Skip to main content
Once a cardholder’s application is approved, you can issue them a card. This page covers creating virtual and physical cards, setting spending limits, shipping and activating physical cards, setting a PIN, and adding cards to a mobile wallet. Create a card with the Create a card endpoint.

​
Virtual vs. physical cards

Both card types use the same endpoint. The type you pass determines the setup:
  • Virtual cards are available for immediate use. Display the full details by decrypting them on the client. See Access card details.
  • Physical cards are shipped to the cardholder and require activation after delivery.
The response includes the card id, last4, and status.

​
Set spending limits

Set an initial spending limit at creation with the limit field, then adjust it later with the Update a card endpoint. The amount is in the smallest currency unit, for example cents.
Spending limits work on a rolling basis. The system adds up every purchase from the last 30 days, down to the exact second. As purchases pass the 30-day mark, they fall off and stop counting against the limit.

​
Ship a physical card

Physical cards require a shipping object with the recipient’s address and phone number. Choose a shipping method based on speed, cost, and whether you need tracking:
  • Tracked methods (FedEx, DHL) provide real-time tracking and faster delivery.
  • Untracked methods (USPS, APC) are more economical.
The method must match the destination country: US addresses take standard or express, and non-US addresses take international, apc, apcTracked, or uspsInternational. When you omit method, Rain ships US cards standard and non-US cards international. For the full list of methods, pricing, delivery times, tracking, and address character requirements, see Physical card shipping. To send several cards to one address in a single shipment, see Ship cards in bulk. A shipping address can’t be changed once the order is submitted. If a card was ordered with the wrong address, cancel it and issue a new card with the corrected address. Set the name embossed on the card with displayName (26 characters maximum; letters, numbers, spaces, periods, and hyphens). By default, Rain uses the cardholder’s full name.
The cardholder’s first and last name must contain only Latin characters (A-Z, a-z, spaces, and hyphens) for physical card personalization. Names with non-Latin characters are not supported on the embossed card.

​
Set a PIN

Cardholders can set and update a card PIN of 4 to 12 digits. The PIN is encrypted on the client before you send it to Rain. For the full encrypt, set, and retrieve flow, see Manage a card’s PIN.

​
Activate the card

By default, activation is not required and a new card is active. To enforce an activation step, create the card with status set to notActivated. To activate it, confirm the cardholder’s last four digits, expiry date, or both with the Get a card endpoint, then set the status to active with the Update a card endpoint. A card moves through these statuses: You can update a card’s status or limits at any time. See Card management best practices.

​
Add to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet

Let cardholders add their card to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet from your app with push provisioning, implemented through the MeaWallet SDK. Push provisioning must be tested with production cards. For the integration steps and decline troubleshooting, such as wallet risk-engine blocks and region mismatches, see Set up push provisioning.

​
What’s next

Fund the card

Add collateral so the cardholder’s credit limit reflects their available funds.

Access card details

Decrypt a virtual card’s PAN and CVC on the client so the cardholder can start spending.