Earn 3x Points on Plastiq Payments With Ink Business Preferred
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
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If you use a rewards credit card to make rent or business payments through the bill-paying service Plastiq, you usually will earn the non-bonus category rewards rate on the transaction — typically just 1 or 2 points per dollar depending on the card you use.
In these cases, the transaction fee Plastiq charges — 2.5% — would effectively wipe out any rewards you earn. You may still find the service useful if you need to boost spending to earn a welcome bonus or an annual bonus or when Plastiq offers a promotion that offsets a portion of its fee on credit card transactions.
But for the last few months, owners of the Ink Business Preferred Credit Card have reported receiving 3 points per dollar spent using the service. That has continued, although there's no telling how long it may last.
Ink Business Preferred pays 3x points on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel; shipping purchases; internet, cable and phone services; and advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year. All other purchases earn 1x points. So all payments through Plastiq are presumably being coded as internet purchases to earn the 3x rewards.
This benefit could prove extremely valuable, as the Ink Business Preferred Card is part of the Ultimate Rewards program. UR points are worth 2.1 cents each, according to TPG's most recent valuations. Try to pay your monthly utility, contractor or vehicle lease payments through Plastiq, and you could earn 3x points on hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars in spending you otherwise wouldn't have collected rewards on. (Note: You can't make mortgage payments through Plastiq using a Visa card.)
One entrepreneur even recently bought a Tesla through Plastiq and earned 180,000 UR points. Those points could be worth $3,780 or more when you transfer them to an airline or hotel partner, well more than the Plastiq fee.
Even if your spending budget doesn't include a $60,000 car payment, this might be worth a look. Just remember, the 3x coding can end at any time, so be prepared to accept 1x rewards, which is valued slightly below the transaction fee Plastiq charges.
TPG featured card
at Capital One's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 5X miles | Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
| 2X miles | Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day |
Pros
- Stellar welcome offer of 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, a $250 Capital One Travel credit to use in your first cardholder year upon account opening.
- You'll earn 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, which means you won't have to worry about memorizing bonus categories
- Rewards are versatile and can be redeemed for a statement credit or transferred to Capital One’s transfer partners
Cons
- Highest bonus-earning categories only on travel booked via Capital One Travel
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Enjoy $250 to use on Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening - that’s equal to $1,000 in travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
- Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 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 $120 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
- Enjoy a $50 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Lifestyle Collection
- Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Top rated mobile app

