The first thing cardholders should do after spotting a suspicious charge is block the card.
Credit card adoption is rapidly expanding beyond India's major metropolitan areas into Tier-II and Tier-III cities, driven by increasing incomes, digital awareness, and the integration of RuPay credit cards with UPI, according to a new report by SBI Card.
Credit card transactions in India have surged over 2.6 times between 2021 and 2025, driven by private sector banks, while debit card usage declines due to growing adoption of UPI and digital wallets, according to an RBI report.
Delhi Police have arrested three individuals, including a caretaker, for allegedly perpetrating a cyber fraud involving the misuse of a complainant's credit card details to purchase gold coins worth over Rs 9.58 lakh.
'First-time applicants may witness longer approval times or higher rejection rates and requests for more documentation.'
Delhi Police have arrested three individuals for allegedly defrauding a resident of Rs 15.26 lakh by promising to increase his credit card limit. The fraudsters used mule bank accounts to channel the illicit funds, and police recovered several devices used in the crime.
Delhi Police have arrested a man from Bihar for allegedly committing credit card fraud of Rs 3.99 lakh. The accused used stolen credentials to make purchases through the victim's e-commerce account.
Credit card transactions in India have surged over 2.6 times between 2021 and 2025, reaching 570 crore volumes and Rs 23.2 lakh crore in value, with private sector banks significantly increasing their market share, according to a recent RBI report.
Pune Police have arrested three recovery agents of a private financial institution for allegedly beating up a man in full public view over his credit card dues.
Delhi Police have arrested two individuals for allegedly defrauding a man of Rs 2.45 lakh by impersonating bank customer care representatives and fraudulently using his credit card details.
The Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) Payment Systems Report highlighted that between 2019 and 2024, credit card transactions doubled in volume and almost tripled in value. During the same period, however, debit card transactions witnessed a decline, both in volume and value.
'Revolving credit without full repayment causes interest to outpace repayment capacity, and leads to financial distress.'
'If you are not prudent, you may exceed your budget, and if it happens too often, you may end up in debt.'
'Lack of self-control over spending leads to a credit card debt trap.' 'People think they have money and spend using a credit card, but when it's time to pay, they realise they don't have the money.'
'Credit card debt comes with high interest cost and stringent penalties.' 'If you do not repay on time, the costs balloon.'
Balance-level delinquencies in the credit card segment saw a 17 basis points (bps) year-on-year (Y-o-Y) rise in the quarter ending June 2024 (Q1FY25). In all other credit segments, including personal loans, delinquencies declined even as retail credit growth moderated, consequent to banks tightening the supply of credit to the unsecured segments, a report by TransUnion CIBIL said on Monday. Data shows that balance-level delinquencies, measured in terms of 90 days or more past due, in the credit card segment stood at 1.8 per cent in Q1FY25- highest among all other credit segments.
Police in Meerut have arrested two individuals for allegedly running a fake Common Service Centre (CSC) to open fraudulent bank accounts using forged documents of unsuspecting, needy people. The accused used these accounts for online financial frauds, leading to the recovery of numerous fake IDs, bank cards, and other incriminating evidence.
Some of the fintechs that will get impacted include Cred, Paytm, Phonepe and Amazon Pay, among others.
Credit card spending reached Rs 2 trillion in October, a 14.5 per cent rise from September, largely driven by festival season purchases. However, the volume of outstanding credit cards increased only marginally during the same period. The spike in spending comes at a time when nearly all major credit card issuers are calibrating their growth in the segment due to visible signs of stress.
The Reserve Bank of India has updated its e-mandate framework, allowing card issuers to map existing mandates to reissued cards and clarifying rules around transaction limits and customer grievance redressal.
Credit card spending in September recorded strong growth of 25 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y), marking the highest increase in six months. Even as many banks saw higher slippages during the July-September quarter of 2024-25, spending growth exceeded 20 per cent for the first time since February. According to the latest data released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), September spending reached Rs 1.76 trillion, compared to Rs 1.42 trillion in the same period a year ago. In August 2024, credit card spending was Rs 1.68 trillion.
The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has enabled UPI, debit, and credit card payments for Customs duty on the ICEGATE portal, enhancing ease of doing business for importers and exporters.
Credit card spending dropped 11 per cent sequentially in November at Rs 1.15 trillion, but topped Rs 1 trillion for the ninth month straight, data from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) showed as the festive season ends and consumption activity slows down. Year-on-year (YoY), spending was up 29 per cent. Card spends have consistently topped the Rs 1 trillion mark, led by the rising share of e-commerce transactions.
With rising disposable incomes in cities beyond metros, the penetration of credit cards - and consequently, credit card spending - is growing at a much faster pace than in traditional metro cities, primarily driven by e-commerce spending.
Gurugram Police arrested a 28-year-old man for allegedly drugging his flatmates and robbing them of nearly Rs 6 lakh. The accused, Deepak Maurya, used OLX ads to find victims and committed similar crimes in Gujarat using fake identities.
rediffGURU Jinal Mehta answers readers' financial planning and health insurance queries
Delhi Police have arrested two individuals for allegedly defrauding a man of approximately Rs 4.35 lakh in an online gas bill booking scam. The victim was tricked into installing a malicious mobile application that allowed the fraudsters to siphon off funds.
The net credit card additions in the banking sector nearly halved to 2 million in the first quarter of the current financial year (Q1FY25) from the previous quarter due to seasonal and regulatory factors. According to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data, the net credit card additions during the April-June quarter of FY25 stood at 2 million, 48 per cent lower than 3.9 million in the December-March quarter of FY24.
Major credit issuers, including the largest - HDFC Bank - have integrated their systems with the Bharat Bill Payment Systems (BBPS) for receiving credit card repayments via third-party applications.
Over the past three years, the appointments of 20 candidates selected through the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection were cancelled or offers were withdrawn due to poor credit history.
Reserve Bank has directed banks to provide their eligible customers with an option to choose from multiple card networks at the time of issuing credit or debit cards, a move which will benefit card users. The central bank also asked issuers of credit cards not to enter into any arrangement or agreement with card networks that restrain customers from availing the services of other networks.
The Indian government has identified 111 districts as 'most vulnerable' to crop damage due to a 43 per cent monsoon deficit, driven by El Nino, which threatens kharif sowing. Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan stated that weak monsoon conditions are expected to persist until July 2, prompting contingency plans and recommendations for alternative, less water-intensive crops.
'Spends are likely to increase from the current levels because recovery is yet to fully be over.'
Credit card spends jumped 57 per cent year-on-year (YoY) in September, aided by the festive season. According to the latest Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data, in September, credit card spends totalled Rs 80,477.18 crore compared to Rs 77,981 crore in August, thereby registering a 3.2 per cent growth sequentially, despite the high base. In the corresponding period last year, credit card spend was to the tune of Rs 51,356.68 crore.
The modern credit card was the successor of a variety of merchant credit schemes. It was first used in the 1920s in the United States, specifically to sell fuel to a growing number of automobile owners.
Customers must report the fraud both to their bank and to the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal or Helpline 1930 within five calendar days of the occurrence of the fraudulent transaction.
A simple SIP-first approach can help reduce debt, avoid EMIs and build lasting financial freedom through disciplined spending, advises Ramalingam Kalirajan
Financial planning expert Anil Rego will answer your credit card queries in an online chat on Wednesday, October 14, between 2 pm and 3 pm IST
Live it up in style with these credit cards.
'We are staying away from making forward-looking statements on when we will reach 1 trillion, etc. But growth will be rapid; it's only a matter of time.'
