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Can You Pay Bills With a Credit Card?

7 min read

Last Updated: May 29, 2025

Table of contents

Key Takeaways

You can pay some bills with a credit card, such as utility, phone, and medical bills.
A credit card cash advance may be an option for bills you can't typically pay with a credit card.
If you can’t repay your credit card balance in full after paying your monthly bills, interest charges may leave you with difficult credit card debt.

You may be able to pay certain bills with a credit card, but how do you know when it’s the right choice? Charging your bills may help streamline your bill-pay process, and you might even earn rewards for your spending. But you’ll need to pay off your credit card balance in full each month to avoid paying interest or ending up with credit card debt. Here are some things to consider about using your credit card to pay bills.

What bills can you pay with a credit card?

You may be able to pay a wide range of bills with a credit card, including utility, phone, cable, internet, streaming subscriptions, insurance, and medical bills.

Keep in mind that some companies charge convenience and transaction fees for paying a bill with a credit card. You can check with billing departments to verify payment policies.

Best practices for paying bills with a credit card

If you’re planning to pay bills with a credit card, there are a few best practices to keep in mind.

Consider limiting your bill pay to one card: Choosing one card for all your bill payments may make tracking and managing your spending easier than spreading payments over several cards.
Plan to pay your credit card in full each month: Paying interest on a bill increases the expense and can diminish the value of credit card rewards you may earn. Paying your balance in full and on time each month ensures you won’t pay interest or get charged a late fee. If you’re unable to pay your full credit card bill on time, be sure to pay at least the minimum monthly payment.
Keep an eye on your credit utilization ratio: Your credit utilization (the amount of your total available credit in use) is one factor that impacts your credit score. You may hurt your credit score if you carry a sizeable monthly balance from bills or other purchases. It’s generally a bad idea to pay bills with your credit card that you can’t afford with your checking account.

Other ways to pay bills with your credit card

There are bills you can't typically pay with a credit card, like your mortgage, student loan, personal loan, and auto loan payments. But there are ways to utilize your credit card to pay these and other expenses.

Your credit card issuer may allow you to take a cash advance, where you borrow cash against your credit limit. There’s usually a cap to how much cash you can borrow, and interest charges (usually at a rate higher than your purchase interest rate) and fees may apply. In addition, interest charges often start the day you withdraw the cash from your credit card account, making this form of borrowing a costly option for paying bills. It may be best to save a cash advance for emergencies and not use it for a monthly bill.

If you’re struggling to cover payments for a loan with a high interest rate, you may consider a balance transfer to a credit card with a lower interest rate offer. While a balance transfer isn’t necessarily a payment method, it can make some bill management easier. Most credit card companies charge a fee for balance transfers (usually a percentage of the amount you’re transferring). But you may be able to save on interest with a low intro APR balance transfer. Your credit card company may even offer new cardmembers low introductory rates.

Should you pay bills with a credit card?

There are pros and cons to paying bills with a credit card. Weigh the good against the bad to decide if it’s the right move for you. Here’s a breakdown of what to consider.

The pros

You could earn rewards: Rewards credit cards generate cash back or miles you can use toward gift cards, travel, and more. If you have a card that offers credit card rewards on every purchase, using it to pay bills could put some of what you spend back in your pocket.
Paying with a credit card can help you pay on time: Setting up automatic bill pay using your credit card can make it easier to pay on time because you no longer have to remember multiple due dates. Plus, you can avoid cash flow issues that may lead to late payments (like if your paycheck usually comes in a few days after your bill is due).
Paying bills with your credit card can help you budget: When you charge all your bills to one credit card, you can use your credit card statement to track your payments and expenses. Plus, it may be easier to budget for one monthly bill (your credit card payment) than multiple payments.

The cons

You might run into fees: Some companies charge a processing fee for a credit card payment. You’ll have to weigh fees against the potential rewards you may earn using your credit card. Ultimately, the fees may be hard to justify.
Interest charges can apply if you carry a balance: If you charge your bills to a credit card but fail to pay your balance in full by the due date, you could pay interest on top of what you already owe. And if you carry a balance, you’ll pay compounding interest (interest charged on unpaid interest). If it means taking on more debt than you can manage, paying with a credit card may be too costly an option for covering a bill.
You could hurt your credit score: If your bills take up most of your available credit and you struggle to repay your credit card balance in full each month, you may end up damaging your credit score.

How to pay bills with a credit card

One advantage of using a credit card as your bill payment method is its flexibility. As long as a merchant or provider offers a credit card payment option, you can pay bills with your credit card in a variety of ways:

Pay online. Online bill payment with a credit card is usually easy. You just enter your credit card information into the online payment portal and hit submit. For a recurring bill, you may want to enroll in automatic payments through your online banking tool. Automatic payments may help you build credit history, as long as you consistently repay your credit card balance.
Pay by phone. You may be able to pay bills over the phone with your credit card, too. Just keep in mind that you’ll be sharing sensitive credit card information over the phone, so it’s important to make sure you’re in a secure location.
Pay by mail. If you typically receive each monthly bill in the mail, or a provider doesn’t offer paperless billing, you may be able to use your card. Some bills you receive in the mail may direct you to pay through the online banking tool if you plan to use a credit card or debit card, but others may allow you to mail back a payment form with your info.
Pay in person. For something like a medical or utility bill, you may be able to pay with your credit card in person at the local office. It could be as easy as asking for the credit card payment option and swiping, inserting, or tapping your credit card.

Did you know?

The right rewards credit card for you may be one that gives cash back for your everyday purchases, like groceries or gas, as well as some recurring bills like streaming services.

Learn More

The bottom line

There’s no denying that a credit card can come in handy when paying bills. Still, it’s important to understand the dynamics of paying with credit before you decide to charge. If you can’t afford to pay your bills with your checking account, a credit card isn’t a good long-term solution. But if you’re looking for a tool to streamline your bill payment process and earn rewards, a card may be a good fit.

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