Card installments for short-term rentals — interest can add up

You might look into short-term rentals for a few months, but when you calculate that several months’ rent is due at signing, it can be scary.
So you check whether you can split the payment with a card plan. But card installments are offered by the card company and usually include interest, so they’re not a full solution.

We summarized whether you can split rent without interest, and what conditions apply if you can.

Why do short-term rental contracts create a big upfront cost?

Short-term rentals are paid at the time of contract.
Samsam M2 runs contracts on a weekly basis, and payment completes the contract immediately.
There’s no stage where you just pay a deposit and settle the rest later.
So the longer the contract, the larger the one-time payment at signing.
For example, if you sign for about 3 months (90 days), you need to prepare the full rent for that period at the contract time.

Card installments aren’t a complete fix

Many people check card installments to lower the upfront burden.
But installments are a service from card issuers, and they generally add interest (fees) depending on the installment period.
So while the payment is “spread out,” you end up paying extra interest.
This applies regardless of which short-term rental platform you use — it’s dictated by card company policy.

plott LIFE lets you pay monthly without interest

This option isn’t available on Samsam M2.

On plott LIFE, for contracts of 28 days or more, rent can be split into monthly platform-managed payments instead of card installments.
Because the contract itself is set up for monthly payments—not a card company installment—no installment interest is added.
Note that this doesn’t apply to contracts under 28 days, so keep that in mind.

How different is it for a 3-month (90-day) contract?

Assume rent is ₩1,000,000 per month and you sign for 3 months (90 days).
With Samsam M2, you’d pay ₩3,000,000 at signing.
With plott LIFE direct listings that support monthly billing (28+ days), you’d pay ₩1,000,000 three times—once each month.

Even for the same 3 months, the amount you have to prepare at once can be very different.

Short-term rental payment method comparison

Source: Samsam M2 · plott LIFE official websites (as of 2026)

FAQ — Card installments & monthly payments for short-term rentals

Q. Can card installments for short-term rentals be interest-free?

A. No. Card installments are a card company service and typically include interest depending on the installment term.
If you want to split payments without interest, check whether the platform supports monthly billing rather than relying on card installments.

Q. Does plott LIFE’s monthly billing work for any contract?

A. No. It’s only supported for contracts of 28 days or more.
For contracts under 28 days, the full rent is due at the start of the contract.

Q. Is there no way to split payments monthly on Samsam M2?

A. Correct. Samsam M2 requires full payment at signing regardless of contract length.
Unless you use card installments, there’s no separate monthly split option.

This option isn’t available on Samsam M2, so the difference becomes more noticeable the longer you stay.

Instead of preparing several months’ rent at once, consider signing a 28+ day contract on plott LIFE and paying monthly without interest.

plott LIFE — a worry-free short-term rental platform

Direct listings from ₩0 deposit · flexible stays from 7 days · all-in-one monthly rent · fully furnished studios