Paying student loans with a credit card is something that many people have done. It’s especially common among younger people who are just starting their careers and don’t have a lot of disposable income. In this post, we explore all you need to know about can i use a credit card to pay student loans, best credit card for student loans, can you pay discover student loans with a credit card, how to pay student loans, and should i pay student loans with credit card.
It might seem like a good idea at first—the credit card is accepted everywhere and you won’t have to worry about getting cash out of an ATM if you’re on vacation in Europe! But there are many reasons why paying student loans with a credit card can be a very bad idea. Read on to know more about can i use a credit card to pay student loans, best credit card for student loans, can you pay discover student loans with a credit card, how to pay student loans, and should i pay student loans with credit card.
can i use a credit card to pay student loans
We begin with can i use a credit card to pay student loans, then best credit card for student loans, can you pay discover student loans with a credit card, how to pay student loans, and should i pay student loans with credit card.
Hey there!
It’s not exactly a secret that the majority of us would rather be doing anything than paying student loans. But we’re here to tell you that it is possible to use a credit card to pay student loans—or at least some of them.
Is it possible to use a credit card to pay student loans directly to your lender or servicer? The short answer is: no. You can’t make any kind of payments directly with your credit card.
But that doesn’t mean you’re out of luck—there are lots of other ways to pay for your student loan debt, including using a third-party payment service or taking out a cash advance on your credit card.
best credit card for student loans
Next, we consider best credit card for student loans, can you pay discover student loans with a credit card, how to pay student loans, and should i pay student loans with credit card.
We know you’re busy, and you probably don’t have time to spend hours researching credit cards. That’s why we’ve done the work for you: we’ve picked out the best student credit cards for 2022. Here’s what we found:
Discover it® Student Cash Back: Best for rotating cash back bonus categories. You get 5% cash back in rotating categories like restaurants, Amazon and more up to the quarterly maximum each time you activate (up to $1,500 per quarter). Plus, cash back doesn’t expire as long as your account is open.
Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card: Best for flat-rate cash back. With this card, you get 1.5% cash back on all your purchases with no limit on how much you can earn. Plus there are no foreign transaction fees!
Petal® 2 “Cash Back, No Fees” Visa® Credit Card: Best student starter card. This card has no annual fee or foreign transaction fees—just a flat rate of 1% cash back on every purchase with no limit on how much you can earn.
can you pay discover student loans with a credit card
More details coming up on can you pay discover student loans with a credit card, how to pay student loans, and should i pay student loans with credit card.
According to the U.S. Treasury Department, borrowers may not use credit cards to pay their student loans. However, it may be possible to transfer student loan balances to a credit card to pay them off. Not all credit cards will allow these types of transfers, but some companies do allow them.
If you are considering transferring your student loan balance to a credit card, consider all the factors that could affect your ability to repay the debt before signing up for a new card or transferring your balance from one account to another.
how to pay student loans
You know you have to pay off those student loans, but how?
Here are seven strategies to help you pay off student loans even faster.
First, make extra payments the right way. If you have a loan with an interest rate lower than the current market rate, pay it off first. That’s because the lower interest rate means that you’re paying less in interest per month, so every dollar you pay now will be worth more later.
Next, refinance if you have good credit and a steady job. Refinancing is basically taking out a new loan and consolidating all of your old ones into one payment that’s usually lower than what you’re currently paying. It can help reduce your monthly payments by extending the term of repayment or reducing interest rates. Just remember: Refinancing doesn’t improve your credit score!
Thirdly, enroll in autopay so that you don’t have to worry about missing payments or late fees (which are super costly). You’ll also get some great rewards from many lenders such as cash back or airline miles—and let’s be real: Who doesn’t love free money?
should i pay student loans with credit card
For most student loan borrowers, it doesn’t make sense to pay student loans with a credit card. When you pay student loans with a credit card, you’ll give up student loan protections and potentially move your debt to a credit product with a higher interest rate than your student loans.
You’ll also lose the ability to get federal benefits like income-driven repayment plans and special forgiveness programs for public service jobs. Some private lenders offer similar benefits, but not all of them do. And if your lender does not offer those benefits, then paying off the balance on your credit card will only result in higher interest rates for the rest of your life.
If you are considering paying off a small balance on one of your student loans with a credit card, consider this: If you have good credit and high income potential, it’s likely that there is no reason why you shouldn’t be able to get lower interest rates on other forms of debt like personal loans or mortgages.