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How to split credit card payments online

Yahoo Personal Finance· Getty Images
Ben Walker (CEPF, CFEI?)
·Senior Writer, Credit Cards
5 min read

Splitting an online purchase between multiple cards could help you meet spending requirements for different credit card sign-up bonuses. It’s also an easy way to spread credit usage between your cards, keeping your accounts active and your credit utilization low.

However, most online retailers don’t allow these types of split payments. You might be able to split a payment between a credit card and a gift card, but you typically can’t split between two credit cards or debit cards.

Most online retailers don’t allow split payments between two credit cards, two debit cards, or a combination.

However, it’s common for online stores to let you split a purchase between a credit card and a gift card in a single transaction. This gives you an indirect method to use multiple credit cards for an online purchase.

For example, you could buy a digital gift card online using one of your credit cards. Then you can make an online purchase at the same retailer and split the payment between a different credit card and the gift card you just purchased.

target split payment

Target lets you split your purchase between two credit or debit cards. This option is available during checkout (including the mobile app) in your online order's “Payment” section.

B&H Photo

B&H Photo lets you split payments between two credit cards. After you’ve finalized your shopping cart, select “Split Payment with Additional Card” in the “Select a Payment Method” section.

C&B

Crate&Barrel has an option to “Pay with 2 credit cards” during the checkout process.

PP

PayPal has a feature that allows you to split a purchase between two linked payment options, such as a credit card, debit card, or bank account. Many online retailers — including Etsy, eBay, and Best Buy — accept PayPal as a payment method.

Unfortunately, the split payment option isn’t available at all online retailers that use PayPal. It takes trial and error to determine which retailers allow you to split a payment with PayPal. IKEA is one of the most popular stores we found where you can split payments with PayPal.

To find the PayPal split payment option:

  1. Select PayPal as your payment method on the checkout page

  2. Log in to your PayPal account and select the “Split” option

  3. Input how much you would like to charge to each card

For Amazon.com purchases, you can split payment between a credit or debit card and an Amazon gift card. However, you can’t split payment between multiple credit or debit cards.

Best Buy has PayPal Checkout and we could access the split payment option when we made a test purchase. If you have a PayPal account and linked payment methods, you can split a payment using two credit or debit cards.

You can split payment for Costco.com purchases with a Costco Shop Card and your regular form of payment, such as a credit or debit card. You can’t split online Costco purchases between multiple credit or debit cards.

Pros

Cons

-Spread your spending between multiple cards (keep your credit utilization low)

-Work toward earning multiple credit card welcome offers at the same time

-Most online retailers don’t allow split credit card payments

You can indirectly use two credit cards to make online purchases at many retailers even if they don’t allow you to split payment between credit or debit cards.

Many online stores allow split payments between gift cards and credit cards, so you can buy a gift card with a credit card and then complete the original purchase with your new gift card and a different credit card.

Some credit card companies code gift card purchases as cash advances, typically with high interest rates and fees. Before purchasing gift cards, check with your card issuer to see if they’ll code them as cash advances.

In-store representatives can often split payment between two credit cards, especially if you give them a heads-up. Of course, this option is only helpful if the applicable store has nearby in-person locations.

If an online store has a live chat feature, consider asking a customer service agent if they can split a payment for you. Some online representatives can expand checkout options that aren’t usually there. For example, we’ve had luck with this approach with certain stores, such as Best Buy, where there isn’t a built-in multiple payment option at checkout.

No, Amazon doesn’t allow you to split payments among multiple debit or credit cards for Amazon.com purchases. However, you can split payment between a debit or credit card and an Amazon gift card.

If you want to use two credit cards for one Amazon purchase, you can first buy an Amazon gift card with one credit card and then make your purchase using the other credit card and the gift card.

Yes, PayPal allows you to split payments between multiple linked payment methods in your PayPal account. However, not all online retailers allow split payments, even if PayPal Checkout is an option.

To see if PayPal split payment is available, select checkout with PayPal and check for an option to split the payment.

Here are three options to split an online payment between two credit cards:

  1. Check to see if the online retailer allows split credit card payments.

  2. See if PayPal Checkout is available and if the PayPal split payment option shows up during checkout.

  3. If the online retailer accepts split payments between credit cards and gift cards, purchase a gift card using one credit card and then complete the final purchase using that gift card as the first payment option and your other credit card as the second.

This article was edited by Rebecca McCracken

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