Next: Tax
How income tax actually works
Slabs are marginal, so a raise never leaves you worse off — and just above the ₹12 lakh rebate sits a marginal relief that almost nobody mentions.
14 min
beginner
Buy now, pay later — and the debits you forgot
Pay-later at checkout is a loan dressed as a payment button, and an auto-debit is a permission you gave once. Both switch on easily and off quietly.
3 lessons · about 16 minutes · written for reading age 13 · last checked 2026-08-12
It is credit, not a payment button
Pay-later sits next to UPI at checkout, but a lender is paying the shop and you owe that lender — which is why RBI's digital lending rules cover it.
6 min
Four small pains instead of one
Splitting a price into four does not change the price — it changes when you feel it, and a flat late fee on a small instalment is a big number.
5 min
The permission you gave once
An auto-debit is a standing permission held by your bank or card issuer — which is where it is switched off, and where a forgotten subscription is found.
5 min
Check yourself
3 questions at the end. Every wrong answer explains itself.
Tools for this
Sources
- Reserve Bank of India (Digital Lending) Directions, 2025 — Reserve Bank of India · checked 2026-08-12
- Processing of e-mandate on cards for recurring transactions — DPSS.CO.PD.No.447/02.14.003/2019-20 — Reserve Bank of India · checked 2026-08-12
- Master Direction — Reserve Bank of India (Credit Information Reporting) Directions, 2025 — Reserve Bank of India · checked 2026-08-12