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Credit Cards and Debit Cards have enabled the success of the ‘Digital India’ movement in many ways. Credit cards have increased the purchasing power of many individuals. It has become more accessible to the common man, allowing him to meet many of his monthly expenses on time.
Credit Card Bill Payments in the Digital Age
It is very important to pay your credit card bills on time. Missing credit card payments can lead to very high interest charges. When credit cards were relatively new in the Indian market, customers could pay their bills mainly via cheque or cash at the branch. Then credit card companies allowed bill payments through ATMs. These were not very convenient as customers had to visit the branch or ATMs personally to make payments.
Then came the online banking system allowing customers to make payments online. This somewhat changed the entire online payment landscape for credit card holders. They were now able to make payment from anywhere anytime. They didn’t have to go searching for an ATM or bank branch. Late payments and defaults are reduced to a great extent.
Recent Developments In Credit Card Online Bill Payment
Since the invention of Netbanking, digital transactions have grown gradually tol date, with the latest addition being UPI transactions. Online payments are quick and secure. They remove the unnecessary hassle of going to the ATM or writing a cheque.
Still, many of us forget to make our credit card bill payments and end up with huge interest charges. Having multiple credit cards is also another reason to miss your card payments. So it is very important to have a schedule to ensure that your credit card bills are paid on time every month.
Here are some of the common ways to pay your credit card bills online
1. NetBanking
This is by far the easiest way to make online payments. All credit card companies provide you access to NetBanking for your credit card/s. Along with checking the bill amount, monthly statement and credit limits, you can also make payment through this customer portal. When you click on the make payment option, you will be presented with multiple options like paying from your bank account, debit card or UPI. You can choose whichever option suits you the best and make the payment.
This is quick and secure. The amount is debited from your bank account and credited to your credit card immediately. You also get a confirmation message via email and mobile to confirm the transaction. This ensures the payment is successful so that you won’t miss the payment and incur any later payment charges or interest charges. This payment is also secured with OTP authentication to ensure the safety of your data.
2. Mobile Banking App
The mobile banking app of your credit card is the next preferred option. Most of us have smartphones and download and install mobile banking apps of our credit cards on them. You can make payments through this mobile app. When you log in to the app, you can check the credit card statement, bill due date and the total amount due. From here, you can click on ‘make payment’ and pay the bill. Here too you will get similar options like NetBanking. It will allow you to make payment through your bank’s NetBanking login, or your bank’s mobile banking app (if you have it installed on your phone), debit card, and in recent times, via UPI.
You can choose whichever you feel comfortable with and complete the payment.
3. NEFT/RTGS/IMPS Payment
This is another simple payment method you can do from your savings bank account’s online banking portal or through the mobile app. To do this, you need to first add your credit card account as a ‘Payee’ on your savings bank account. To do this, you can check your credit card statement which will give the bank account number and IFSC code for your credit card account.
Once you add this account as a payee, you can pay the bill similar to how you do a funds transfer to another account. You just choose this account from the payee list, enter the amount you want to transfer, choose the payment method (NEFT/IMPS/RTGS) and initiate a fund transfer.
In the cases of IMPS or RTGS, the fund transfer will be immediate, but NEFT transfer may take some time. So, if you are making a payment that is very close to the billing date, it is better to opt for the IMPS or RTGS method.
This method is also very safe and secure as it is protected by two-factor authentication; your NetBanking login password and then an OTP authentication.
4. ECS or Standing Instruction
Once you have added the credit card number as a payee to your account, you can set up an ECS or a standing instruction to automatically debit payment every month. Generally, credit card holders set up an ECS or standing instruction for payment of the ‘minimum amount due’ amount on your credit card bill. This ensures that you don’t miss your payments. If you wish, you can even set up the ECS to debit the entire bill amount from your account.
The only issue with this method is that, if you find any discrepancy in the bill amount and the amount is already debited from your account, it will be an additional hassle to get the refund.
Another point to note here is, as per recent RBI guidelines, you cannot set up ECS or standing instructions from your debit card, it can only be done from your savings account.
5. UPI Payments
This method doesn’t need much explanation. Everyone with a smartphone has a UPI app that they use regularly these days. All you have to do is, open your UPI app, go to payments and choose ‘Credit Cards’. It will ask you to enter the credit card details once. After that, you can make payments every month with just a few clicks.
Using UPI Payments allow you to choose whichever bank account you want the amount to be debited with. This you can do with just a single UPI app instead of having to login to that particular bank account and effect a payment. UPI apps are also protected with two factor authentication for enhanced security of your bank and credit card details.
Credit card companies have adopted and adapted to various payment methods to give superior convenience to their customers. You can now make payments with just a few clicks. This should encourage the credit cardholders to make their payments on time to avoid interest charges and other unnecessary charges on their account.
FAQs Credit Card Bill Payments on different way
- I am unable to find my bank on the UPI Payment list. What should I do?
A few banks may be unserviceable by some UPIs. You can try other ways like NetBanking, NEFT or the credit card company’s online banking login.
- Is there a limit on NEFT payment I can make to my credit card?
Credit card bill payments via NEFT follow the same daily transaction limits as normal fund transfers. NEFT has a daily maximum limit of Rs.10 lakhs so you can make a credit card bill payment of up to Rs.10 lakhs in a day.
- Are there any charges for making a credit card bill payment via IMPS?
IMPS transfers initiated through online banking of mobile apps usually don’t have any transaction charges. However, customers are advised to check the policy with their bank.
- Is it safe to make credit card bill payments through UPI?
UPIs are protected via 2 factor authentication; your login password and then the UPI payment PIN. With the latest smartphones, you can even set up fingerprint authentication for added security. UPI apps are also encrypted with high level security and hence payment through them is safe.
- How can I be assured that the amount has been paid to my credit card account?
You will receive confirmation messages as SMS as well as email. It will have the particulars of the transaction, the amount, and the date and time of the transaction. It will also be updated on your credit card account immediately so you can go and check there.