Can You Pay a Credit Card With a Credit Card?

6 Min Read | Published: April 16, 2024

Two women seated on a couch, intently viewing a laptop screen, discussing credit card payment options.

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Can you pay a credit card with a credit card? The answer is no, but there may be alternatives, including a cash advance, balance transfer credit card, or loan.

At-A-Glance

Credit card providers typically don’t accept credit cards for bill payments.
Using a credit card to pay another credit card doesn’t reduce your total debt.
Alternatives you may want to consider include a cash advance, a balance transfer, or taking out a loan, however, you’ll want to carefully consider the pros and cons of these methods first.

Paying your credit card bill on time each month should be a priority, but that can be challenging when your bank balance is low. For this reason, you may be wondering if you can pay the credit card bill with another credit card.

The answer is no. Credit card providers don’t offer that option. Alternatives may be available, including using a credit card cash advance or balance transfer credit card to pay your card off, but it’s important to consider the pros and cons of these options carefully first.

In this article, we’ll take a look at what you should know when it comes to paying your credit card bill.

Can You Pay a Credit Card With a Credit Card?

Generally speaking, paying a credit card with a credit card is not allowed. Credit card providers typically don’t allow you to use a credit card to pay your monthly bill.

Often, the fees for these types of transactions are too high for credit card companies to allow it. Also, it could be a risky financial move; and something they don’t want cardholders to engage in.¹

There’s another reason why paying your credit card with a credit card is a bad idea, even if it were allowed. Using one credit card to pay the bill for a second credit card doesn’t reduce your total debt, it just defers it. Additionally, your debt may go up if the Annual Percentage Rate (APR) or fees on the credit card you’re using to make the payment are higher than those on the card you’re paying. That’s not how credit cards are intended to work.

Alternative Payment Methods for Credit Card Bills

There are several alternative payment methods for credit card bills if you can’t afford to have the money taken directly from your bank account. Some of these can also be used to consolidate debt or lower the total amount of debt you owe. Research each of them carefully and make sure to pay close attention to any fees and interest rates.

Balance transfer: Some credit card providers allow you to do a balance transfer to pay off a credit card. You may even be able to find a balance transfer credit card with a low or 0% introductory APR. Check the terms carefully to see what the finance charges are and what the APR will be when the introductory period is over.
Cash advance: A credit card cash advance is another option. However, keep in mind that the fees for a cash advance are generally high and interest on what you take out starts accumulating immediately. The cash advance also adds to your total debt and doesn’t eliminate it. 
Taking out a loan: You could consider taking out a small loan to make some minimum payments, or another option may be to apply for a larger debt consolidation loan to pay off all your credit card balances. That would mean waiting for approval and taking on a monthly loan payment, but it may save you money over time in interest if you are able to secure good rates and terms.

Other Ways to Manage Credit Card Debt

Each of the alternatives in the section above involves taking on new debt. The steps below can help you reduce credit card debt without applying for a loan, taking out a cash advance, or adding a new credit card with a balance transfer. Taking the three steps below could get you out of debt faster and make your finances more manageable.

Review your budget: You’d be surprised at how much you may be spending on “non-essentials” every month. Make a list of all your expenses and eliminate those that you don’t need. Cutting back on extra expenditures can help to free up additional money you can use to pay down your credit card debt.
Speak to a credit counselor: If you struggle with managing your credit card debt, you’re not alone. That’s why professional credit counselors exist. You can consider reaching out to one of them and asking for financial advice. Many credit counselors work for non-profits or financial institutions that don’t charge you for their services.
Try a payoff strategy: One effective credit card payoff strategy is the “debt snowball” method. With this method, you pay the minimum amount due on all credit cards each month, then add in an extra payment to the card with the smallest balance until it’s paid off.

Frequently Asked Questions

Credit card providers typically will not allow you to use a credit card to pay your monthly bill or to pay off the balance. This is due in part to the fact that fees for these transactions may be too high to allow it, and because it could be a questionable financial move that they’d like consumers to avoid.²

A balance transfer card may not be the right choice for everyone. A balance transfer card could tempt you to spend money you don’t have, particularly if you don’t have a payment plan to pay the balance down. A balance transfer card may also not be right for you if you’re only making minimum payments now and tend to be late or miss payments.³

Personal loans offer fixed interest rates and fixed monthly payments that are easy to budget. Balance transfer credit cards have variable interest rates and may only offer low introductory APRs for a limited time. Use these points to compare the costs of each option.⁴

The Takeaway

You can’t pay a credit card bill with another credit card, but other options are available, including taking out a personal loan. It can either be a small loan to cover your minimum balance due or a larger debt consolidation loan to pay off several credit cards. Research the fees and interest rates for each of these options first.

^1,2 “Can You Pay a Credit Card with a Credit Card?,” Investopedia

³ “Can You Pay a Credit Card Bill With Another Credit Card?,” U.S. News and World Report

⁴ “Can you pay a credit card with a credit card?,” Credit Karma

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Kevin D. Flynn is a financial services provider, business coach, and financial writer. He lives in Leominster, Massachusetts with his wife Evelyn, two cats, and ten wonderful grandchildren.

All Credit Intel content is written by freelance authors and commissioned and paid for by American Express.

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