How to Earn Credit Card Points on Rent and Mortgage Payments

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• You can use a credit card to pay your rent or mortgage, but you'll usually have to pay fees.
• It can still be worth it if the rewards you'll earn outweigh the fees charged for using a credit card.
• The Bilt Mastercard® is a fee-free way to pay rent and earn valuable points, but mortgages aren't an option.
• Read Insider's guide to the best rewards credit cards.

For most people, housing is by far their most significant living expense. In fact, according to the 2021 Census Bureau's housing survey, the median rent payment is $1,184, while the median mortgage payment comes to $1,200 per month.

Imagine if you could turn that considerable expense into an almost-free vacation. While it used to be impossible to charge your rent or mortgage payments to a credit card to earn points, that has changed in recent years.

Several services let you pay your housing expenses with a credit card, and there's even a credit card designed for this very purpose. If you're looking to maximize your biggest expense, here's how to earn points on rent and mortgage payments and the best credit cards to use.

Services to pay your rent and mortgage with a credit card

Most banks don't accept credit cards for mortgage payments and you often can't pay your landlord directly with a card. You can still earn points on your rent and mortgage payments by utilizing a processing service. These platforms will let you pay with a credit card and send a bank transfer or check to your landlord. 

Most of these platforms charge a fee, though there are ways to reduce or eliminate these fees altogether. Here's a look at each service and what you'll pay to earn points on rent and mortgage payments:

Bilt Rewards

Bilt Mastercard®

Earn up to 1x points on rent payments without the transaction fee, up to 100,000 points each calendar year. Earn 2x points on travel. Earn 3x points on dining. Earn 1x points on other purchases. Earn points when you make 5 transactions that post each statement period.

Annual Fee

$0

Intro APR

N/A

Regular APR

See Terms

Intro Offer

N/A

Recommended Credit

Good to Excellent

• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Only credit card to offer rent payments to any landlord
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Excellent range of airline and hotel transfer partners through the Bilt App
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. World Elite Mastercard benefits and no annual fee

• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. If you’re not a renter, other cards offer better welcome bonuses and rewards
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Must make 5 transactions per statement period to earn points

• $0 Annual Fee.
• Earn up to 1x points on rent payments without the transaction fee, up to 100,000 points each calendar year.
• 2x points on travel.
• 3x points on dining.
• 1x points on other purchases.
• Earn points when you make 5 transactions that post each statement period.
• When renting at a Bilt Alliance property, you can choose to have your rent payments automatically reported by Bilt to the three major credit bureaus each month; Experian™, TransUnion™, and Equifax™.

Bilt Rewards is a relative newcomer but has already made a big splash with a competitive loyalty program and a rewards credit card. Bilt lets members earn points on rent payments, fee-free. Simply join Bilt Rewards and earn 250 points per rent payment made in the app. 

If you're a Bilt Mastercard® holder, you'll earn 1 point per dollar spent on rent, up to $100,000 per year. And if your landlord doesn't appear in Bilt's extensive database of property management companies, Bilt will still let you pay with a credit card and send a check or bank transfer on your behalf. 

You don't have to be a Bilt Mastercard® holder to use the Bilt rewards program. You'll just be limited to earning 250 points per payment and you can't use the bank transfer/check option if your landlord isn't listed in the Bilt network. 

The card also lets you earn additional points on everyday spending. It offers 3x points on dining, 2x on travel, and 1x on rent payments every month (up to $100,000 per year). It also lets you earn points on referrals (2,500 points per successful referral), and now every fifth successful referral earns you an additional 10,000 points (up to 2,025,000 referral points per year). 

On the first day of each month, Bilt runs its Rent Day promotion, where Bilt Mastercard® cardholders can earn double points on non-rent spending, up to a maximum of 10,000 bonus points.

When you're ready to redeem your points, you can transfer them to 14 airline and hotel loyalty programs including American AAdvantage, United MileagePlus, and World of Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio. 

Overall, both the Bilt Rewards program and the credit card are excellent products, considering they earn valuable rewards in common spending categories with no annual fee. 

Venmo

If your landlord accepts Venmo, you can earn points on rent payments by sending the money directly. The only downside is that Venmo charges a 3% fee on credit card transactions. This is really only worth doing if you're trying to meet a minimum spending requirement for a large credit card sign-up bonus. You'll pay a $35.52 fee for a $1,184 rent payment, which could be worthwhile in certain circumstances.

For example, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card currently has a welcome bonus offer of 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. That bonus is worth around $1,080 in travel, based on Insider's valuation of Chase points, when you transfer points to Chase's airline and hotel partners.

So if you're spending $120 to knock out the spending requirement via rent payments, it's worth it because of the outsized return. Still, you should explore other options before going this route.

Plastiq

Plastiq lets you pay both mortgage and rent with a credit card for a 2.85% fee and accepts most major issuers, except American Express. Plastiq is unique because it runs regular promotions that waive or reduce transaction fees. This can make earning points on rent and mortgage payments much cheaper. 

In the past, Plastiq offered discounted fees on payments made with Mastercard. The best way to make sure you don't miss out on these promotions is to opt-in to receive email notifications from Plastiq. 

Credit cards to use on rent and mortgage payments

Once you have a program picked out that lets you pay your rent or mortgage with a credit card, you'll want to choose a credit card that offers maximum rewards. Most of the above-mentioned platforms won't trigger category bonuses. So you'll want to use a credit card that earns more than 1 point per dollar spent on all spending or spending-based rewards. 

Citi Double Cash

Citi® Double Cash Card

Earn unlimited 2% cash back on purchases (1% when you buy and 1% as you pay)

Annual Fee

$0

Intro APR

0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months

Regular APR

19.24% - 29.24% Variable

Earn $200 cash back

Excellent, Good, Fair

• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. No annual fee
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Simple earning structure without confusing bonus categories

• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Some cards earn higher rates of cash back on rotating categories
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. While it has an introductory APR offer, that's only on balance transfers, not purchases, so you can't use it to fund a major expense without interest

The Citi® Double Cash Card is an excellent option for earning rewards on rent and mortgage payments. The card effectively earns 2 points per dollar — worth 2% cash back—  on all spending (1 point per dollar when you spend and 1 point per dollar when you pay the balance off). 

The best part? If you also have a Citi Premier® Card or Citi Prestige® Card (no longer available to new applicants), you can combine your ThankYou points. From there, you can transfer your points to Citi's full range of airline and hotel partners to book award travel.

Citi ThankYou is an excellent program with valuable partners like Avianca Lifemiles, Flying Blue, and Turkish Miles&Smiles. These programs offer some exceptional sweet spot awards that are significantly cheaper than most domestic reward programs. 

• 7,500 Turkish miles each way for an economy-class ticket to Hawaii 
• 15,000 Flying Blue miles each way for an economy ticket to the Caribbean
• 44,000 Etihad Guest miles one-way for Royal Air Maroc business class between the East Coast and Morocco
• 50,000 Virgin Atlantic points one-way for Delta One Suites to Europe
• 87,000 Avianca Lifemiles miles one-way for Lufthansa first class to Europe, without fuel surcharges

By charging your rent or mortgage to the Citi® Double Cash Card, these awards could be easier to reach.

Capital One Venture and Venture X

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Earn 5x miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. Earn unlimited 2x miles on every purchase.

Annual Fee

$95

Intro APR

N/A

Regular APR

19.99% - 29.99% variable

Earn 75,000 miles

Recommended Credit

Good to Excellent

• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. No bonus categories to keep track of
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Includes up to a $100 statement credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck

• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Other credit cards offer higher rewards in certain categories of spending

• 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
• Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
• Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
• Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
• Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
• Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase-or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
• Enrich every hotel stay from the Lifestyle Collection with a suite of cardholder benefits, like a $50 experience credit, room upgrades, and more
• Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card earn 2x points on almost all spending, including rent and mortgage payments.

What's great about these Capital One Venture cards is how flexible the rewards are. You can apply your Capital One miles towards travel purchases made with your card at 1 cent each or transfer them to over a dozen airline and hotel partners. These partners include Air Canada Aeroplan, British Airways, and Wyndham Rewards, giving you lots of solid options to redeem points for domestic or international travel. 

Capital One Venture X Rewards Card cardholders can benefit from the new Capital One Premier Collection premium hotel booking program, which offers elite-like perks at luxury hotels around the world.

Amex Blue Business Plus

The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express

Earn 2x Membership Rewards® Points on everyday eligible business purchases (on up to $50,000 per year in purchases, then 1X). Earn 1x Membership Rewards® Points on all other purchases.

Annual Fee

$0

Intro APR

0% intro APR on purchases for the first 12 months from account opening

Regular APR

18.49% - 26.49% Variable

Earn 15,000 Membership Rewards® points

Recommended Credit

Good to Excellent

• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. The rare no-annual-fee card to earn Amex Membership Rewards points
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Solid earning rate on the first $50,000 in purchases each year

• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. For spending above $50,000 each year, you will only earn 1 point per dollar

• Earn 15,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on the Card within your first 3 months of Card Membership.
• 0.0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening, then a variable rate, 18.49% - 26.49%, based on your creditworthiness and other factors at account opening. APR will not exceed 29.99%
• Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on everyday business purchases such as office supplies or client dinners. 2X applies to the first $50,000 in purchases per year, 1 point per dollar thereafter.
• You've got the power to use your Card beyond its credit limit* with Expanded Buying Power.
• *The amount you can spend above your credit limit is not unlimited. It adjusts with your use of the Card, your payment history, credit record, financial resources known to us, and other factors.
• No Annual Fee
• Terms Apply

 The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express is another underrated yet exceptional rewards card. It earns 2 Amex Membership Rewards points per dollar on the first $50,000 in purchases every year (then 1x) and it's a great card to keep in your wallet since it has no annual fee. The only downside is that this is a business card and not everyone likes mixing their personal and business spending. 

However, if you don't mind parsing out a single monthly expense from your business card spending, then it can be worthwhile. After all, the value of Amex points is among the highest on the market, with 20 airline and hotel transfer partners.

Southwest credit cards 

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card

Earn 3X points on Southwest® purchases. Earn 2 points on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases. Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare. Earn 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services, and select streaming. Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases.

Annual Fee

$99

Intro APR

N/A

Regular APR

21.49% - 28.49% Variable

Earn 50,000 bonus points

Recommended Credit

Good to Excellent

• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. You get 6,000 points each year after anniversary
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. You can earn Tier-Qualifying Points toward Southwest elite status for spending on the card

• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Annual fee

• Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• 6,000 anniversary points each year.
• Earn 3X points on Southwest® purchases.
• Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
• Earn 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services; select streaming.
• 2 EarlyBird Check-In® each year.
• No foreign transaction fees.
• Member FDIC

Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card

Earn 4X points on Southwest® purchases. Earn 3X points on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car partners. Earn 2X points on rideshare. Earn 2X points on social media and search engine advertising, internet, cable, and phone services and 1X points on all other purchases.

Annual Fee

$199

Intro APR

N/A

Regular APR

21.49% - 28.49% Variable

Earn 80,000 points

Recommended Credit

Good to Excellent

• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. 4x bonus points on Southwest purchases
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Valuable Southwest perks including four upgraded boardings per year, in-flight Wi-Fi credits, and 9,000 points each year on your anniversary

• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. $199 annual fee is on the high side

• Earn 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• 9,000 bonus points after your Cardmember anniversary.
• Earn 4X pts on Southwest® purchases.
• Earn 3X points on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partners.
• Earn 2X points on rideshare.
• Earn 2X points on social media and search engine advertising, internet, cable, and phone services and 1X points on all other purchases.
• 4 Upgraded Boardings per year when available.
• Member FDIC

The Southwest credit cards will only earn 1 point per dollar on rent and mortgage payments. But charging this considerable monthly expense to your card can be worthwhile for one significant reason: The Southwest Companion Pass. This coveted Companion Pass is one of the best deals in travel. It allows you to fly a designated companion with you for just the cost of taxes. This applies to both paid fares and award tickets.

The Southwest Companion Pass requires you to earn 135,000 points in a calendar year. The best way to earn qualifying points towards the Southwest Companion Pass is with welcome bonuses and spending from Southwest credit cards.

Apply for a card, throw in an average $1,184 rent or $1,200 mortgage payment, and you could earn enough points to earn free travel for a companion for at least a year.

Chase offers five Southwest cards:

Find the right Southwest credit card for you

Best for occasional Southwest flyers

Earn 2X points on Southwest® purchases. Earn 2 points on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases. Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare. Earn 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services, and select streaming. Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases.

Best Southwest card with a sub-$100 annual fee

Earn 3X points on Southwest® purchases. Earn 2 points on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases. Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare. Earn 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services, and select streaming. Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases.

Best for frequent Southwest flyers

Earn 3X points on Southwest® purchases. Earn 2 points on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases. Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare. Earn 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services, and select streaming. Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases.

Best Southwest card for small-business owners

Earn 3X points on Southwest Airlines® purchases. Earn 2X points on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car partners. Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare. 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.

Best Southwest card for premium perks

Earn 4X points on Southwest® purchases. Earn 3X points on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car partners. Earn 2X points on rideshare. Earn 2X points on social media and search engine advertising, internet, cable, and phone services and 1X points on all other purchases.

The World of Hyatt Credit Card

The World Of Hyatt Credit Card

Earn up to 9 points total for Hyatt stays (4 Bonus Points per $1 spent at Hyatt hotels and 5 Base Points per $1 from Hyatt as a World of Hyatt member). Earn 2 points per $1 spent at restaurants, on airline tickets purchased directly from the airlines, on local transit and commuting and on fitness club and gym memberships. Earn 1 point per $1 spent on other purchases.

Annual Fee

$95

Intro APR

N/A

Regular APR

21.49% - 28.49% Variable

Earn up to 65,000 bonus points

Recommended Credit

Good to Excellent

• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Valuable annual reward night
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Hyatt points are valuable, and this card earns 2x points on several bonus categories
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. If you spend a lot on this card, you can earn a second free night

• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Not too many extra benefits

• Earn 35,000 Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Plus, up to 30,000 More Bonus Points by earning 2 Bonus Points total per $1 spent in the first 6 months from account opening on purchases that normally earn 1 Bonus Point, on up to $15,000 spent.
• Enjoy complimentary World of Hyatt Discoverist status for as long as your account is open.
• Get 1 free night each year after your Cardmember anniversary at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort
• Receive 5 tier qualifying night credits towards status after account opening, and each year after that for as long as your account is open
• Earn an extra free night at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel if you spend $15,000 in a calendar year
• Earn 2 qualifying night credits towards tier status every time you spend $5,000 on your card
• Earn up to 9 points total for Hyatt stays – 4 Bonus Points per $1 spent at Hyatt hotels & 5 Base Points per $1 from Hyatt as a World of Hyatt member
• Earn 2 Bonus Points per $1 spent at restaurants, on airline tickets purchased directly from the airlines, on local transit and commuting and on fitness club and gym memberships
• Member FDIC

World of Hyatt is one of the few loyalty programs that still publish an award chart. That means you can plan and save up for a hotel stay in advance without worrying about whether redemption rates will significantly change when you're ready to redeem points. 

The World Of Hyatt Credit Card is an excellent card to charge your rent and mortgage payments to because of its elite status and free night incentives. Cardholders earn two nights towards elite status for every $5,000 spent, plus a free night after each account anniversary valid Category 1-4 hotels — and another free night (Category 1-4) for spending $15,000 in a calendar year.

Top-tier Hyatt Globalist status is incredibly valuable. It offers perks like complimentary breakfast, lounge access, and bonus points on paid stays. Not to mention, you earn Milestone awards on your way to top-tier status. Overall, this is a rewarding program that will pay off nicely if you charge your rent and mortgage payments to its co-branded card. 

Is paying your rent or mortgage with a credit card worth it?

If you can earn points on rent and mortgage payments without massive fees, it's absolutely worth it. Hotel points and airline miles can be worth upward of 2 cents each. Of course, the exact value varies greatly depending on the program and how you redeem your rewards. So keep in mind how you plan on using your rewards to determine whether the fees are worth it.

If you're trying to meet a spending requirement for a credit card sign-up bonus, paying fees through one of these services can certainly be worthwhile if the welcome bonus out-values the fees. 

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