There is no doubt that virtual cards are very convenient, but they come with a downside. When they expire, any funds left on them are usually gone, and because most issuers don’t allow you to move funds from a virtual card back to a bank account or another card, you have to plan ahead to use the balance before it disappears. You see, most virtual cards are created for a single purchase or with a short expiration date and can only be used according to the rules set by the bank or company that issues them. If you don’t want to lose money, you’ll need a legitimate workaround.
So, how to transfer money from virtual card to bank account? Use your virtual card to buy crypto on the deposit section, and then go to the "Wires" section, enter your bank account details, and submit a transfer request. Your bank account will be credited on the same day, and although you can't transfer directly from the card to your bank account, this is a way to bypass it and still use the card balance.
Virtual cards are built for spending, not transferring
When you use a virtual card to make a payment, it deducts the amount from its balance and sends that money to the seller. That is pretty much the only function it’s designed to perform. Unlike a regular debit card, many virtual cards aren’t linked to an actual bank account, and as such, often come with a fixed, pre-loaded balance set when the card is issued. Because the balance is available on the card itself and not in a bank, you can't transfer what's left to another card or account. In other words, the balance exists only inside the virtual card system, so if you don't spend all the money before the card expires, you lose it
That is where the option to unload the card via crypto exchanges comes in. Exchanges work just like banks in order to provide a safe place to hold your crypto. The crypto in your exchange wallet is insured by the exchange, just as a regular bank account is insured by the country’s central bank.
So if you don’t want to lose the card balance, you can use it to buy crypto, which has no expiration date and is under your control. Then you can convert it to regular money via bank transfer to your personal bank account whenever you want.
Many banks offer virtual cards to help keep your real card number safe when you shop online. Some even create cards that can only be used once (as a protection against fraud), which stops anyone from using the number again after your purchase is complete. While this has its security uses, for someone trying to recover leftover funds, it becomes a problem that needs a workaround.
The legal barrier
Virtual card or not, when it comes to actually using banking services, a user must first complete a full KYC (Know Your Customer) process. This is a mandatory procedure where a bank must verify a user's identity, as dictated by financial regulators worldwide. The purpose is to make sure that banks, payment services, and crypto trading sites know who their customers really are, where they live, and that the money being used isn't connected to crime, scams, or other illegal activity. A basic KYC check usually requires you to enter your personal information, upload a government-issued ID (such as a passport or national ID card), and complete a liveness check, which means scanning your face with your phone’s camera to prove that you are a real person and not using someone else’s documents. To complete a full KYC, you will also need to verify your address, typically by providing a recent bill (like one for gas, electricity, phone, or similar) that shows your name and home address. Once the bank confirms your identity and where you live, you will be allowed to use full banking features, allowing you to send money to a bank account or receive transfers from others. Do note that every user goes through this same verification process when opening a bank account or signing up for a regulated exchange. So, this step isn’t unique to just virtual cards, but a standard legal requirement to access financial services.
Using your virtual card with PlasBit
In terms of how to transfer money from virtual card to bank account, we made a short guide on how to actually buy crypto using your virtual card on Plasbit.
Step 1 - Log in to your Plasbit account and go to the Deposit section.
Choose the currency and the amount you wish to deposit and click Deposit under the ‘Deposit via Bank Card’ section.
Step 2 - Select which crypto you want to buy, fill in your personal information, then click on Confirm.
Step 3 - From here, just follow the instructions on your screen and enter your card details, then press Add Card.
Accessing the bank wire feature on PlasBit
Continuing with the topic, we’ve also made a step-by-step guide on how to use the bank wire feature on PlasBit.
Step 1 - Log in and click on the Wallet tab in the upper left corner.
Step 2 - Deposit whatever crypto you wish into your wallet.
Step 3 - Click on the Wires tab, and then fill in your bank details.
Note: The bank account name must match the name on the PlasBit account.
Step 4 - Choose the wallet you want to charge, choose which currency you want to transfer to your bank, enter the amount to transfer, and then press Submit.
Step 5 - Press Send to receive verification codes to your email and phone, and approve the transfer.
Step 6 - After your wire is approved, you will receive an email notifying you that the wire request was approved.
Step 7 - In the Transactions section, if you select Wires Transaction from the drop-down menu, you can view the status of your transfer. Once the transaction is approved, you can also download a PDF file with all the details.
Most workarounds are unsafe
When figuring out how to transfer money from virtual card to bank account, you’ll find that most solutions found online are risky, with some of the more common (but dangerous) options being:
- Selling your virtual card balance to someone online, which often leads to scams since there is no safe way to verify the buyer.
- Using shady third-party money transfer apps where many operate outside regulations and could lock your funds with no way to get them back.
- Entering your virtual card into unverified websites to convert the balance, which is something you should never do, since these are often scams or phishing traps designed to steal your card details.
Financial regulators warn users against using any unofficial service that promises conversions, withdrawals, or refund transfers from prepaid or virtual cards. If you use one of these services and something goes wrong, you have no way to get your money back. This is why crypto is the best option, and using a licensed and regulated exchange is the only safe, legal, and reliable choice.
Why the bank account name must match the exchange account name
When you withdraw money from a crypto exchange to your bank, the exchange must make sure it's sending the funds to the actual owner of that bank account. For instance, the name on your Plasbit account must match the name on your bank account, no exceptions. This requirement is part of global AML (Anti-Money Laundering) rules, which every regulated exchange is legally obligated to follow. The purpose of regulation is to stop people from hiding money by sending it to someone else's account, laundering funds through third parties, or stealing an identity to make a fraudulent transfer. By making the names match, the exchange ensures every withdrawal is legitimate and can be traced back to the person who was verified. The exchange must confirm not only who you are, but also that you are the one receiving the money, since this protects everyone from scams, fraud, and illegal transfers.
What happens if the virtual card gets declined
Knowing how to transfer money from virtual card to bank account is all good and well, but sometimes users find that their virtual card gets declined when they try to buy crypto. Such a scenario usually happens due to restrictions set by the card issuer, not the exchange. It’s not that rare for virtual card issuers to block cryptocurrency purchases, international transactions, and purchases from merchants classified as high-risk. If this happens, you should check whether:
- The card supports online transactions
- International payments are enabled
- The card has enough balance
- Any daily spending limits have been reached
Some technical issues can also be the cause, such as 3D Secure (3DS) failures. As one of the examples, banks or card issuers use a security pop-up that asks for a code sent to your phone by text message to confirm a purchase. This can fail because many temporary or anonymous virtual cards don’t have a phone number attached to them. So, when the system tries to send the code, it has nowhere to send it, and the payment just gets quietly blocked. With that in mind, make sure your virtual card is set up with a real phone number that you can use to receive texts. Luckily, in most cases, all of the problems are fixed easily by being prepared in advance, using a reputable exchange, and simply following the steps shown on the screen.
Virtual card near expiration
If your card is expiring soon, it’s important not to wait, as the company that issued the card almost never gives refunds for expired cards. What’s more, their support team can't get your money back once the expiry date has passed. If you find yourself in this position, you should use the card immediately to purchase crypto through a trusted platform. Also, avoid buying regular products or subscriptions unless you absolutely have to, since converting to crypto saves more of your money. The good news is that you can request a bank transfer whenever you want, since the money is held in crypto. Another thing that can also help is to make some sort of long-term strategy so you don’t find yourself in this situation, especially if you use virtual cards regularly. Here are some suggestions:
- Keep an eye on when the virtual card expires
- Only put as much money on a card as you need
- Turn leftover funds into crypto long before the card runs out
- Use virtual cards solely for specific types of online purchases
- Keep a small amount on the card instead of loading it up with too much cash
How to withdraw money from virtual debit card to bank account?
You usually can't withdraw money directly for security and legal reasons, but there is a legitimate way to get your leftover balance as cash in your bank account. So, how to withdraw money from virtual debit card to bank account? Use your virtual debit card to buy crypto through the deposit section, then go to the "Wires" section, enter your bank account details, and submit a transfer request and your bank account will be credited with a bank wire on the same day. Although it's not possible to directly cash out the debit card to your bank account, this is a way to bypass it and still use the card and turn it into a balance in your bank account. As you can see, crypto is the most practical solution and is perfectly suited to fix the issue of being unable to withdraw from a virtual card. You can use the card to buy cryptocurrency, which doesn’t have an expiration date like virtual cards, so your money will be safe because there is no risk of losing it and you can spend it whenever.
Can I transfer money from a virtual gift card to my bank account?
Virtual gift cards are normally locked for spending only, making it hard to get the money back, but there are ways of successfully cashing out the card's value. As such, the question remains can I transfer money from a virtual gift card to my bank account? Use your virtual gift card to buy crypto through the deposit section, then go to the "Wires" section, enter your bank account details, and submit a transfer request and your bank account will be credited with a bank wire on the same day. You can't directly cash out a virtual gift card to balance in your bank account, still this is a workaround so you can use the card.
Can I transfer money from a virtual card to PayPal?
Because most virtual card companies don't allow you to connect directly to services like PayPal, you need a way to turn the card's balance into usable funds that you can then withdraw or spend somewhere else. This often leads users to ask, can I transfer money from a virtual card to PayPal? Use your virtual card to buy crypto through the deposit section, then go to the "Wires" section, enter your PayPal account details to submit a transfer request, and your PayPal account will be credited in a few minutes. Since you can't directly transfer your money from your virtual card to PayPal, this is a way to bypass it and still use the card balance and turn it into a PayPal balance.
Crypto is the only way to recover your virtual card balance
In the end, the only practical way regarding how to transfer money from virtual card to bank account is to use the card balance to buy cryptocurrency and then withdraw that crypto through an exchange as a bank transfer. Do note that the type of crypto you buy matters a great deal. For instance, stablecoins like USDT and USDC are designed to hold the same value as the US dollar, so their price doesn't change much, which makes them the best choice if you want to know exactly how much cash you'll get when you sell them. On the other hand, Bitcoin and Ethereum are secure and accepted on most platforms, but their prices can change quickly. The amount of money you get when you cash out could be more or less than what you paid, depending on market movements during that time. Of course, you will encounter various fees, like card processing fees when buying crypto, conversion fees, and possibly even withdrawal or wire fees charged by the exchange. However, since virtual cards aren’t designed to send funds back to your bank (and any unused balance is lost when the card expires), this method allows you to safely recover the remaining money instead of being forced to spend it. Plus, the fees are only 1%, so it’s absolutely worth doing that, more so with alternatives being unsafe. By turning the card balance into crypto and then cashing out, you effectively work around the restrictions and make certain that your hard-earned capital doesn't go to waste.
Key takeaways
- The only sure way to get your money back is to turn the virtual card balance into crypto and then cash it out to your bank account
- Most workarounds found online are unsafe, making regulated crypto platforms the sole secure and legal solution
- Virtual cards are built for spending and not transferring, which means unused funds normally can’t be moved or refunded
