Credit Card EMI

About Credit Card EMI

Credit card EMI is a feature that many card issuers offer. By opting for this, you can convert a big-ticket purchase or your entire credit card bill into a loan and pay it off in monthly instalments. The credit card EMI conversion feature allows you to manage your finances in a much better manner and can even ensure that you pay off your bills in full. 

However, there are a few things that you should know about this feature. Firstly, it is not available on all credit cards. Secondly, the value of the transaction or the credit card bill must be above a certain limit to be able to opt for such a conversion. And finally, certain transactions like purchases of gold or other jewellery cannot be converted into EMIs. 

How Does Credit Card EMI Work

The credit card EMI facility lets you borrow funds on your credit card and pay for the items you wish to purchase. You can then decide on a repayment tenure during and pay back every month a portion of that amount and any other additional charges as EMI.

Let us understand with an example.

Suppose you wish to buy a high-end phone which is priced at ₹1 lakh. In case you can currently afford only ₹50,000 as the down payment, you can convert the remaining amount into easy EMIs with your credit card. Let us assume that the EMI tenure is 12 months and the rate of interest decided by the credit card issuer is 10%. 

Using a credit card EMI calculator, you can calculate that you will need to pay ₹4,396 monthly during the EMI tenure to clear your dues.

Thus, paying a small instalment of ₹4,396 could put less strain on your finances than paying the entire amount in one go.

How to Convert Credit Card Bill Into EMI 

There are two ways through which you can opt for credit card EMI conversion - online and offline. Here’s an overview of the steps involved for each of the two methods. 

1. Through the Credit Card Account 

• Step 1: Visit the credit card online portal. 

• Step 2: Log into the portal using your user credentials. 

• Step 3: Select the credit card whose bill you would like to convert into EMI. 

• Step 4: Click on the ‘Convert to EMI’ option. 

• Step 5: The list of transactions eligible for the EMI conversion will appear. If you wish to convert only a single transaction, select that particular transaction. On the other hand, if you wish to convert your entire bill, select all of the transactions in the list. 

• Step 6: Once you’ve made your selection, information such as the total amount being converted, the tenure and the interest rate will appear. Here, you can select the tenure of your choice. 

• Step 7: Click on ‘Submit’ once you’re done. 

You will receive a confirmation of the credit card EMI conversion and the requisite amount will be blocked on your credit card. 

Note: Some issuers might have different names for credit card EMI conversion. For instance, the feature is named ‘SmartEMI’ by HDFC Bank, ‘Flexipay’ by SBI Card and ‘Split n Pay’ by RBL Bank. 

2. Through Phone Banking

Alternatively, you can also convert your credit card bill into EMI via phone banking. Here’s what you would have to do in this case. 

• Step 1: Call your card issuer’s customer care number. 

• Step 2: Follow the IVRS instructions to get connected to the bank’s phone banking representative. 

• Step 3: Once you’re connected, place a request for credit card bill conversion. 

The phone banking representative will take you through the process over the phone. 

Interest Rates Offered by Some of the Top Banks 

The interest rate on credit card EMI varies from one bank to another. Also, it may differ depending on the tenure of your choice as well. Here’s a list of top banks and their respective interest rates for credit card EMI conversion. 

Advantages of Converting Your Credit Card Bill to EMI

Converting your credit card purchases into EMI has several advantages:

• Interest Rate: The credit card EMI interest rate depends on the tenure you choose, i.e., shorter tenure implies lower interest rate, while longer tenure attracts a higher interest rate.

• Reducing Interest Rate: While levying credit card EMI interest rate, issuing authorities follow the reducing balance method. To be precise, interest is charged at the end of every month on the loan balance. As you repay every month, the interest charges keep reducing and you end up paying less interest amount with every passing month.

• Flexible Repayment Tenure: Most banks offer a convenient repayment tenure usually ranging between 3 and 24 months. The tenure is long enough to repay the amount without straining your finances.

• Offer on Processing Fee: Banks introduce offers from time to time for specific periods  when charges such as processing fee are reduced or waived off, which makes it ideal for saving more money.

Save on Foreclosure Charges: You can decide to close the credit card EMI process before the completion of tenure by paying a foreclosure charge, which may not be applicable in some cases.

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