Online stores are a great way to shop for millions of people especially for those with busy schedules due to their flexibility, competitive prices, and seamless experience. You can easily purchase from the comfort of your couch and receive the package at your doorstep a few days later. Making a purchase online, however, can be a challenge if you’re short on cash and find yourself needing to use two separate credit cards to complete your transaction. How do you go about it? Is it even possible? Can you use two credit cards online for the same purchase?
Unfortunately, many online stores and businesses won’t allow you to use two credit cards online to pay for the same purchase. However, some stores such as Amazon will allow you to use a combination of a gift card and a credit card to cover the same purchase.
Can you use two credit cards online?
Online shopping is possible due to electronic payments such as credit cards, debit cards, and PayPal payments. What if you want to make a purchase and your credit card cannot cover the entire balance? Can you use two credit cards online for the same purchase? Do online stores allow you to split your payment between different credit cards?
The quick answer is no. Online retail stores do not allow you to use two credit cards online for the same purchase. In other words, you cannot split the payment between two credit cards, two debit cards, or a combination of both. However, some businesses allow you to use a gift card and a credit card at the same time.
Can I pay with 2 cards on Amazon?
Just like many other online retailers, Amazon does not allow you to use two credit cards to pay for the same product online. According to the Accepted Payment Methods section of Amazon, “You can split payment between one of the accepted credit or debit cards and an Amazon.com Gift Card, but you can’t split the payment among multiple cards”.
For example, if you have a $50 Amazon gift card and want to pay for a $80 item, you can use the gift card to cover the $50 and pay the remaining $30 with an acceptable credit card or debit card.
Other acceptable payment methods are also specified on the Amazon acceptable payment page. But, none of them allow splitting the payment between multiple credit cards.
How can I use two different cards for one purchase on Amazon?
If you want to use 2 cards to purchase on Amazon, one of the cards must be a gift card. This is because Amazon does not allow you to split the payment between two credit cards. Amazon, however, does allow you to split your payment between a credit card and a gift card.
So, if your balance on your Amazon gift card is low, you can reload your gift card with the amount you want and later use that gift card together with a credit card to make a purchase.
Can you use multiple Visa gift cards on one purchase online?
If you have multiple Visa gift cards or other bank-issued cards, you might not be able to combine multiple cards on the same purchase. Just like credit cards, online stores do not allow splitting multiple gift cards.
According to Consumer Reports, the only way to get around this issue is to use your bank-issued card such as a debit card to purchase a store gift card. Then use that gift card together with a credit card online to make the purchase.
Can I use multiple gift cards on Amazon?
Yes, you can use multiple gift cards on a single purchase on Amazon but, you might need to redeem them first before you checkout. According to James Mcallister Online, this is how you do it when all your gift cards are Amazon gift cards. First, redeem all your Amazon gift cards. Here is a step-by-step process on how to redeem each gift card on Amazon. After redeeming your gift cards, all your balance will be pooled into one balance. At the checkout, use your combined Amazon gift card balance as your payment method.
In case you have multiple pre-paid Master Cards and Visa cards, James Mcallister Online suggests that you use those prepaid gift cards to purchase Amazon gift cards. Then, have the claim codes for each card sent to your email. After having all claim codes in your email, redeem all your Amazon gift cards using the same process we have seen for Amazon gift cards. This process will combine all your Amazon gift cards you just purchased into one balance. After this process, you can make the purchase using the combined balance as your payment method.
Why online retailers do not allow splitting the payment between multiple credit cards?
Using multiple credit cards for the same purchase online is not acceptable from many online retail stores due to many reasons. According to creditcard.com, the reason many online retailers prohibit splitting the purchase into different credit cards can be due to restrictions, technical issues, and verification issues.
Let’s examine each reason why you cannot pay with 2 credit cards online for the same transaction.
Technical issues. Paying online involves a lot of systems working together but, some of these systems such as tax, fulfillment, e-commerce, and promotions do not allow multiple credit card transactions. For this reason, Creditcard.com reports that splitting payments between multiple credit cards will only cause delays and technical issues. Additionally, the more transactions and systems involved, the easier you open loopholes for online criminals and hackers. So, it is best to only allow one credit card per transaction.
Verification issues. Online shopping carts are configured to accept one credit card at a time when you checkout. Additionally, credit cards require address verification services(AVS) which is an anti-fraud system used to verify if the billing address you provide matches the address on your credit card account. Creditcards.com reports that if you split the payment between multiple credit cards, each credit card will need to be verified and validated which is a technology online shopping carts currently don’t have.
Restrictions. Splitting online payments between multiple credit cards can result in exceeding merchants’ ticket sizes. In other words, if the transaction exceeds the maximum transaction limit set by the card issuers that will cause problems for each party involved.
Can I use two credit cards from the same bank?
Owning credit cards can be rewarding or challenging depending on how many credit cards you have and where you got them from. If, for example, you have 6 different credit cards from different credit card issuers, it will be difficult to track and manage all of them at the same time due to different due dates, APRs, different places to create accounts, user names, passwords, etc.
What if you can use credit cards from the same bank? Do banks allow you to have two credit cards or more at the same time? Yes, you can have two or more credit cards from the same bank. Doing so can also help you strengthen your relationship with the bank.
For example, you can have a cashback credit card, a travel credit card, and a business credit card from the same bank. Many banks also encourage their customers to open multiple credit cards from the same bank as opposed to opening credit card accounts from other banks.
Note: Before you use two credit cards or more from the same bank, make sure that the cards’ terms and conditions align with your financial goals. For example, if the card you want comes with annual interest, it will be wise to not open such an account and try a different bank.
Related: What factors do credit card issuers consider for your application?
Final words
While shopping online gives you the benefits of picking anything you want from the comfort of your couch; it also comes with limitations to how many credit cards you can use online per transaction. Many online businesses and retail stores do not allow you to use 2 or more credit cards to pay for the same purchase. However, some businesses such as Amazon allow you to use a combination of an acceptable credit card/debit card with a gift card on the same purchase.
