Best credit cards for paying cell phone bills

Signing up for credit cards through partner links earns us a commission. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Here’s our full advertising policy: How we make money.

Update:   One or more card offers in this post are no longer available.  Check our Hot Deals for the latest offers.

You’re leaving money on the table if you’re not using the right rewards credit card to pay your monthly cell phone bills. Certain travel credit cards and cash-back credit cards give you big rewards for this common expense. Even worse, you may be leaving free phone insurance on the table, too. Some cards offer coverage so long as you use them to pay your monthly bill. Insurance plans for phones can cost $100 or more per year, so that’s a decent savings. I’ll explain which cards are best to use to pay your cell phone bill and why.

Many of the best cards that give bonuses for paying your cell phone bill are business credit cards. You can read our post on how to qualify for a small business credit card – it’s easier than you’d think. For example, if you have a freelance or independent contractor gig you could qualify as a sole proprietor and apply using your social security number as your business tax ID. You don’t need to make millions to be approved, either.

Best credit cards for cell phone bills

• Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card: Best all-around card cell phone bills
• Ink Business Cash® Credit Card: Best cash-back card
• Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card: Best no-annual-fee credit card for phone insurance

The Wells Fargo Propel card is no longer available for new applicants.

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

Best credit cards to pay cell phone bills

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

Best all-around card cell phone bills

With the Ink Business Preferred you can earn 100,000 bonus Chase Ultimate Rewards points after spending $15,000 in the first three months of account opening.

The Ink Business Preferred card’s benefits include earning 3x Chase Ultimate Rewards points on travel, shipping purchases, internet, cable and phone services, and advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines (up to a maximum of $150,000 in combined purchases each account anniversary year). You’ll earn one Chase Ultimate Rewards point per dollar on all other purchases.

When you pay for your cell phone bill with the card you receive cell phone protection for up to $1,000 per claim (up to three claims per 12-month period) against covered theft or damage, with a $100 deductible.

Read our Ink Business Preferred review for more details.

The Ink Business Preferred card has a $95 annual fee.

If your cell phone bill is $100 per month, you’d earn 3,600 Chase Ultimate Rewards points in a year. We estimate Chase points value to be two cents each on average. That means you’re getting a return of $72 per year in travel. Throw in the automatic phone insurance, and you can see why this is our top card for paying your phone bill.

Note the exceptions with phone coverage:

• Lost phones are not covered
• Covered phones must be purchased new. Refurbished or resold phones aren’t included
• Only covers you and your employees listed on your monthly cell phone bill

Apply here for the Chase Ink Business Preferred.

Ink Business Cash® Credit Card

Best cash-back card

The Ink Business Cash credit card has an intro offer of $750 bonus cash back after you spend $7,500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

With it you’ll earn 5% cash back (5x Chase Ultimate Rewards points) on the first $25,000 you spend in combined purchases each year at office supply stores and on phone, internet and cable TV services each account anniversary year, then 1%. And you’ll get 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases each year at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year, then 1%. All other purchases will earn 1% back.

Read our Ink Business Cash credit card review for more details.

This card has no annual fee, and consistently ranks among the best no annual fee credit cards and best business cash back credit cards.

It doesn’t offer any kind of cell phone insurance, but it does earn you the most Chase Ultimate Rewards points or cash back of any card for your cell phone bill. Additionally, if you also have a Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve or Ink Business Preferred, you can combine your points and transfer them directly to Chase transfer partners like Southwest, United Airlines, Hyatt and many more.

Again, we estimate Chase points value to be two cents each. This gives you an effective 10% rebate on your phone bill.

Apply here for the Ink Business Cash Credit Card.

Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card

Best no annual fee credit card for phone insurance

The Wells Fargo Propel benefits include 3x points on travel purchases (flights, hotels, homestays, and car rentals), eating out and ordering in, gas stations, rideshares, transit and eligible streaming services, like Apple Music, Hulu and Netflix. All other purchases earn one point per dollar. This card also has no foreign transaction fees.

Additionally, as long as you pay your monthly bill with the Amex Wells Fargo Propel card, your phone will be insured for two claims, up to $600 each, in a 12-month period. Your coverage starts the first day of the calendar month after your first phone bill payment with your Wells Fargo Propel. You’re subject to a small $25 deductible per claim. Again, there are some exceptions:

• Lost phones aren’t covered
• Electronic failures or software issues related aren’t covered
• Coverage does not apply to cell phones that are rented, borrowed or received as part of a prepaid plan

This card has no annual fee. Plus, earning 3% back on a variety of purchases is an excellent deal, especially for a card with no annual fee. Plus, your points are worth one cent each when you redeem them for cash back, travel, gift cards and more.

Even better, if you have the Wells Fargo Visa® Signature® Card, you can redeem your points for 1.5 cents each toward airfare through the Wells Fargo portal. This method will effectively give you 4.5% back toward airfare for common purchases like travel and dining.

The information for the Wells Fargo Visa® Signature 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

Paying your cell phone bill with the right card will earn you bonus miles and points or cash back. And some cards will even insure your phone against damage and theft when you pay your bill with the card. Our top picks are:

• Ink Business Preferred Credit Card: Best all-around card cell phone bills
• Ink Business Cash: Best cash-back card
• Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card: Best no-annual-fee credit card for phone insurance

Most of these credit cards are small business cards. Even so, you may qualify for a small business card if you have a side job, like tutoring or selling items on Amazon.