EMI on Flight Tickets in India: Is It Worth It in 2026?
By Vihaan Patel (Vihaan Patel covers the intersection of travel and digital payments — Indian OTAs, airline-direct booking flows, UPI vs credit-card surcharges, RBI tokenisation rules and the booking-funnel mechanics that quietly cost (or save) you money.) · Published · 14 min read
EMI on flight tickets in India is widely available via credit cards, Buy Now Pay Later options, and OTA partnerships with banks. No-cost EMI is genuinely no-cost in most cases — but there are catches around reward-point forfeiture, processing fees, and international ticket eligibility. Here is the full picture.
Can you buy flight tickets on EMI in India — the quick answer
TL;DR: Yes, you can buy flight tickets on EMI in India. Major OTAs — MakeMyTrip, EaseMyTrip, Ixigo, Yatra — offer no-cost EMI (NCE) on flights through credit card bank partnerships and Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) providers. No-cost EMI is typically 0% interest for 3–12 months, but the discount the OTA gets from the bank is not passed to you — your reward points on EMI transactions may be forfeited, and some OTAs add a processing fee. Whether it is worth it depends on your specific card, the ticket price, and your cash-flow situation.
As of 2026, EMI on flights is offered on both domestic and international tickets. The minimum ticket value for EMI eligibility is typically ₹5,000–₹10,000, and not all cards or BNPL products are eligible on every OTA. The booking funnel usually shows the EMI option at payment — you select your card or BNPL provider, choose the tenure (3, 6, 9, or 12 months), and confirm.
An important distinction: EMI on a credit card is not the same as buying on a debit card in instalments. For credit card EMI, your bank converts the full charge into a fixed monthly instalment schedule at booking time. Your credit card bill shows an EMI line each month until the ticket is paid off. Debit card EMI (rare, offered by some banks like HDFC) works differently — funds are typically blocked in advance. This article focuses on the more common credit card EMI.
How does no-cost EMI on flights actually work?
When an OTA or airline offers "no-cost EMI", the mechanism is:
- The bank or BNPL provider charges 0% interest to you for the EMI period
- The OTA (or occasionally the airline) pays the bank a subvention fee — essentially a discount — to cover the cost of interest the bank would otherwise charge
- You pay the ticket price divided into equal monthly instalments with zero interest added
Where the "no-cost" claim gets complicated:
- Processing fees: Many OTAs charge a one-time EMI processing fee of ₹99–₹499 per booking. This is effectively the cost of the EMI — on a ₹10,000 ticket split over 6 months, a ₹199 fee is an effective interest rate of about 3.5% annualised. Not zero, but low.
- Reward points forfeiture: Most banks do not award credit card reward points on the EMI principal — only the monthly instalment is treated as a transaction. On a ₹30,000 ticket broken into 6 EMIs, you earn points on ₹5,000 each month, not on ₹30,000 upfront. For reward-heavy cards (Axis Magnus, HDFC Infinia), this is a meaningful opportunity cost.
- Blocking credit limit: The full ticket amount is blocked from your credit limit at the time of booking, not just the first instalment. If you have a ₹50,000 credit limit and buy a ₹30,000 ticket on EMI, only ₹20,000 of limit is free until you repay the EMIs.
Which OTAs and airlines offer EMI on flight bookings in India?
| Platform | EMI options available | Processing fee | Min booking value |
|---|---|---|---|
| MakeMyTrip | No-cost EMI on 15+ banks, BNPL (Lazypay, Simpl) | ₹0–₹199 depending on bank | ₹5,000 |
| EaseMyTrip | No-cost EMI on HDFC, ICICI, Axis, SBI, Kotak; BNPL | ₹0–₹299 | ₹7,500 |
| Ixigo | No-cost EMI via select cards; BNPL via LazyPay | ₹0–₹149 | ₹5,000 |
| Yatra | No-cost EMI on major bank cards | ₹0–₹199 | ₹10,000 |
| Air India (airindia.com) | No-cost EMI on HDFC, SBI, Axis cards; direct bank offers | ₹0 | ₹10,000 |
| IndiGo (goindigo.in) | No-cost EMI on select bank cards via payment gateway | ₹0 | ₹8,000 |
Availability changes with bank partnership agreements — verify on the OTA's payment page at time of booking. Fees and features change — verify on the official site before you rely on them.
BNPL on flights — LazyPay, Simpl, Zomato Pay and others
Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) products have entered the Indian travel booking ecosystem. As of 2026:
- LazyPay: Offers pay-in-3 or pay-in-6 options on MakeMyTrip, Ixigo and some airline sites. Typical credit limits ₹10,000–₹50,000. Interest may apply after the interest-free window — check terms carefully.
- Simpl: Available on select OTAs for small to mid-value bookings. Typically a 30-day pay-later rather than true multi-month EMI.
- Amazon Pay Later / Flipkart Pay Later: Usable on platforms that accept these as payment methods — coverage on travel OTAs is limited but growing.
BNPL products are most useful when you do not have a credit card at all, or for very short-term (under 30 days) cash flow bridging. For multi-month EMI, a bank credit card EMI is typically more transparent and has lower effective cost than BNPL products that may charge interest after the first EMI window. Read BNPL terms for late-payment penalties — these can be steep.
One important risk with BNPL for flight bookings specifically: if the airline cancels or reschedules your flight and issues a refund, the refund goes back to your credit card or BNPL account — but processing timelines can be 7–21 days. If you have already paid one or two BNPL instalments in the meantime, you may be in a brief negative balance situation. Ensure you have the cash buffer to cover this gap before using BNPL for refundable bookings.
When is EMI on flight tickets worth it — and when to skip it?
EMI is worth it when:
- The ticket price is high enough that the cash-flow relief is meaningful (typically above ₹20,000–₹25,000)
- There is genuinely zero processing fee (verify on the payment screen)
- You are not a heavy reward-points earner who would lose significant miles by converting to EMI
- You need the credit limit headroom — EMI spreads payments but the full amount is blocked upfront
- The alternative is borrowing at a higher interest rate elsewhere (personal loan, overdraft)
Skip EMI and pay in full when:
- You earn significant rewards on the card (Axis Magnus, HDFC Infinia) — points forfeiture on EMI can exceed the interest saved
- The processing fee makes the effective rate unattractive
- You can comfortably pay in full and the ticket is under ₹15,000
- You need the card limit free for other purchases during the trip
A simple check: calculate the processing fee as an annualised interest rate. A ₹199 fee on a ₹15,000 ticket over 6 months is: (199/15000) × (12/6) × 100 = ~2.65% p.a. — cheaper than most personal loans but not "free". Make the call based on your actual cost of funds.
| Scenario | EMI verdict | Key reason |
|---|---|---|
| ₹8,000 domestic ticket, zero processing fee | Skip — pay in full | Ticket is too small for meaningful cash-flow benefit |
| ₹45,000 international ticket, ₹0 processing fee, non-rewards card | EMI makes sense | Large ticket, genuine interest saving, no rewards lost |
| ₹30,000 ticket, ₹299 processing fee, Axis Magnus (high rewards) | Pay in full | Reward points forfeiture likely exceeds ₹299 in value |
| ₹1.2L business-class ticket, ₹0 processing fee, 12-month tenure | EMI strongly worth it | High-value ticket, long tenure, significant cash-flow relief |
Does EMI work on international flight tickets?
Yes, EMI is available on international flight tickets booked through Indian OTAs — the ticket currency shown to you on MakeMyTrip or EaseMyTrip is INR, so the EMI structure is the same regardless of whether the flight is domestic or international. However, some nuances:
- International tickets at higher price points (₹60,000–₹3 lakh for premium cabins) may have different EMI tenure options — up to 18 or 24 months on some bank partnerships
- If you book directly on a foreign airline website in a foreign currency, EMI through the airline's payment page may not be available on Indian cards. Book via Indian OTAs or the airline's Indian site for EMI eligibility
- Some bank no-cost EMI offers are tagged to specific routes or airlines in partnership deals — check the offer page on your bank's website
For tracking live fares on both domestic and international routes before deciding how to pay, use FlightGPT to compare prices. For understanding what your credit card costs you in forex on international bookings, see our guide to credit-card forex markup explained.
Tax implications — is flight EMI treated differently for income tax?
No. From an income-tax perspective, EMI on flight tickets is simply a credit purchase spread over time — there are no special deductions or reporting requirements for the traveller. The full ticket cost is considered paid at the time of booking for any purpose that requires proof of expense (business travel reimbursement, visa applications etc.).
If you are a salaried employee claiming travel reimbursement, provide your employer with the booking confirmation and PNR — the payment method (EMI or lump sum) is irrelevant to the reimbursement. If you are self-employed and the travel is for business, the expense is deductible in the year of travel, not spread across the EMI tenure.
LRS and TCS rules apply to the foreign-currency component of international flight tickets regardless of payment method. See our coverage of UPI abroad in 2026 and DCC traps for related payment mechanics when you are actually travelling.
How to book flights on EMI — step by step on MakeMyTrip and EaseMyTrip
The EMI flow is slightly different on each OTA but follows the same basic pattern. Here is how it works on the two most popular platforms:
On MakeMyTrip:
- Search for your flight and reach the payment page.
- Select "Credit Card" as the payment method and enter your card number.
- If your card is EMI-eligible, a dropdown appears: "Pay via EMI". Click it.
- Choose your tenure — typically 3, 6, 9, or 12 months. The screen shows the monthly instalment amount and whether the EMI is no-cost or has an interest rate.
- Check if a processing fee applies — this appears before you confirm.
- Confirm and complete the payment. Your bank sends a confirmation SMS that the amount has been converted to EMI.
On EaseMyTrip:
- Reach the payment screen after selecting your flight.
- Choose "No Cost EMI" from the payment options sidebar.
- Select your bank from the list of eligible cards.
- Enter your card details; the EMI tenure options appear.
- Review the monthly amount and processing fee, then confirm.
One tip: if your preferred EMI card is not showing the no-cost EMI option, try clearing your browser cookies or switching to the OTA's mobile app — EMI offers are sometimes pushed through app-specific payment gateway integrations and may not appear on all browser sessions. If the option still does not appear, call your bank's credit card helpline to confirm that your specific card variant is enrolled for EMI on that OTA.
Frequently asked questions
Is no-cost EMI on flights genuinely free?
Mostly yes, but not always entirely. The bank or OTA may charge a processing fee (typically ₹99–₹499), and most cards do not award reward points on the EMI principal — only on each instalment. If you are a heavy reward earner, the forfeited points may cost more than any benefit from spreading payments. Read the specific EMI terms before confirming.
Which credit cards offer the best EMI on flight tickets in India?
HDFC Bank, SBI Card, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank all have broad no-cost EMI partnerships with major Indian OTAs. The specific offer (tenure, processing fee, reward treatment) varies by card variant and changes with bank partnerships. Check MakeMyTrip or EaseMyTrip's payment page for your card's current EMI offer.
Does my credit limit get blocked when I book on EMI?
Yes. The full ticket amount is blocked from your available credit limit at the time of booking, even though you pay in monthly instalments. As each EMI is processed and paid, that portion of the limit is released. If your credit limit is tight, this can affect other purchases during the trip.
Can I use EMI for flight tickets on UPI or through PhonePe?
Standard UPI does not support EMI — UPI is a real-time full-payment system. However, some BNPL products linked to UPI (like LazyPay) can be initiated via UPI apps. These are not the same as credit card EMI and typically have different terms, limits and fee structures.
What happens if I cancel an EMI flight booking?
If the airline or OTA processes a refund, it typically goes back to your credit card account. The EMI is foreclosed and remaining instalments are cancelled. The refund amount may be net of cancellation charges. Some banks apply a foreclosure fee for early EMI closure — check your bank's terms. Processing fees charged by the OTA are usually non-refundable.
Is EMI available on budget airline direct sites like IndiGo or SpiceJet?
Yes, some Indian airlines have enabled no-cost EMI directly on their booking sites through payment-gateway bank partnerships. IndiGo's goindigo.in and Air India's airindia.com both support it on select cards. The range of eligible cards is narrower than on OTAs — OTAs typically have more bank partnerships and therefore more EMI card options.
Can I pre-close my flight EMI early, and is there a penalty?
Yes, most banks allow pre-closure of EMI — either through net banking or by calling customer care. Many banks charge a pre-closure or foreclosure fee, typically 2–3% of the outstanding principal or a flat ₹200–500. Some banks waive the fee after a certain number of instalments have been paid. Check your bank's specific terms before deciding to pre-close.