Virtual cards are used by OTAs as a way of providing you with payment information for a reservation without the need to provide you with the guest's credit card details. If they have already paid their deposit to the OTA, the card details that the OTA then provides to you on the reservation may be those of a virtual card.
Virtual cards are effectively the same as an ordinary credit card except that they do not exist in physical form. The card will be active for a set period of time depending on the rules set by the OTA.
Booking.com
Every new virtual card you receive will be activated according to the reservation policy. If you are a new property or not, you'll be able to charge VCC one day after check-in. For non-refundable bookings via Booking.com, this is the same date as the booking date.
Expedia
The Expedia virtual card is only activated on the day of check-in, meaning that if you have an automatic payment rule set up on your rates to collect payment at the point of booking, or several days prior to check-in, the payment will not go through. You can collect the payment yourself on the day of check-in or if you would prefer, when the guest has checked out.
Whether or not an OTA uses a virtual card for your reservations depends entirely on what payment settings you have agreed with them. You may be able to change this setting in your Extranet, otherwise you will need to speak with their Support Team or your Account Manager if you have one.
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