Do Lawyers Accept Credit Cards? What Credit Cards You Should Use for Legal Fees

  • Jasmin Baron

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    INSIDER SECRET: If you have a big legal bill coming up, consider applying for one of the best travel credit cards and using the legal expense to unlock a hefty welcome bonus.

    At some point in your life you’ll probably need a lawyer. Whether it’s for a happy occasion, like a new home or adoption, or something less pleasant, like a divorce or a court case, the costs can really put a dent in the pocketbook.

    When you can’t avoid paying an attorney, you can at least earn substantial miles, points, or cash back by using one of the best credit cards to pay for legal services. There aren’t any cards that have law firms as a bonus category, but you can use a card that rewards you for everyday spending or use the big expense to unlock a huge welcome bonus.

    Use one of the best credit cards to pay lawyers and legal fees to earn rewards for unavoidable expenses. (Photo by PhuShutter/Shutterstock)

    Best Credit Cards to Pay Lawyers and Legal Fees

    You might be surprised at how many lawyers accept credit cards. Just be sure before you pay that they don’t tack on an extra processing fee for using a credit card because that could negate the value of any rewards you earn.

    You’ve got a couple of options for maximizing your rewards when you pay your lawyer:

    I’ve used the latter strategy to unlock welcome bonuses on multiple cards, most recently the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card. In fact, a few years back when I got divorced (unfortunately, it was a long process), my lawyer would joke with me every time I had to top up my retainer: “So, which new card are you using today and what are you earning for it?”

    The information for the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards card has been collected independently by Million Mile Secrets. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

    Here are a few options you might consider if you’re facing a big legal expense.

    Cards With a High Earning Rate in Non-Bonus Categories

    Personal Cards

    Chase Freedom Unlimited

    Apply Here: Chase Freedom Unlimited

    Read our review of the Chase Freedom Unlimited

    Although there’s no traditional welcome bonus, with the Chase Freedom Unlimited, earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. There’s no annual fee, so you can keep the card for the long term and improve the average age of your account.

    On their own, points linked to the Freedom Unlimited are worth 1 cent apiece, but if you have any of the credit cards listed below, you can get significantly more value from your Chase Ultimate Rewards points:

    When you combine your Chase Ultimate Rewards points into one of these card accounts, you’ll have the ability to transfer your points to Chase transfer partners like United Airlines, Hyatt and Marriott. Alternately, you can use Chase Ultimate Rewards points to book airfare, hotels and more through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal, where your points are worth 25%-50% more, depending on the card you have. I redeem points linked to my Chase Sapphire Reserve to book travel at a rate of 1.5 cents per point.

    Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

    Apply Here: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

    Read our review of the Capital One Venture

    The Capital One Venture is an easy win for those who want a big intro offer and the simplicity of having no bonus categories to track. You’ll earn 100,000 bonus miles when you spend $20,000 on purchases in the first 12 months from account opening, or still earn 50,000 miles if you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.

    Because Capital One miles value at 1 cent each, this bonus is worth $1,000 in travel (and potentially more when you transfer to one Capital One’s transfer partners like JetBlue, Singapore Airlines and Air Canada Aeroplan and several others).

    You’ll earn 2 Capital One miles per dollar you spend on all purchases, with no caps, so effectively you’re earning 2% back for travel (2 miles per dollar x 1 cent per mile).

    Transfer Capital One Venture miles to Singapore Airlines and fly in their incredible business class. (Photo courtesy of Singapore Airlines)

    The Capital One Venture has a $95 annual fee.

    Discover it® Miles

    Apply Here: Discover it® Miles

    The Discover it® Miles doesn’t offer a welcome bonus. Instead, Discover will match the miles you’ve earned at the end of your first card membership year. Because this card earns 1.5 miles per dollar (worth 1.5% back) on all purchases, this is effectively like earning 3 miles per dollar (3% back) on everything in your first 12 billing cycles.

    You can redeem miles for 1 cent each toward travel expenses or cash back.

    The information for the Discover it Miles card has been collected independently by Million Mile Secrets. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

    Citi® Double Cash Card

    Read our review of the Citi Double Cash

    The Citi Double Cash card earns unlimited 2% cash back — 1% cash back on all purchases and an additional 1% on payments on those purchases. If you prefer the flexibility of cold, hard cash, this could be a good option.

    Keep in mind, there’s no welcome bonus, but there’s no annual fee, either.

    The information for the Citi Double Cash Card has been collected independently by Million Mile Secrets. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

    Small-Business Cards

    Read our post on how to qualify for a small-business credit card

    Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card

    Apply Here: Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card

    Read our review of the Chase Ink Business Unlimited

    For a no-annual-fee card, the Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card comes with a whopper of a welcome bonus. You’ll earn a $750 bonus cash back after you spend $7,500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

    The Ink Business Unlimited has a straightforward earning structure. On all purchases, you’ll earn 1.5% cash back (1.5 Chase Ultimate Rewards points per dollar) with no limits.

    You can earn 1.5% cash back on all purchases with the Chase Ink Business Unlimited. (Photo by pathdoc/Shutterstock)

    Similar to the Chase Freedom Unlimited, the Chase Ink Business Unlimited becomes more valuable if you move your points to an annual-fee Chase card account:

    This unlocks the ability to transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Chase transfer partners or to redeem points for travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal at an improved rate.

    The Blue Business®️ Plus Credit Card from American Express

    Apply Here: The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express

    Read our review of the Amex Blue Business Plus

    The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express comes with a welcome bonus of 15,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in eligible purchases within the first three months of card membership. You’ll earn 2 Amex Membership Rewards points per dollar on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year (then 1 Amex Membership Rewards point per dollar on all purchases).

    Amex Membership Rewards points are valuable because you can move them to Amex transfer partners like Delta, Singapore Airlines and British Airways. Plus, this is one of the only Amex Membership Rewards earning cards that has no annual fee (see rates & fees). Check out our post on the best ways to use Amex points to see where your points can take you.

    If you prefer cash, you might also consider this card’s sibling — the American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card. Instead of Membership Rewards points, it earns 2% cash back on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year (then 1% cash back) and also has no annual fee (see rates & fees). The card is currently offering a welcome offer of $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first three months of card membership.

    Capital One Spark Miles for Business

    Apply Here: Capital One® Spark® Miles for Business

    Read our review of the Capital One Spark Miles for Business

    The Capital One Spark Miles for Business is a good choice for small business owners who prefer simple rewards to redeem for travel. You’ll earn a bonus of 50,000 miles – equal to $500 in travel – once you spend $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening

    All purchases earn 2 Spark miles per dollar with no spending caps, and Spark miles are worth 1 cent apiece when redeemed for travel. Like the Capital One Venture, you’ve also got the option of transferring your miles to Capital One transfer partners.

    You can transfer Capital One miles to JetBlue, a Capital One transfer partner. (Photo by Leonard Zhukovsky/Shutterstock)

    This card comes with a $95 annual fee, which is waived the first year.

    Capital One Spark Cash for Business

    Apply Here: Capital One® Spark® Cash for Business

    Read our review of the Capital One Spark Cash for Business

    Do you like the idea of a Capital One business card but prefer earning cash instead?

    Earn a $500 cash bonus when you spend $4,500 in the first 3 months of your account opening. You’ll earn unlimited 2% cash back on all purchases, and there are no foreign transaction fees. The $95 annual fee is waived the first year.

    Cards With Big Minimum Spending Requirements

    Here are a few cards with substantial minimum spending requirements you might consider if you come up against personal or business legal expenses. While you’ll only earn 1 point or mile per dollar for non-bonus spending (including lawyers) on these cards, using your legal bill to unlock the welcome bonus can boost your miles and points balances quickly.

    The information for the Hilton Aspire card and Hilton Surpass card has been collected independently by Million Mile Secrets. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

    Bottom Line

    Handing over a ton of cash to a lawyer is never pleasant, but there’s a silver lining when you’re earning travel rewards with the best credit cards for legal fees.

    None of the best travel credit cards offer a bonus for the category of legal services, but you can still earn lots of miles, points and cash back by choosing a card with a high earning rate for everyday expenses. Even better, if you can time a card application with a big attorney’s bill, you could use the expense to unlock a big welcome bonus.

    Then be sure to take a vacation with your hard-earned miles and points when your legal woes are behind you.

    Did I miss your favorite card for lawyers and legal fees? Please share in the comments.

    To learn more about the best credit cards for your needs, check our our guides:

    For the latest tips and tricks on traveling big without spending a fortune, please subscribe to the Million Mile Secrets daily email newsletter.

    For the rates and fees of the Amex Blue Business Plus, please click here

    For the rates and fees of the Amex Blue Business Cash, please click here

    Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)
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