I Paid Off My Mortgage With a Credit Card — Here’s How (2024)

I Paid Off My Mortgage With a Credit Card — Here’s How (1)

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Earlier this year, my husband and I dropped a major debt we had been carrying around for years — our home mortgage. We decided many years ago that wewanted to be entirely debt-freeby the age of 40, and we made it with a few years to spare, as we’re both 38 now.

But, we didn’t pay off our mortgage the traditional way. Instead of funneling cash via paper checks or online banking, wecharged our mortgage payments to a credit card to earn rewards along the way.

Read More: We Refinanced to a 15-Year Mortgage and Saved Big

In the end, we wound up with thousands of dollars in flexible travel credit, a paid-off mortgageon a home worth approximately $250,000 and zero debt to show for it. Although this strategy wouldn’t work for everyone, we feel it was the right strategy for us.

How We Paid Off Our Mortgage With a Credit Card

A lot of people have asked us how wepaid off our mortgage with credit, and this is a smart question, considering that, traditionally, mortgage companies and banks do not let you make mortgage payments with plastic.

In our case, we used a service called Plastiq to pay our mortgage off. This service offers a smart way to pay bills you can’t normally pay with credit cards so you can earn rewards or score other credit card perks.

The major caveat with Plastiq is that, for most consumers, a fee of 2.5 percent is charged to every bill you pay. This adds $25 for every $1,000 in bills you funnel through the service.

Save for Your Future

Find Out:The One Credit Card Debt I Don’t Pay in Full

Fortunately, Plastiq offers a workaround that can help you avoid this fee via their referral program. For every person you refer who makes a qualified payment through Plastiq, you earn $1,000 in fee-free dollars you can use for free payments.

Because we write about how to pay your mortgage with a credit card on our personal blog, we have been able to refer hundreds of people over the last few years. As a result, we were able to funnel approximately $100,000 in mortgage payments through Plastiq without any fees.

Check Out:6 Surprising Pros and Cons of Carrying Mortgage Debt

Why This Strategy Made Sense

I would never suggest using Plastiq to pay off your mortgage if you had to pay the 2.5 percent fee. It wouldn’t make sense unless the rewards you were earning were at a considerably higher rate.

But for us, doing it this way made sense. We used myBarclays Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercardto pay our mortgage off. This card offers two miles for every dollar you spend, so in the end, that left us with $2,000 in flexible travel credit we could use to pay for hotels, cruises, airfare and other travel expenses.

And, of course, we never carried a balance on our credit card. Instead, we paid off each charge right away to avoid dealing with debt or having to pay credit card interest.

Be Informed:I Use These 3 Fool-Proof Strategies to Avoid Credit Card Debt

Saying Goodbye to Debt

A lot of people have asked us why we would botherpaying off a home mortgage with an interest rate of just 3.75 percent. The answer is simple: We think debt is a curse, and we couldn’t wait to get it out of our lives.

Save for Your Future

We have been maxing out our retirement accounts for years, and we also invest in real estate, so the money we used to pay off our mortgage early was just “extra” money, anyway. In other words, paying off our mortgage early didn’t hold us back from reaching other goals.

I love the feeling of being entirely debt-free — the feeling of knowing that, no matter what, we will never be beholden to a bank or lender again. Now that we’re free from debt and mortgages forever, we’ll keep saving for the future, retirement, our kids and other goals, like travel.

Paying off our mortgage was something we have wanted to achieve for years;earning rewards for free travelwas just icing on the cake.

Read More:I Paid Off $30,000 in 10 Months — Here’s What Worked for Me

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I Paid Off My Mortgage With a Credit Card — Here’s How (2024)

FAQs

Can I pay off my mortgage with a credit card? ›

Yes. Technically paying down your mortgage with a credit card is possible, but it is a complicated process. Mortgage lenders do not accept direct credit card payments, so you will need to find a workaround service like Plastiq to carry out the transaction.

Is it wise to pay mortgage with credit card? ›

Lenders don't typically accept mortgage payments by credit card because they would have to pay a credit card transaction fee, which can be as high as 3.5%. You'd also be paying a secured debt with an unsecured debt, possibly with a higher interest rate.

Will my credit score go up after paying off mortgage? ›

Paying down the loan can have a positive impact on your credit score, he said. In addition, if you don't have many other established credit accounts but have been making your mortgage payments on time, that helps establish a history of responsible credit management.

How to pay off a house with a credit card? ›

Use a third-party service.

While these are more commonly used for paying rent than mortgages, some companies (such as Plastiq) accept certain cards for mortgage payments. Plastiq charges a 2.85% transaction fee for each payment, and only accepts payment via Mastercard or Discover credit cards from select card issuers.

Why can't I pay my mortgage with my credit card? ›

In general, mortgage companies and mortgage loan servicers do not accept credit cards as a form of payment. That's in large part because credit card companies charge merchants processing fees that mortgage companies aren't willing to pay.

Will banks let you pay mortgage with credit card? ›

First off, banks offering mortgage loans do not typically allow you to pay with a credit card directly, they usually only offer preauthorized debit, so you'll have to find a workaround.

Can I pay my mortgage with a credit card to earn points? ›

Most banks don't accept credit cards for mortgage payments and you often can't pay your landlord directly with a card. You can still earn points on your rent and mortgage payments by utilizing a processing service. These platforms will let you pay with a credit card and send a bank transfer or check to your landlord.

Can I put credit card debt on my mortgage? ›

Quick answer: Yes, you can through a cash-out refinance and it's a great option for some people.

Should I pay off my house or credit card first? ›

Let your interest rates guide you when deciding in which order to pay down debt. That usually means sending any extra money toward credit card debt first, then personal loans, student loans, car loans and, lastly, your mortgage.

How rare is an 850 credit score? ›

How many Americans have an 850 credit score? Only 1.31% of Americans with a FICO® Score have a perfect 850 credit score. While a score this high is rare among any demographic, older generations are more likely to have perfect credit. Baby boomers make up a whopping 59.4% of the people with an 850 credit score.

Why did my credit score drop 40 points after paying off debt? ›

If you take out a loan to consolidate debt, you could see a temporary drop because of the hard inquiry for the new loan. Your credit score can take 30 to 60 days to improve after paying off revolving debt. Your score could also drop because of changes to your credit mix and the age of accounts you leave open.

Why did my credit score drop when I paid off my house? ›

It could lower the average age of your accounts

If you paid off a car loan, mortgage or other loan and closed it out, that could reduce your age of accounts in VantageScore's calculations. That's also true if you paid off a credit card account and closed it.

Should I pay my mortgage with a credit card? ›

Key Takeaways. Mortgage lenders don't accept credit card payments directly. Because of the fee, paying your mortgage with a credit card will not be worth it most of the time for most people.

Can you use a credit card to pay off a home loan? ›

You could potentially withdraw funds from your credit card using a cash advance, and use the money to make a home loan repayment. This strategy relies on cash advances being available on your credit card and not all cards allow cash advances. This is a costly option that is not typically recommended.

Can I use a credit card to payoff a loan? ›

If your lender allows it and you are given enough of a credit limit, you may be able to pay a portion of your entire balance of your home, car or student loans with a credit card. Federal student loan issuers, however, are restricted by the Department of Treasury from accepting credit card payments.

Can I use my credit card to pay my down payment on a house? ›

Although it may be possible to buy an inexpensive house with a credit card, you won't be able to do the same with a down payment on a mortgage loan. That's because the primary purpose behind a down payment is to demonstrate your investment in the home to your lender.

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