and where your business needs them.

Talk to Our Team

Virtual cards should be easy to issue, easy to control, and easy to use for your finance teams and for your vendors. With VCX, we’re making that possible.

But this is just one part of a bigger shift. As we continue to expand Highnote’s unified platform for embedded finance, you’ll see more modular, high-impact tools that solve real problems without forcing you into all-or-nothing decisions.

VCX is live and available now. If you’re ready to start issuing virtual cards in days—not quarters—get in touch.