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Eligibility is limited for the Amex Offers discussed in this post. Enrollment is required in the Amex Offers section of your account before redeeming.
Tax season — a time of stress for many — is upon us. Not only does the process of filing tax returns present a challenge, but the fear of an unexpected tax bill can also be a source of anxiety for taxpayers. Even if you don't owe the IRS, you may still have to pay to get your taxes done. To that end, finding ways to save throughout the process can ease the burden of filing your taxes.
Here are the various methods to save money when preparing your taxes.
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Easy Ways to Save When Preparing Your Taxes
While the list below is certainly not exhaustive, there are many opportunities to save when preparing and filing a tax return:
- Airline/cash-back portals like Rakuten
- Bank savings programs like Amex Offers, Chase Offers, and Citi Merchant Offers
- Referral systems
- File your taxes for free
- Pay your taxes with the right credit card
These opportunities are not mutually exclusive, either. You can stack two or more of these opportunities to save even more when you file your taxes!
Use Airline and Cash-Back Online Shopping Portals
Online shopping portals have been around for a while, but they might not come to mind right away during tax season. Most U.S.-based airlines and many other cash-back shopping programs offer ways to earn rewards for your spending. Common tax preparation services and software — such as H&R Block and TurboTax — aren't exceptions.
Whenever I am poised to use an online shopping portal, I make sure to check Cashback Monitor to compare which portal offers the most favorable return on spending. At the time of writing this article, a search for “TurboTax” yields the results below:
And here's what's available for TaxAct:
A few options immediately stand out:
- For TurboTax, Southwest Rapid Rewards offers the largest airline points bonus at 1,000. However, per the offer terms and conditions, these points do not count towards Companion Pass qualification.
- Rakuten offers a way to earn up to 5% back on both TurboTax and TaxAct. If your Rakuten account is set up to earn Amex Membership Rewards instead of cash back (or another rewards method), 5% means 5X Membership Rewards points.
- Rove Miles is one of our favorite new loyalty programs, and the opportunity to earn up to 5.8X Rove Miles per $1 spent shouldn't be overlooked.
Offerings from each online shopping portal change frequently, so be sure to check back regularly to take advantage of what could be limited-time offers for increased airline miles or cash back.
Add Card-Linked Offers for Extra Savings
Holders of Amex, Chase, and Citi credit cards should be quite familiar with Amex Offers, Chase Offers, and Citi Merchant Offers, respectively. Currently, all three sets of cardholders enjoy opportunities to save when they pay for tax preparation services and/or software this tax season. These are targeted offers, so not everyone will see the same offers on all accounts; additionally, you'll need to add them to your eligible credit card before using them.
Amex offers discount opportunities with the widest array of vendors; TaxAct, TurboTax, and H&R Block all currently have Amex Offers. You can earn $20 when you spend $40 with TurboTax, $10 when you spend $40 with H&R Block, and 30% cash back and 5 bonus Membership Rewards points per $1 spent with TaxAct.
Chase also offers a chance to save on TurboTax and TaxAct. For TurboTax, Chase offers 30% cash back, up to $20 back. Meanwhile, for TaxAct, you'll earn 25% back, up to $60 total back.
We found the exact same offers through Citi:
And although Capital One Offers no longer provides cash back on purchases, you can earn bonus miles on your taxes this season.
No matter which points currency happens to be the flavor of the week, cardholders can accrue some savings on tax preparation purchases. When you have similar offers across cards, you can use the card that earns the most per $1 spent.
For instance, why use your Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees), which earns 1x on all other purchases, when you could use your Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (Rates & Fees), which earns 1.5 points per $1 spent on all other purchases?
- 5X points on Lyft rides through September 2027
- 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3X points on dining at restaurants worldwide
- 3X points on eligible streaming services
- 3X points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs)
- 2X points on all other travel
- 1X point per dollar spent on all other purchases
- 12X – Earn 12 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com.
- 6X – Earn 6 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com.
- 6X – Earn 6 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants including Restaurant Delivery Services on CitiNights℠ purchases, every Friday and Saturday from 6 PM to 6 AM ET. Earn 3 Points per $1 spent any other time.
- 1.5X – Earn 1.5 Points per $1 spent on All Other Purchases.
Current card-linked offers for saving on tax preparation services
Many of these offers are card-linked, so you’ll need to log into your credit card accounts to determine which offers you may be eligible for, as they are not always offered to everyone. Here’s a summarized list of merchant offers to look out for (including those mentioned above) for both TurboTax and TaxAct:
- TaxAct:
- 25% back (up to $60 back) via Chase Offer — Expires April 15, 2026
- 25% back (up to $60 back) via Citi Merchant Offers — Expires April 15, 2026
- 30% back (up to $60 back) via Amex Offer — Expires April 18, 2026
- Earn +5 Membership Rewards Points per $1 spent, up to 2,000 points — Expires April 18, 2026
- TurboTax:
- 30% back (up to $20 back) via Chase Offer — Expires April 18, 2026
- 30% back (up to $20 back) via Citi Merchant Offers — Expires April 18, 2026
- Spend $40 or more, get $20 back via Amex Offer — Expires April 18, 2026
Be sure to read all of the terms and conditions of these offers carefully to make sure that all qualifications of the offer are met. Just as importantly, pay attention to the offer period for each of these as well.
Get Rewarded for Tax Prep Referrals
Referral offers for credit cards, cash-back programs, and even bank accounts are the norm these days. But for tax preparation services? Just like last year, the same referral programs are in place for 2026.
Both TurboTax and TaxAct — and undoubtedly other tax companies — offer referral bonuses for users. Whether you're the one referred or the referee, you'll get a bonus.
If you happen to be looking for a referral link for TurboTax, here's mine.
File Your Taxes for Free
All of the offers mentioned so far are for discounts or extra rewards on tax preparation purchases. But if your goal is to spend as little as possible, filing your tax return for free beats any 15% rebate or $20 back opportunity. The IRS website makes filing for free very easy. Free filing options exist no matter your level of income.
For those with annual income over $89,000, free electronic forms are available that must then be filled out and filed independently. However, for those with an annual income under $89,000, you'll get free access to tax preparation software from the same companies that sell tax preparation software.
Pay With the Right Credit Card
After finalizing your tax return, you may find that you owe additional taxes. Even if you are due a tax refund, you may have a payment to make to a CPA or other tax filing service.
If you owe, you can make that payment via credit card. This gives taxpayers one final opportunity to save money when filing taxes. Note that there are multiple options for making a tax payment by credit card.
Besides choosing which payment method makes the most sense, it is also important to consider which credit card to use. If there is a credit card where you are working toward meeting a minimum spend requirement for a welcome bonus, that should take precedence.
Beyond that, tax payments do not fall into a bonus category for any consumer credit card. Credit cards that offer the best rewards on non-bonused spending will provide taxpayers with the best return on these expenses. Even for those who prioritize earning transferrable points, excellent payment options exist, too.
Whenever I owe, I typically use my Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card so I can earn 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, every day.
- 10X miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on purchases through Capital One Entertainment
- 5X miles per $1 on flights when booking via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on vacation rentals booked via Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per $1 on all other eligible purchases
However, we’ll note that not every card earns rewards on tax payments, so it’s worth checking your card’s fine print before making a large payment. For example, the new Bilt Rewards credit cards and the ultra-rewarding Robinhood Gold Card don’t earn rewards on tax payments, so they aren’t the best choices to use at tax time.
Related: How to Pay Taxes With a Credit Card (and When You Should)
Our Take
Filing taxes can be stressful, but it can also be rewarding. With a bevy of stackable options at your disposal, make sure you don't miss out on savings this tax season. There are even free options for preparing taxes, making it affordable for the most cost-conscious taxpayer.
No matter which filing option you pursue, make sure to make any tax filing-related payments with a credit card that will provide the biggest reward for your spending.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees), and Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (Rates & Fees)
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