Can I use my credit card to pay someone else’s credit card bill?

In short — yes, it is possible to pay someone else’s credit card bill with your credit card, but the process isn’t straightforward. You typically can’t directly transfer funds from your credit card to another credit card, whether your own or someone else’s.

Taking out a cash advance or doing a balance transfer is possible, but we don’t recommend cash advances because of high fees and interest rates. A balance transfer could make sense if you can save on interest with a 0% APR credit card.

To pay off someone else’s credit card debt, consider offering a loan with specific repayment terms or using a balance transfer credit card if your bank allows transfers from someone else’s credit card.

How to use a credit card to pay off another credit card

Balance transfer credit card

A balance transfer moves debt from one credit card account to another, typically to avoid paying high interest rates. For example, you could have a balance transfer card with a 0% introductory annual percentage rate (APR) for 18 months.

If you transfer a balance to that card, you don’t have to pay interest for 18 months if you follow the promotional offer’s terms and conditions. However, there’s often a balance transfer fee of 3% to 5%, so you have to determine if you can save more on interest by paying the fee.

Note that many credit card companies have specific rules about balance transfers. For instance, you typically can’t transfer a balance between two cards from the same company.

If you want to do a balance transfer, check with your new card’s issuer — including Capital One, Chase, American Express, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, or another company — to see their specific rules.

Cash advance

A cash advance borrows cash against your card’s credit limit. That means you can access some money using your credit card in an emergency. Technically, you could take out a cash advance on one card to pay the bill on another.

However, this strategy could lead to more debt because of cash advance fees and interest charges. With most credit card purchases, you have a grace period before interest accrues. With cash advances, interest often starts accruing immediately.

Ways to pay off someone else’s credit card debt

While you typically can’t pay another person’s credit card debt with one of your credit cards, there are alternatives.

Transfer their credit card balance to your card

You might consider doing a balance transfer for someone else if your friend or family member doesn’t qualify for a balance transfer credit card themselves. Many balance transfer cards require a good or excellent credit score for approval.

Some financial institutions allow you to transfer a balance from someone else’s credit card to your balance transfer card. Check with your bank or credit union to see if this is possible.

If you transfer a balance from someone else to your credit card, you’re effectively taking on the debt yourself. Unless there are specific terms and conditions in place, you will be responsible for paying off the transferred balance.

Cash donation

If you feel generous and have enough money, you can give someone else enough cash to pay off their credit card balance. It’s simple, but it requires some trust and potentially a sizable amount of money, depending on the size of the debt.

Note that gifts of money could have tax implications, so it makes sense to read up on gift taxes before donating large sums of cash. If you have any questions or concerns, consider consulting a tax professional.

Personal loan

A personal loan with no interest could make sense if you want to help a friend or family member, but don’t necessarily want to gift a sizable amount of cash. You could still set up specific repayment terms to make sure the other person is paying you back within a reasonable amount of time. However, setting up the terms of any agreement would be entirely up to you.

You could also charge interest on the loan if you want to treat it more like a business transaction (this would likely depend on your relationship with the other party). If you charge less interest than the other person’s credit card, it could be a win-win situation for both parties.

Make payments yourself

If your bank allows it, you can add someone else’s credit card as a payee to your online account. Then, you can make minimum payments or more to their card using your savings or checking account. Other options could include making credit card payments in person or calling in.

Note that you may need some account information on hand to make payments for someone else. That could include card information, such as a card or account number.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs) about paying off someone else’s credit card

Can a credit card be used to pay another credit card bill?

You generally can’t use a credit card to pay other credit card bills. Most credit card issuers accept payment by check, cash, or ACH transfer via checking or savings account. Using a cash advance or balance transfer to pay off another card’s balance is possible, but you would have to weigh the pros and cons of these options.

Can I use my credit card to pay someone?

Cash App, PayPal, Venmo, and similar apps let you transfer money to other people using different payment methods, including credit cards. However, you typically have to pay around a 3% processing fee for using a credit card. When using these types of apps, using a bank account or debit card as your payment method is often cheaper.