The standard way to pay a loan is in cash, either with a bank account transfer or a check. If money has been tight, or if you're hoping to earn cash back on the loan payment, you may be asking yourself can you pay off a loan with a credit card. It's possible, but in most cases, it's going to cost you.
Can you pay a loan with a credit card?
Yes, you can pay a loan with a credit card, but it's usually less convenient and comes with extra fees. If you can afford to make your loan payment from your bank account, that tends to be the better option.
Hardly any lenders accept credit card payments. They almost always require you to pay with an ACH transfer from your bank account or a check. There are, however, a few workarounds that allow you to pay loans using credit cards. Here are your options if you want to do this.
Transfer the loan to a balance transfer credit card
A balance transfer credit card can be used to transfer over your debt and pay it off at a lower interest rate. These cards often have a low introductory interest rate on balance transfers. The top options offer a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 12 months or longer, so they're a fantastic way to save on interest charges. You can compare a few of them below.
If you're going to pay off a loan with a credit card, a balance transfer will likely be the cheapest option. There are a few things to keep in mind, though:
- Not every balance transfer card works with loans. Some only let you transfer over credit card debt. Check with the credit card issuer first to see what its rules are.
- The interest rate will increase after the introductory period ends. If you won't be able to pay off the balance within that time frame, you could end up paying expensive interest charges.
- There's normally a balance transfer fee of between 3% and 5% charged by the credit card company.
- The loan amount you transfer, plus any balance transfer fee, can't exceed the card's credit limit (the maximum amount that can be spent on the card).
LEARN MORE: A Complete Guide to Balance Transfers
Get a cash advance
A cash advance is when you get cash using your credit card. You can do this at an ATM after setting up a PIN on your credit card. The credit card issuer might also offer convenience checks tied to your credit card account. These can be used just like checks from a bank account.
Cash advances aren't recommended as anything but a last resort. They usually have higher interest rates than purchases, and the card issuer can start charging you interest on the advance immediately. There's no grace period, like there is with purchases you make on a credit card.
LEARN MORE: How Does a Credit Card Cash Advance Work?
Redeem credit card rewards to make the payment
If you have any credit card rewards that are redeemable for cash back, you could put them towards a loan payment. Depending on the card, you could have your cash rewards transferred to your bank account or mailed to you as a check. You can normally do this with cash back credit cards as well as some rewards credit cards that earn points.
LEARN MORE: How Do Credit Card Points Work?
This option won't work for everyone, since you need to have some credit card rewards saved to do it. But if you've been using a rewards card and you need some money for a loan payment, don't forget that you can cash in those rewards.
Credit card comparison
We recommend comparing options to ensure the card you're selecting is the best fit for you. To make your search easier, here's a short list of standout credit cards.
| Offer | Our Rating | Welcome Offer | Rewards Program | APR | Learn More |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chase Freedom Unlimited® Apply Now for Chase Freedom Unlimited® OnChase'sSecure Website. | Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars. 5.00/5Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.5 stars equals Best.4 stars equals Excellent.3 stars equals Good.2 stars equals Fair.1 star equals Poor.We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. | Up to $300 cash backEarn an extra 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) — worth up to $300 cash back. That's 6.5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 4.5% on dining and drugstores, and 3% on all other purchases. | 1.5% - 5% cash backEnjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 1.5% on all other purchases | Intro:0% Intro APR on Purchases and Balance Transfers for 15 months Purchases: 0% Intro APR on Purchases, 15 months Balance Transfers: 0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers, 15 months Regular:20.49% - 29.24% Variable | Apply Now for Chase Freedom Unlimited® OnChase'sSecure Website. |
Discover it® Cash Back | Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars. 5.00/5Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.5 stars equals Best.4 stars equals Excellent.3 stars equals Good.2 stars equals Fair.1 star equals Poor.We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. | Discover will match all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year.N/A | 1% - 5% CashbackEarn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places you shop each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and more, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases—automatically. | Intro: Purchases: 0%, 15 months Balance Transfers: 0%, 15 months Regular:18.24% - 28.24% Variable APR | |
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card | Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars. 5.00/5Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.5 stars equals Best.4 stars equals Excellent.3 stars equals Good.2 stars equals Fair.1 star equals Poor.We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. | 75,000 Miles75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening | 2X-5X milesEarn 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. | Intro: Purchases: N/A Balance Transfers: N/A Regular:19.99% - 29.99% (Variable) |
What about third-party payment services?
You may have read that you can pay off a loan with a credit card using a third-party payment service. The service that almost always gets mentioned is Plastiq, which allows consumers to pay most types of bills by credit card, but it filed for bankruptcy in May 2023.
Plastiq is still available, and there have been reports that it's processing credit card payments as usual (for a 2.9% fee). But I wouldn't recommend using it to pay a loan or any other type of bill. A bankruptcy filing indicates that the company is going through serious financial troubles, and those could affect payments. If your Plastiq payment is late or bounces, you're the one who's going to get charged a late fee and potentially have your credit score drop.
Should you pay a loan with a credit card?
It's generally not a good idea to pay a loan with a credit card, but this also depends on what your reason is for doing it. The most common reasons are:
You can't make the loan payment. In this case, you may want to pay by credit card so you don't miss your monthly payment and get hit with a fee.
The problem is that you'll end up in a "robbing Peter to pay Paul" situation. To pay one debt, you take out more debt with another company. And credit cards tend to have higher interest rates than loans, which is one reason a credit card balance can be even more difficult to pay off than a loan.
See if you have any other options before using your credit card to cover your loan payment. For example, the lender might be able to help you if you call and ask about a hardship program.
You want to save on interest with a balance transfer credit card. Since many balance transfer credit cards have a 0% intro APR on balance transfers, they can be a good choice for paying off loan debt.
This is the best reason to pay off a loan with a credit card. Just make sure you do the math on whether you'll be able to pay off everything during the intro period. Otherwise, you could end up paying more in interest once that intro period ends and your card's APR increases.
You want to earn credit card rewards on your loan payment. It's every rewards enthusiast's dream, but unfortunately, it's practically impossible to come out ahead because of fees. Credit cards only earn rewards on purchases, not balance transfers or cash advances.
FAQs
Yes, you can make your mortgage payment with a credit card, but it will most likely cost you extra. Mortgage lenders typically don't accept credit card payments. To pay by credit card, you would need to use a workaround, such as getting a cash advance. That type of transaction has an extra fee, and you get charged interest immediately, so it's not recommended.
In most cases, you can't get credit card rewards for making loan payments on a credit card. If you pay the loan through a cash advance or a balance transfer, you won't earn rewards on those types of transactions. If you pay using a third-party payment service, you could earn credit card rewards. However, the service fees will most likely outweigh the rewards you earn.
It's possible to transfer a loan onto a balance transfer credit card, but whether this is an option depends on the card issuer. Some credit card issuers allow it, whereas others only let you transfer credit card debt.
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By:Lyle Daly
Writer
Lyle Daly is a personal finance writer who specializes in credit cards, travel rewards programs, and banking. He writes for The Ascent and The Motley Fool, and his work has appeared in USA Today and Yahoo! Finance. He was born in California but currently lives as a digital nomad with a home base in Colombia.
Fact CheckedAshley Maready
Writer and Editor
Ashley Maready is a former history museum professional who made the leap to digital content writing and editing in 2021. She has a BA in History and Philosophy from Hood College and an MA in Applied History from Shippensburg University. Ashley loves creating content for the public and learning new things so she can teach others, whether it's information about salt mining, canal mules, or personal finance.
