Bank benefits and Credit card reward programmes

Bank related questions

Q:

1. I have a question regarding banking. If the bank gives you $200 credit in your account for opening a new account and then charges $35.00 for bank fees every month. Is it permissible to use that $200 to pay their fees? If not, what is the correct approach to take? Should a person try to refuse taking that money or take it and give it to Sadaqah without intention of sawab? 

2. If the bank offers you a free service such as a safety deposit box for having a certain type of account is it permissible to take advantage of that? 

3. Also, is it permissible to use points earned on credit card spending to pay fines, speeding tickets, taxes etc?

4. If a person forgets to make a payment and the credit card company charges a late fee or interest. Is it permissible to use the point to pay for such fees?

Nedbank Greenbacks

Q: Is it permissible to redeem Nedbank Greenbacks for cash? Greenbacks Rewards is easy to understand and easy to use. You earn Greenbacks every time you swipe your linked Greenbacks card on eligible spend.

The Greenbacks Rewards Programme has a monthly linkage fee of R17, which is charged in arrears. Choose how you spend your rewards, your rewards are automatically loaded onto your "Free Shop Card" which you can use at over 100 000 stores, withdraw as cash from any ATM and even use it overseas. The Choice is yours.

Points and gifts from the bank

Q: Few common bank related queries:

1) Zaid had a debit card with Conventional Bank International for many years. Later on the bank introduced a points system of rewarding the users of the debit card for the purchasers made with the card. The value of points awarded have no relationship with his bank balance and therefore its not given as a benefit of a loan made. The bank receives a commission from the supplier for every purchase made by the purchaser and in turn filters some of the benefits back to the purchaser via a points system. Will these points be permissible for the cardholder to use.

2) Some scholars view deposits held by the bank as qabda of amaan with the ijaazat of tasarruf. Does hazrat agree with this?

3) Is it permissible to accept gifts in general from banks.

Paying interest on one's credit card

Q: A month ago my dad bought a phone on credit card. And if we pay the money used within 54 days then no interest charged. However my dad couldn't pay and now the time period is over for no interest. So now next Friday according to him he will pay. But now is there any way of avoiding interest. He only bought a phone he uses and nothing else. Please help us out and tell us how can we get rid of this card.

eBucks

Q: I would like to know what is the sha'ree ruling on e-bucks. Many family people use it and I want to show them the sha'ree ruling.

Deriving benefit from the bank

Q: A person chooses to deposit his additional cash in the bank for safe keeping due to safety concerns. He has no intention of loaning these funds to the bank. Will these funds still be treated as a loan to the bank if he has no intention of loaning it to the bank at the time of depositing?