Paying Electricity and Gas with a Credit Card: Earn Miles on Your Energy Bills (2026)

Quick answer: Paying electricity and gas directly by credit card almost never works in Germany — the payment pages of major utilities like EnBW, Vattenfall and Octopus Energy list only SEPA direct debit and bank transfer. You can still earn miles on your installments, though: (1) via the Revolut method with a Miles & More credit card (free with personal cards), (2) via the recurring-expenses hack from the Premium Handbook, which also works with AMEX. At €220 a month in installments, that’s up to 3,960 points per year — just for electricity and gas.

After rent, electricity and gas are the second-largest fixed expense in a household: €150 to €300 goes out to the utility by direct debit month after month. Money you spend anyway — and which in the vast majority of households earns not a single point. In this guide, I’ll show you what works directly in 2026, what doesn’t, and which workaround makes your energy bills earn miles anyway.

What works directly for electricity and gas — and what doesn’t

First, the honest inventory. I checked the payment pages of several major energy providers:

Utility	Payment methods listed	Credit card?
EnBW	SEPA direct debit, bank transfer, standing order	Not listed
Vattenfall	SEPA direct debit, bank transfer	Not listed
Octopus Energy	SEPA direct debit, bank transfer	Not listed

Octopus Energy even spells it out on its help page: there are exactly two payment methods — the SEPA direct debit mandate and the bank transfer. That’s the typical picture in the German energy industry: credit cards are not provided for installment payments. Individual utilities offer card payment only to parts of their customer base or for one-off payments — whether that’s the case with your provider, you’ll see in the customer portal under “payment method.” Don’t rely on forum reports, rely on what your own portal offers.

By the way, on the legal side: In 2017, the Higher Regional Court of Cologne ruled (case no. 6 U 146/16) that electricity providers may not restrict their customers to direct debit alone — under Section 41 (2) of the German Energy Industry Act (EnWG), they must offer several payment methods. But that doesn’t create an obligation to accept credit cards: a bank transfer as the second option is sufficient. And utilities are allowed to pass on the extra costs of more elaborate payment methods to you. The bank transfer is therefore the payment route that’s open to you almost everywhere — and that’s exactly the one you use.

The big overview of all recurring-expense categories is in the main article Paying Recurring Expenses with a Credit Card. The workaround I’m about to show you is the same one that works for rent — explained in detail in the guide Paying Rent with a Credit Card.

The workaround: Turning a card payment into a bank transfer

If the utility won’t take a card, you reverse the order: you don’t pay the utility with the card, you top up an account with the card — and from that account the transfer or direct debit goes to the utility. The card spend happens at the top-up, and so do the miles.

The best-known free way to do this is Revolut:

1. You top up your free Revolut account with your Miles & More credit card → counts as card spend → miles
2. You transfer the installment from Revolut by SEPA to your utility — or switch the direct debit to your Revolut IBAN

Your utility receives a perfectly normal SEPA payment and doesn’t notice a thing.

Conditions of the Revolut method (as of October 2026)

	M&M personal cards	M&M business cards
Top-up limit	€5,000/month (shared with finance platforms)	No limit
Revolut fee	None	1.33%
Earn rate	1 mile / €2	1 mile / €1
Max. miles/month	2,500	Unlimited

Electricity and gas alone will never blow past the €5,000 limit. But if you run your rent through Revolut at the same time, you’ll hit the ceiling quickly — the €5,000 applies to all top-ups combined.

The catches

• Terms-of-service gray area: Revolut’s terms prohibit “looping” and the mere transfer of money from credit card accounts. As long as you also use Revolut as a normal account, the risk is low — there’s no guarantee. Revolut can restrict the account.
• AMEX does NOT work: Revolut doesn’t accept American Express for top-ups. AMEX Membership Rewards — the more flexible points currency — is left out of this route entirely.
• Weak rate with personal cards: 1 mile per €2 is half of what AMEX earns without the Turbo.

Which card for electricity and gas?

That depends on which route you take:

For the Revolut method you absolutely need a Miles & More credit card (Mastercard):

• M&M Blue Personal* (€5.50/month) — the cheapest entry point, Revolut top-up free of charge. Currently 500 miles + 40 Points welcome bonus (until 31 December 2026).
• M&M Gold Personal* (€11.50/month) — same earn rate, but currently 20,000 miles + 4 lounge vouchers + 40 Points welcome bonus (until 30 November 2026).

For the recurring-expenses hack (see below), you can also run your energy costs through AMEX — and then the higher earn rate pays off:

• AMEX Gold* (€240/year) — 1 MR per euro, with Punkteturbo (€15/year) 1.5 MR per euro. 50,000 MR welcome bonus from €5,000 spend in 6 months.
• AMEX Platinum* (€720/year) — 85,000 MR welcome bonus from €10,000 spend in 6 months, plus lounge access and travel credits.

Which AMEX suits you is covered in the decision guide.

Worked example: €220 in energy costs per month

Let’s take a typical household with a €120 electricity and a €100 gas installment, i.e., €220 a month and €2,640 a year:

Card / route	Earn rate	Miles or points per year
M&M personal via Revolut	1 mile / €2	1,320 miles
M&M business via Revolut (−1.33% fee ≈ €35)	1 mile / €1	2,640 miles
AMEX via recurring-expenses hack	1 MR / €1	2,640 MR
AMEX with Punkteturbo via recurring-expenses hack	1.5 MR / €1	3,960 MR

Taken on its own, that sounds modest. But electricity and gas are only one building block: together with rent, internet, insurance and the broadcasting fee, a household quickly reaches €2,000 in recurring expenses — and then it’s 24,000 MR per year, 36,000 MR with the Turbo. Energy costs are the item that’s easiest to switch over, because the installments are the same amount every month.

A side effect that’s often overlooked: the annual statement. A back payment of a few hundred euros is a one-off transfer — and therefore just as payable via the workaround as the installment.

Step by step: Switching energy costs to the card

1. Check the payment method in the customer portal. If, against expectations, your utility accepts credit cards, add your AMEX or M&M card directly — done. If not, continue with step 2.
2. Open a Revolut account (Standard, free) and add your Miles & More credit card as the top-up source.
3. Note the installment amount. You’ll find it in the customer portal or on your last statement.
4. Top up monthly. Top up Revolut with the installment amount — ideally a few days before the due date so the payment doesn’t fall through.
5. Set up the payment. Either a standing order from Revolut to the utility’s IBAN (contract account number as the reference) or switch the existing direct debit to your Revolut IBAN.
6. Pay the card bill in full. Pay off the M&M card completely by direct debit from your checking account — interest on partial payments instantly eats up every mile.
7. Keep using Revolut normally. A few genuine card payments per month through Revolut lower the risk of standing out as a pure pass-through station.

Pitfalls: Fees, payment deadlines, terms

Fees at the utility. Utilities may pass on the extra costs of more elaborate payment methods. If you switch from direct debit to bank transfer, check the tariff conditions to see whether your tariff provides a surcharge for that — some tariffs are tied to direct debit. In that case, switching the direct debit to your Revolut IBAN is the cleaner route.

Mind the payment deadline. Installments are typically due at the start of the month. If you pay by bank transfer, you need two to three banking days of lead time — instant transfers speed up the credit, but not always the allocation at the utility. Late-payment fees cost more than the miles are worth.

Revolut terms. The gray area remains. Anyone who uses Revolut exclusively to pass through credit card money risks a restriction of the account. That’s exactly why there’s a better route for larger amounts.

No installment mode. Neither with the AMEX nor with the M&M card: as soon as interest accrues, the math turns negative.

Energy costs through AMEX — without Revolut, without the gray area? The recurring-expenses hack from the Premium Handbook turns every direct debit and bank transfer into card spend — electricity, gas, rent, internet, insurance, GEZ. It works with AMEX and Miles & More, with no €5,000 limit and no 1.33% fee. With AMEX and Punkteturbo, that’s 1.5 MR per euro. To the Premium Bundle (€99) →

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I pay electricity and gas directly with a credit card?

In Germany, almost never. The payment pages of major utilities like EnBW, Vattenfall and Octopus Energy list only SEPA direct debit and bank transfer. Individual providers offer card payment to parts of their customer base — whether that works for you is shown in the customer portal under “payment method.” The reliable route is the workaround via an account topped up by credit card.

Can I pay electricity with AMEX?

Not via Revolut — Revolut doesn’t accept American Express for top-ups. But there is a system (the recurring-expenses hack from the Premium Handbook) with which AMEX cards work for electricity, gas and all other SEPA recurring expenses too — with Punkteturbo you then earn 1.5 MR per euro of energy costs.

How many miles do electricity and gas earn per year?

At a €220 monthly installment (€2,640 a year): 1,320 miles with an M&M personal card (1 mile/€2), 2,640 miles with an M&M business card (1 mile/€1), or up to 3,960 AMEX MR with Punkteturbo (1.5 MR/€). Together with the other recurring expenses, that adds up to as much as 36,000 points a year.

Is my electricity provider allowed to offer only direct debit?

No. In 2017, the Higher Regional Court of Cologne ruled that energy providers must offer several payment methods under Section 41 (2) EnWG. But there’s no obligation to accept credit cards — a bank transfer as the second option is enough. Utilities may pass on the extra costs of more elaborate payment methods to you.

Does the Revolut method also work for the annual statement?

Yes. A back payment is a one-off transfer and runs through the card-funded account just like the monthly installments. Just watch the €5,000 monthly limit on personal cards if the back payment coincides with rent and other items.

Is the Revolut method allowed?

It operates in a gray area: Revolut’s terms prohibit “looping” and the pure pass-through of money from credit cards, but allow topping up by credit card. As long as you also use Revolut as a normal account, the risk is low — there’s no guarantee.

Conclusion

Electricity and gas can’t be paid directly with a credit card in Germany — but that doesn’t mean they have to remain a dead expense. With the Revolut method and a Miles & More card, you earn your first miles on your installments for free. And if you want the maximum — AMEX MR, 1.5 points per euro, no limit and no gray area — then the recurring-expenses hack is the route that covers all recurring expenses at once.

You’ll find the complete recurring-expenses hack with step-by-step instructions in the Premium Bundle (€99) — together with 12 more strategies, the 6-month master plan and the AudioBook.

Further reading:

• Paying Recurring Expenses with a Credit Card - The big overview of all recurring-expenses strategies
• Paying Rent with a Credit Card - The biggest item in the household budget
• Earning Miles: The 7 Best Methods 2026 - The overall strategy
• Activating AMEX Punkteturbo - Unlock 1.5 MR per euro
• Which AMEX Card Is Right for Me? - The decision guide