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Fatwa CenterHe needs a credit card to pay his university tuition fees
Question
I need to pay application fee to a University. The only way to submit the fee is by Credit Card. So there is no way to pay the fee except by a credit card. This card works like money and is very helpful for people. Whenever I use the card in any purchase, the company which issues the card gives the money to the seller (wherever the seller is) and then take the money plus service charges from me.
The card is issued after a contract between me and the card company. This contract has a condition. That if I delayed in payment, I will be fined. And so this is usury.
What is the ruling if I am sure that I will never fall into the interest condition? And the time to apply the Riba condition will never come IN SHA ALLAH.
If this is haraam, is it permissible for me to give the fee to my Christian colleague, and he pay for me by his card?
Note that the only way to pay the application fee is by this Card. And the University is very famous in the world, and I need to study in it.
Please advise us, may ALLAH reward you.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
Dealing with credit cards is permissible if it is free from Riba-based transactions as we clarified in Fatwa 84519.
However, if the contract of the credit card includes conditioning a fine in case of delay then it is not permissible to deal with it even if one is determined not to delay repayment while dealing with it and is sure to repay before the appointed time because the contact is void with this condition as we clarified in Fataawa 108346 and 88473.
Therefore, if you may get a credit card that is free of Riba-based conditions, then it is permissible for you to deal with it and pay the fees through it, and if you cannot find a card that is free from such conditions, then you may pay the fees to whoever has a credit card so that he would pay them with it to the university (on your behalf).
Allaah Knows best.
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