Why can't a virtual card linked to the main account be added to Apple Wallet?

Monzo Chat
1

So I have discovered the hard way that we can’t add a virtual card to Apple Wallet if its linked to the main account. Although all the posts I found say this, none of them say why. So I am curious if anyone knows why this is?

I was hoping to use my virtual card linked to the main account for general spending and online by paying Apple Pay. But I can’t. So it seems I can only add the physical card to Apple Pay if I want to pay using it through Apple Pay?

I dont want to have to create a “Spending” pot and card just to pay using Apple Pay on the virtual card. I would need to keep transferring money over into it all the time. I tried it before, having the main account and spending account, and I would get mixed up all the time and end up paying fro the wrong one, or having to transfer money over there and then at the till. It was a pain in the **** so I got rid of the spending virtual card and pot.

I guess I need to do the following:

  1. Physical card added to Apple Pay, and only used for Apple Pay
  2. Virtual Card linked to account to use to pay online when not using Apple Pay

This avoids having the spending pot. Just strange to have to use 2 cards for spending, one when using Apple Pay, the other when using standard payment forms online or in shops etc.

Am I overthinking it, is there a better setup?

2

They could, but then you lose the benefit of the virtual card that someone can then drain your account.

If you just want it to come from your main account, why do you need the virtual card?

3

You’re overthinking it.

Your real card number is never passed on via Apple or Google pay. They create a wallet card and give out their own details once you add your card, so your physical details are safe.

No point adding complexity to that. Virtual cards in Monzo allow you to protect your funds ie separate them into a Pot so a merchant can only take from that Pot, nothing else.

1 Like
4

As Carlo said, Apple don’t use your actual card details so there’s no need for a virtual one on top of that really.

Unlike the above two, I do see the utility in having a virtual card that’s not pot linked in general, and that’s fine. Like you, I don’t want to have to think about transferring spending money before I make every single purchase. But in your case once you’ve set up Apple pay and the virtual card there’s no more complexity than if they were both using the same one if that makes sense, and really the setup is no more complicated either, you’re just adding card details to Apple pay, whether they’re virtual or not, so I’m sure once you’ve done it you’ll find it’s not a problem at all!