Can You Pay a Credit Card With Another Credit Card?

Independent guide - not affiliated with or endorsed by any card issuer, bank, card network or payment service. Fees, rates and accepted payment methods depend on your own card agreements; check them through your issuers' official websites or apps.

Usually not directly. Card issuers generally expect your bill to be paid from a bank account, by check or by another accepted method, not by charging another credit card. You can move debt from one card to another indirectly, through a balance transfer, a cash advance or a convenience check, but each has costs. A balance transfer is often the least expensive route; a cash advance is usually the most expensive.

This guide explains the ways people try to pay a credit card with another credit card, what each one costs, how it affects your credit and the better options if you are struggling to make a payment.

Why you cannot simply pay one card with another

A credit card payment is meant to reduce what you owe with money you have, not replace one debt with a new one. For that reason, issuers' payment pages normally accept a linked checking or savings account, a mailed check or other methods listed in your agreement, and they rarely accept a card from another issuer as payment. Even when a workaround exists, the debt does not disappear: it moves to the second card, often with fees and interest added.

Before using any workaround, check your second card's terms. Regulation Z requires the table in card applications and solicitations to disclose fees such as balance transfer fees and cash advance fees (12 CFR 1026.60), and your statements show the rates that currently apply to each type of balance.

Option 1: a balance transfer

A balance transfer moves debt from one card to a card at a different issuer. The new issuer pays off some or all of the old balance, and you then owe the new card.

• Fees: the CFPB explains that a balance transfer fee is a fee charged to transfer a balance to a different card, and that it can be charged even on a zero percent rate offer.
• Promotional rates end. Any reduced rate lasts for a set period. After that, the remaining balance moves to the rate in your agreement.
• Same-issuer limits: many issuers do not allow transfers between two cards they issue; the offer terms will say.
• Keep paying the old card until the transfer shows as completed, so you do not miss a due date.

Balance transfers can save money if the fee and promotional terms beat the interest you would otherwise pay and you have a plan to pay the balance down. Our guide on how a balance transfer works and the traps to avoid explains how to compare offers.

Option 2: a cash advance

You could take cash from one card at an ATM or bank and use it to pay another card. This is legal but usually expensive:

• The CFPB says you can withdraw cash with a credit card, though it is expensive to do so.
• Cash advances typically have a fee and often a higher rate than purchases.
• According to the CFPB, grace periods typically apply only to purchases; if you take a cash advance or use a check from your issuer, you generally start paying interest as of the date of the transaction.
• Cash advance limits are often lower than your overall credit limit.

Read what a credit card cash advance is for the full picture, including transactions that count as cash advances even when you did not visit an ATM.

Option 3: convenience checks

Some issuers mail checks that draw on your credit card account. You can write one to yourself or, in some cases, use it to pay another debt. The CFPB groups checks received from your card issuer with cash advances when it explains that interest generally starts on the transaction date. Depending on the offer, a convenience check may be treated as a cash advance or as a balance transfer, with the matching fees and rates. Read the terms that come with the checks and do not use checks you were not expecting without confirming with your issuer through official channels.

Option 4: third-party payment services

Some apps and bill-pay services let you charge a card to pay other bills. When it comes to paying another credit card, these services may not be allowed, may charge a service fee and may have the transaction treated as a cash advance by the card you charge, depending on how the payment is coded. If you try one, check both the service's fees and your card agreement's definition of cash-like transactions first. Be cautious with any service you have not used before, and never share your card details through unsolicited links.

Does paying a card with another card hurt your credit?

Moving debt does not reduce it, so your total balances, and therefore your utilization, stay roughly the same or rise once fees are added. Other effects:

• A new balance transfer card usually means an application and a hard inquiry, and a new account lowers your average account age at first.
• A large transfer can push the new card close to its limit, which can weigh on your score even if your total debt is unchanged.
• Paying on time on both accounts is what protects your score most. A missed payment during the switch would hurt more than any of the above.

Also remember how payments are applied once a card has several balances. Under Regulation Z, amounts you pay above the minimum generally go to the balance with the highest rate first (12 CFR 1026.53), but the minimum payment itself can be applied to lower-rate balances, so a costly cash advance may linger. Our guide to how credit card interest works explains why.

Better options if you cannot afford this month's payment

• Pay at least the minimum from your bank account. Knowing the difference between your statement balance and current balance helps you see what is actually due.
• Call your issuer through the number on your card and ask about a lower payment, a due date change or a hardship arrangement. Many issuers are willing to work with you if you ask before you fall behind.
• Talk to a nonprofit credit counselor about a budget or a debt management plan.
• Avoid juggling debt between cards month after month. Each move can add fees, and the balance keeps growing if interest is charged.

If a payment is already late, read what happens if you miss a credit card payment so you know when late fees, credit reporting and penalty rates can kick in.

Quick comparison

Sources

• CFPB: What is a balance transfer fee? (last reviewed 23 September 2024)
• CFPB: Can I withdraw money from my credit card at an ATM? (last reviewed 2 September 2026)
• CFPB: What is a grace period for a credit card? (last reviewed 23 September 2024)
• eCFR: 12 CFR 1026.60 (disclosures in card applications and solicitations)
• CFPB: Regulation Z, 12 CFR 1026.53 (allocation of payments)
• CFPB: What should I do if I can't pay my credit card bills?