Paying Insurance with a Credit Card: How to Earn Miles on Your Premiums (2026)

Quick answer: Yes, some insurers accept credit cards — above all direct insurers with online sign-up, and there frequently only with annual payment. Allianz Direct, for instance, accepts Visa and Mastercard with annual payment, plus PayPal as well as Google and Apple Pay. Traditional insurers sold through agents or brokers debit almost exclusively by direct debit. For all premiums that run via SEPA, there’s the workaround via a card-funded account — or the recurring-expenses hack from the Premium Handbook, which also works with AMEX. At €2,000 in annual premiums, up to 3,000 MR are possible.

Liability, home contents, car, dental, disability: an average household pays several hundred to a few thousand euros in insurance premiums a year. And unlike electricity and rent, here there’s a real chance of direct card payment — if you choose the right insurer and the right payment frequency. In this guide, I’ll show you where credit cards are accepted, how to bring AMEX into play despite “Visa/Mastercard only,” and what the workaround is for all remaining premiums.

What works directly for insurance — and what doesn’t

For this question, insurers can be roughly divided into two camps:

Insurer type	Typical payment methods	Credit card?
Direct insurers (online sign-up, app)	Direct debit, often also credit card, PayPal, Google/Apple Pay	Frequently yes — often only with annual payment
Traditional insurers (agency, broker, representative)	SEPA direct debit, more rarely bank transfer	As a rule, no

A concrete, verified example: Allianz Direct states in its FAQ that credit cards from Visa and Mastercard are accepted — “with annual payment.” Alongside that, the direct insurer offers PayPal, Google Pay and Apple Pay; with these methods, the first premium is debited directly after the contract is concluded. American Express doesn’t appear on the list. App insurers like Getsafe also let you change the payment method in your profile, for example to PayPal.

That’s the typical pattern: online sign-up plus annual payment opens the door to the card. Anyone who pays monthly or signs up through an agency almost always ends up with direct debit. Which payment methods your insurer offers is listed in the customer portal under “payment frequency” or in the FAQ — check that before signing up, not afterward.

The overview of all recurring-expense categories is in the main article Paying Recurring Expenses with a Credit Card. And for premiums that stubbornly run only via SEPA, the same workaround applies as in the guide Paying Rent with a Credit Card.

The AMEX trick: Via PayPal or Apple Pay

Many insurers list only Visa and Mastercard. But that doesn’t mean your AMEX stays out. Two routes you should try:

1. PayPal with your AMEX on file. American Express itself describes how to add the card to your PayPal wallet. If your insurer offers PayPal, you pay via PayPal — and PayPal charges your AMEX. As a rule, that’s a normal card transaction that earns Membership Rewards.
2. Apple Pay or Google Pay with your AMEX on file. If the insurer offers wallet payments, an AMEX can sit behind them too. Whether the insurer’s payment service provider accepts AMEX via the wallet, you’ll only see during checkout — it costs nothing to try.

If neither route works, the only remaining option for AMEX is the workaround via the recurring-expenses hack (see below). With a Miles & More Mastercard, you have it easier right away: it’s accepted everywhere “Mastercard” is listed.

Which card for insurance premiums?

For direct card payment, the earn rate is what counts — and AMEX leads there:

• 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 — an annual car insurance premium gets you a good way there.
• AMEX Platinum* (€720/year) — 85,000 MR from €10,000 spend in 6 months, plus lounge access, travel credits and insurance packages that make some separate policies redundant.
• PAYBACK AMEX* (free) — 1 PAYBACK point per €3, points can be transferred 1:1 to Miles & More. Currently 4,000 points welcome bonus (2,000 for the first payment + 2,000 from €500 spend in 2 months, until 15 November 2026). The free entry-level option if you don’t want an annual fee.

For the Revolut method (premiums that only run via SEPA), you need a Miles & More credit card:

• M&M Blue Personal* (€5.50/month) — 1 mile per €2, Revolut top-up free of charge, 500 miles + 40 Points welcome bonus (until 31 December 2026).
• M&M Gold Personal* (€11.50/month) — currently 20,000 miles + 4 lounge vouchers + 40 Points (until 30 November 2026).

Which AMEX fits you is shown in the decision guide.

Worked example: €2,000 in insurance premiums per year

An example household with typical policies, all switched to annual payment:

Insurance	Premium/year (example)
Car insurance	€900
Personal liability	€60
Home contents	€150
Dental	€300
Disability	€600
Total	€2,010

What these €2,010 earn depending on the card:

Card / route	Earn rate	Miles or points per year
PAYBACK AMEX (direct)	1 point / €3	670 PAYBACK points = 670 miles
M&M personal (direct or via Revolut)	1 mile / €2	1,005 miles
AMEX Gold (direct)	1 MR / €1	2,010 MR
AMEX Gold with Punkteturbo	1.5 MR / €1	3,015 MR

Then there’s the leverage for the welcome bonus: if you pay the €900 annual car policy on a freshly applied-for AMEX Gold, you’ve knocked out almost a fifth of the €5,000 minimum spend in one day — without spending a cent more than you would have anyway. Together with electricity, rent and the other recurring expenses, up to 36,000 MR a year are possible at €2,000 in monthly recurring expenses.

Step by step: Switching insurance to the card

1. Take inventory. List all policies with premium, payment frequency and insurer. Car insurance is usually the biggest item.
2. Check payment methods. Log in to each customer portal and look under “payment frequency” to see whether credit card, PayPal or wallet payment is offered.
3. Switch to annual payment. Many insurers only open card payment with annual payment — and often charge installment surcharges for monthly payment anyway. So the switch saves twice. Changing the payment frequency is usually possible from the next insurance year.
4. Add your card. AMEX directly, if accepted; otherwise via PayPal or Apple/Google Pay with your AMEX on file; otherwise the Miles & More Mastercard.
5. For direct-debit insurers: set up the workaround. Top up a Revolut account with the M&M card and switch the direct debit to your Revolut IBAN, or pay the premium by bank transfer from Revolut.
6. Factor in the payment method at your next switch. If you’re switching car insurers anyway (the deadline is usually 30 November), include credit card acceptance as a criterion in your comparison.
7. Pay the card bill in full. A €900 annual premium on the card is only a win if no interest accrues.

Pitfalls: Fees, payment deadlines, terms

Payment frequency and coverage. With annual payment, the full premium is due at once. The credit card does give you a payment deadline until the next statement — but budget for the amount instead of parking it in installment mode.

First premium and renewal premiums. With PayPal, credit card and wallet payment, some insurers debit the first premium immediately after sign-up. Check whether the renewal premiums also run via the card or whether the insurer falls back to direct debit for those.

Card expiry. If your credit card expires or is replaced, the next annual debit will fail. With insurance, an unpaid renewal premium can in the worst case jeopardize your coverage — add the new card in good time.

Revolut terms. For the workaround, the same gray area applies as with rent and electricity: Revolut prohibits “looping” and pure pass-through of money. Anyone who uses Revolut only as a pass-through station risks a restriction of the account.

No advice. Which insurance you need is a completely different question from the one about the payment method. Don’t take out a policy just because it accepts credit cards.

Insurance, electricity, rent, GEZ — all through one card? The recurring-expenses hack from the Premium Handbook turns every direct debit and bank transfer into card spend. It works with AMEX and Miles & More, with no €5,000 limit and no gray area. With €2,000 in monthly recurring expenses, up to 36,000 points/year are possible. To the Premium Bundle (€99) →

Frequently Asked Questions

Which insurance policies can I pay with a credit card?

Above all, policies with direct insurers offering online sign-up — car, liability, home contents, dental. Allianz Direct, for example, accepts Visa and Mastercard with annual payment, as well as PayPal and Google/Apple Pay. Traditional insurers sold through agents or brokers debit almost exclusively by direct debit. Check the payment methods in your insurer’s customer portal.

Can I pay my insurance with AMEX?

Directly only if the insurer explicitly lists American Express — many list only Visa and Mastercard. The workaround: PayPal or Apple/Google Pay with your AMEX on file, provided the insurer offers these routes. For pure direct-debit insurers, what remains is the recurring-expenses hack from the Premium Handbook, which also works with AMEX.

Why is credit card payment often only available with annual payment?

Many direct insurers tie card payment to annual payment. For you, that’s no disadvantage: with monthly payment, many insurers charge installment surcharges anyway, and the annual premium on the card helps at the same time with the minimum spend for the welcome bonus.

How many miles do €2,000 in insurance premiums earn?

At €2,010 in annual premiums: 670 PAYBACK points with the free PAYBACK AMEX (1 point/€3), 1,005 miles with an M&M personal card (1 mile/€2), 2,010 MR with the AMEX Gold, or up to 3,015 MR with Punkteturbo (1.5 MR/€).

What do I do if my insurer only offers direct debit?

Then you use the workaround via an account topped up by credit card: top up Revolut with a Miles & More card and switch the direct debit to your Revolut IBAN — free with personal cards, up to €5,000 a month, in a terms-of-service gray area. Or you use the recurring-expenses hack from the Premium Handbook, which works with no limit and also with AMEX.

Is it worth switching insurers just for the credit card?

No. Premium and coverage have to be right; the payment method is the tiebreaker. If you’re switching anyway — for example, car insurance by 30 November — include credit card acceptance as an additional criterion in your comparison.

Conclusion

Insurance is the recurring-expense category with the best chance of direct card payment: direct insurer, annual payment, add the card — done. With PayPal or a wallet, you often even get your AMEX into play. For everything that stubbornly runs by direct debit, there’s the workaround via Revolut with a Miles & More card. And if you want the maximum — AMEX MR on every policy, no limit, 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
• Paying Electricity and Gas with a Credit Card - Miles on energy costs
• 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