We believe everyone should be able to make financial decisions with
confidence. While we don't cover every company or financial product on
the market, we work hard to share a wide range of offers and objective
editorial perspectives.
So how do we make money? Our partners compensate us for advertisements that
appear on our site. This compensation helps us provide tools and services -
like free credit score access and monitoring. With the exception of
mortgage, home equity and other home-lending products or services, partner
compensation is one of several factors that may affect which products we
highlight and where they appear on our site. Other factors include your
credit profile, product availability and proprietary website methodologies.
However, these factors do not influence our editors' opinions or ratings, which are based on independent research and analysis. Our partners cannot
pay us to guarantee favorable reviews. Here is a list of our partners.
What Is Plastiq and How Does It Work?
For a fee, Plastiq lets you use debit or credit cards to pay bills that don't typically accept cards as payment.
Melissa Lambarena is a senior writer on the credit cards team at NerdWallet. She has enthusiastically covered credit card-related topics for over nine years. Her prior experience includes nine years as a content creator for several publications and websites. Through her work, she aims to help readers extract value from credit cards to meet financial goals like stretching their budget, building credit, traveling to dream destinations and paying off debt. Her articles have been published in The Associated Press, The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, USA Today and Yahoo Finance, among others. Melissa has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Kenley Young directs daily credit cards coverage for NerdWallet. Previously, he was a homepage editor and digital content producer for Fox Sports, and before that a front page editor for Yahoo. He has decades of experience in digital and print media, including stints as a copy desk chief, a wire editor and a metro editor for the McClatchy newspaper chain.
Updated
How is this page expert verified?
NerdWallet's content is fact-checked for accuracy, timeliness and
relevance. It undergoes a thorough review process involving
writers and editors to ensure the information is as clear and
complete as possible.
Plastiq is a service that lets individuals and businesses use debit or credit cards to pay vendors that don't otherwise accept those payment methods.
In exchange for this convenience, Plastiq charges you a processing fee, which can be expensive — as of January 2026, it was 2.99% for both credit cards and debit cards. And of course, if you're using a credit card and can't pay those bills off each month, you'll incur interest at whatever ongoing rate your card charges.
But if you need some breathing room as you wait for a paycheck or windfall to arrive, Plastiq could be cheaper than a high-interest option like a cash advance or payday loan — assuming you can pay the bill off quickly, and especially if you use a rewards credit card that can defray the processing fee.
🤓Nerdy Tip
The Mesa Homeowners Card doesn't have an annual fee, and it can be a cheaper alternative to services like Plastiq. It promises the ability to earn fee-free rewards on mortgage payments and day care.
Plastiq facilitates one-time or recurring payments for bills such as rent, mortgage, utilities, day care, homeowners association fees and other expenses. You add a debit or credit card to your Plastiq account and charge it in the amount of the bill, and then Plastiq pays the company on your behalf via a method that the vendor accepts: ACH, wire transfer or an old-fashioned paper check. (Checks, for instance, read to the vendor as coming from you, not from Plastiq.) The recipient does not need a Plastiq account to accept payments.
Plastiq generally charges a 2.99% fee for credit and debit cards. Terms apply. The service is compatible with:
(Plastiq stopped taking American Express in February 2023, then resumed AmEx acceptance in October 2023.)
However, some credit cards have restrictions on the types of bills you can pay via Plastiq. For example, Visa cannot be used to make mortgage payments through the bill pay service. Meanwhile, Chase has an expanded definition of “cash-like transactions,” and it's unclear what implications that may have for transactions processed with a Chase card through Plastiq.
And some credit cards may not be compatible with third-party bill payment services at all. Before using one, read your card’s terms and conditions, or ask the issuer how (or whether) the payment will be processed. It might be treated as a cash advance instead of a purchase. Plastiq says that it notifies customers and blocks payments before they are processed as cash advances.
Ready for a new credit card?
Create a NerdWallet account for insight on your credit score and personalized recommendations for the right card for you.
Start by creating a free account with Plastiq and adding your debit or credit card information. You can add multiple cards and select one as your default.
You'll also need to add recipients, including vendor name and country. This information will be saved in your account for future use.
To send a payment, select the recipient, the amount owed, the recipient’s preferred payment method (ACH, wire transfer or check) and a date for the funds to arrive. You may also need specific details about the bill you're paying, including, for example, a loan number for the mortgage, a unit number for rent due on an apartment, etc. You can add more details in the "memo" section.
You can make a one-time payment or set them up to repeat automatically. For recipients that accept only checks via snail mail, you may have to submit the payment earlier than usual. Checks typically take eight days to arrive, according to Plastiq’s website, so build in some padding on the calendar to avoid paying late.
Plastiq provides a breakdown of fees, in the form of dollars and a percentage rate, on the payment review screen prior to completing your transaction. Once you tell Plastiq to send the payment, you’ll receive payment cconfirmations from the company along the way.
Nerdy Perspective
Is it ever worth paying an extra fee to use a credit card?
Jae Bratton
writer, credit cards
"More often than not, I'll go to great lengths to avoid processing fees — except when I'm trying to hit the spend requirement for a sign-up bonus. For example, I (temporarily) switched the payment method for my son's tuition from a checking account to a credit card. The value of the sign-up bonus that I was pursuing far outweighed a one-time processing fee. After I snagged the sign-up bonus, I changed the payment method back to an ACH withdrawal."
"More often than not, I'll go to great lengths to avoid processing fees — except when I'm trying to hit the spend requirement for a sign-up bonus. For example, I (temporarily) switched the payment method for my son's tuition from a checking account to a credit card. The value of the sign-up bonus that I was pursuing far outweighed a one-time processing fee. After I snagged the sign-up bonus, I changed the payment method back to an ACH withdrawal."
Jae Bratton
writer, credit cards
Craig Joseph
writer, travel rewards
"I love using a service like Plastiq when I'm trying to earn a big sign-up bonus on a new card. If a merchant or contractor doesn't accept credit cards, I can send them a check through Plastiq for a fee that is way lower than the value of rewards I earn through the sign-up bonus. However, I wouldn't use the service to solely earn rewards from everyday spending on the card without getting a new sign-up bonus, as the service fee will likely eclipse the value of the rewards you earn."
"I love using a service like Plastiq when I'm trying to earn a big sign-up bonus on a new card. If a merchant or contractor doesn't accept credit cards, I can send them a check through Plastiq for a fee that is way lower than the value of rewards I earn through the sign-up bonus. However, I wouldn't use the service to solely earn rewards from everyday spending on the card without getting a new sign-up bonus, as the service fee will likely eclipse the value of the rewards you earn."
Craig Joseph
writer, travel rewards
Paul Soucy
content director, credit cards and travel rewards
"It can make sense to pay an extra fee to put a large expense on a credit card if doing so with net you a big sign-up bonus, which can more than make up for the fee. In most cases, though, processing fees will eat up the value of your rewards."
"It can make sense to pay an extra fee to put a large expense on a credit card if doing so with net you a big sign-up bonus, which can more than make up for the fee. In most cases, though, processing fees will eat up the value of your rewards."
Paul Soucy
content director, credit cards and travel rewards
Jae Bratton
writer, credit cards
"More often than not, I'll go to great lengths to avoid processing fees — except when I'm trying to hit the spend requirement for a sign-up bonus. For example, I (temporarily) switched the payment method for my son's tuition from a checking account to a credit card. The value of the sign-up bonus that I was pursuing far outweighed a one-time processing fee. After I snagged the sign-up bonus, I changed the payment method back to an ACH withdrawal."
"More often than not, I'll go to great lengths to avoid processing fees — except when I'm trying to hit the spend requirement for a sign-up bonus. For example, I (temporarily) switched the payment method for my son's tuition from a checking account to a credit card. The value of the sign-up bonus that I was pursuing far outweighed a one-time processing fee. After I snagged the sign-up bonus, I changed the payment method back to an ACH withdrawal."
Jae Bratton
writer, credit cards
Craig Joseph
writer, travel rewards
"I love using a service like Plastiq when I'm trying to earn a big sign-up bonus on a new card. If a merchant or contractor doesn't accept credit cards, I can send them a check through Plastiq for a fee that is way lower than the value of rewards I earn through the sign-up bonus. However, I wouldn't use the service to solely earn rewards from everyday spending on the card without getting a new sign-up bonus, as the service fee will likely eclipse the value of the rewards you earn."
"I love using a service like Plastiq when I'm trying to earn a big sign-up bonus on a new card. If a merchant or contractor doesn't accept credit cards, I can send them a check through Plastiq for a fee that is way lower than the value of rewards I earn through the sign-up bonus. However, I wouldn't use the service to solely earn rewards from everyday spending on the card without getting a new sign-up bonus, as the service fee will likely eclipse the value of the rewards you earn."
Craig Joseph
writer, travel rewards
Paul Soucy
content director, credit cards and travel rewards
"It can make sense to pay an extra fee to put a large expense on a credit card if doing so with net you a big sign-up bonus, which can more than make up for the fee. In most cases, though, processing fees will eat up the value of your rewards."
"It can make sense to pay an extra fee to put a large expense on a credit card if doing so with net you a big sign-up bonus, which can more than make up for the fee. In most cases, though, processing fees will eat up the value of your rewards."
Paul Soucy
content director, credit cards and travel rewards
Jae Bratton
writer, credit cards
"More often than not, I'll go to great lengths to avoid processing fees — except when I'm trying to hit the spend requirement for a sign-up bonus. For example, I (temporarily) switched the payment method for my son's tuition from a checking account to a credit card. The value of the sign-up bonus that I was pursuing far outweighed a one-time processing fee. After I snagged the sign-up bonus, I changed the payment method back to an ACH withdrawal."
"More often than not, I'll go to great lengths to avoid processing fees — except when I'm trying to hit the spend requirement for a sign-up bonus. For example, I (temporarily) switched the payment method for my son's tuition from a checking account to a credit card. The value of the sign-up bonus that I was pursuing far outweighed a one-time processing fee. After I snagged the sign-up bonus, I changed the payment method back to an ACH withdrawal."
Jae Bratton
writer, credit cards
Craig Joseph
writer, travel rewards
"I love using a service like Plastiq when I'm trying to earn a big sign-up bonus on a new card. If a merchant or contractor doesn't accept credit cards, I can send them a check through Plastiq for a fee that is way lower than the value of rewards I earn through the sign-up bonus. However, I wouldn't use the service to solely earn rewards from everyday spending on the card without getting a new sign-up bonus, as the service fee will likely eclipse the value of the rewards you earn."
"I love using a service like Plastiq when I'm trying to earn a big sign-up bonus on a new card. If a merchant or contractor doesn't accept credit cards, I can send them a check through Plastiq for a fee that is way lower than the value of rewards I earn through the sign-up bonus. However, I wouldn't use the service to solely earn rewards from everyday spending on the card without getting a new sign-up bonus, as the service fee will likely eclipse the value of the rewards you earn."
Craig Joseph
writer, travel rewards
Paul Soucy
content director, credit cards and travel rewards
"It can make sense to pay an extra fee to put a large expense on a credit card if doing so with net you a big sign-up bonus, which can more than make up for the fee. In most cases, though, processing fees will eat up the value of your rewards."
"It can make sense to pay an extra fee to put a large expense on a credit card if doing so with net you a big sign-up bonus, which can more than make up for the fee. In most cases, though, processing fees will eat up the value of your rewards."
Paul Soucy
content director, credit cards and travel rewards
The costs
For debit cards
The helpfulness of charging a debit card via Plastiq is limited. You'll get hit with the 2.99% processing fee, which you'd otherwise avoid by simply writing your own personal check to the vendor. (Plastiq used to charge only 1% for debit cards, but it raised the fee to match that on credit cards in March 2022.)
But if you don't care to order personal checks, get stamps, travel to the post office, etc., then Plastiq does cut those corners for you. Still, take care to use the service only if it won't put you in danger of overdrawing your account.
For credit cards
Credit cards are a much more interesting use case because, in effect, Plastiq allows you to pay bills before you have the actual cash on hand. And floating yourself the money with a credit card this way is a potentially less expensive alternative than other options like cash advances.
But it's certainly not without cost or risk. For starters, the 2.99% processing fee may not sound like much, but if you're using Plastiq to cut a $2,000 rent check, it adds nearly $60 to your final total. Using a rewards card that earns, say, 2% back on every purchase can reduce that fee, but you'll be hard-pressed to dodge it entirely unless you are collecting a sign-up bonus via the spending.
Secondly, if you can't afford to pay off that $2,060 charge within your credit card's billing cycle, you'll get hit with the card's ongoing interest rate — and rewards cards tend to have the highest annual percentage rates of all, many in excess of 20%.
Your credit card's grace period can buy you some time to avoid incurring interest charges. A grace period is the window of time between the end of your billing cycle and when your payment is due. Grace periods don't apply to credit card cash advances, but they could apply with a service like Plastiq. Keep in mind, however, that if you carry a balance, your card issuer will eliminate your grace period.
The bottom line
In short, Plastiq is a service best used strategically. It can help you hang on to cash reserves if you need them in the short term, and it's fairly inexpensive relative to some other options for quick cash.
But using it to pay bills you can't afford in the first place will be costly and unsustainable once revolving credit card interest kicks in.
Whether you want to pay less interest or earn more rewards, the right card's out there. Just answer a few questions and we'll narrow the search for you.
