Why I Started Paying Rent with a Credit Card
Paying rent is one of the biggest monthly expenses for many of us. So I asked myself: Why not earn something back while paying rent? So can you provide me the list of some credit cards best for paying rent
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Some of the best credit cards for rent payment are-
- Standard Chartered Ultimate Credit Card
· Annual Fee: ₹5,000 + GST
· Rent Payment Rewards: 2% via gift vouchers
· Processing Fee: 1% + GST
· Key Benefits: Uncapped rewards, premium voucher value
If you’re looking for maximum returns on high rent payments, the Standard Chartered Ultimate Card is hard to beat. I found the 2% gift voucher rewards uncapped, meaning whether I pay ₹20,000 or ₹1 lakh in rent, I keep earning.
Best for: High spenders who want premium vouchers and unlimited earning potential. - IDFC FIRST SWYP Credit Card
· Annual Fee: ₹499 + GST
· Rent Payment Rewards: 400 reward points/month (for ₹20,000+ rent)
· Processing Fee: Not specified
· Key Benefits: Bonus points, milestone rewards, lifestyle offers
This card is ideal for beginners or those with moderate monthly rent. While it caps rewards at 400 points per month, it comes with a very low annual fee, making it perfect for someone looking to ease into the credit card game.
Best for: Budget-conscious users and new credit card holders. - Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank Credit Card
· Annual Fee: ₹3,000 + GST
· Rent Payment Rewards: No direct rewards
· Processing Fee: 1% + GST
· Key Benefits: Free Night Awards on milestone spends
Though it doesn’t offer direct rent rewards, this card excels in hotel perks. I found the Free Night Awards very useful for travel. It’s not ideal solely for rent payments, but great for frequent hotel-goers.
Best for: Travel lovers and Marriott hotel loyalists. - Amex Platinum Travel Credit Card
· Annual Fee: ₹5,000 + GST
· Rent Payment Rewards: Indirect via Mobikwik wallet
· Processing Fee: ~3% (Mobikwik)
· Key Benefits: Travel milestones, exclusive Amex privileges
This one was a bit tricky. To earn rent rewards, I had to use Mobikwik, which charges about 3%. If you’re okay with that workaround, the card does offer excellent milestone-based travel benefits.
Best for: Frequent travelers who can justify Mobikwik’s processing charges. - HDFC Bank Diners Club Metal Credit Card
· Annual Fee: ₹10,000 + GST
· Rent Payment Rewards: None (milestone-based only)
· Processing Fee: 1% + GST
· Key Benefits: Premium lifestyle benefits, quarterly rewards
With the highest annual fee on this list, this card doesn’t offer direct rewards for rent payments. But if you’re a heavy spender across categories, you can unlock quarterly milestone bonuses that can be substantial.
Best for: High-income users with large overall spends. - Standard Chartered Smart Credit Card
· Annual Fee: ₹500 + GST
· Rent Payment Rewards: Entry-level (check offers)
· Processing Fee: 1% + GST
· Key Benefits: Easy approval, starter rewards
This was my first-ever credit card, and it’s still one of the best for beginners. It provides basic rewards and is suitable if you’re paying rent and looking to build your credit score with low fees.
Best for: New users or students starting their financial journey.
Can I use UPI-based rent payment apps with credit cards to earn rewards without extra charges?
Using UPI apps with credit cards to pay rent and actually earn rewards without getting totally screwed is honestly such a massive headache, since most of these stupid platforms charge you fees and banks absolutely love piling on their own bullshit fees or just flat out refusing to give you rewards for rent payments. Here’s what you actually need to know:
UPI Apps and Credit Cards: Apps like Paytm, PhonePe, Google Pay, and CRED let you pay rent with credit cards, but they usually treat it like a regular credit card transaction. RuPay credit cards that are connected to UPI (like that HDFC RuPay UPI one) can work on these apps for rent if they actually bother to support it.
Fees Are Literally Everywhere: Most apps are gonna absolutely nail you with convenience fees for credit card rent payments usually 1-3% plus GST, which adds up ridiculously fast:
- Paytm: 1-1.75% + GST
- PhonePe: 1.75% + GST
- CRED: 1-1.5%
- Freecharge: 1.1% + GST (but hey, 3x points if you’ve got Axis Bank cards)
- Magicbricks supposedly charges 0% convenience fees, which honestly sounds way too good to be true but might actually be worth checking out.
Actually Getting Some Decent Rewards: You can earn rewards, but it’s totally hit or miss depending on your card and which platform you end up using:
- Standard Chartered Ultimate: 2% rewards through gift vouchers with no cap, which is pretty damn sweet (though there’s still that annoying 1% processing fee)
- IDFC FIRST SWYP: 400 points per month if you pay â‚ą20,000+ in rent
- HDFC RuPay UPI: 3% on PayZapp transactions, 1% on everything else including rent
- Axis Bank through Freecharge: Up to 3x points
- But here’s the real kicker banks like HDFC and SBI either don’t give you points for rent anymore or they charge you 1% starting from your second monthly transaction.
Trying to Dodge Extra Charges:
- Give Magicbricks a shot for those 0% fees, but your bank might still totally screw you over with their own random charges
- Hunt around for CRED promotions (like â‚ą250 off for RuPay cards, â‚ą500 cashback for new Axis users)
- Stick with RuPay credit cards - free UPI linking and you get â‚ą1-2 lakh daily limits
- Stay the absolute hell away from Mobikwik - they charge up to 3% + GST which is basically just highway robbery
Reality Check Time:
- Bank Fees Really Suck: Even if the app doesn’t charge you anything, banks like HDFC will still hit you with 1% after your first transaction each month, and SBI just said “screw it” and stopped rent rewards completely in April 2024
- Actually Do the Math: 2% rewards with 1% fee means you’re only getting 1% back. But 3% fees? That completely destroys any rewards you might get
- Your Credit Score Gets Messed Up: Paying huge rent amounts can totally mess with your credit utilization and hurt your score if you don’t pay it off super fast
What You Should Actually Do: Always check what the app charges and what your card’s stupid rules are before you do anything. Bug their customer service or try Magicbricks for potentially lower fees. Call SBI at 1800 180 1290 or HDFC at 1800 202 6161 to make absolutely sure your card actually gives you rewards without the bank screwing you over with extra fees.
The Real Deal: Magicbricks is probably your absolute best bet for dodging fees, and cards like Standard Chartered Ultimate or HDFC RuPay can give you some decent rewards, but completely avoiding charges is really freaking hard. Always double-check with both the app and your bank so you don’t end up getting completely burned!