How Wells Fargo's Virtual Card Service Transforms B2B Payment Operations

Businesses are still grappling with a fundamental challenge: paper checks remain inefficient, slow, and difficult to track in remote-first environments. Wells Fargo is addressing this pain point head-on by launching its WellsOne Virtual Card Payments solution, designed to help commercial customers ditch paper-based invoicing for secure digital alternatives.

The Problem With Traditional Payment Methods

As enterprises scale remote operations, payment workflows have become increasingly complex. Paper checks create bottlenecks—they’re slow to process, hard to reconcile, and leave companies vulnerable to fraud and operational delays. Mary Mazzochi, senior vice president of Commercial Card products at Wells Fargo, explains the shift: “Businesses need simple pathways to digital payment strategies using tools they already trust. Virtual card payments deliver both efficiency and enhanced fraud protection that traditional methods simply can’t match.”

How Wells Fargo’s Virtual Card Solution Works

The WellsOne Virtual Card Payments service operates on a straightforward principle: each transaction gets assigned a unique, single-use card number that can only be applied to its specific dollar amount. Here’s the flow:

The Standard Process: When a company initiates a payment through its enterprise resource planning system, the WellsOne service generates a one-time virtual card number. This number is securely transmitted to the supplier, who processes it like a standard card payment. Because each virtual number is limited to one transaction and one amount, the risk of fraudulent misuse drops significantly.

The Advanced Option: Wells Fargo also offers straight-through processing, which bypasses supplier interaction entirely. Payments flow directly from the company to the supplier’s bank, eliminating manual entry steps and giving businesses complete control over payment timing without waiting for suppliers to process checks.

Key Benefits: Security Meets Operational Efficiency

Enhanced Fraud Prevention: Single-use virtual numbers eliminate a major vulnerability—even if a number is intercepted, it cannot be reused or modified for different amounts.

Better Working Capital Management: Virtual payments provide precise, transparent timing, helping companies optimize cash flow and improve financial forecasting.

Simplified Reconciliation: The WellsOne dashboard offers real-time visibility into payment status, with enhanced reporting capabilities that flag exceptions and monitor credit balances. Companies can access 24 months of historical data and benefit from an expanded audit trail for compliance purposes.

Faster Supplier Payments: By eliminating manual check processing, suppliers receive funds more quickly, strengthening supplier relationships and improving supply chain efficiency.

Wells Fargo’s Broader Commercial Card Ecosystem

The WellsOne Virtual Card Payments service integrates into Wells Fargo’s established commercial card platform, which serves businesses across procurement, travel and entertainment, accounts payable, and transportation expenses. The company also offers supplier onboarding and analysis services to help clients determine which vendors are best suited for card payments.

Why This Matters for Modern Business

With one in three U.S. households banking with Wells Fargo and the company managing $1.92 trillion in assets, this payment innovation reflects broader industry trends: the shift from analog to digital operations is no longer optional—it’s essential. Businesses that transition to virtual payment methods gain competitive advantages in speed, security, and financial control.

The WellsOne Virtual Card Payments service represents how financial institutions are evolving their commercial offerings to meet the demands of a digital-first business environment. For companies still relying on paper checks, this solution offers a practical, secure bridge to modern payment operations.