You manage multiple credit products, and your score reflects that discipline. But RBI’s new authentication framework, effective April 2026, changes how every card transaction is verified. If the friction pushes you to stop using certain cards, your credit mix takes the hit.
What Changed and Why It Matters to Your Score
RBI’s revised authentication framework applies to all digital payments, including UPI, credit and debit cards, and mobile wallets. The biggest shift for card users: merchants can no longer store your full card details without tokenisation. Every online purchase now requires either a tokenised card or re-entering your details from scratch.
For someone with two or three active credit cards, this creates a real risk. If you stop using a card because checkout feels clunky, that card goes dormant. A dormant card still exists on your CIBIL report, but it stops contributing to active credit mix diversity. Over six months, this can cost you 10 to 20 points.
Credit mix carries 10% weight in your CIBIL score. On a 900-point scale, that is up to 90 points at stake.
Tokenise Every Card This Week
Tokenisation replaces your card number with a unique token stored by the merchant. Your full card details stay only with your card issuer. Merchants see only your last four digits and name.
Here is what to do:
- Open each bank’s app or net banking portal
- Look for “tokenise card” or “manage tokens” in card settings
- Grant explicit consent for token creation on your frequently used merchants
This takes five minutes per card. Once done, online checkouts stay seamless. You avoid the friction that makes people abandon cards.
If you skip this step, every online purchase will require manual card entry. That is exactly the kind of annoyance that leads to card abandonment.
Set Up Biometric and Device-Based Authentication
The new framework supports multiple verification methods beyond OTP. Biometric verification through fingerprint or facial recognition on your device is now a valid authentication option. Device binding links your identity to a specific trusted device through cryptographic keys.
Steps to activate:
- Update your banking apps to the latest version
- Enable biometric login in each app’s security settings
- Register your primary device for device-based authentication
This removes the OTP wait entirely for most transactions. Faster checkouts mean you actually keep using all your cards, not just the one with the easiest login.
Risk-based authentication also means low-value transactions from familiar devices may need minimal verification. The system learns your patterns.
Never Close a Card to “Simplify” Your Portfolio
This is the most common mistake in your score range. Closing an old card feels tidy, but it damages two score factors at once. Your credit mix narrows, and your average credit age drops.
Instead of closing unused cards:
- Set a small recurring charge on each card. A ₹200 to ₹500 monthly subscription works perfectly.
- Pay the balance in full each month via autopay.
- Keep the card active without increasing your spending.
A card with 8 years of clean history is adding significant value to your credit profile every single day. Closing it erases that contribution from future score calculations.
Read our 2-Minute Tip on how guarantor liabilities quietly show up on your report. Hidden exposures can offset the mix diversity you have built.
Use Faster CIBIL Updates to Your Advantage
Since January 2025, RBI mandates that all lenders update credit bureau records every 15 days instead of monthly. This means your positive behaviour is reflected in your score within 2 to 4 weeks.
How to use this:
- Pay down any elevated card balances before the 15th or month-end reporting dates
- Make small purchases on less-used cards just before these dates to show activity
- Check your CIBIL report fortnightly to verify updates are accurate
For someone maintaining a 750+ score, this faster cycle is an advantage. Corrections and positive changes appear twice as fast as before. Errors get caught sooner too. Pull your report regularly from the Airtel app to stay ahead.
Your Maintenance Checklist for the New Rules
Protecting your credit mix under the new framework comes down to consistent small actions:
- Tokenise all cards across your most-used merchants within one week
- Enable biometric authentication on every banking app
- Set a ₹200 to ₹500 recurring charge on every card you own
- Pay all balances in full via autopay before statement dates
- Review your CIBIL report every 15 days through the Airtel app
None of these actions take more than 10 minutes individually. Together, they ensure that regulatory changes never erode the credit diversity you have spent years building. Your score is strong. These habits keep it that way.
Cross-link: Track your score changes fortnightly using the CIBIL Score Tracker in the Airtel app.
