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Does your landlord let you use a credit card for paying rent? If so, you can get purchase rewards from one of your largest monthly expenses, just like you would when using a credit card to pay your mortgage. While there may be a few factors that make paying with a credit card different, it can be worth it. Plus, this can also be a great opportunity to earn limited-time credit card offers.
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
Editor’s Note: Some of the offers below may have expired or are no longer available on our site.
Your landlord may have you pay the credit card transaction fee. Most rent payment apps charge processing fees between 2.5% and 3.0%. That’s between $25 and $30 in fees with each rent payment.
Paying the fee can still be worth it when you can make each credit card point worth more than 3 cents each. This is possible when booking award flights. In particular, first-class award flights tend to be the most valuable with each point worth as much as 6 cents each.
Best Credit Card for Paying Rent Options
In most cases, the best credit card for paying rent lets you transfer points to frequent flyer programs at a 1:1 ratio. That is, 1,000 credit card points are worth 1,000 frequent flyer miles. Booking flights directly through the airline is the most consistent way to get the most mileage from each point.
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
New Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card cardholders can earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $750 when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
You can transfer your points at a 1:1 ratio to airline and hotel partners. Some of the best airline transfer partners include:
- United Airlines
- Avianca LifeMiles
- British Airways
- Emirates
- Flying Blue
- Singapore Airlines
You also get valuable Chase Sapphire Preferred benefits like travel and primary rental car insurance. The annual fee is $95.
Also, enjoy Chase Sapphire benefits such as a $50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit, 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3x points on dining, and 2x points on all other travel purchases, plus more.
The Platinum Card from American Express
Frequent flyers who enjoy airport lounge access and other premium perks should consider the Platinum Card® from American Express.
New The Platinum Card® from American Express cardmembers can earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $6,000 on purchases on their new Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership.
Learn more: Johnny Jet Recommended Credit Cards
Cardholders earn 5x Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel, up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year. Cardholders also earn 5x points on prepaid hotel bookings through amextravel.com.
There are plenty of airline transfer partners as well. Some of the airline transfer partners include:
- Delta Air Lines
- ANA
- Asia Miles
- British Airways
- Emirates
- Singapore Airlines
- Qantas
This card can be well worth it if you fly often.
Additional Benefits
The Platinum Card from American Express also offers these benefits.
Cardholders earn 5x Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel, up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year, and earn 5x Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
Cardholders can get $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings with American Express Travel when they pay with your Platinum Card®.
Also, select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Card.
Plus, American Express has expanded The Centurion® Network to include 40+ Centurion Lounge and Studio locations worldwide. Now there are even more places your Platinum Card® can get you complimentary entry and exclusive perks.
Other Platinum Card from American Express Benefits
There’s also a digital entertainment credit, making this card one of the best for streaming services. Cardholders can get up to $20 in statement credits each month when they pay for eligible purchases with the Platinum Card® at your choice of one or more of the following providers: Peacock, Audible, SiriusXM, The New York Times, and other participating providers. Enrollment required.
In addition to enjoying TSA PreCheck or Global Entry access, cardholders can also enjoy CLEAR perks. Breeze through security with CLEAR® Plus at 45+ airports nationwide and get up to $189 back per year on your membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Card.
Another exciting benefit is the ability for cardholders to get up to $300 back each year on an Equinox+ subscription or any Equinox club membership when they pay with their Platinum Card. Enrollment required. Learn more.
Plus, get a $155 Walmart+ credit, which covers the cost of a $12.95 monthly Walmart+ membership with a statement credit after you pay for Walmart+ each month with your Platinum Card. The cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax.
Get the full details and learn more in our in-depth The Platinum Card from American Express review.
The annual fee is $695 (See Rates & Fees) but can be offset with the perks, which are valued at over $1,400.
Learn more: Johnny Jet Recommended Credit Cards
Amex EveryDay Credit Card
The information for the Amex EveryDay Credit Card has been collected independently by Johnny Jet. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card doesn’t have an annual fee (See Rates & Fees) and earns Membership Rewards. Despite not having an annual fee, you can transfer your points to airline partners. You can’t do this with the Chase credit cards without an annual fee, for instance.
You earn 2x points on the first $6,000 in annual purchases at US supermarkets (then 1 point per $1). All other purchases earn 1 point per $1 with the Amex EveryDay Credit Card.
What makes this card fun is the monthly purchase rewards bonus. By making at least 20 purchases in a billing cycle, you get 20% more points. This bonus can help offset potential fees when paying rent.
The current welcome bonus 10,000 Membership Rewards ($100 value) after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months. You can easily reach this bonus by only paying your rent.
Citi Premier Card
The Citi Premier® Card is another top-notch travel rewards card.
New Citi Premier® Card cardmembers can earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. This bonus is redeemable for $600 in gift cards when redeemed at thankyou.com.
There is also an annual $100 hotel benefit after spending $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) on a single hotel stay purchased through thankyou.com.
Citi Premier Card airline transfer partners include:
- Asia Miles
- Avianca LifeMiles
- Flying Blue
- Qantas
- Singapore Airlines
- Turkish Airlines
With the exception of JetBlue, the other Citi ThankYou transfer partners are international airlines. This can be a good card for international travel as a result.
Your purchases can earn up to 3 ThankYou points:
- 3x ThankYou points on air travel, hotels, supermarkets, restaurants, and gas stations
- 1x points on all other purchases
Related: Best Credit Cards for International Travel
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card can be a good option if you prefer simplicity. You earn 2 miles per $1 spent on all purchases. So, a $1,000 rent payment earns 2,000 miles.
Each mile is worth 1 cent each when redeemed for travel statement credits or booking award travel through Capital One. A third option is transferring your miles to leading travel loyalty programs. However, the transfer ratio is either 1.5:1 or 2:1 meaning you get fewer miles than the miles you transfer.
The Capital One airline transfer partners include:
- Avianca LifeMiles
- Flying Blue
- Emirates
- Qantas
- Singapore Airlines
You will need to be selective when you transfer your Capital One miles to get the most value.
One nice benefit to consider the Venture Card is that the annual fee is only $95.
However, if you are wanting to earn a few more miles on travel, good news—earn 5x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. Plus, Venture cardholders will earn 5x miles when booking through the Turo app or on Turo.com (through May 16, 2023).
Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel, with the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.
Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Card
Southwest’s flagship card, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card, tends to have the most perks:
- $75 annual Southwest travel credit
- 4 Upgraded Bookings per year (when available)
- 25% back on inflight purchases
- 7,500 bonus Rapid Rewards each card anniversary
Cardholders earn unlimited:
- 3x points on Southwest® purchases
- 2x points on local transit and commuting, including rideshares
- 2x points on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming purchases
New Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card cardholders can earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Paying the rent with your credit card can be worth it if it means your travel mate can fly for only the cost of fees and taxes. On most flights, the fees and taxes are normally $5.60 each way.
Learn more: Best Southwest Credit Card Offers
Transfer or Redeem Credit Card Points?
Two of the best transfer programs are:
Most credit card points are only worth 1 cent each when booking award travel through the credit card rewards portal.
If you don’t prefer to transfer points, paying rent fees can still be worth it to earn a valuable signup bonus. The hefty bonus can offset any fees.
And, you may also only use your credit card for paying rent to meet a spending minimum to qualify for a bonus. Without the rent payment, maybe you could spend $4,000 in the first 3 months, for instance. Then you can keep paying rent directly from your checking account.
Summary of the Best Credit Card for Paying Rent Options
Paying rent is an easy way to make a large monthly purchase. Large purchases make it easier to earn those hard-to-reach minimum spending requirements. You can also earn plenty of rewards points from a single purchase.
FAQs
Can rent be paid by credit card?
It’s possible to pay rent by credit card if your landlord accepts credit card payments. They may use invoicing software or a dedicated rent payment app. If the landlord accepts credit cards, most likely you can use a Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or Discover card to pay rent.
However, either the tenant or the landlord will need to pay credit card processing fees. These fees are usually between 2.5% and 3% of the purchases total.
Is it worth paying rent by credit card?
You may need to pay a processing fee between 2.5% and 3% when paying rent by credit card. Unless you’re trying to earn a signup bonus or can redeem your points for at least 3 cents each, it’s not worth paying by credit card.
The best way to make each point worth at least 3 cents each is transferring them to an airline and booking award flights.
Most credit card points are worth 1 cent each which is less than than the fee. This is the standard redemption value for travel statement credits, cash rewards, and gift cards.
Is paying rent with a credit card considered a cash advance?
Rent payments via credit card are not considered a cash advance. This is because the rent payment app processes the payment as a new purchase. While you won’t pay a cash advance APR, you might pay credit card processing fees. This one-time fee is between 2.5% and 3% of the payment amount.
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, please click here.
For rates and fees of The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card, please click here.
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