Split Payments: Can I Use 2 or More Credit Cards for a Transaction?

Breaking up one purchase across a few credit cards is possible, especially if you’re at a physical store. It’s more of a mixed bag online. You may get to the final checkout screen, only to find that splitting payments isn’t an option with that particular retailer.

Here’s what you need to know about split credit card payments.

» MORE: NerdWallet's best credit cards for everyday spending

Is it possible to pay with multiple credit cards?

Yes, many retailers let in-store shoppers spread a single purchase across two or more credit cards. For example, as of this writing, CVS, Macy’s and Walmart all allow the practice.

Whether you can split payments for online purchases is largely dependent on the merchant.

Target lets you break up online transactions into two or more credit cards, but Amazon doesn’t.

There’s another category of retailers that allows split payments, but you’ll need a PayPal account. At checkout, you’ll usually see a menu of payment options that can include credit card, gift card, or buy now, pay later. To split payments, select PayPal. Then, toggle the “Split” button to “on." From there, you can select which credit cards you’d like to pay with, and the amounts you want to charge to each.

Splitting payments with PayPal is generally limited to two credit cards.

Here’s a sampling of merchants that allow split payments when paying online with PayPal:

• CVS.

• Best Buy.

• Home Depot. 

• Nike.

• Zappos. 

And some examples of merchants that don’t, even with PayPal.

• Chewy.com.

• Kohl’s.

• Macy’s.

• Publix.

• Tractor Supply Co.

According to a PayPal spokesperson, it’s up to each merchant to decide whether to allow split payments with PayPal or not.

» MORE: NerdWallet's best credit cards for online shopping

Should you split a payment between credit cards?

There may be times when spreading a single payment among multiple credit cards makes sense. Say your car needed a major repair that costs $2,000. You have two credit cards, both with a $1,000 credit limit. You won’t be able to put the entire $2,000 mechanic’s bill on one credit card, so splitting it up across two cards is a logical solution.

Or maybe you’re renovating your kitchen for a total cost of $20,000, and you want to charge $4,000 of that amount to a new credit card because doing so would meet the spending requirement for the card’s sign-up bonus. You might ask the contractor to split the payment across two credit cards: $4,000 on the new card, and the remaining $16,000 on another card with a bigger credit limit.

But splitting payments won’t always be prudent, especially if you're not able to pay off the card balances immediately. Take the case of the car repair example above, for instance: Not only will you be subject to interest rates on two different cards (which will be expensive if you carry those balances month to month), but you'll also be maxing out both cards' credit limits, which will negatively affect your credit utilization rate, a key factor in credit scores.

Alternatives to splitting payments

If you consistently need to break up payments across credit cards, even for relatively small amounts, consider asking your issuer for a higher credit limit on one of those accounts. There's no guarantee you'll get it, but there's no penalty for you either way.

Alternately, if you have multiple cards from the same issuer, you can ask the issuer to combine portions of those credit limits. If the request is granted, the issuer will transfer a portion of the credit line from one card to another. For example, you could ask that $500 of your $1,000-limit card be moved to your $2,000-limit card.

If you're simply looking to finance a large transaction over time, consider: