Is the 4% on my credit card in this situation an interest?

· 30 Rabiʻ I 1433 AH1 min readFatwa 19783English

Question

I am trying to purchase a house for my family and I am 20,000 $ short of buying it cash to avoid a loan through the bank. My credit card company is offering me the option to get 20,000 $ cash advance with 1 year 0 % interest, after one year interest goes up to 14 %, there is also a one-time fee they call it ‘transaction fee’ and it is 4 % one-time fee. Is this is concerned Riba or is it Halal if I intend to pay the 20,000 $ during the 0 % period?

I am also concerned about the 4 %, is it Riba or not?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykumwa-rahmatullāhiwa-barakātuh.

May Allah make all our tasks easy and grant all of us Halaal income. Ameen

In principle, it is impermissible to enter a contract which has a condition of interest upon default.

If one has entered in such a contract then he has to pay back the amount before the interest starts to accumulate on the loan.

According to our understanding, the 4% charged is a service fee. If this is the case then it is permissible to pay the 4 %.

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Mufti Hussein Issa,

Mozambique

Checked and Approved by,

Mufti Ebrahim Desai.

www.daruliftaa.net

Answered by
Mufti Hussein Issa
Checked & approved by
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
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People also ask

Is using a credit card permissible?

“The monthly fee which the bank charges the credit card holder is not permissible. This amount is riba (interest). One is paying the bank this monthly fee in order to keep this credit facility open to him to qualify for credit…”

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