Page Contents<\/p>
- What Is Plastiq?<\/a><\/li>
- How Plastiq Works<\/a>
- Card type restrictions on certain Plastiq payments<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Plastiq Service Fees<\/a><\/li>
- Payments Plastiq Doesn't Allow<\/a><\/li>
- Is Plastiq Worth the Fee?<\/a>
- Purchase category<\/a><\/li>
- Use Plastiq to meet a minimum spending requirement<\/a><\/li>
- Other uses for Plastiq<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Bottom Line<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n
What Is Plastiq?<\/span><\/h2>\n
Plastiq allows you to pay nearly any bill \u2014 including rent, mortgage, and tuition \u2014 with a credit card. Specifically, if a business, institution, or person has provided you with a good or service in the U.S. or Canada, you can send them a payment. The recipient need not even have a Plastiq<\/a> account!<\/p>\n
That means even the usual “sorry, no cards” expenses can still earn you credit card rewards. Better yet, now you can use those same expenses to help you complete your next sign-up bonus!<\/p>\n
Related: How Does a Credit Card Sign-Up Bonus Work?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
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Credit: Christin Hume\/Unsplash<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n How Plastiq Works<\/span><\/h2>\n
Using Plastiq is easy:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Create an account with Plastiq, which you can do here<\/a>.<\/li>\n
- Select a business that\u2019s already in Plastiq's system or choose to add your own.<\/li>\n
- Pick a card (American Express, Visa, Discover, Mastercard, and Diners Club are accepted) and add it to your Plastiq account. You may save as many cards as you want in your Plastiq account profile. Additionally, you can add bank accounts as payment methods, although I'm not sure why you'd want to.<\/li>\n
- Create a payment with the account number on the bill, the amount due, and the payment date. You can even schedule payments for the future or make recurring payments of the same amount.<\/li>\n
- Your payment is guaranteed to arrive on time in the form of a check or bank transfer.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
<\/p>\nPlastiq payments can be made either by sending a check or processing a bank transfer. Bank transfers are best, as they're sent electronically and typically arrive within three business days. The downside is that you will need to know the recipient's bank information to set this up.<\/p>\n
If you don't know your recipient's bank information, then a mailed check it is. These are sent via standard postal service and should arrive within eight business days. Plastiq even offers you a calendar asking when the payment is due, allowing them to figure out when to send the payment. And if you're in a pinch, there are also options for expedited payments with overnight and two-day express deliveries available.<\/p>\n
And what if Plastiq misses your payment due date? I'm glad you asked. Assuming you submitted the payment on time and with the correct due date, Plastiq will cover 100% of any late fees incurred on that payment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Card type restrictions on certain Plastiq payments<\/span><\/h3>\n
The concept of Plastiq is simple. However, it's important to point out that not all payments can be made with all credit card types.<\/p>\n
As of September 2025, Plastiq accepts Mastercard, Visa, Discover, Diners Club, and American Express cards. Of those, American Express is by far the least<\/em> accepted, based on purchase category type. You can find a detailed chart available here<\/a> to see which bills can be paid with which credit card types. It's long, so here's a list of some exclusions for popular bill types:<\/p>\n
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- Landscaping:<\/strong> Not American Express<\/li>\n
- Vehicle Loans:\u00a0<\/strong>Not Visa credit (only debit) and not American Express<\/li>\n
- Mortgage:<\/strong> Not American Express, not Visa credit (only debit), and some Mastercard debit cards are blocked<\/li>\n
- Rent:<\/strong> All cards, but you might need to provide a copy of your lease<\/li>\n
- Student loans:<\/strong> Not American Express, not Visa credit (only debit), some Mastercard debit cards are blocked<\/li>\n
- Tax payments:<\/strong> All cards<\/li>\n
- Timeshare:<\/strong> Not American Express<\/li>\n
- Tuition:<\/strong> All cards<\/li>\n
- Utilities:<\/strong> All cards (except American Express for telecom, internet, and phone services)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
As you can see, these limitations for certain transaction categories are a definite downside. So, before you decide to use a bill to meet a spending requirement or welcome offer, be sure to check if your card type is accepted.<\/p>\n
Credit: Karolina Grabowska\/Pexels<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n Plastiq Service Fees<\/span><\/h2>\n
As you'd expect, there is a service fee associated with payments sent via Plastiq. It is a business, after all.<\/p>\n
Recipients pay nothing to receive payments with Plastiq. But senders pay fees, which are outlined here<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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- Credit and debit card payments:<\/strong> 2.99% fee<\/li>\n
- Delivery fees:<\/strong>\n
- \n
- EFT\/ACH\/billpay:<\/strong> 99 cents<\/li>\n
- Mailed check:<\/strong> $1.49<\/li>\n
- Domestic wire:<\/strong> $8.99<\/li>\n
- International wire:<\/strong> $39<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
For our purposes, we're obviously focusing on payments with a credit card. These will incur a 2.99% fee. For comparison, PayPal charges 2.99% + $0.30 to send money with your credit card as a source (not purchases, but bill pay \/ person-to-person payments). So, when it comes to fees, they\u2019re roughly the same.<\/p>\n
You'll also incur a nominal delivery fee per payment, depending on the method. If your vendor is compatible, the best deal is for ACH, at only 99 cents per payment. However, the primary method for most Plastiq payments is via mailed check, which costs $1.49 per payment.<\/p>\n
Is it all worth it? We'll explore that more in a bit.<\/p>\n
Payments Plastiq Doesn't Allow<\/span><\/h2>\n
Plastiq will not allow you to send a payment to yourself or your spouse \u2014 at least, directly. You also can't make any type of payment initiated for the sake of sending money. A legitimate good or service must be provided, and Plastiq may request proof of such good or service. And if you can't provide them with such proof, Plastiq may freeze your account and block further payments to that vendor. (Or … so I've heard.)<\/p>\n
Is Plastiq Worth the Fee?<\/span><\/h2>\n
This is the ultimate question we hope to address here, although the answer may differ for every scenario. But since we care most about credit card payments, let\u2019s zero in on that 2.99% fee. We\u2019ll use that as our baseline.<\/p>\n
Credit: Bruce Mars\/Unsplash<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n Purchase category<\/span><\/h3>\n
Before we start doing math, there's one thing we should note first. Most Plastiq payments tend to show as “business services” or “miscellaneous” on your credit card statement. (Although you may sometimes see some surprising classifications \u2014 like\u00a0 “utilities” for a mortgage payment.)<\/p>\n
What does that mean? It means payments typically won't trigger any credit card bonus category for spending. Therefore, it makes sense to use a card that offers a strong return on everyday spending<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Two terrific examples might include Citi Double Cash\u00ae<\/sup> Card<\/a> (Rates & Fees<\/a>) or Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card<\/a>.<\/p>\n
<\/div><\/div>Citi Double Cash\u00ae<\/sup> Card<\/div>Welcome Offer<\/strong>\r\nEarn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou\u00ae<\/sup> Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back. <\/div><\/div>Apply Now<\/a><\/div>Annual Fee<\/strong>$0Rates & Fees<\/a><\/span><\/p><\/div>
Credit Score<\/strong>Excellent, Good<\/p><\/div><\/div>
- \r\n
- Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time.\r\n
\r\nPlus, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked with Citi Travel.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card<\/div>Welcome Bonus<\/strong> Earn 75,000 Miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening<\/div><\/div>How to Apply<\/a><\/div>Annual Fee<\/strong>$395<\/p><\/div>
Credit Score<\/strong>Excellent<\/p><\/div><\/div>
- \r\n
- 10X miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel<\/li>\r\n
- 5X miles per $1 on purchases through Capital One Entertainment<\/li>\r\n
- 5X miles per $1 on flights when booking via Capital One Travel<\/li>\r\n
- 5X miles per $1 on vacation rentals booked via Capital One Travel<\/li>\r\n
- 2X miles per $1 on all other eligible purchases<\/li>\r\n<\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n
But when would using Plastiq really<\/em> make sense?<\/p>\n
Use Plastiq to meet a minimum spending requirement<\/span><\/h3>\n
Using Plastiq can help you meet minimum spending requirements when they're otherwise out of reach. And to me, that's still its strongest use case.<\/p>\n
Let's use the current welcome bonus for the new Chase-issued Sapphire Reserve for Business\u2120<\/a> (Rates & Fees<\/a>) as an example. This card currently offers a massive 150,000 bonus points after you spend $20,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.<\/p>\n
That welcome bonus may look tempting, but the high spending requirement can be a hurdle for many small business owners. After all, not every business racks up enough monthly charges to hit that target.<\/p>\n
However, if you factor in expenses like landscaping, building maintenance, commercial rent, or 1099 contractors \u2014 all payable through Plastiq with a Visa credit card \u2014 meeting the requirement becomes much more realistic.<\/p>\n
For example, let's say a small business owner currently incurs $5,000\/month in normal, business credit card expenses. After three months, that business owner would accumulate $15,000 of spending, or $5,000 short of the Sapphire Reserve Business‘ spending requirement. But if that same business owner spends $2,000\/month on commercial rent, using Plastiq for three months would bring the welcome bonus within reach! Even better, it would only cost the business around $179 to do it.<\/p>\n
Considering that the value of 150,000 Ultimate Rewards points, spending $179 to earn it probably makes sense. Rinse and repeat, and soon you'll rack up far more credit card welcome bonuses each year.<\/p>\n
\n\n\nSapphire Reserve for Business\u2120<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Apply Now<\/a><\/div>\nRates & Fees<\/a><\/span><\/div>\nWelcome Bonus<\/strong> Earn 150,000 bonus points after you spend $20,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening and access more than $6,000 in total business and travel value in your first year.<\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n Sapphire Reserve for Business\u2120<\/strong>\nWelcome Bonus<\/strong> Earn 150,000 bonus points after you spend $20,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening and access more than $6,000 in total business and travel value in your first year.<\/div>\nAnnual Fee:<\/strong>$795<\/b><\/div>\nShow more<\/a>Why We Like It<\/a>Highlights<\/a>Earning Rates<\/a>Chase\u2019s flagship business travel card. Earn 8x on Chase Travel\u2120 purchases, 4x on flights and hotels booked directly, and 3x on eligible ad spend. Get $300 in travel credit, VIP lounge access, and premium travel protections to elevate every business trip.<\/div>\n\n\n- Earn 150,000 bonus points after you spend $20,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.<\/li>
- $6,000+ in value your first year. 150K points, valued at $3,000 for select flights and hotels through Chase Travel℠, plus $3,000+ in annual value through travel and business benefits.<\/li>
- Earn 8x points on Chase Travel℠ for airline tickets, hotels, including The Edit℠, car rentals, cruises, activities and tours.<\/li>
- Earn 5x total points on Lyft rides through 9\/30\/27.<\/li>
- Earn 4x points on flights & hotels booked direct.<\/li>
- Earn 3x points on social media & search engine advertising.<\/li>
- Get the most flexible travel credit compared to any other card, with up to $300 in statement credits each anniversary year on travel purchases.<\/li>
- Enjoy complimentary access to the Chase Sapphire Lounge® by The Club network and Priority Pass™ Select membership. Two guests may accompany the Primary Cardmember to the lounges free of charge.<\/li>
- Member FDIC<\/li><\/ul><\/body><\/html>\n<\/div>
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- 8X points on all Chase Travel\u2120 purchases<\/li>\r\n
- 5X total points on eligible Lyft rides through 9\/30\/2027<\/li>\r\n
- 4x points on flights and hotels booked directly<\/li>\r\n
- 3x points on advertising purchases made with social media platforms and search engines<\/li>\r\n
- 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases<\/li>\r\n<\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
- Mailed check:<\/strong> $1.49<\/li>\n
- Delivery fees:<\/strong>\n
- Vehicle Loans:\u00a0<\/strong>Not Visa credit (only debit) and not American Express<\/li>\n
- Use Plastiq to meet a minimum spending requirement<\/a><\/li>
- Plastiq Service Fees<\/a><\/li>
- How Plastiq Works<\/a>
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