Eyst and Groupama Pilot Virtual Payment Cards for Claims

In Short

Eyst and Groupama are running a pilot for virtual payment cards. The goal is to cover alternative medicine expenses with payments that are restricted to approved uses.

What Happened

French insurtech Eyst has started an experiment with insurer Groupama around virtual payment cards.

A virtual card is a digital card number that can be used online or in-store, without a plastic card. In this pilot, the card is “restricted”, meaning it can only be used for specific merchants or categories, similar to a voucher but on card rails.

The pilot targets “médecine douce”, which includes non-hospital, complementary care such as osteopathy and similar services. Instead of reimbursing a customer after they pay out of pocket, the insurer can fund a card that is used directly for the intended care.

Zonebourse reports Eyst has already deployed its software in other insurance lines, including assistance and P&C insurance. P&C means property and casualty, it covers things like car and home insurance.

The report also notes Eyst raised €1.7 million in October 2025. It has partnerships with four large insurers, including Generali.

Why It Matters

For insurers, virtual cards can reduce misuse and friction in claims. If the payout is locked to approved providers, it is easier to control leakage and reduce disputes about what qualifies.

For customers, it can speed up access to covered services. A funded card can remove the wait time between paying a practitioner and receiving reimbursement.

For insurtech startups, this is another signal that insurers are looking for practical claims automation. Claims tooling is one of the most expensive and operationally heavy parts of insurance, and it is often where digital pilots start before wider rollout.