The balance has been leaked: major banks have begun to reset credit card limits
Russians are massively complaining about the zeroing of credit card limits, Izvestia found out. Market participants explain what is happening as an attempt to reduce the debt burden of customers, but most likely, banks are trying to avoid increasing reserves in order not to violate the requirements of the Central Bank. Credit cards are becoming less profitable for banks during a period of high interest rates against the background of growing financial literacy — people who pay with plastic only during the grace period, in fact, use borrowed funds at 0% per annum. Whether financial organizations will continue to worsen credit card conditions is in the Izvestia article.
Which banks lower credit card limits
Large banks have begun to reset the limits on issued credit cards, as evidenced by the massive complaints of Russians who studied Izvestia. Banks are trying to remove the debt burden from customers in order not to make large reserves and not to violate the requirements of the Central Bank. The trend is also noted by analysts at Freedom Finance Global and the investment company Rikom-Trust.
Renaissance Bank receives a lot of complaints about the zeroing of credit card limits, according to the reviews of the National rating " <url>". This was the decision of the organization faced by customers who never allowed delays and always used the grace period. Representatives of the bank only noted that the financial institution has the right to reduce the limit unilaterally.
Also in early autumn, Postbank customers were faced with massive notifications about the zeroing of credit limits. People received text messages warning them that it would be reset from September 9 and offering to issue a VTB card to transfer debt (the companies will merge in 2026). However, not everyone was able to get a card from a new bank.
However, the situation has also affected VTB's clients themselves. In several cases, active credit card users who did not allow late payments reported a sudden reset of the limit. They were reduced to zero or to the amount owed on several cards at once without prior notice, explanations, or the opportunity to prepare in advance. SMS notifications, if received, were received after the actual change, which led to the blocking of purchases and the inability to pay even daily expenses, despite customers' compliance with all bank conditions.
In response to complaints, the bank responds that it does not comment on the decisions taken and regularly reduces credit limits, taking into account the dynamics of the use of borrowed funds, changes in the credit burden and other factors.
A VTB client with premium status told Izvestia that he had two credit cards with limits of 150 thousand and 250 thousand rubles. During the vacation, the bank suddenly reset them, leaving funds on only one (for the amount owed in 72 thousand rubles). According to the employees, the decision was made automatically "to reduce the credit burden" and they cannot influence it, and a revision of the limit is possible only after 90 days. To regain access to funds, you will need to personally apply for a passport and submit an application at a bank branch.
The VTB press service clarified that adjusting credit card limits is a common market practice that applies to customers with an increased level of risk, high debt burden or overdue debts.
Izvestia sent inquiries to the banks indicated about the reasons for the zeroing of credit card limits.
The Central Bank does not see a general increase in complaints about the zeroing of limits, the regulator's press service said. Banks can limit credit card risks on their own, for example, due to increased delinquencies on previously issued loans.
The reduction of credit card limits began in November 2024, said Evgenia Lazareva, project manager of the Popular Front for Borrowers' Rights. It was then that the Central Bank launched limits on lending to customers with a high debt burden. As a result, by the end of 2025, more and more credit card holders began to face this. The trend will continue — there is no reason for it to stop yet, the expert added.
Why do banks reset credit card limits?
Banks can lower limits to equalize financial indicators and reduce reserves (money that is not actually used), the press service of Novik Bank noted. This is necessary to reduce the risk of a shortage of money in case of delays against the background of falling payment discipline, said Vladimir Chernov, analyst at Freedom Finance Global. Financial institutions are tightening their risk policies in response to an increase in overdue loans.
In addition, financially literate people use credit cards more often than others, and pay off all debts in an interest-free period, said Elman Mehdiyev, CEO of the Association for the Development of Financial Literacy (ARFG). Thus, they make their money work for them, clearly understanding when and what obligations must be fulfilled.
However, in this case, it turns out that the bank issues money at 0% per annum — the client, in fact, uses borrowed funds for free. At the same time, organizations attract this money in the market at an average of 14% (with the help of deposits). In other words, financially literate clients who do not allow delays become simply unprofitable for the market.
In addition, such clients can create losses for the bank, because credit cards often have an increased cashback, said Oleg Abelev, head of the analytical department at the Rikom-Trust investment company. According to him, banks often serve them at a loss, so they may well fall under the "zeroing" of limits more actively than customers with late payments.
At the same time, banks openly declare that they have become tougher towards customers who use credit cards, only while the interest-free period is underway. This was reported by Stanislav Tyves, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Uralsib. Some of them may block spending transactions and lower the limits on which the maximum amount of debt depends. In other words, the golden age of plastic with favorable grace periods and ever-increasing limits, which have been actively promoted in the last few years, is already in the past.
Nevertheless, the first in line to reset the limits may be credit card users with unstable income, high debt burden, active withdrawal of cash from credit cards, or customers whose incomes have sharply decreased, Vladimir Chernov believes. For market participants, these are risky users who may simply not repay the debt.
In the future, credit card conditions will remain tight until the key interest rate goes down and raising money becomes cheaper for the bank, he is sure. According to him, it is also important to change the limits of the Central Bank on loans to borrowers with high debt burden – if they are tightened, market participants will "cut" the limits more actively.
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