Plastiq Lowers Limit on Fee-Free Masterpass Transactions
Sign up for a free Plastiq account here
The bill-paying service Plastiq has cut the limit on its fee-free transactions using Masterpass, citing "high demand for our latest promotion."
Late last week, the company began sending out emails to some users announcing the change, which will lower the transaction threshold at which Plastiq will waive its 2.5% fee — from $500 to $250, according to Miles to Memories. A company spokesman confirmed the change on Tuesday.
Here's the full text of the email:
"Due to the high demand for our latest promotion, conducted in partnership with Mastercard, we wanted to give you advance notice of an upcoming update. Starting June 1, 2018, the promotion will apply to any bill or invoice, up to a maximum of $250 each, instead of $500.*
"If you've already scheduled payments with this promotion, we will still honor the promotional fee applied to those payments. But please note that editing these scheduled payments will result in a loss of the promotional fee.
"If you haven't taken advantage of this promotion yet, this is your time to do so! Don't forget to make sure the payment is delivered by September 30, 2018 to qualify."
The change means a $500 payment made with your travel rewards credit card will incur a $6.25 fee or 2.5% of $250.
On its website, Plastiq said the current promotion would end May 31, 2018. The new promotion is not live, so if you try to schedule a payment after June 1, you may see no discount — as I did. The company said payments scheduled on or after June 1, when the new promotion goes into effect, should see the fee waived on transactions up to $250.
If you signed up via a referral code, you'll see the same fee I was asked to pay. You'll have to make $500 in payments before you're eligible for the fee-free promotion. Plastiq will waive that requirement if you sign up here.
How to Sign Up
If you don't have Masterpass, signing up for the digital wallet is easy. Just visit Masterpass.com and create an account for free, then add your credit cards to the Masterpass account. Finally, log in to your Plastiq account, click on your default card at the top left corner of the page, then click "Add New Card." Above the card icon, select "More Ways to Add," which will prompt you to add a card from Masterpass.
Plastiq says the new promotion will be good on payments submitted or scheduled on or after June 1, 2018, and the payment delivery date must be on or before September 30, 2018. Cards must be successfully billed by Plastiq and remain in good standing to qualify for a promotional credit. You can't transfer the credit, nor may you sell it or barter it.
Photo by Farrel Nobel on Unsplash
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.

