Credit card EMI vs personal loan — which is cheaper?
Shaurya Jindal
Asked 5 Jun 2026
I need to finance a purchase of ₹1,50,000. Should I convert the transaction to credit card EMI or take a personal loan? Which is actually cheaper after all charges?
4 Answers
On credit limit increase: most banks auto-review every 6 months. If you use 30-70% of the limit and pay in full, you'll get an automatic increase. Don't call and ask for it explicitly — banks take it as a sign of credit hunger and sometimes lower the limit instead.
On the annual fee — most premium cards waive it if you spend ₹1.5L to ₹3L in the previous year. Wallet loads (Paytm, Amazon Pay balance) usually DON'T count. But utilities, fuel, and grocery do. Spend pattern matters more than absolute number.
I've been a customer for 6 years. The biggest upside is the customer service. The biggest downside is the slow mobile app. If you do most banking on the app, test the app at a branch before applying — it's surprisingly old.
I closed my HDFC card last year. The process took exactly 7 days. They sent a confirmation email and a closure letter by speed post. Tip: pay off the full outstanding and request closure only AFTER the payment reflects. Calling repeatedly with a zero balance is the fastest path.
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