Paying Rent by Credit Card in 2026: Fees by Bank and When It's Worth It

Paying rent with a credit card used to be an easy way to earn points on your biggest monthly bill. That's mostly over. Almost every bank now charges a fee on rent payments, the rent apps add their own fee on top, and most cards no longer give any rewards on rent at all.

It can still make sense in a few situations. Here is what each bank charges, what it really costs you, and when it's worth doing.

What each bank charges on rent

Banks identify rent by the merchant code the rent app uses (MCC 6513), so the fee applies whichever app you pay through. GST at 18% is added to every fee below.

• SBI Card: a flat ₹199 per rent payment, whatever the amount. For rents above about ₹20,000, that makes SBI the cheapest of the big banks.
• HDFC Bank: 1% of the payment, with a cap per transaction (reported at ₹3,000).
• ICICI Bank: 1% of the payment.
• Axis Bank: 1%, up to ₹1,500 per transaction.
• Kotak: 1%, or 2% on the Kotak 811 and White cards.
• IDFC FIRST: 1%, with a minimum of ₹249 per transaction.
• BOBCARD: 1% on most cards. Scapia charges 1% up to ₹3,000 per transaction, and Uni GoldX 1.25% (minimum ₹100).

The rent app's fee comes on top

Apps like NoBroker, CRED, RedGirraffe and Housing charge a separate convenience fee for paying your landlord. It varies a lot: from under 0.5% plus GST on some platforms to 2% or more on others, and it often changes with offers. Check the final amount on the payment screen before you confirm.

What it really costs: a ₹30,000 rent example

• On an SBI card: ₹199 plus ₹36 GST, so ₹235, about 0.8% of the rent.
• On a 1% bank (HDFC, ICICI, Axis, IDFC): ₹300 plus ₹54 GST, so ₹354, about 1.2%.
• Plus the app's fee: anywhere from about ₹150 to ₹700 on ₹30,000.

So paying ₹30,000 of rent by card typically costs between ₹400 and ₹1,000 a month, or roughly 1.3% to 3.5%.

Do you still earn rewards on rent?

Mostly not. SBI Card stopped reward points on rent for its cards from 1 April 2024, and HDFC, ICICI, Axis, Kotak and most other banks now list rent among the spends that earn nothing. A few premium cards still give points on rent, usually with a monthly limit, but the bank fee alone is often worth more than the points.

Rent is also commonly left out of the spends that count towards annual fee waivers and milestone bonuses. If you're paying rent by card to hit a milestone, check your card's terms first.

When paying rent by card makes sense

• You need the extra time to pay. Rent goes on the card and you pay it with your statement, up to about 50 days later, interest-free if you clear the full amount.
• Your card still counts rent towards a milestone or fee waiver worth more than the fees.
• You're building a credit history and rent is your only large regular payment (a cheaper option is usually to put everyday spends on the card instead).

When it doesn't

• If you might not pay the full statement. Card interest runs at about 3.5% to 3.75% a month, so carrying rent on a card is one of the most expensive loans there is.
• Just for points. With fees of 1.3% to 3.5% and few cards earning on rent, you will almost always lose money.

The short answer

If you pay rent by card, use an SBI card for anything above about ₹20,000 (the flat ₹199 fee), pick the rent app with the lowest convenience fee that day, and always pay the statement in full. For everything else you spend on, our best card for every store and bill tool shows which of your cards pays the most, including electricity bills, insurance and school fees.

Fees are from each bank's published charges and recent reports as of October 2026. Banks change these often, so check your card's current schedule of charges before paying.

Sources: BOBCARD MITC, Moneyview, Business Standard, BankBazaar