The Reserve Bank of India has issued new directions mandating that credit card issuers provide customers with the flexibility to modify their billing cycle dates. According to the latest Reserve Bank of India (Commercial Banks – Credit Cards and Debit Cards: Issuance and Conduct) - Amendment Directions, 2026, cardholders shall be provided an option to modify the billing cycle of the credit card at least once, as per cardholders' convenience. The RBI Directions explain that 'The cardholder shall be provided the option to choose any date as the starting or closing day of the billing cycle at least once.'
Card issuers may provide the option to modify the billing cycle through multiple channels such as helpline, dedicated e-mail ID, Interactive Voice Response (IVR), internet banking, mobile application, and any other mode. As reported by the RBI, card issuers in India do not follow a standard billing cycle for all credit cards issued, making this flexibility particularly valuable for customers. The process involves visiting the official website or logging into the mobile app of the concerned issuer, then navigating to the billing or payments section to find the option to change the credit card payment due date.
In the new Directions on credit card and debit card, the RBI has introduced stricter guidelines for late payment charges. The new norms state that credit card issuers will report a credit card account as 'past due' to credit information companies (CICs) or levy penal charges, viz., late payment charges and other related charges, if any, only when a credit card account remains 'past due' for more than three days. The number of 'days past due' and late payment charges shall be computed from the payment due date mentioned in the credit card statement, as specified under the Reserve Bank of India (Commercial Banks - Asset Classification, Provisioning and Income Recognition) Directions, 2026, amended from time to time.
The new norms shall come into force from April 01, 2027, providing card issuers with adequate time to implement the necessary changes. Late payment charges and other related charges shall be levied only on the outstanding amount after the due date, and not on the total amount due, as specified in the new RBI directions. Note that the process may vary from banker to banker, and if customers are unable to place the request via the online route, they may always contact the customer care service for better redressal and service.
