Supported card programs

Card programs combine region, purpose, type, sub-type, and funding source to determine the BIN a card is issued against.

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The information on this page is relevant only for API version 2024-03-31 and later. For older API versions, see Supported card types.

A card program is the combination of brand, purpose, type, and sub-type that determines the Bank Identification Number (BIN) a card is issued against. Type and sub-type are BIN attributes registered with the card scheme. How a card is funded and what it is used for depends on the full combination of region, purpose, type, sub-type, and funding source. See Program combinations.

These options are not mutually exclusive. You can issue multiple combinations in the same integration and change options as your business requirements change.

Card programs

Airwallex supports a number of card programs for its card offerings. Contact your Account Manager for regional availability.

The program is structured as follows:

Brand: Airwallex issues cards on the Visa network.
Program purpose: Choose between commercial or consumer depending on your business use case and workflow. Additionally, consider the following options for commercial or consumer cards, keeping in mind that certain limitations apply. For example, consumer cards can only be issued to Individual type cardholders and must be personalized.
- Delegate vs. individual cardholder types
- Personalized vs. non-personalized cards
- Virtual vs. physical vs. digital card forms
Program type (program.type): A BIN attribute registered with the card scheme. Possible values: PREPAID, DEBIT, CREDIT, and DEFERRED_DEBIT. If you do not provide a value, the default configured in your account settings applies. See Program combinations for how type works together with region, purpose, sub-type, and funding source.
Program sub-type (program.sub_type): An optional further BIN designation. Possible values: GOOD_FUNDS_CREDIT and B2B_TRAVEL. If you do not provide a value, the default configured in your account settings applies. See Program combinations. For the travel program, see B2B Travel program.

Program combinations

The following explorer shows how region, program.purpose, program.type, program.sub_type, and funding source work together. Wallet-funded combinations debit your Airwallex Wallet and do not require a funding_source_id. Credit-line combinations, including B2B Travel on a credit line, require an approved credit line and a funding_source_id.

Region	program.purpose	program.type	program.sub_type	Funding source	funding_source_id	Description
Australia Europe Israel New Zealand Singapore United Kingdom	COMMERCIAL	DEBIT	None	Wallet	Not required	Default program for the region. Used for general business spending.
Canada Hong Kong SAR United States	COMMERCIAL	CREDIT	GOOD_FUNDS_CREDIT	Wallet	Not required	Default program for the region. Used for general business spending.
Malaysia	COMMERCIAL	PREPAID	None	Wallet	Not required	Default program for the region. Used for general business spending.
Singapore	COMMERCIAL	DEBIT	B2B_TRAVEL	Wallet	Not required	For accounts enrolled in the B2B Travel program in this region. Used for travel supplier payments.
Europe United Kingdom	COMMERCIAL	DEFERRED_DEBIT	B2B_TRAVEL	Wallet	Not required	For accounts enrolled in the B2B Travel program in this region. Used for travel supplier payments.
Hong Kong SAR United States	COMMERCIAL	CREDIT	B2B_TRAVEL	Wallet	Not required	For accounts enrolled in the B2B Travel program in this region. Used for travel supplier payments.
Australia Hong Kong SAR United Kingdom United States	COMMERCIAL	CREDIT	None	Credit line	Required	For accounts that have an approved credit line only.
Hong Kong SAR United Kingdom United States	COMMERCIAL	CREDIT	B2B_TRAVEL	Credit line	Required	For accounts enrolled in the B2B Travel program in this region that have an approved credit line only.
Australia Europe Singapore United Kingdom	COMMERCIAL	PREPAID	None	Wallet	Not required	For platform accounts that have approval to launch a prepaid card program only.
Australia Europe Israel Singapore United Kingdom	CONSUMER	DEBIT	None	Wallet	Not required	For platform accounts that have approval to launch a consumer card program only.
Hong Kong SAR	CONSUMER	CREDIT	GOOD_FUNDS_CREDIT	Wallet	Not required	For platform accounts that have approval to launch a consumer card program only.
Australia Europe Singapore United Kingdom	CONSUMER	PREPAID	None	Wallet	Not required	For platform accounts that have approval to launch a prepaid card program only.

Commercial vs. consumer

Commercial cards are designed for business-related expenses, while consumer cards are for individual payouts and everyday spending. The choice between them depends on your goals and the nature of your business.

Feature	Commercial	Consumer
Suited for	Business expenses, software subscriptions, OTA workflows, and similar use cases.	Payouts to consumers, for example influencers, gig-economy workers, and general payroll.
Personalized vs. non-personalized	Both personalized and non-personalized cards supported	Only personalized cards supported
Cardholder types	Both Delegate and Individual cardholder types supported	Only Individual cardholder type supported
Form	Non-personalized cards: Virtual only Personalized cards: Virtual/Digital/Physical	Personalized cards: Virtual/Digital/Physical
Name on card	Non-personalized cards: Business name is used as the name on the card. Personalized cards: Legal name of the individual is used as the name on the card.	Personalized cards: Legal name of the individual is used as the name on the card.
Funds owned by	Non-personalized cards: Business owns and controls the funds. Personalized cards: Business owns and controls the funds. The individual is authorized only to access funds with their card.	Personalized cards: Funds in each connected account Wallet are owned by the customer onboarded as an Individual (not a Business), but may be controlled by the authorized platform account.
Access to sensitive card details	Non-personalized cards: Sensitive card details may be retrieved directly using the Get sensitive card detailsAPI API. Personalized cards: You must be PCI compliant to retrieve sensitive card details directly using the Get sensitive card detailsAPI API, or alternatively serve up card details via secure iframes (does not require PCI compliance).	Personalized cards: You must be PCI compliant to retrieve sensitive card details directly using the Get sensitive card detailsAPI API, or alternatively serve up card details via secure iframes (does not require PCI compliance).
PIN	Non-personalized cards: No PIN Personalized cards: Supported. As an Airwallex customer, you must be PCI compliant to retrieve the PIN of personalized cards, or alternatively serve up the PIN via secure iframes (does not require PCI compliance).	Personalized cards: Supported. As an Airwallex customer, you must be PCI compliant to retrieve the PIN of personalized cards, or alternatively serve up the PIN via secure iframes (does not require PCI compliance).
Card management	Edit, cancel/freeze supported	Edit, cancel/freeze supported
Card controls	All supported. See authorization controls.	All supported. See authorization controls.
White-label	Supported	Supported

Personalized vs. non-personalized

Airwallex cards can be personalized or non-personalized. Your choice depends on your specific needs and the products you wish to access.

Feature	Non-personalized	Personalized
Name on card	Card is associated with your account, that is, your business, with the business name used as the name on the card.	Card is associated with the individual cardholder with their legal name used as the name on the card.
Card association	You can assign multiple authorized cardholders (either Delegate or Individual type) to the card and allow them to receive 3D Secure (3DS) authentication step-up requests.	You can only assign one authorized cardholder (Individual type) to the card and allow this cardholder to receive 3D Secure (3DS) authentication step-up requests.
Access to sensitive card details	Sensitive card details may be retrieved directly using the Get sensitive card detailsAPI API.	You must be PCI compliant to retrieve sensitive card details directly using the Get sensitive card detailsAPI API, or alternatively serve up card details via secure iframes (does not require PCI compliance).
Supported features	Virtual cards 3DS enabled	Virtual cards Digital wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay) Physical cards 3DS enabled

Virtual vs. physical vs. digital

Virtual and physical are card forms (form_factor). Digital means adding a personalized virtual or physical card to a digital wallet, such as Apple Pay or Google Pay, where supported in the region.

Feature	Virtual	Physical	Digital
Description	Exists as card details only (card number, expiry date, and CVC) for online and other card-not-present payments.	Physical card format with card details embossed on the card.	Can be added to the individual's digital wallet (Apple Pay, Google Pay) for contactless purchasing if supported in the applicable region.
Non-personalized cards	Yes	No	No
Personalized cards	Yes	Yes	Yes
Activation	Activated automatically after creation and can be used to transact immediately.	Manually activated upon receiving the card at the delivery address, or pre-activated via the API.	Only active cards can be added to digital wallets.

B2B Travel program

The Airwallex B2B Travel Program is a dedicated card program for travel-related businesses, such as Online Travel Agencies (OTAs), that pay travel suppliers on behalf of their customers. Built on Visa's B2B Travel Program, it lets you issue virtual cards designed for travel payments and, in eligible regions, configure the interchange applied to travel transactions.

The B2B Travel Program is available only to businesses in the travel industry, and cards must be used for transactions with travel merchants (identified by travel merchant category codes, or MCCs). Airwallex does not accept applications from businesses outside the travel industry.

For a typical OTA payment flow, see Online Travel Agencies.

Available regions

The B2B Travel Program is available in the following regions. Variable interchange is supported in a subset of these regions.

Region	Standard interchange	Variable interchange
United Kingdom	Supported	Supported
Europe	Supported	Not supported
Hong Kong SAR	Supported	Supported
Singapore	Supported	Supported
United States	Supported	Coming soon

Note: In the United States, the B2B Travel Program supports domestic transactions only.

Supported capabilities

Virtual cards

The B2B Travel Program supports virtual cards, which can be issued as single-use or multi-use. This card program supports travel workflows where you generate a card for a specific booking, amount, and currency, then pass it to a supplier or a Global Distribution System (GDS). Physical cards are not supported under this program.

Variable interchange

Variable interchange lets you lock a specific interchange rate on a card at the time of creation. This applies only to transactions at travel merchants (travel MCCs); transactions at non-travel merchants fall back to standard interchange. The rate is set when the card is created and cannot be changed afterward.

Configurable range: 0.8% to 1.9% (in 0.1% increments). If you do not set an interchange rate, the default is 2%.
Available in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong SAR, and Singapore. Coming soon in the United States.
Requires API version 2024-03-31 or later.

Account enablement

The B2B Travel Program is enabled on your account by your Account Manager. Enablement requires signing the Travel Program Addendum.

After enablement, issue cards with the Create a cardAPI request. Use program.purpose COMMERCIAL and program.sub_type B2B_TRAVEL. Set program.type to the value for your region in Program combinations. To use variable interchange, optionally set program.interchange_percent to the rate you want to lock for travel transactions, for example 0.8. Variable interchange applies only in regions that support it.

For a full walkthrough of creating commercial cards, see Create commercial cards.