Paying Your Mortgage With a Credit Card: What You Need To Know
Does it make sense to pay your mortgage with a credit card? Paying a mortgage with a credit card has some advantages, like rewards points on your credit card, and some disadvantages, like associated fees. Continue reading to find out if this is a good option for you.
Can You Pay Your Mortgage With a Credit Card?
Banks don’t typically accept credit card payments for mortgages directly, but there are ways to do it. However, some of those methods can be costly. For instance, Plastiq offers a service for a 2.5% fee to pay a mortgage with a credit card. You can also make mortgage payments online with Venmo, but for a fee of around 3%.
Overall, the costs incurred with credit card mortgage payments might make the choice less appealing than paying with cash.
Pros and Cons of Credit Card Mortgage Payments
Here are some benefits and drawbacks you should consider when deciding if you should pay your mortgage with a credit card.
Pros
- Can earn credit card welcome bonuses and rewards points.
- Can pay off your mortgage early.
- Easy to avoid late payment fees.
- Can avoid mortgage foreclosure.
Cons
- You will pay a processing fee.
- There can be a higher variable interest rate on credit cards.
- Could be late on payments if your credit card issuer rejects the payment.
- Easy to go further into debt.
Potential Risks of Using a Credit Card To Pay Your Mortgage
While receiving credit card rewards might be an incentive to pay your mortgage with a credit card, doing so comes with risks. If you’re looking to avoid foreclosure or postpone mortgage payments by paying with a credit card, consider the following possibilities:
- Serious damage to your credit score. If you don’t already have excellent credit, paying with a credit card can be a huge mistake. You could go above the recommended 30% credit utilization ratio, thus ruining your credit score and making it harder to borrow money later.
- Third-party fees. Payment processing applications, such as Plastiq, are third-party solutions for making mortgage payments using a credit card. The fees charged by these applications might seem low at first, but they add up over time and might cancel the rewards benefits of using the credit card.
- Potentially going deeper into debt. If you’re trying to avoid foreclosure and late fees on your mortgage, you risk going further into debt by using a credit card to pay your mortgage. You’ll accumulate additional interest, making it harder to pay back what you owe your creditors.
- Credit card payments might not be accepted. Your credit card issuer might reject payments from a third party, which could make you late on your mortgage payment. Your credit card payment may also be rejected entirely if you are above your credit limit.
Final Take
Now that you know the potential risks and benefits of paying your mortgage with a credit card, you can decide if it’s the right move for you. Some immediate rewards could be bonuses and cash back. But if you can’t pay what you owe on your mortgage within a short time, you could run the risk of increasing your debt and decreasing your credit score.
FAQ
Here are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about using a credit card to pay your mortgage.- Is it better to pay your mortgage with a credit card?
- Paying your mortgage with a credit card can earn you rewards points and can help you to pay off your mortgage early. Just be sure you don’t pay more than you can afford.
- Why can't you use your credit card to pay your mortgage?
- Banks don’t typically accept credit cards as a payment method for mortgages. To use a credit card, you will have to utilize a third-party payment processing app such as Plastiq or Venmo.
- Should you pay your mortgage with a credit card?
- While there are certainly advantages to using a credit card to pay your mortgage, the drawbacks include added fees, higher interest rates and potentially taking on more debt. If it is the right move for you will depend on your personal financial situation.
Our in-house research team and on-site financial experts work together to create content that’s accurate, impartial, and up to date. We fact-check every single statistic, quote and fact using trusted primary resources to make sure the information we provide is correct. You can learn more about GOBankingRates’ processes and standards in our editorial policy.
- Forbes. 2023. "How To Pay Your Mortgage With A Credit Card."
- MortgageLoan. "Hacks to Pay Your Mortgage With a Credit Card."
- Rocket Mortgage. 2023. "Can (And Should) You Pay Off Your Mortgage With A Credit Card?"
