My Tinkoff Platinum Card Hacks: Free Maintenance, Interest-Free Credit, and More

Hello!

I'll admit, I've always been a bit skeptical about credit cards. I've heard horror stories about interest rates, fees, and debt, and I've tried to steer clear of them.

But things have changed, and banks are getting creative with their products and promotions. I recently came across an offer from Tinkoff for their credit card Tinkoff Platinum that was too good to pass up.

I saw a chat about discounts and promo codes that mentioned a deal - if I signed up for the credit card through the blogger's link, I'd get free card maintenance forever and a 3,000 ruble bonus after spending 7,000 rubles. At first, I was skeptical, but my curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to give it a try. Plus, I'd already had a Tinkoff Black debit card for years, and I'd been using it without any issues, so I wasn't too worried about taking out a credit card.

Fast forward a few days, and I'd spent over 7,000 rubles on the credit card. The bank credited me with 3,000 rubles! Not as a bonus, but as actual cash, which I transferred to my debit account without any fees or interest. Anyone can participate in these kinds of promotions, and you can find them by searching for "credit card Tinkoff Platinum sign-up through blogger's link" or by following your favorite bloggers. The rewards vary - sometimes it's 2,000 rubles, sometimes 3,000 - but it's always a good deal.

I applied for a Tinkoff credit card online, and it was a breeze. You can also apply through the app if you're already a Tinkoff customer. I chose my card design, credit limit, and entered my contact info, address, and delivery details. The payment system on this card is only MIR.

A credit card is different from a debit card - it's not automatically approved, and the bank has to give you the green light. I was lucky - I got approved for a 71,000-ruble credit limit. Although, it's been over a year and a half, and they've never increased my limit, even though I've never paid a single kopeck in interest or missed a payment.

Interestingly, Tinkoff tends to approve credit card applications more often than other banks, based on my observations. The credit limit is also random, depending on your credit history and other factors.

On the designated day and time, a Tinkoff representative arrives with a silver envelope containing my Platinum card. Inside, there's also a contract and a tariff sheet. The representative helps you sign everything and set it up, if you don't have the Tinkoff app. And that's it - you're good to go.

I also had to pay for some additional services like insurance and info updates, which I immediately turned off in the app.

This is what my personal account in the Tinkoff Bank (TBank) app looks like for my Platinum card. The credit and debit cards have different agreements, so my accounts in the app don't overlap.

I can see detailed breakdowns of my spending, my account details - credit limit, debt, statement, and other info.

This is where I can see my credit card payments. As a first-time credit card user, I appreciate how transparent the app is - my limit, debt, minimum payment, and payment for the interest-free period are all separate.

The minimum payment is the bank's requirement to deposit a certain amount onto your credit card by a certain date. This confirms the client's ability to pay.

Usually, the minimum payment is no more than 8% of the debt. From the time the statement is generated, the bank gives you up to 25 days to deposit money onto the card and avoid late fees.

For example, if you spent 10,000 rubles in the billing period, your minimum payment would be around 800 rubles, and your payment for the interest-free period would be 10,000 rubles. The app clearly shows the payment deadline. In my case, the statement arrives on the 26th of each month, and I need to deposit the funds by the 20th of the following month. I always manage to do this, so I haven't paid any interest on the card in the year I've been using it. I haven't seen any other bank with a system as transparent and accessible for notifications, and that's definitely a plus.

Let's talk about the interest-free periods. My Tinkoff Platinum credit card has two periods - 120 days and 55 days. The first interest-free period is for transferring your balance - it's also used to pay off your Tinkoff debt on another card. You'll need to present proof of debt repayment afterwards, and this option is available once a year. The second interest-free period is the standard one, which activates with your first purchase on the card and is constantly updated. For example, my new interest-free period started on July 26, after I received my statement, and on August 26, the outstanding balance will be displayed - the amount I spent on my credit card from July 26 to August 26, and I'll need to pay off this debt by September 20 (55 days from July 26 to September 20). This will all be shown in the app, so you can't make a mistake. But don't forget - even a day's delay can result in thousands of rubles in interest, and you'll have to write a negative review about your carelessness.

For the sake of simplicity, the principle of working with interest-free periods on Tinkoff credit cards can be divided into two stages: spending time and debt repayment time. In practice, it looks like this:

You spend money on your credit card for a month (the billing period) - that's your 30 days of spending. At the end of the period, the bank freezes your current balance, sends you a statement, and gives you up to 25 days without interest to pay off the debt. All your transactions after receiving the statement will fall into the next interest-free period - that's your new 30 days of spending, which the bank will freeze in the next statement and give you another 25 days to pay off without interest.

The interest-free period is quite short. For example, there are cards with interest-free periods of 120 days, 180 days, and even 365 days, but I'm happy with 55 days.

The annual card maintenance fee is 590 rubles, which isn't too much compared to other credit cards. And if you sign up for the promotion, like I did, the maintenance fee is free.

I have to say, the cashback system on my Tinkoff Platinum credit card is a bit of a letdown. It's similar to the one on my Tinkoff debit card, but instead of getting cashback in rubles, I get points that can only be used to cover specific purchases.

Here's the thing - you can use your bonus points to pay for:

Train tickets Restaurants, cafes, bars, and food delivery Mobile services and extras with Tinkoff Mobile

One thing I didn't know about my Tinkoff Platinum credit card is that I can get a free payment sticker. This sticker is usually 700 rubles with the debit card, but I've got the inside scoop on how to get it for free, and I'll share it with you here.

And for me, one of the biggest perks of my Tinkoff Platinum credit card is the ability to transfer up to 50,000 rubles per month without any fees. Withdrawals from my card come with fees, but transferring money to my debit account is completely free, and that's a big plus.

For example, some people use this trick to transfer 50,000 rubles at the start of the billing period, put it on a short-term deposit or a savings account, and then top up their card at the end. They don't pay any transfer fees, get a bonus for being in the interest-free period, and earn an extra 400-500 rubles. It's a clever way to earn some extra cash.

More advanced users take advantage of the interest-free period by transferring funds to their debit account and then topping up their credit card, essentially extending the interest-free period. For example, let's say you've spent 10,000 rubles on the card, and you have 25 days left until the end of the interest-free period to pay off the balance. In this case, you can withdraw 10,000 rubles from the credit card to your debit account (which is free for up to 50,000 rubles per month), and then immediately transfer that amount back to the credit card. The debt will still be there, but you'll have 80 days to pay it off instead! But don't tell anyone I told you this trick.

I'm really impressed with the Tinkoff Platinum card, and so far, I've never had to pay any interest on it - in fact, I've even earned 3,000 rubles in rewards. It's easy to use and transparent, with no hidden pitfalls, making it perfect for those who are new to credit cards. My only complaints are that I wish the cashback rewards were in rubles, the credit limit was higher, and the interest-free period was longer.

I highly recommend it!