Stripe Issuing is the infrastructure a business uses to create and run its own card program, with virtual or physical cards for employees, customers or gig workers. It isn't a business card you sign up for yourself: you start by contacting Stripe's sales team, and as of October 2026 a virtual card costs $0.10 and a standard physical card $3.50 in the US.
The other thing people don't expect is the defaults. Every new card gets a $500 daily spending limit unless you set your own, and there's a $10,000 cap on each authorization that you can't change. If you're planning cards for big-ticket purchases, that second number matters.
Who Stripe Issuing is for, and who it isn't
Stripe describes Issuing as a platform that helps businesses build and launch custom card programs, for commercial and consumer use. The use cases it names are expense management, courier operations, buy now pay later, fleet, employee benefits, travel, loyalty, gig worker payouts, insurance disbursements and incentive cards. Stripe also says businesses can earn a share of interchange revenue from the cards.
Stripe's own FAQ draws the line for you. If you want a debit card for your own business, Stripe Treasury can give you cards tied to a financial account. If you're building a card program for other people, that's Issuing.
| You want to | Look at |
|---|---|
| Give your own team a card that spends from your business balance | Stripe Treasury cards, or a corporate card |
| Hand out cards to employees with tight controls on where they spend | Stripe Issuing, commercial program |
| Pay gig workers or send insurance disbursements onto a card | Stripe Issuing |
| Launch a consumer card program | Stripe Issuing, consumer program, US only |
Where Stripe Issuing is available
According to Stripe's docs, commercial issuing is available in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and supported EEA countries. Stablecoin-backed card programs run in 30+ countries across Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa. Consumer issuing is US only, and a credit consumer program is in private preview. In the US, you can provide cards to individuals living in the country where your business is established. Stripe also points out that in the US it isn't a bank: it works with licensed bank partners and the card networks.
What Stripe Issuing costs, as of October 2026
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Virtual card | $0.10 each in the US. The docs give £0.10 in the UK and €0.10 in the EU |
| Standard physical card | $3.50 each, with custom cards priced separately and shipping not included |
| Setting up a program | No setup fees, according to Stripe's docs |
| Getting access | Contact Stripe's sales team to check eligibility |
Stripe's product page says branded physical cards ship in two days. That's Stripe's claim, and shipping is billed on top of the card price.
The default spending limits that surprise people
Stripe's spending controls page sets out the defaults, and they're the part I'd read before you hand a card to anyone:
- $500 a day by default. If you don't set spending limits, a default limit of $500 per day applies to a newly created card.
- $10,000 per authorization, fixed. This cap applies to every authorization and can't be configured.
- Some defaults can be removed. Stripe applies a few default controls that you can ask its support team to disable.
- Limits follow the person. A cardholder's limits apply across all their cards, and a card's limits carry over to the card that replaces it.
- Totals lag slightly. Spending aggregation is best effort, with a delay of up to 30 seconds, and all date intervals start at midnight UTC.
Beyond amounts, you can allow or block merchant categories and merchant countries, and allow or block card-present use. These controls run before Stripe's real-time authorization, so they can decline a purchase before the authorization request is even sent. You can also approve or decline each authorization in real time through webhooks.
Virtual cards, wallets and PCI
Virtual cards can be added to Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay, with lead times that vary by region. Stripe only lets you retrieve the full card number and CVC by API for virtual cards in live mode, and only when you ask for it explicitly. It recommends showing them through the Dashboard or Issuing Elements instead. On compliance, Stripe's docs say that if you create virtual cards for your own use, you aren't required to attain PCI-DSS compliance for Issuing activity, but if you create them for your users you might be treated as a service provider under PCI-DSS.
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How a Stripe Issuing program gets started
- Contact Stripe's sales team to confirm you're eligible.
- Choose virtual or physical cards, and customise the program, including the network and card product type.
- Fund the Issuing balance, either by transfer from your Stripe balance or by a top-up from an external bank account.
- Set spending controls for categories, countries and limits.
- Test purchases in a sandbox, then launch.
Issuing also connects to the rest of Stripe. With Treasury, cards draw from a financial account. With Connect, you can issue cards to people who aren't your employees, using Custom connected accounts only. Bridge powers stablecoin-backed cards. Stripe says cardholder support runs Monday to Saturday, 9am to 9pm EST, and that it handles disputes on your behalf.
My verdict
Stripe Issuing is a builder's product. If you're a platform paying couriers, a benefits provider or a software company that wants cards inside your product, it's worth the sales call, and the per-card costs are low. If you're a founder who just wants a company card for yourself and your team, you're in the wrong place. Start with my roundup of the best corporate cards, or pair a business account from my list of online business banking accounts with expense management software. This isn't financial advice.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get a Stripe Issuing card for my own business?
Issuing is for building card programs. Stripe's FAQ says that if you want a debit card for your own business, Stripe Treasury can give you cards tied to a financial account.
How much does a Stripe Issuing card cost?
As of October 2026, Stripe's US pricing page lists $0.10 per virtual card and $3.50 per standard physical card. Custom cards cost extra and shipping isn't included.
What's the default spending limit on a Stripe Issuing card?
If you don't set spending limits, a default of $500 per day applies to a new card. There's also a $10,000 limit on each authorization that can't be configured.
How do I get access to Stripe Issuing?
Stripe's docs say the first step is to determine your eligibility by contacting Stripe's sales team.
Can Stripe Issuing cards go in Apple Pay?
Yes. Virtual cards can be added to Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay, with lead times that vary by region.
