Best Wedding Credit Card to Consider for Every Wedding Expenses

Wedding Credit Card: Weddings can cost a pretty penny for couples. According to Brides magazine’s new American Wedding Survey, the average wedding in 2018 was $44,000. Yet credit cards could make it easier to manage wedding expenses, including rewards and 0 percent APR cards.

Putting wedding costs on a credit card in the form of cashback, miles or points can yield rewards. This, depending on your choice of redemption, will mean savings on your marriage or honeymoon.

A credit card can also enable couples to cover marriage expenses without affecting their checking accounts directly. In fact, credit cards will provide other benefits that are important for couples ‘ wedding planning efforts.

For example, price protection can help couples get the best possible price on purchases of wedding. After a price drop on a card purchase, this benefit would credit you with the price difference.

Just be aware of the advantages, disadvantages, and potential long-term costs of using your wedding credit card. Ideally, you use a 0 percent promotional reward credit card and pay off the balance before the date of entry expires.

4 Best Credit Cards for Wedding Expenses

The best wedding credit card will depend specifically on your needs or what type of rewards you would like to earn. Here are four you might consider.

Best for Honeymooners: Chase Sapphire Preferred

Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card

• Annual Fee: $95
• APR: 17.74% – 24.74%
• Benefits: Earn 2x points for every dollar spent on travel and restaurants and 1x points for every dollar spent on everyday purchases
• Category: Rewards

One of the best travel credit cards on the market is the Chase Sapphire Preferred. It comes with a fantastic sign-up offer, excellent levels of rewards and the best available travel rewards program: Chase Ultimate Rewards.

Benefits

You can receive 60,000 bonus points if you spend $4,000 within 3 months of opening the ticket. The item can be redeemed in travel rewards for $750. Plus, if you spend money on travel and dining, you will gain 2 points.

Chase also offers a number of other incentives including cancelation coverage, delay protection for luggage and emergency travel assistance. They never charge any transaction fees from abroad.

If your car is damaged or stolen, you will receive primary car rental insurance that will cover you. And Chase provides support to customers 24/7.

The Ultimate Rewards Points can be passed to a wide network of airlines, allowing you to conveniently use the points you receive on your honeymoon or on a future trip for travel expenses.

Downsides

There’s a $95 annual fee, but it’s forgiven for the first year, and when you consider the bonus rewards you get with the ticket, it’s worth it in subsequent years.

Nevertheless, Chase does not give a 0 percent promotional APR on this card, so if you plan to carry a balance on the account, you will have a high interest rate— a likely scenario for a couple with a lot of wedding expenses. This may not be the right card for you if you can’t pay your balance in full every month.

Recommended Credit Score

To apply for this card, Preferred Credit Score Chase needs a good to excellent credit score.

Best for the Rehearsal Dinner: Capital One Savor

Capital One Savor Card

• Annual Fee: $95 (waived for first year)
• APR: 16.24% – 25.24%
• Benefits: 4% cash back on dining and entertainment, 2% at grocery stores, 1% on all other purchases
• Category: Rewards

For anyone who frequently spends money on food and entertainment, the Capitol One Savor card offers some of the best incentives. It comes with a solid registration bonus and excellent cash back rewards for restaurant and entertainment hall purchases.

Benefits

New card holders can receive a cash bonus of $300 if you spend $3,000 within three months of opening the account, which will be used as a credit statement.

You can also earn unlimited 4% cash on dining and entertainment, 2% on grocery stores, and 1% on all other purchases. And cardholders are given access to luxury dining experiences and entertainment.

The rate of dining and entertainment is higher than that offered by most cards and can be useful if you’re planning on hosting any large dinners. And if your wedding location uses a merchant code that identifies it as a restaurant or entertainment hall, you can  get 4% cash back on those expenses, too.

Downsides

There is a fee of $95, but in the first year it has been forgiven. The benefits always make it more than worth the cost. But if you want this rewards credit card’s lower-tier version without the annual fee, you can also consider the Capital One SavorOne card.

The redemption rate, however, depends on the merchant code, so it can be hard to know if your wedding hall and party locations can receive the cash back value of 4 percent.

You may try to ask the venue what merchant code they use against the terms of the contract for credit card payments and double check that. Additionally, since there is no 0 percent introductory APR, you need to be able to repay your expenditures as soon as possible.

Recommended Credit Score

You will need to have good to excellent credit to qualify for this card.

Best for Financing Your Wedding: American Express EveryDay Credit Card

American Express EveryDay Credit Card

• Annual Fee: $0
• APR: 14.74% – 25.74%
• Benefits: 2x points per $1 spent at US supermarkets up to $6,000 per year in purchases, 1x points per $1 spent on eligible purchases
• Category: Rewards

If you are not ready to pay back your wedding expenses immediately, your best bet will be the American Express EveryDay card. It comes with an intro APR of 0 percent and fairly decent membership rewards.

Benefits

• New cardholders can receive 20,000 Membership Rewards points if you spend $2,000 on qualified transactions within three months of the card being opened. You can also earn 1 point per dollar spent on all purchases and 2 points on purchases from supermarkets for up to $6,000 per year in purchases..
• If you use your card 20 times or more during a billing cycle, you’ll earn 20% more bonus points on those purchases.
• You will earn 20 percent more bonus points on purchases if you use your card 20 times or more during a billing cycle.Such incentives are decent but not as thrilling as those provided by some of the other cards.
• The real draw of this ticket, however, is that for the first 15 months you will enjoy a 0 percent APR on transactions and balance transfers, as long as the balance transfers are done within 60 days of account opening.
• Some cards have deals for the transfer of cash, but most of them do not include new purchases. This will allow you to spend interest-free money on your wedding. There is also no charge for an annual fee.

Downsides

• The ongoing rewards on this card aren’t as good as what you could get with the previous two cards.

Recommended Credit Score

Amex needs you to have  a good to excellent credit score to qualify for this card.

Best for Cashback on All the Little Things: Citi Double Cash Back

Citi Double Cash Card

• Annual Fee: $0
• APR: 15.99% – 25.99%
• Benefits: 2% cash back – 1% on purchases and an additional 1% as you pay
• Category: Rewards

If you need just looking for a great, flat cash back rate without having to worry about spending categories, the Citi Double Cash Back card is difficult to beat. You stand  chance to earn 2% cash back with a 0% intro APR on balance transfers.

Benefits

• The simplicity of the Citi Double Cash Back rewards card is one of the best things. There are no categories or caps on spending to be addressed. They do not charge any annual fees and for 18 months you can get an intro APR of 0 percent on balance transfers.
• You can get 2x cash back bonuses when you use your ticket. Once you make the purchase, you get 1% and another 1% once you pay.
• And you only have to make a minimum monthly payment in order to receive the bonuses, although it is still best to pay the balance in full to prevent interest.

Downsides

• You can receive higher credit card rewards from other cards in certain categories. But most rewards cards offer only 1 percent to 1.5 percent cash back for general purchases.
• This card also does not offer new cardholders a sign-up bonus, and with a large wedding fee on the horizon, it would be easy to qualify for another card bonus now.
• Eventually, you’re going to have to pay a 3 percent foreign transaction fee for all out – of-country purchases, which mean that this card may not be a honeymoon ticket.

Recommended Credit Score

Citi requires a good to excellent credit score for you to qualify for this card.

Is it a Good Idea to Use a Credit Card to Pay for Your Wedding?

There are advantages and disadvantages of using a credit card to pay for wedding expenses. On the plus side, it can be a great way to earn extra rewards for anyway purchases you’d make. And you could use the cash back rewards for your honeymoon or future spending.

You should be careful, however, as credit card interest rates can cost you a lot of money when the bill arrives. Credit cards have very high interest rates if you are not in an APR period of 0 percent.

Here are a few things you should remember before you take a credit card for your wedding:

• The financial situation: be honest as to whether or not you will be able to make full payment of your balance each month. When you can’t find a card with a temporary 0 percent APR, then it’s a good idea to find it.
• Your credit score: you’ll also be limited by your credit card company’s total credit cap. You may not qualify for a very high credit limit if your credit score is on the low side, and your interest rates will be higher.
• Your use of credit: you’ll want to keep your use of credit in mind as well. This is the ratio of the outstanding balance of your credit card to the limit of your card. If your use of credit is too high, your FICO score may be damaged.

Pros

• The 0 percent APR intro intervals can be used.
• The opportunity to receive incentives, such as cash back, mileage travel, and even elite program rewards status.
• There is no need to deal with requests for personal loans.

Cons

• If you cannot find an APR intro duration of 0 percent, you will be stuck with an extremely high APR. • In the short term, high credit usage can hurt your credit score.
• You may be able to reach your credit limit.
• You may feel overwhelming paying for a wedding, but funding options are available to you. If you can find the right deal and avoid paying too much interest money, it could be a good option to use a credit card to pay for your wedding.