✈ Should You Pay Taxes With a Credit Card? Airport Lounge Etiquette & More From TPG ✈

April 10, 2026

Flip the script on your tax payment

by Colin Hogan, Senior editor

We’re closing in on Tax Day, and there’s one question we get a lot of this time of year: Should I use a credit card to pay my taxes?

It’s a calculation you’ll have to make for yourself, but turning a painful tax bill into a nice vacation always sounds good to me.

Here’s my take: If your only objective is to earn 1 or 2 points per dollar (or whatever the basic earning rate is on your card), the roughly 2% fee you’ll incur by paying with a card may or may not be worth it. (Pro tip: Use our monthly valuations to crunch those numbers.)

But if you’re working toward a juicy welcome bonus or some other spending threshold that will earn you important perks, putting your tax bill on that card can be a great option.

For instance, if you’re one of the thousands of TPG readers who have recently jumped on this underrated offer on the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card — new cardholders receive a $250 Capital One Travel credit good for their first cardholder year, plus can earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening — you’d almost surely be coming out on top.

At face value alone, that offer is worth at least $1,000 in travel. But based on our April 2026 valuations (when you factor in opportunities with Capital One’s transfer partners), we see $1,638 in total value from those bonus miles and travel credit combined.

Side note: This offer ends April 13, so act fast on this opportunity or you’ll miss it!

Or, take our beloved Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. These days, new cardholders can earn a generous 75,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

We value that bonus at about $1,538 — which would likely be a pretty healthy return on whatever fee you might incur from the tax payment.

Be warned: If you have one of the new Bilt cards, they will not earn rewards on tax payments. So don’t try.

Personally, I’m using my World of Hyatt Credit Card for tax payments this year, which will earn me an extra free night award and several qualifying nights to help me keep Globalist status next year.

But if you’re looking to score a great bonus quickly, check out these cards that you can start using instantly after approval. You could get approved, instantly settle your tab with Uncle Sam and score a big pile of points for a well-deserved vacation.

For more tips, check out these stories:

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Photo Credit: MARCO BOTTIGELLI/GETTY IMAGES.

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The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don’t cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.

Editorial Note: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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