Pay Your Rent With A Credit Card (Or Debit) – Complete List Of Options

For most people their rent will be by far their biggest expense every month. Because of this paying it with a credit card (0r debit card) is a very attractive option, it can be an easy way to meet minimum spend requirements or even just generate on going spend.

There are a number of different options in the market place now, I thought it would be a good idea to have a look at each of these options and see the differences in each.

Master Table

This table is listed in Alphabetical order and includes the following information: name of company (with a link to their webpage), fees for debit card usage, fees for credit card usage, whether gift cards can be used, if you can split payments, if home owner association fees or similar can be paid and a link to our review if we have one. If there is anything else you think should be added, let me know.As you can see, there are currently a lot of unknowns. I’ve reached out to each of these companies to try and get some more information to fill in the blanks, but if you have any experience (or better searching skills than I) and know the answer to any of these unknowns then please let me know.

Debit Card FeesCredit Card FeesCards AcceptedGift Card UsageSplit PaymentsHome Owners/Assocation FeesWorks For All Landlords (e.g sends them a paper check)Our Review
PayYourRentVaries based on landlord Varies based on landlord UnknownUnknown UnknownYesNo, landlords have to sign upNone
PlastiqN/A2.5% (occasionally slightly less)Visa, Mastercard, American ExpressYesNoYesYesOur review
Cozy2.75%2.75%Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover & Apple PayUnknown Unknown Unknown No, landlords have to be invited. Will be expanded to all soon. None
RentMoolaN/A2.7%Visa, MasterCard, American ExpressYesNoYesNo, landlords have to sign upNone
RentPayment Varies based on landlord (standard fee is $24.95 which is a flat fee regardless of your rent)Varies based on landlord (standard fee is $24.95 which is a flat fee regardless of your rent)Visa, Mastercard, American Express & DiscoverUnknown UnknownYesNo, landlords have to sign upOur review
RentShareN/A2.9% (sometimes covered by landlord)Visa, MasterCard, American Express, DiscoverUnknown UnknownUnknown No, landlords have to sign upNone
RentTrackVaries on landlord2.95%All payment networks, some landlords won't accept American ExpressNoYesYes (specific "other" field is available)No, landlords have to sign upNone
SimplifyEm
N/A3.5%UnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownNone

Similarly if I missed any companies that accept online rent payments with a credit or debit card let me know.

Final Thoughts

If you want to pay your rent with a debit card or credit card, your only real option at the moment is to use Plastiq and pay the 2.5% fee.

Using a credit card rarely makes sense because the fees will outweigh the rewards you’d be earning. There are two notable exceptions: if you’re meeting the requirements of a sign up bonus or you have a credit card that earns at a rate of 2.75%+ or more (e.g the Discover it Miles for the first year).

Did I miss any rent payment services? If so, what are they?

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36 Comments
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Frank
Frank (@guest_794384)
August 6, 2019 11:49

FYI on RentPayment — landlord gets to decide what cards are accepted. I pay a $50 fee and can’t use amex

Al
Al (@guest_663278)
October 25, 2018 21:00

I was wondering if you’ve tried out Prism (prismmoney dot com). I’ve read some mixed reviews about it. Some people say the app is shady while others say it’s great. I have consistently read the option to pay CC with CC. If you can check it out or if someone else on here has tried it, I’d like to hear your review. Thanks!

Brandon P
Brandon P (@guest_597146)
May 19, 2018 23:57

My landlord registered for me to pay with renttrack. Does anyone know what Ink Preferred codes as on Renttrack? I know plastiq is 3x for CIP but can’t find any DP on renttrack and CIP.

radpad gone
radpad gone (@guest_305929)
October 12, 2016 20:00

Looks like RadPad is dead. Pretty tragic

Chris
Chris (@guest_296016)
September 16, 2016 16:18

Can someone fact check this:

Chase changed their program detail to mention that any third party payment service (like Plastiq) will be treated as a cash advance transaction and not a credit card purchase.

Guru
Guru (@guest_290137)
August 31, 2016 11:24

Radpad updated their debit card fee structure. $4.95 for $5000

Please update the fee tables

AM
AM (@guest_269742)
June 22, 2016 14:16

It looks like rentshare changed their way of doing things.. Just tried to sign up and couldn’t set it up, so emailed and this is the conversation:

Rentshare: “At this time, if your landlord is not signed up with RentShare, we are unable to process your payment. If your landlord would like to sign up with us, to receive payments via direct deposit, we are happy to facilitate the process!
If you would like to pass along your landlord info, we would be happy to contact them directly to set you up.”

Me ” “I was under the impression that your service could be used to pay rent using a credit card to any property management without the need for them to be signed up.. Correct me if I’m wrong?””

Rentshare:”We recently changed this feature, at this time, your landlord would need to be signed up in order to receive payments via direct deposit.”

Notice how they are only using “direct deposit” in their language.. Looks like no more credit cards payment?

James
James (@guest_261856)
May 24, 2016 03:54

RentTrack will be offering a direct to resident service, no landlord sign up necessary, sometime this summer. They also report the rental payments to all three major credit bureaus, which helps you improve your credit score when you pay your rent. It is pretty useful, especially for college students who can’t yet get a credit card without a cosigner and therefore can’t build credit history.

Dave
Dave (@guest_225439)
February 13, 2016 09:36

It looks like RadPad changed their credit card fee structure. It is now 1.99% for MasterCard and 3.49% for everything else.

Kevin
Kevin (@guest_221386)
January 31, 2016 21:22

It should be noted that Plastiq has no fee for debit cards anymore.