BOB Credit Card New Charges from April 2026
Bank of Baroda Credit Cards, aka BOBCARD, has announced a set of updates to its credit card features and charges. These changes will come into effect from 1 April 2026 and will impact both credit card reward earning and certain types of transactions.
The update introduces a small improvement in credit card rewards for telecom spends while adding fees on specific categories such as education payments, toll transactions, and large railway bookings.
Telecom Spends Will Now Earn Reward Points
From 1 April 2026, spends on Telecom services (MCC 4814) will start earning core reward points across all BOBCARD variants.
This means payments such as mobile bills, broadband bills, and other telecom services will now earn rewards according to your credit card’s standard reward rate. Earlier, these transactions did not earn reward points on many Bank of Baroda Credit Cards.
Higher Utility Rewards for Empower Business Card
BOBCARD has also introduced accelerated rewards on utility payments for the Empower Business Credit Card.
Cardholders will now earn 5 reward points for every ₹100 spent on utility payments (MCC 4900). However, these accelerated rewards are capped at 1,000 reward points per statement cycle.
Utility payments generally include transactions such as electricity bills, water bills, and other service payments. This change mainly benefits business users who route regular operational expenses through their credit cards.
Corporate Premium Card Cash Withdrawal Limit Reduced
For Corporate Premium Credit Cards, the cash withdrawal limit has been reduced.
Earlier, corporate cardholders were allowed to withdraw cash up to 40% of their total credit limit. From 1 April 2026, this limit will be reduced to 20% of the credit limit.
While cash withdrawals on credit cards usually attract high interest and fees, this change further restricts the maximum amount that can be withdrawn through these corporate cards.
New Charges on Education Payments
BOBCARD is also introducing fees on certain types of transactions.
Education Payments via Third-Party Apps
A 1% fee (maximum ₹5,000 per transaction) will apply when education payments are made through third party apps such as CRED, Cheq, Paytm, PhonePe, MobiKwik, NoBroker, EaseMyDeal, and SuperPe.
This charge mainly affects users who route school or college fee payments through payment apps instead of paying institutions directly. However, there are other credit cards for education payments which provides set of benefits
Charges on Toll and Bus Transactions
Transactions under MCC 4784 (Toll and Bus payments) will attract a 1% charge where the individual transaction amount is ₹5,000 or more.
Charges on High-Value Railway Bookings
Railway bookings under MCC 4112 will also attract a fee.
1% charge (up to ₹5,000 per transaction)
Applicable when the transaction value is ₹30,000 or higher
This rule applies to most BOBCARD variants, except IRCTC co-branded credit cards, which will continue to follow their existing structure.
Credit Cards Not Affected by These Changes
Not all BOBCARD products are impacted by this revision.
The following credit cards are excluded from these updates:
BOBCARD One
BOBCARD Uni
BOBCARD Scapia
Cardholders using these variants will not see the new charges mentioned above.
Additionally, BOBCARD has reiterated that certain categories do not earn reward points under its MCC exclusions. These include rent, government payments, insurance, wallet loads, education, supermarkets, and some transportation services.
What This Means for Bank of Baroda Credit Card Users
The addition to credit card points on telecom payments is a small positive change, while the new charges mainly affect specific transactions such as education payments through apps, high-value railway bookings, and large toll transactions.
Only few Merchant Category Codes (MCC) like Telecom Services (MCC 4814), Utility Payments (MCC 4900), Toll and Bus Payments (MCC 4784), Railway Booking (MCC 4112) are affected. Smart credit card users should know how merchant categories affect credit card rewards in India. This can help them to plan credit card spends strategically.
Other Credit Cards Undergoing Major Devaluations, Upgrades and Changes
Here is the list of credit cards which have announced devaluations, upgrades and changes recently.
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