# Managing Virtual Accounts

> A virtual account is a set of bank payment methods, such as an IBAN or ACH routing details, assigned to a customer to fund conversions.

## Overview

A virtual account is a set of bank payment methods (IBAN, ACH routing details) assigned to one of your customers so they can fund fiat-to-crypto conversions, as described in the [Payin via Virtual Account](../products/bank-onramp.md) product and the [Bank Onramp](../recipes/payin/bank-onramp-us.md) recipes.

Once created, virtual accounts can be listed and, when no longer needed, closed. This page covers both operations.

## List Virtual Accounts

Use the [GET `/virtual-accounts`](../api-reference/virtual-accounts) endpoint to retrieve a customer's virtual accounts. Each item includes the virtual account `Status` and the payment methods linked to it.

```bash
curl -L 'https://api.sandbox.noah.com/v1/virtual-accounts?CustomerID=321434324' \
-H 'Accept: application/json' \
-H 'X-Api-Key: <X-Api-Key>'
```

```json
{
  "Items": [
    {
      "VirtualAccountID": "b1f2c3d4e5",
      "Status": "Active",
      "PaymentMethods": [
        {
          "ID": "Bank/Ach/USD/000000000/000000000000/000000000",
          "CustomerID": "321434324",
          "Country": "US",
          "PaymentMethodCategory": "Bank",
          "DisplayDetails": {
            "Type": "FiatPaymentMethodBankDisplay",
            "AccountNumber": "000000000000",
            "RoutingNumber": "000000000",
            "BankName": "BANKING CIRCLE USA"
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}
```

A virtual account has one of three statuses:

| Status           | Meaning                                  |
| ---------------- | ---------------------------------------- |
| `Active`         | Account is open and can receive deposits |
| `PendingClosure` | Closure requested and in progress        |
| `Closed`         | Account is closed                        |

:::tip
Fetch banking details from this endpoint each time you display them, rather than caching stale values.
:::

## Close a Virtual Account

Use the [POST `/virtual-accounts/{VirtualAccountID}/close`](../api-reference/close-virtual-account) endpoint to close a virtual account you no longer need.

```bash
curl -L -X POST 'https://api.sandbox.noah.com/v1/virtual-accounts/b1f2c3d4e5/close' \
-H 'Accept: application/json' \
-H 'X-Api-Key: <X-Api-Key>'
```

The response returns the current status of the account:

```json
{
  "VirtualAccountID": "b1f2c3d4e5",
  "Status": "PendingClosure"
}
```

| Response       | Status           | Meaning                                                  |
| -------------- | ---------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- |
| `202 Accepted` | `PendingClosure` | Closure has been requested or is already in progress     |
| `200 OK`       | `Closed`         | Account was already closed (safe to call more than once) |

### What closing does

- **Closes all associated payment methods.** Every IBAN or ACH detail linked to the virtual account is deactivated and can no longer receive deposits.
- **Stops active-account charges.** Once closure is complete, this virtual account will no longer count as active for billing purposes. Please refer to your contract terms for the exact conditions and implications.

:::warning
Closing a virtual account is **irreversible**. The account and its payment methods cannot be reopened — if the customer needs a virtual account again, you must create a new one, which will have different banking details.
:::

### When to close a virtual account

Common reasons to close a virtual account include:

- The customer has **offboarded** or closed their relationship with you.
- The account is **no longer used** and you want to avoid any future account charges included in your pricing.
- **Compliance or risk** action requires removing the customer's ability to receive deposits.
- You are **cleaning up test or duplicate accounts** that are no longer needed.

## Further Reading

- [Bank Onramp via USD Virtual Account](../recipes/payin/bank-onramp-us.md)
- [Bank Onramp via EUR Virtual Account](../recipes/payin/bank-onramp-eu.md)
- [Payin via Virtual Account](../products/bank-onramp.md)