Closing our virtual card program in Dec 2023
Published on December 8, 2023 by Benjamin Nickolls
Attention: OSC hosted collectives currently using Virtual Cards
Open Source Collective has been informed that our provider, Stripe, will be disabling virtual cards issued to our member projects on 1st January 2024. From that date, all payments using issued cards will be declined. We will notify you which services you are using with affected cards so that you can update payment methods.
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In May 2021 Open Collective announced support for Virtual Cards. Virtual cards are debit cards for your Collective that can be used for regular and one-off payments online, using your Collective's balance to pay. Since the launch, hundreds of our Collectives have used virtual cards, spending $1.8m without having to cover those costs personally, requesting a reimbursement.
Last month, our provider, Stripe, notified us that 'subsequent to a routine review', they are unable to continue supporting us due to prohibitions on their restricted business list. We do not believe that we are covered by any of the restrictions on that list and have since been told that Stripe Issuing is 'for employees only'. This policy was not made clear when we first moved to Stripe as our virtual card provider, and the policy seems to contradict some of Stripe's own marketing materials. We are, of course, very disappointed. Virtual cards have been incredibly useful for our member projects, and we will be making arrangements with alternative providers for 2024.
For the time being, we will need our member projects to update the payment details for services that use a virtual card, and to request a reimbursement for those expenses instead. We will notify you which services will be affected in the coming days. As usual, we will continue to pay expenses twice a week and can only apologize for the inconvenience caused.
Open Source Collective has been informed that our provider, Stripe, will be disabling virtual cards issued to our member projects on 1st January 2024. From that date, all payments using issued cards will be declined. We will notify you which services you are using with affected cards so that you can update payment methods.
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In May 2021 Open Collective announced support for Virtual Cards. Virtual cards are debit cards for your Collective that can be used for regular and one-off payments online, using your Collective's balance to pay. Since the launch, hundreds of our Collectives have used virtual cards, spending $1.8m without having to cover those costs personally, requesting a reimbursement.
Last month, our provider, Stripe, notified us that 'subsequent to a routine review', they are unable to continue supporting us due to prohibitions on their restricted business list. We do not believe that we are covered by any of the restrictions on that list and have since been told that Stripe Issuing is 'for employees only'. This policy was not made clear when we first moved to Stripe as our virtual card provider, and the policy seems to contradict some of Stripe's own marketing materials. We are, of course, very disappointed. Virtual cards have been incredibly useful for our member projects, and we will be making arrangements with alternative providers for 2024.
For the time being, we will need our member projects to update the payment details for services that use a virtual card, and to request a reimbursement for those expenses instead. We will notify you which services will be affected in the coming days. As usual, we will continue to pay expenses twice a week and can only apologize for the inconvenience caused.
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I got virtual card 2 weeks ago and bought 2 service. I can't spend my time tracking them and sending manual expensive each month. I' sorry but I'll just close those services and inform users that is not our fault.
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Very disappointing, this makes OSC and by extensions Open collective unusable for us.
We have been using OC for the benefits of financial transparency, but it doesn't make much sense for a member to donate, then pay for the service and then request a reimbursement to themselves, especially taking the 10% fee into account.
We have been using OC for the benefits of financial transparency, but it doesn't make much sense for a member to donate, then pay for the service and then request a reimbursement to themselves, especially taking the 10% fee into account.
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Can you find another provider? This is the main reason we’re using opencollective and it’s a really invaluable part of the service.
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Not sure if they provide virtual cards, but Lemon Squeezy seems like a really good alternative to Stripe. Also I'm sure they can make arrangements if you ask them to.
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For those of you asking about an alternative provider: yes, we will find one. Stripe's Issuing product worked particualrly well for us as it had real-time authorisation of payments, so we'll be looking at something similar.
Apologies, when making the announcement I forgot to mention the interim workaround.
We will reach out to the collectives that currently use virtual cards with a list of your vendors. If that vendor can accept a payment via bank transfer, we can create a 'vendor profile' for them on the platform with their banking information as the payment directions. When you receive future invoices for this vendor, you can create an expense on the platform using the invoice and we will process the expense and the payment will be made from your collective balance (not a personal card).
This doesn't solve the convenience of the expense getting created automatically, as it did with virtual cards. But it does ensure that the payment will come from collective funds, not personal funds. So if this is a concern, the workaround would be a good short term solution until we can find a new vendor.
We will reach out to the collectives that currently use virtual cards with a list of your vendors. If that vendor can accept a payment via bank transfer, we can create a 'vendor profile' for them on the platform with their banking information as the payment directions. When you receive future invoices for this vendor, you can create an expense on the platform using the invoice and we will process the expense and the payment will be made from your collective balance (not a personal card).
This doesn't solve the convenience of the expense getting created automatically, as it did with virtual cards. But it does ensure that the payment will come from collective funds, not personal funds. So if this is a concern, the workaround would be a good short term solution until we can find a new vendor.
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Devastating.
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That’s disappointing news for projects that rely on virtual cards since they made managing expenses much simpler. When providers like Stripe make policy changes, the only option is to update payment methods quickly to avoid disruptions. It’s good that reimbursements are still being processed regularly, so at least projects won’t face delays in getting covered. On a side note, if you’re looking for practical ways to save money in daily life, this website shares a free AH Bonus Card you can use anytime to keep getting supermarket discounts and never miss out on the best deals.
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Closing our virtual card program in Dec 2023 marked the start of a new chapter for us—one focused on smarter solutions and better value for our customers.
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This update is quite concerning, especially for projects relying on virtual cards for smooth transactions. It’s good they’re planning alternatives, but the sudden change may cause disruptions. Meanwhile, having tools like a YouTube Video Downloader can at least help creators manage content efficiently without extra costs.
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This looks like a pretty serious change, especially for teams that rely on virtual cards for recurring payments. If Stripe is disabling them completely, then the main issue here isn’t just inconvenience—it’s the risk of services getting interrupted if payment methods aren’t updated in time.
A practical way to handle this would be to immediately identify all services linked to these cards and switch them to alternative payment methods like direct debit, manual card payments, or reimbursements. It might not be as smooth as virtual cards, but at least it keeps everything running without disruption.
Also, since this seems to be a limitation from Stripe’s side rather than Open Collective itself, moving toward another provider in the future sounds like the right long-term solution.
In situations like this, having flexible access options becomes really important. For example, many users now prefer solutions that don’t rely heavily on specific payment systems, similar to how tools like inat box ios allow easier access without depending on strict payment setups.
Overall, the key right now is acting quickly—update payment methods, avoid failed transactions, and wait for a more stable alternative going forward.
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