Mortgage rewards credit cards are disappearing and their benefits are going with them. Are there other ways to earn rewards for paying off your home?

In December, Austin-based fintech company Mesa discontinued its Mesa Homeowners Visa Signature Preferred Card. A few months earlier, Rocket Mortgage had phased out its Rocket Visa Signature Card, which offered rewards redeemable for home-related expenses. According to CNBC Select, the discontinuation of these cards highlights how difficult it is to make mortgage rewards profitable.

What made these cards appealing and why they were unlikely to last

Mesa’s card was attractive to homeowners. Cardholders could earn points on verified mortgage payments after meeting a spending threshold, along with more than $800 in annual credits for brands like Costco and Lowe’s — all with no annual fee. Those points could be redeemed for travel, statement credits, or even used towards future mortgage payments.

Rocket’s card wasn’t designed to pay the mortgage directly, but it offered rewards that were most valuable when applied toward down payments or closing costs with Rocket Mortgage (1).

The issue wasn’t demand; it was math. Mortgage payments processed via credit cards, like all credit-card charges, generate transaction fees. Across the industry, these vary from about 1.5% to 3.5% (2).

As Ted Rossman, a senior industry analyst at Bankrate, told CNBC Select, some offers were simply “too generous” to sustain over the long term (1). That might sound like a problem for card issuers, but it has real consequences for homeowners. For most households, the mortgage isn’t just another bill; it’s their largest one.

According to federal housing data, the median U.S. mortgage payment for households who moved in 2024 is around $2,225 (3). That’s often more than families spend on groceries, utilities, and insurance combined. Over a year, that’s nearly $27,000 flowing out the door with no rewards attached.

This shift also signals something bigger: card companies are tightening perks as interest rates remain high and fees face greater regulatory scrutiny. In other words, if a consumer benefit doesn’t clearly make money for the issuer, it may be unlikely to last.

Making the most of mortgage payments

Is there a way to get some sort of rewards for paying your mortgage on time, like you can by paying your other bills with a credit card that offers rewards? The short answer is not really — at least for now.

Paying your mortgage directly with a traditional rewards credit card usually isn’t allowed, or it comes with fees that wipe out any points you earn (4). That’s why purpose-built products like Mesa stood out.

Some small changes could be on the horizon. For example, Bilt Rewards, which is best known for letting renters earn points on rent payments, has announced plans to expand into mortgage rewards as part of its upcoming “Bilt 2.0” launch in early 2026. Details are limited, but new cards are expected to carry annual fees ranging from $0 to $495 (5).

Until those specifics are confirmed, homeowners shouldn’t expect mortgage payments to provide a return (other than paying down your home loan!). But if you can’t earn rewards on your mortgage, you can still make sure your other rewards are optimized.