How to Earn Points on Rent and Utilities With Credit Cards (2026 Guide)

Rent is your single largest monthly expense, and most people earn absolutely nothing on it. While you're swiping your travel card for a $12 lunch, you're writing a $2,000 check for rent and getting zero points back. That's thousands of dollars in rewards walking out the door every year.

The good news: there are several legitimate, tested methods to earn points on rent and utilities. Some are free. Some cost a small fee. All of them can meaningfully accelerate your travel rewards — especially when combined with a smart card strategy.

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Why Rent and Utilities Are the Hidden Goldmine

Think about the math. If your rent is $2,200/month, that's $26,400/year going to your landlord. At 2x points per dollar on a good travel card, that's 52,800 points annually — enough for a round-trip to Europe, a couple of domestic flights, or multiple nights at a nice hotel.

Add utilities ($150–$300/month) and you're looking at another 3,600–7,200+ points per year.

The reason most people skip this: landlords don't accept credit cards directly, and utility auto-pay tends to go through ACH bank transfers. But workarounds exist.

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Method 1: Plastiq (Pays Landlords by Check or ACH)

Plastiq lets you pay almost any bill — rent, mortgage, HOA fees, utilities — with a credit card. They charge a fee of around 2.9% per transaction, which is important to factor in.

Does it make sense financially?

Scenario	Monthly Rent	2.9% Fee	Points Earned (2x)	Net Value at 1.5¢/pt
Worth it	$2,000	$58	4,000 pts	$60 value
Break-even	$2,000	$58	4,000 pts	~$60 value
Not worth it	$2,000	$58	2,000 pts (1x card)	$30 value

Bottom line: Plastiq is worth it only if you're earning 2x+ on the payment AND valuing points at more than 1.5 cents each. Chase Sapphire Reserve, Amex Platinum, and premium travel cards can justify this.

It's also worth it when you're working toward a sign-up bonus. Paying 3 months of rent through Plastiq might help you hit a $4,000 spend requirement fast, earning 60,000–80,000 bonus points — worth far more than the fees paid.

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Method 2: Bilt Rewards Mastercard (Zero-Fee Rent Payments)

This is the cleanest option if it works for your situation. The Bilt Rewards Mastercard was built specifically to earn points on rent — with no transaction fees.

How it works:

• Pay rent through the Bilt app
• Bilt sends payment to your landlord (by check or direct transfer)
• You earn 1x Bilt Points per dollar on rent

Bilt Points transfer to United, American, Alaska, Hyatt, World of Hyatt, IHG, Marriott, Air Canada, Turkish Airlines, and more — at 1:1 ratios for most.

The caveat: You must use the card for at least 5 transactions per statement month, or you earn 0 points on rent that month. Use it for small purchases (coffee, groceries) throughout the month to stay eligible.

Also worth noting: Bilt offers 2x on travel, 3x on dining, and 1x on everything else, with no annual fee. It's a genuinely good everyday card even beyond rent.

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Method 3: Utility Payments Through Card Portals

Some utilities — especially phone, internet, and cable — do accept credit cards directly. Others allow payment through their customer portal with a card, sometimes with a small processing fee (~1.5–2%).

Utility Type	Accepts Credit Card?	Typical Fee
Internet / Cable	Usually yes	Often free or $1–2 flat
Cell phone	Yes (most carriers)	Usually free
Electric / Gas	Varies by provider	Sometimes 2–3%
Water / Sewage	Rarely	Often not available
HOA fees	Via Plastiq	2.9% (Plastiq fee)

Hack: AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile all accept credit card payments with no fee when set to auto-pay. Running a $150–$200/month phone bill through a 3x card like the Amex Gold (which earns 3x on "select U.S. restaurants and U.S. supermarkets" — not utilities) or a flat 2x card earns meaningful rewards over a year.

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Method 4: Prepaid Debit Cards + Money Orders (Advanced)

This method is for points maximizers who don't mind some legwork:

1. Buy a Visa or Mastercard prepaid debit card with a rewards credit card (often triggers as a purchase, not a cash advance)
2. Load it with the rent amount
3. Use the prepaid card to buy a money order at Walmart (usually $0.70–$1)
4. Pay rent with the money order

Some cards code prepaid card purchases as regular spending; others code as cash advances (which earn no points and have immediate interest). Test with a small amount first.

This method is mostly viable with Amex cards and certain Visa Signature cards that don't block prepaid purchases. It's more of a hobby for dedicated points collectors, but can yield serious rewards with no third-party fees.

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Best Cards to Use for Rent and Utilities

Card	Rent/Utility Earn Rate	Annual Fee	Best For
Bilt Rewards Mastercard	1x on rent (no fee)	$0	Renters wanting no-fee option
Chase Sapphire Reserve	2x on all (+ Plastiq)	$550	Premium travel redemptions
Amex Gold	1x (unless via offer)	$325	Hitting sign-up bonus fast
Citi Double Cash	2% (2x effective)	$0	Simple, no-category earner
Venture X	2x on everything	$395	Broad 2x with good redemptions

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The Sign-Up Bonus Strategy

If you're new to a card, the fastest way to make rent payments work for you is the welcome bonus. Most premium travel cards require $3,000–$6,000 in spending within the first 3 months.

Using Plastiq for two months of rent can knock out much of that requirement, even after fees. A 60,000–80,000 point bonus easily offsets $100–$150 in Plastiq fees.

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What to Watch Out For

Cash advance coding: Some issuers treat payments via services like Plastiq as cash advances. Always verify by checking your statement after the first transaction. Chase cards are generally safe with Plastiq; some Amex cards have flagged it historically.

Bilt's transaction requirement: Miss the 5-transaction threshold in a month? You earn zero rent points. Set up a reminder or small recurring subscription on the card.

Fee math on flat rewards cards: A 2% flat card earns 2 cents per dollar. Plastiq charges 2.9 cents per dollar. You're losing money. Only use Plastiq with cards earning 2x+ on valuable currencies (Chase Ultimate Rewards, Amex MR, Hyatt points) where each point is worth 1.5¢ or more.

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Stacking Utilities Into Your Broader Points Strategy

The best approach isn't to treat rent and utilities as a separate problem — it's to fit them into your overall points-earning system. If you're already earning 3x on dining and 2x on travel, utilities are one of the last categories where you're probably leaving points on the table.

Use Faroway to build your trip itinerary and see exactly how many points you'll need — then work backwards to figure out which monthly expenses to route through which cards to hit your goal.

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Putting It Together

You don't have to use every method. Even one change can make a meaningful difference:

• Renters: Get the Bilt card. It earns points on rent for free. There's no reason not to.
• Homeowners: Consider Plastiq for mortgage payments if you can hit 2x+ earn and are working toward a sign-up bonus.
• Everyone: Put phone and internet bills on a card that earns at least 2x. It takes 5 minutes and earns points indefinitely.

A family spending $2,500/month on rent, $100 on phone, $80 on internet, and $200 on electricity can realistically earn 30,000–50,000 extra points per year just by routing these bills correctly.

That's a free flight, a hotel night at a Hyatt, or a solid chunk of a European trip — without spending a single dollar more than you already are.

Ready to put those points to work? Head to Faroway to build a personalized trip itinerary around your rewards balance and figure out exactly where those points can take you.