Privacy.com review
Updated September 28, 2026 · DebitCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026
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Our verdict
Privacy.com suits business accounts that want a virtual card for subscriptions, ad spend and other online payments. The monthly fee is $0, loading money costs nothing by bank account or debit card, and the running cost sits in currency conversion at 0% to 3%.
Key facts
- Best for
- A free virtual card for business subscriptions and online ad spend.
- Monthly fee
- $0 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Currency conversion fee
- 0% to 3% (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Card type
- Virtual (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Top-up fee
- No funding fee (bank account or debit card) (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Cashback rate
- 1% (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Card network
- Visa (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Legal entity
- Lithic, Inc. (d/b/a Privacy.com) (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Headquarters
- United States (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Founded
- 2014 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Support channels
- Email, Phone, Help-centre (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Features
- Virtual card
- Audience
- Business
- Official website
- privacy.com
Apps and profiles
- Get the app
- Google Play
- Elsewhere
- XLinkedInchromewebstore.google.com
Pros and cons
Pros
- The monthly fee is $0, so a spare card for subscriptions costs nothing to keep open.
- Loading the balance costs nothing when you top up by bank account or debit card, so the account is cheap to fund.
- The card is virtual, which suits a business paying for software and advertising online rather than face to face.
- Payments run on visa, and Visa is the most common network in the field at 58.6%.
- Spending earns cashback of 1%, and cashback is the most common rewards style in the field at 49.5%.
Cons
- Fees on currency conversion run 0% to 3%, while accounts with no foreign fee sit at 0% at the upper quartile, so paying another currency costs more here.
- The card is virtual, so there is nothing for a cash machine and nothing to hand over in a shop.
- The account is aimed at business use, so a personal account that doubles as everyday spending is a poor fit.
- The provider is Lithic, Inc. (d/b/a Privacy.com) in the United States, so the balance sits with a US company rather than a bank on the high street.
Who it suits
- A small business paying for software, hosting and advertising online, where a virtual card does the job.
- Anyone who loads and spends in the same currency, so conversion at 0% to 3% never comes into play.
- People who want support by email, phone and help centre alongside a monthly fee of $0.
Who should look elsewhere
- Wise, for anyone whose main cost is foreign currency, because fees on conversion here run 0% to 3%.
- HSBC Classic Credit Card, for a credit card rather than a virtual card, though its monthly fee is £0.
- Monzo Flex, for personal everyday banking, since its monthly fee is £0 too but this account is built for business spend.
Fees and currency costs
The monthly fee is $0, so the account costs nothing to keep open whether the card is used heavily or barely at all. Loading the balance costs nothing when you top up by bank account or debit card, which leaves currency conversion as the only charge that can add to a bill. Fees on conversion run 0% to 3%, and the account ranks 1 of the 419 brands compared on monthly fee, so the standing cost sits at the bottom of the field. For context, the median conversion fee across the brands on the site is 1% and the upper quartile is 2.5%. A business paying hosting, software and advertising invoices in its own currency can largely ignore the conversion line, while anyone settling supplier bills in another currency should read the top of that range as the worst case for a single payment.
Using it day to day
The card is virtual, which is the right shape for software subscriptions, advertising platforms and a single online purchase you would rather not put your everyday card behind. Because there is no plastic card, a cash machine is not part of the deal and a shop counter will not take it. Payments run on visa, and Visa accounts make up 58.6% of the brands on this site, so acceptance is the familiar kind wherever card payments are taken online. Support runs on email, phone and help centre, so you can read the help centre, send an email or ring, which matters when a payment needs tracing. The account is built for business spend, and a virtual card is a natural fit for a set-up where services each take a card number of their own.
Who runs it
Privacy.com is provided by Lithic, Inc. (d/b/a Privacy.com), a company based in the United States, and it has been trading since 2014. The legal entity named in the terms is the party you deal with, so the terms and the cardholder agreement are the documents that set the fees, the handling of the balance and the card terms. Support runs on email, phone and help centre, which is worth knowing when a payment is disputed, because a question about a specific transaction still goes to a person. For readers weighing the safety of the money, the picture is a US company rather than a UK bank, so the account behaves like a card service rather than a current account that holds deposits.
How Privacy.com compares
9.1 vs 9.4
9.1 vs 9.0
9.1 vs 8.9
9.1 vs 9.2
9.1 vs 8.8
9.1 vs 8.5
9.1 vs 8.5
9.1 vs 9.0
9.1 vs 8.8
9.1 vs 8.8
9.1 vs 8.7
9.1 vs 9.2
9.1 vs 9.0
9.1 vs 8.9
9.1 vs 8.8
9.1 vs 9.6
9.1 vs 9.2
9.1 vs 9.1
9.1 vs 9.1
9.1 vs 9.1
9.1 vs 8.9
9.1 vs 8.8
9.1 vs 8.8- 9.1 vs 8.8
- 9.1 vs 8.8
9.1 vs 8.8
9.1 vs 8.5
9.1 vs 8.5
9.1 vs 8.5
9.1 vs 8.3
9.1 vs 8.2
9.1 vs 8.0
9.1 vs 8.0
Where Privacy.com is available
- Available
- United States
Countries from the brand (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
What does it cost to keep a Privacy.com account open?+
The monthly fee is $0, so there is no charge for holding the account whether you use the card or leave it idle. Loading money in costs nothing either when you fund from a bank account or a debit card, which means the running cost of the account is paid almost entirely in currency conversion.
What are the fees on payments in another currency?+
Fees on currency conversion run 0% to 3%. Across the brands compared here the median conversion fee is 1% and the upper quartile is 2.5%, so the top of that range sits above most of the field. If your business only ever pays in its own currency, this line will not usually decide it.
Is this a card I can carry?+
The card is virtual, so it exists as card details you enter online rather than plastic in a wallet. That suits software subscriptions, advertising platforms and a single purchase you would rather keep off your everyday card. There is nothing to take out, and the account adds nothing to your handbag.
Which network do the payments run on?+
Payments run on visa. Visa is the most common network among the brands on this site, at 58.6%, so acceptance is the familiar kind. Merchant acceptance follows the network rather than the provider, which matters if a supplier is fussy about the card it takes.
How do I add money to the account?+
Funding runs from a bank account or a debit card with no funding fee either way, and the account itself carries a monthly fee of $0. Put money in and the cost of holding and loading the account stays at nothing, leaving currency conversion as the line that can add to a bill.
Who runs Privacy.com and where is it based?+
The account is provided by Lithic, Inc. (d/b/a Privacy.com), a company based in the United States, and the business has been trading since 2014. Those terms and the cardholder agreement are the documents that set out the fees, the handling of the balance and the card terms, so they are the ones to read before you add money.
How do I reach help when a payment goes wrong?+
Support runs on email, phone and help centre, so a help centre, email and a phone line are all available. Help centres are offered by 75.6% of the accounts on the site, so this setup sits with the majority rather than being an exception.
Is the account meant for personal use?+
The audience for the account is business, and the card is virtual rather than a physical one. If you want a card for personal, day-to-day spending, a mainstream current account is the better fit, since this product is aimed at business payments rather than household ones.
Is there any cashback on the card?+
Spending earns cashback of 1%. Cashback is the most common rewards style across the brands on the site, at 49.5%, so a rebate here is a normal feature of the market rather than something that sets the account apart. The cashback is worth checking against the conversion cost if you pay in another currency.
Sources
- privacy.com checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Card type, Features
“A virtual card is a unique 16-digit card number with a CVV code and expiration date that can be generated instantly and used to make purchases online or over the phone. Think of it as a normal credit...”
- privacy.com/about checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Founded
“In 2014, we had an idea for a better way for people to pay.”
- privacy.com/cardholder-agreement checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Currency conversion fee, Card network
“For each transaction, the greater of 3% of the foreign transaction in US dollars or $0.50 for users on Privacy's Personal tier. Users on Privacy's Pro or Premium tier have no foreign transaction fees.”
- privacy.com/pricing checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Audience, Cashback rate, Monthly fee
“Premium $25/mo. ... Best for Small Businesses”
- privacy.com/terms checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Headquarters, Legal entity, Top-up fee, Support channels
“Lithic, Inc. (d/b/a Privacy.com) 228 Park Ave S PMB 57488 New York, NY 10003-1502 United States”
Compiled from 5 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.
Not confirmed yet: Free ATM withdrawals, Protection.
Related by the facts
Privacy.com
A free virtual card for business subscriptions and online ad spend.