Credit card fees on rent, wallet, utility and education payments
Paying rent, school fees or loading a wallet with a credit card often costs a fee and earns nothing. Here is how the charges work, using HDFC Bank's published rules.
Banks in India now charge extra on several kinds of payments that people used to make with credit cards to earn rewards. The fee is added on top of what you pay, and most of these payments also earn no rewards.
HDFC Bank’s charges, as published
These apply to HDFC Bank personal credit cards. Tap a figure to see the page of the bank’s MITC it comes from.
- Rent: Fee on rent payments 1% of the rent paid, capped at ₹4,999 per transaction SourceHDFC Bank credit cards MITC (updated 31 Oct 2026)PDF (opens in a new tab) , page 9 Checked2 Nov 2026 HistoryNo changes since we started tracking this figure.
- Utilities: Fee on utility payments 1% on utility spends above ₹50,000 in a calendar month, capped at ₹4,999 a month SourceHDFC Bank credit cards MITC (updated 31 Oct 2026)PDF (opens in a new tab) , page 9 Checked2 Nov 2026 HistoryNo changes since we started tracking this figure.
- Wallet loads: Fee on wallet loads 1% on wallet loads above ₹10,000 in a calendar month (except PayZapp), capped at ₹4,999 a month SourceHDFC Bank credit cards MITC (updated 31 Oct 2026)PDF (opens in a new tab) , page 10 Checked2 Nov 2026 HistoryNo changes since we started tracking this figure.
- Education through apps: Fee on education payments via apps 1% on education payments through third-party apps such as CRED, capped at ₹4,999 per transaction SourceHDFC Bank credit cards MITC (updated 31 Oct 2026)PDF (opens in a new tab) , page 9 Checked2 Nov 2026 HistoryNo changes since we started tracking this figure.
Rewards usually stop too
Most cards list rent, wallet loads and government payments as spends that earn nothing. For example, the CASHBACK SBI Card excludes Spends that earn nothing Fuel, wallet loads, rent, jewellery, education, utilities, insurance and railways SourceCASHBACK SBI Card terms bookletPDF (opens in a new tab) , page 35 Checked16 Oct 2026 HistoryNo changes since we started tracking this figure. .
When it can still make sense
Paying by card can still help if you need the interest-free days, or if the payment counts towards a milestone or fee waiver. Check both in the card’s terms first.
Check your own card
Every card page on this site lists these fees under Fees and charges where the bank publishes them, with the source and the date we checked it.