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 Bilt's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 1X | Choose to earn up to 1X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee |
| 2X | Earn 2X points + the option to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases |
Pros
- Choice to earn up to 1 Bilt Point per dollar spent on rent and mortgage payments
- Elevated everyday earnings with both Bilt Points and the option to earn Bilt Cash
- $400 Bilt Travel Portal hotel credit per year (up to $200 biannually)
- $200 Bilt Cash annually
- Priority Pass membership
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- Moderate annual fee
- Designed primarily for members seeking a premium, all-in-one card
- Earn points on housing with no transaction fee
- Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
- 2X points on everyday spend
- $400 Bilt Travel Hotel credit. Applied twice a year, as $200 statement credits, for qualifying Bilt Travel Portal hotel bookings.
- $200 Bilt Cash (awarded annually). At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
- Welcome bonus (subject to approval): 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 90 days + $300 of Bilt Cash.
- Priority Pass ($469/year value). See Guide to Benefits.
- Bilt Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent and mortgage payments, Lyft rides, statement credits, student loan balances, a down payment on a home, and more.