Question

Asalamo aleikoum.Im a muslim living in Spain. I want to own a bank card to buy things from internet since without it I can’t. Are there any debit cards which are halal that you advice me to have. There are debit cards which are apparently halal: so you buy with the money you have in your account but when you read the policy and conditions document of the card you find that there are types of riba involved in case some scenarios take place. Is signing this document haram? If yes, what are other alternatives to buy things from the internet in a halal way?

Answer

We are not sure about how debit cards operate in Spain. In the UK, debit cards are linked to a person’s bank account and as soon as a transaction takes place using that card, money is taken from the bank account and there is no interest charged. If the debit cards in Spain work in the same manner then it would be permissible to utilise them.

If the structure of the card is such that interest charges could be applied in certain circumstances, however, if you make your payments on time etc you would not incur an interest charges, then it would be permissible for you to use the card provided you fulfil all the necessary conditions so that you do not incur any interest charges.

Fiqh al-Buyu 1:463

Answered by:
Ifta Research Fellow

Checked & Approved by:
Mufti Abdul Rahman Mangera
Mufti Zubair Patel