Archive · 21 Aug 2026
India’s Online Credit Card Spending Surges as UPI Expands
People in India are using credit cards online more than before.
In FY2025-26, total credit card spending was ₹23.62 trillion.
More than 62% of that spending happened online.
Young people are using cards for ordinary needs such as groceries, fuel, and utility bills.
Credit cards can also be connected to UPI through RuPay cards.
The share of UPI-linked RuPay cards rose from 3% to 18% in two years.
These cards account for almost 38% of credit card transactions by number.
Most UPI-linked credit card spending comes from people outside India’s metro cities.
This suggests that digital credit payments are spreading beyond the largest urban areas.
India’s total credit card spending reached ₹23.62 trillion in FY2025-26, with online transactions accounting for more than 62%.
A PricewaterhouseCoopers India study found that young Indians increasingly use credit cards for groceries, fuel, and utility payments.
UPI-linked RuPay credit cards increased from 3% to 18% within two years, according to an NPCI data study.
UPI-linked RuPay cards represented almost 38% of all credit card transactions by volume.
RedSeer Consulting found that users outside metro cities generate approximately 77%-81% of UPI-linked credit card spending.
- Who
- Indian credit card users, especially young people and users outside metro cities, along with payment networks and researchers cited in the studies.
- What
- Online and everyday credit card usage is growing, while UPI-linked RuPay credit cards are gaining adoption.
- When
- The figures cover FY2025-26 and, for RuPay adoption, a two-year period cited by the NPCI data study.
- Where
- India, including users outside metro cities.
- Why
- The reported data indicates that UPI integration and broader digital-payment adoption are supporting more frequent credit card use.
- Total credit card spending
- ₹23.62 trillion in FY2025-26
- Online spending share
- More than 62% of total credit card spending; RedSeer Consulting reported 62%-63%.
- Everyday spending
- Young Indians are using credit cards for groceries, fuel, and utilities.
- UPI-linked RuPay growth
- The share rose from 3% to 18% within two years.
- Transaction volume
- UPI-linked RuPay cards account for almost 38% of all credit card transactions by volume.
- Non-metro spending
- Approximately 77%-81% of UPI-linked credit card spending originates from users outside metro cities.