5 Sign-Up Bonuses That Make Paying Your Taxes With a Credit Card Worth It

Earn up to $750 just by paying your taxes.

Paying your taxes with a credit card usually doesn’t make sense. It results in unnecessary payment processing fees, for one thing. If you can’t pay your taxes, you’re probably better off setting up a payment plan, since most credit cards come with very high interest rates.

However, if paying your taxes with a credit card lands you a lucrative sign-up bonus you wouldn’t otherwise earn, it might be worth the roughly 2{d54a1665abf9e9c0a672e4d38f9dfbddcef0b06673b320158dd31c640423e2e5} fee. After all, some of the bonuses on this list are worth $750. These are the best credit card sign-up bonuses to go for when paying your taxes with a credit card. We’ve prioritized sign-up bonus value and offers with higher minimum spending requirements.

1. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve®

These are best-in-class travel credit cards, and each offers a sign-up bonus worth $750. These bonuses require that you spend $4,000 in three months, so charging your tax bills can help you reach that. While Chase points are typically meant for travel, there are plenty of redemption options for folks stuck at home.

Deciding between these cards is mostly a matter of how often you travel and how much you’re willing to pay in annual fees. While the Chase Sapphire Reserve® has a much higher annual fee of $550, it comes with a host of valuable benefits and perks like complimentary airport lounge access, a $300 travel credit, and extensive travel insurance. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, on the other hand, has an annual fee of just $95, but offers fewer perks and benefits.

2. The Platinum Card® from American Express

If you travel often and love VIP perks, The Platinum Card® from American Express is one of the best travel credit cards you can get. It currently has a sign-up bonus worth $750, but since it requires you to spend $5,000 in six months, you might need some help getting there.

This card is mostly geared toward frequent travelers, with perks like complimentary airport lounge access, elite hotel status, and airline credits helping to offset its $550 annual fee. Flights and hotel stays are the best redemption options, although you earn big on gas station and supermarket purchases for the first six months.

3. Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express

Folks looking for a good cash bonus should consider the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, which currently offers $300 to new cardholders who spend $3,000 in the first six months.

The card’s $95 annual fee is waived for the first year, and you get 6{d54a1665abf9e9c0a672e4d38f9dfbddcef0b06673b320158dd31c640423e2e5} cash back at U.S. supermarkets (with a $6,000 annual spending cap) plus 3{d54a1665abf9e9c0a672e4d38f9dfbddcef0b06673b320158dd31c640423e2e5} at U.S. gas stations and on transit. If those are some of your biggest spending categories, you’re unlikely to find another card that nets you this much cash back.

4. American Express Business Gold Card

If you’re paying taxes for your business, whether it’s a big company or a sole proprietorship, business credit cards tend to offer the biggest sign-up bonuses — but you have to spend a lot. The American Express Business Gold Card currently has a limited-time offer worth $700 if you spend $10,000 in the first three months.

Like The Platinum Card® from American Express, this card earns points best redeemed for travel. While it’s got a hefty $295 annual fee, you accumulate points very quickly if you spend a lot on airfare, advertising, gas, technology, dining, or shipping. Each billing cycle, the card nets you 4x points on your two biggest spending categories from that list, making it extremely versatile.

5. Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

Another business credit card worth looking at, especially if you prefer cash back, is the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card. The sign-up bonus gets you $750 in cash back (worth even more when converted to travel rewards), but it requires you to spend $7,500 in the first three months.

It’s hard to believe, but this lucrative cash back card has no annual fee. Despite that, you still get an unlimited 1.5{d54a1665abf9e9c0a672e4d38f9dfbddcef0b06673b320158dd31c640423e2e5} back on all purchases, and a 0{d54a1665abf9e9c0a672e4d38f9dfbddcef0b06673b320158dd31c640423e2e5} intro APR on purchases for the first 12 months.

If you owe taxes, you might as well earn some rewards off your tax bill. Just make sure the rewards you earn outweigh any fees you pay.