diff --git a/sphinx_design/cards.py b/sphinx_design/cards.py
index 544bf9c..923c67e 100644
--- a/sphinx_design/cards.py
+++ b/sphinx_design/cards.py
@@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ def create_card(
                     "refexplicit": True,
                     "refwarn": True,
                 }
-                link = addnodes.pending_xref("", nodes.Text(""), **options)
+                link = addnodes.pending_xref("", nodes.inline(), **options)
             inst.set_source_info(link)
             link_container += link
             container.append(link_container)
diff --git a/tests/test_snippets/snippet_pre_card-link.xml b/tests/test_snippets/snippet_pre_card-link.xml
index 293aa7f..7e50f21 100644
--- a/tests/test_snippets/snippet_pre_card-link.xml
+++ b/tests/test_snippets/snippet_pre_card-link.xml
@@ -30,3 +30,4 @@
                          reference target.
                 <PassthroughTextElement>
                     <pending_xref classes="sd-stretched-link" refdoc="index" refdomain="std" refexplicit="True" reftarget="cards-clickable" reftype="ref" refwarn="True">
+                        <inline>