Skip to content
New Bank Account home

Business guide

How to pay business bills with a credit card

Use Melio to pay a vendor by card when they only take a bank transfer or a check, and read the fee before you confirm.

Last reviewed Oct 30, 2026. Written by New Bank Account.

A lot of vendors still want a bank transfer or a paper check. A credit card is useful when you want the float, the rewards, or simply to pay a bill without moving cash today. Melio is the service we use for that. You pay Melio with your card. Melio pays the vendor the way the vendor can accept.

When paying by card is worth it

Pay by card when the bill is real, the card is a business card you control, and the fee is smaller than what you gain. That gain might be time, a reward you already understand, or a few extra days before the card bill is due. It is a bad trade when the fee is larger than the reward, or when you are floating a bill you cannot pay off.

Melio's own page describes paying vendors, contractors, and invoices by card from one dashboard, including when the recipient does not take cards (Melio). We are not restating a fee schedule. Their help center points you to the fee details, and the payment screen shows the number for that bill (which cards).

How a payment actually goes out

Melio's help center walks through it (how to pay with a credit card). The short version:

  1. Create a payment or a bill. Enter the vendor, the amount, and the invoice details. You can upload a PDF or a photo of the invoice. Check what the scan filled in.
  2. Choose Card as the payment method and pick the card, or add one. The cardholder name and address need to match the card.
  3. Choose how the vendor gets the money: a bank transfer, a check, or another method Melio offers for that vendor. If you do not have their details, Melio can ask the vendor.
  4. Pick the delivery date. Melio shows when your card is charged and when the vendor should receive the funds. Those timelines differ by method. The screen in front of you beats any table in an article.
  5. Read the fee, then confirm.

Bank-account payments and card payments are not the same product. If a bank transfer is free and the card is not, the screen will say so. Do not skip that line because an ad said "pay by card."

Pay a bill with Melio

What this is not

Melio is not the company's bank account, and a card payment is not FDIC insurance. Hold operating money in a business account. Our editor's choice for a new business account is Relay, which is not a bank: Thread Bank provides the banking services. Open that from the business accounts page, or follow how to open a business bank account.

If the company is an LLC that does not exist yet, form it first. The walkthrough is how to open an LLC.

Questions people ask

Can I pay a vendor by card if they do not accept cards?
That is the job Melio describes. You pay with your card. Melio deposits the money to the vendor's bank account or mails a check. The vendor does not have to take cards.
Is there a fee?
Card payments have a fee. Melio shows it before you confirm. We do not print a percentage here, because the fee on your payment is the one that counts.
Does this replace a business bank account?
No. Melio moves a bill. It is not where you hold the company's money. Open a business account for that. Our pick is Relay.
Which cards work?
Melio's help center says you can pay by credit card and that it delivers the funds by bank deposit or check. Confirm the current card list in your Melio account before you rely on a specific card.

Sources

Keep reading

Related accounts

Alphabetical, not a ranking. See all business accounts

  • Best for A new business that wants no monthly fee

    Axos Bank Business Checking

    Axos Bank

    Bank

    Monthly fee
    $0Basic Business Checking. No monthly maintenance fee and no minimum balance. Business Interest Checking is a separate account with a $10 monthly fee, waived at a $5,000 average daily balance.as of Oct 30, 2026 source
    APY
    Not listedBasic Business Checking does not publish an APY. Business Interest Checking lists 1.01% APY on balances under $50,000.as of Oct 30, 2026 source
    Sign-up bonus
    Up to $200Open Basic Business Checking with promo code START200 by Jan 31, 2027. Keep a $3,000 average daily balance. Axos pays up to $50 a month, up to $200 total.as of Oct 30, 2026 source
    Min. deposit
    $0as of Oct 30, 2026 source
    • No monthly fee
    • No minimum to open
    • Free incoming wires
    Open account for Axos Bank Business Checking, opens in a new tabRead review of Axos Bank Business Checking
  • Best for Interest on business checking

    Bluevine Business Checking

    Bluevine

    Fintech (banking by Coastal Community Bank, Member FDIC)

    Monthly fee
    $0Standard plan. Plus is $30 a month and Premier is $95 a month. Bluevine says those paid-plan fees can be waived.as of Oct 30, 2026 source
    APY
    1.3%Standard plan, on balances up to $250,000, if you spend $500 on the debit card or receive $2,500 in customer payments that month. Plus is 1.75% up to $250,000. Premier is 3.0% on all balances.as of Oct 30, 2026 source
    Sign-up bonus
    Noneas of Oct 30, 2026 source
    Min. deposit
    $0as of Oct 30, 2026 source
    • No monthly fee on Standard
    • Up to 3.0% APY on Premier
    • FDIC coverage up to $3 million
    Open account for Bluevine Business Checking, opens in a new tabRead review of Bluevine Business Checking
  • Best for Branch access for a small business

    Chase Business Complete Banking

    JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.

    Bank

    Monthly fee
    $15$0 with a $2,000 minimum daily ending balance, or $2,000 in eligible Chase Payment Solutions deposits, or $2,000 in eligible Ink or Sapphire Reserve for Business purchases, or a linked qualifying personal checking account, or military banking.as of Oct 30, 2026 source
    APY
    Not listedas of Oct 30, 2026 source
    Sign-up bonus
    NoneA bonus page on Chase's site listed an offer that ended Oct 15, 2026. The checking page does not list a current bonus.as of Oct 30, 2026 source
    Min. deposit
    Not listedas of Oct 30, 2026 source
    • $15 monthly fee, or $0 if you qualify
    • Mobile card acceptance
    • 20 paper and teller transactions included
    Open account for Chase Business Complete Banking, opens in a new tabRead review of Chase Business Complete Banking