Rent payment via credit card - All methods compared

by harsh.agarwal · 1 Jan 2026, 02:30 pm · 231 views · 20 replies

harsh.agarwal OP

harsh.agarwal

1 Jan 2026, 02:30 pm

Complete Guide to Rent Payment via Credit Cards in 2025

After paying rent via CC for 3 years, here's everything you need to know about all major platforms.

Platform Comparison

1. CRED (Most Popular)

Convenience Fee: 0.39% - 0.99% (varies by card)

Reward Eligibility: [NO] Stopped rewards in most cases

Processing Time: 2-3 days

Limit: Up to ₹10L per month

Verdict: Used to be good, now mostly useless for rewards

2. NoBroker

Convenience Fee: 1% flat

Reward Eligibility: [YES] Usually codes as regular purchase

Processing Time: Instant to landlord account

Limit: ₹5L per transaction

Verdict: Best for high-reward cards if 1% fee < reward rate

3. PayZapp (HDFC)

Convenience Fee: 0.75% for non-HDFC cards, Free for HDFC cards

Reward Eligibility: [NOTE] Mixed reports

Processing Time: 1-2 days

Limit: Based on card limit

Verdict: Good for HDFC cardholders only

4. MagicBricks

Convenience Fee: 0.5% - 0.75%

Reward Eligibility: [YES] Works for most cards

Processing Time: 2-4 days

Limit: Up to ₹2L per transaction

Verdict: Lower fees but lower limits

5. RedGiraffe

Convenience Fee: 1.5% - 2%

Reward Eligibility: [YES] Codes as purchase

Processing Time: Instant

Limit: ₹10L+

Verdict: Too expensive unless desperate for milestone

My Recommendation

For Reward Cards (SBI Cashback, Axis Ace):

NoBroker or MagicBricks (net positive even with fees)

For Milestone Completion:

Any platform - just pick lowest fee

For HDFC Cards:

PayZapp (free rent payment is a no-brainer)

Important Warnings

[NOTE] Some cards code rent as "cash advance" - check first transaction [NOTE] Banks are catching on - don't be surprised if rewards get clawed back [NOTE] Never miss rent deadline relying on CC platforms - keep backup ready

What's been your experience? Any platform I missed?

19 Comments

amit.verma · 1 Jan 2026, 05:10 pm

CRED absolutely ruined rent payments. Used to get full 5% on SBI, now it's 1% if lucky. Switched to NoBroker.

nikhil.rao · 2 Jan 2026, 01:27 am

NoBroker charges 1% but my landlord's account verification took 3 days. Almost missed rent deadline. Be careful with first time setup!

pooja.desai · 3 Jan 2026, 10:20 am

Be VERY careful - my friend's Magnus points got clawed back (₹45K worth) because bank said rent doesn't qualify for rewards. Read T&C carefully.

rohan.kapoor · 6 Jan 2026, 04:07 am

PSA: Some rent platforms report to credit bureau as 'rental payment' which can actually HELP your credit score. NoBroker does this.

deepika.menon · 13 Jan 2026, 02:08 am

The future is UPI credit cards. HDFC already launched, you can pay rent via UPI with CC backing. 0% fee!

riya.choudhury · 2 Jan 2026, 06:11 am

PayZapp is free for HDFC but I've had 3 failed transactions in 2 months. Their customer service is non-existent.

rohan.kapoor · 5 Jan 2026, 03:24 pm

For milestone hunting, RedGiraffe despite high fees makes sense. Paid ₹3K fee to unlock ₹30K voucher on Infinia. Worth it.

amit.verma · 8 Jan 2026, 11:42 am

Anyone else get rent coded as 'cash advance'? Happened to me on Axis Vistara card. Lost rewards + paid cash advance fee. Disaster.

tanmay.deshpande · 3 Jan 2026, 03:32 am

You missed PayTM! 0.5% fee and works smoothly. I've been using for 8 months without issues.

riya.choudhury · 4 Jan 2026, 03:08 pm

MagicBricks ₹2L limit is a joke. My rent is ₹2.5L so I have to split across two months. Messy.

tanmay.deshpande · 7 Jan 2026, 03:23 pm

The real hack: Pay via HDFC PayZapp using Infinia. Free transaction + you're using credit limit for float. No rewards but no fee either.

sneha.nair · 6 Jan 2026, 08:40 am

I tracked this obsessively: CRED stopped giving rewards around Nov 2024. Before that it was golden - full rewards + free platform.

shreya.kulkarni · 6 Jan 2026, 11:15 pm

My bank (ICICI) called me asking about 'unusual' rent transactions via NoBroker. Had to explain it's legitimate. Keep rent agreement handy.

divya.pillai · 9 Jan 2026, 05:05 am

For people paying ₹40-50K rent, the math doesn't work with 1% fee. Just use net banking unless you're chasing milestone.

aditya.singh · 10 Jan 2026, 02:13 am

RedGiraffe 2% fee is highway robbery. Only worth it if your card gives 3%+ rewards which is rare now.

deepika.menon · 10 Jan 2026, 05:03 pm

I've tested all platforms - NoBroker is most reliable for actual reward posting. CRED/PayTM are hit or miss.

priya.sharma · 11 Jan 2026, 09:31 am

Don't forget about reward rate vs fee! If SBI gives 5% and NoBroker charges 1%, you net 4%. Math must work in your favor.

sneha.nair · 11 Jan 2026, 01:36 pm

Has anyone tried the commercial rent route? I heard some platforms give better rates for commercial properties.

vikram.iyer · 11 Jan 2026, 06:18 pm

PayZapp rejected my rent payment saying 'landlord account not eligible'. No explanation. Wasted 4 days, paid late fee. Avoid.

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