Hooldbudget

💳 Virtual Cards Guide

Virtual cards let you manage multiple budgets separately. Perfect for organizing different money sources or purposes.

What is a Virtual Card?

A virtual card is a container for your budget. Think of it as a separate wallet or bank account within Hooldbudget. Each card has its own:

  • Balance
  • Periods
  • Groups (categories)
  • Transactions
  • Currency settings
Screenshot: Virtual card overview

When to Create Multiple Cards

💵 Cash vs Bank

Separate your cash wallet from your bank card to track each independently.

✈️ Travel Budget

Create a dedicated card for vacation expenses to stay within your travel budget.

👥 Shared Expenses

Share a card with roommates or family for joint household expenses.

💼 Business

Keep business expenses separate from personal spending.

Creating a Virtual Card

Step-by-step:

  1. Go to Cards page - Click "Cards" in the sidebar
  2. Click "Create New Card" - Or the "+" button
  3. Enter card name - e.g., "Cash Wallet", "Travel Fund"
  4. Set starting balance - Your current amount in this account
  5. Choose currency - USD, EUR, GBP, etc.
  6. Select locale - For number formatting (e.g., en-US, de-DE)
  7. Optional: Secondary currency - View amounts in another currency
  8. Choose period type - Monthly, custom, or infinite
  9. Click Create
Screenshot: Create Card Form

Card Settings Explained

💰 Starting Balance

Enter how much money you currently have in this account. This becomes your baseline.

💱 Currency

All transactions in this card must use the same currency. Choose the currency you primarily use.

🌍 Locale

Controls how numbers are displayed (e.g., 1,000.00 vs 1.000,00). Choose your region's format.

💵 Secondary Currency (Optional)

Display all amounts in a second currency using real-time exchange rates. Great for travelers or expats.

📊 Custom Exchange Rate (Optional)

Override automatic exchange rates with your own rate for historical or projected conversions.

Sharing Virtual Cards

Share a card with family, partners, or roommates to collaborate on budgets.

How to share:

  1. Go to Cards page
  2. Click on the card you want to share
  3. Click "Share" button
  4. Enter the email of the person you want to share with
  5. Choose role: Editor (can modify) or Viewer (read-only)
  6. Click "Send Invitation"

💡 Tip: Use Viewer role for accountability partners who should see but not change your budget.

Transferring Money Between Cards

Move money between your virtual cards, just like transferring between real accounts.

How to transfer:

  1. Go to Cards page
  2. Click "Transfer" button
  3. Select source card (from)
  4. Select destination card (to)
  5. Enter amount
  6. Optional: Add exchange rate if currencies differ
  7. Click "Transfer"
Screenshot: Transfer money

Managing Multiple Cards

Best Practices:

  • Start with 1-2 cards, add more as needed
  • Use clear, descriptive names
  • Keep cards for different purposes (not just different accounts)
  • Review all cards weekly to stay on track
  • Archive cards you no longer use

Common Use Cases

🏠 Household Budget

Create one card for all household expenses. Share with family members as editors so everyone can log expenses.

💳 Cash + Bank

Two cards: one for cash wallet, one for bank card. Transfer between them when you withdraw cash from ATM.

🎯 Savings Goal

Create a card for a specific savings goal (vacation, car, emergency fund). Track progress separately.

🌍 Multi-Currency

If you earn in one currency but spend in another, create separate cards for each currency.

Ready to Organize Your Budgets?

Create your first virtual card and start tracking your finances.

Create Virtual Card

Next Guide:

Periods & Budgeting Guide