Casa: Earn Credit Card Rewards on Rent Payments

While there have been similar services that have come and gone in the past, we have seen several new platforms that allow Canadians to pay rent and other bills with a credit card. For miles and points enthusiasts like us, this has been a fantastic development as it has allowed us to capitalize on one of our biggest monthly expenses: rent.

While Chexy is currently the most popular and well-known of the bunch, a new competitor recently launched: Casa. While Casa offers a similar value proposition to Chexy, it has a few unique twists that set it apart from competitors.

Let’s take a look at what you need to know about Casa and how you can use it to make your rent payments grow your miles and points balance.

What is Casa?

Casa is a Canadian rent payment platform where users can pay their rent with a Visa or Mastercard credit card. While I’ll go into the details as to how you can enroll and use this platform, Casa has a simple infographic that covers the basics:

Essentially, if you already pay your rent via Interac e-Transfer, Casa introduces an additional layer to allow you to earn credit card rewards on your rent payment, which can be an attractive value proposition when using the right credit card.

The Value of Using a Rent Payment Platform Like Casa

The value of Casa lies in unlocking additional value from a large monthly payment you would have to make regardless. Rent is typically the largest monthly expense a person has, so being able to charge that payment to a credit card and earn rewards, even though there is a small fee attached, is often worth it if you choose the right credit card to use.

Since Casa rent payments are coded as recurring bill payments, there are some key credit cards you can use to maximize return on spend in that category. Charging a rent payment to one of these cards can result in a net return of a few percent, usually in the form of cash back. Considering that setting up your rent payment via a platform like Casa is really simple and requires minimal attention past the initial setup, it can be an easy way to put a few hundred dollars back in your wallet each year.

My favorite approach is using a rent payment service like Casa to reach the minimum spending requirement for a welcome bonus on a new credit card. As someone who is quite frugal and doesn’t spend much month-to-month, being able to put my rent on a credit card makes those welcome bonuses that require $10,000+ spending in a short period of time possible. 

Working towards the welcome bonus on a new card typically represents the greatest return on spend you can expect from using a rent payment platform, and this method is often one of the best ways to generate spend at a low cost to meet minimum spending requirements.

How to Pay Your Rent with Casa

Signing up for Casa only takes a few minutes. Visit the Casa website, and first, you’ll be asked to provide your first name, last name, phone number, and the address of the property you are paying rent for.

You’ll need to select the landlord payment method you would prefer as well. Currently, only Interac e-Transfer is available (which is my preferred method), but it notes that pre-authorized debit (PAD) and bill pay will be available soon. You will also have to provide the details of your landlord or property management company, including name, phone number, and email address for payment.

At this point, you will need to enter your credit card details, billing address, in addition to the rent payment amount, and when the payment needs to be made. As you go through this step, you’ll be presented with the fees associated with the available payment options.

You’ll also receive the password for your monthly Interac e-Transfer payment, but it is also accessible to view when logged into your account.

You’ll also need to complete the know-your-customer verification process, which includes providing your full name, phone number (including verifying via text message), date of birth, and a scan of an eligible identity document. I used my driver’s licence with no issues.

After the payment was set up, all I had to do was wait. Three days before the payment date, my card was charged. On the date of payment, it was sent and received in the late morning/early afternoon.

The Best Credit Cards for Paying Your Rent with Casa

Rent payments that are paid via Casa code as recurring bill payments, so you’ll want to use one of the best credit cards for recurring bill payments in Canada. Here are a few of our favorites.

The Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite Card is a big stand-out amongst competitors, as it offers 4% cash back on recurring bill payments, for up to $25,000 in spend per cardholder anniversary year.

The TD Cash Back Visa Infinite Card is another great option, as it earns 3% cash back on recurring bill payments on the first $15,000 in payments annually.

Alternatively, if you have a new credit card for which you are working towards a welcome bonus, that is usually your best bet if you are looking to maximize value. Even with a 1.75% fee, the value of the welcome bonus should far outweigh the cost to generate spend. Plus, increasing the amount of spend you can generate in a month will give you the ability to earn a welcome bonus on multiple cards in a year.

Casa vs. Chexy: Which Is Better?

Casa and Chexy are the two most prominent rent payment services in the Canadian market, and with Chexy being around for a few more years, it feels like they are a bit more developed when it comes to features as of today.

Casa has a direct partnership with Scotiabank, which can be a plus if you hold the ScotiaGold Passport Visa Card to avoid fees on your rent payment. That being said, there are definitely better cards to use to maximize your rewards, as we touched on previously. Chexy doesn’t have any direct partnerships with financial institutions.

Both Casa and Chexy accept Visa and Mastercard credit cards. Chexy also accepts American Express cards and international credit cards, while Casa doesn’t accept either of those. I would hope that Casa has plans to include American Express and international cards in the future to level the playing field, but I couldn’t find any information on their website regarding that. So whichever cards you have in your wallet may dictate which service you choose to utilize.

The fees for both platforms are 1.75% for personal cards, so no difference there. Casa currently only lets you add one card to your account, whereas Chexy lets you have a wallet with up to five different credit cards, which is a fantastic tool for those who are managing multiple cards at once.

Chexy also offers a referral program, where Casa does not. This is a huge miss for Casa as it doesn’t incentivize users to share this platform with friends and family; I can imagine that the number of users that Chexy has acquired through referral incentives is pretty high.

For those who want to use their credit card to make other payments, such as daycare fees or tax payments, Chexy makes this possible, while Casa is currently just focused on rent. With this in mind, Chexy is a more robust solution for making payments in different categories, while if you are just looking to pay your rent, maybe Casa could be a better fit.

Conclusion

As a Canadian consumer, it’s always positive to see new businesses and competitors enter the scene, as ultimately we are the ones who will benefit. While Chexy is still the biggest rent payment service provider in the market, I’m looking forward to seeing what Casa can bring to the space as they continue to build their product over the coming months and years.