Credit Card Interest Rates by Bank in India (2026)

Credit card interest in India usually runs at 3.5% to 3.75% a month, which is 42% to 45% a year, plus 18% GST on the interest. That's far more than a personal loan. But you only pay it if you don't clear your full bill: pay the total amount due by the due date every month and you pay no interest at all.

Here's what each major bank charges, how the interest is calculated, and how to avoid it.

What APR means on a credit card

APR (annual percentage rate) is the yearly interest rate on any balance you carry. Indian banks usually quote it monthly as well: 3.75% a month is 45% a year. The statement calls it finance charges. GST at 18% is added on top, so 3.75% a month really costs about 4.4%.

Credit card interest rates by bank (2026)

HDFC Bank: 3.75% a month (45% a year) on most cards, since August 2024. Premium cards like Infinia and Diners Club Black charge less, around 1.99% a month.
ICICI Bank: 3.75% a month (45% a year) on purchases, balance transfers and cash advances.
SBI Card: up to 3.75% a month (45% a year).
Kotak: 3.5% a month (42% a year) on most cards.
IDFC FIRST Bank: personalised, from 0.71% to 3.85% a month (8.5% to 46.2% a year) depending on your profile, and 3.99% a month if you miss the minimum due.
RBL Bank: up to 3.99% a month (47.88% a year).
BOBCARD: 3.75% a month (45% a year); Uni GoldX 3.99%.
Federal Bank (Scapia, OneCard): 3.75% a month (45% a year).
Axis Bank, YES Bank, American Express, HSBC and Standard Chartered: rates vary by card, mostly between about 3% and 3.99% a month. Check your card's MITC.

Every card's page on FindMyCard shows its own rate under Fees & Interest.

When you pay interest, and when you don't

Pay the total amount due by the due date: no interest. Purchases get an interest-free period of up to about 50 days.
Pay only the minimum, or part of the bill: interest applies to the unpaid balance and to every purchase from the day you made it, not from the due date. You also lose the interest-free period on new purchases until you clear the balance in full (minimum due vs total due).
Cash withdrawals: interest starts the day you take the cash, with no interest-free period at all (what cash from a card really costs).

How the interest is calculated

Banks charge interest daily: balance × monthly rate × 12 ÷ 365 for each day it's outstanding. A worked example at 3.75% a month:

Your statement says ₹40,000 is due on the 20th. You pay the ₹2,000 minimum.
Interest runs on the purchases that made up the ₹40,000 from the day each was made, then on the remaining ₹38,000 until you pay it.
For one month that comes to roughly ₹1,500 to ₹1,900 in interest, plus GST, and new purchases attract interest immediately too.

Carry ₹40,000 for a year at that rate and the interest, with GST, comes to well over ₹20,000.

Cheaper ways to borrow if you can't pay in full

Convert the bill or a large purchase to EMI. Banks offer EMI on outstanding balances at around 14% to 24% a year, far less than 45%.
Balance transfer to another card at a lower rate for a few months (how balance transfers work).
A pre-approved personal loan from your bank, usually 11% to 18% a year, to clear the card in one go.

The short answer

Credit card interest is about 42% to 45% a year at most banks, but only if you carry a balance. Pay the full statement every month and the rate never matters. If you can't, convert the balance to EMI rather than paying the minimum and letting interest run.

Rates are from each bank's published charges and recent revisions as of October 2026, before GST. Rates can differ by card and change over time, so check your card's MITC.