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Car repairs can be costly — even regular maintenance can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars. The best credit cards for car repairs allow you to earn rewards on repairs and/or spread out purchases over time without paying interest. The Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards Visa®, Wells Fargo Reflect® Card(Rates and fees), and Chase Freedom Unlimited® are just a few that fit this description.
As car parts have increased in price over the past few years, many car owners hold their breath each time a storm passes or another car gets too close for comfort on the highway. If it seems like there’s always something going wrong, make sure you have the right card in your wallet. Here are our top picks for credit cards for car repairs.
How we evaluate products
To develop our list of the best credit cards for car repairs, we evaluated cards according to a set of criteria we consider critical to someone in need of car repairs. These included intro APR offers, cash back earnings, and low or no annual fees. We also evaluated cards based on credit score requirements and welcome offers, and we determined the ideal candidate for each card based on all of these metrics. We included some cards that did not offer all of the features we gave preference to — such as cash back — if the benefits outweigh this drawback.
We did not evaluate all products/services in the category. We used editorial judgment to determine which cards were best for different users and situations.
The 5 best credit cards for car repairs
- Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards Visa®
- Wells Fargo Reflect® Card
- Discover it® Student Cash Back
- Chase Freedom Unlimited®
- Citi Double Cash® Card
Best credit cards for car repairs comparison
| Card name | Essential card details | Excellent for |
| Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards Visa®
|
|
Earning cash back on car repairs |
| Wells Fargo Reflect® Card
|
|
Avoiding interest on new spending |
| Discover it® Student Cash Back(Rates and fees)
|
|
Students and beginners |
| Chase Freedom Unlimited®
|
|
Earning well-rounded cash back |
| Citi Double Cash® Card
|
|
Paying for past repairs |
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Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards Visa®
Rewards rate: Earn 3% cash back on payments for home, auto, and health purchases; 1% cash back on payments for all other purchases
Welcome offer: Earn $200 statement credit by opening a Rewards Checking account and making 3 debit card transactions in the first 60 days of your Upgrade Card account opening
Annual fee: $0
Credit score recommended: Good, Fair
The Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards card is the best card for earning rewards on car repairs because it’s the only one I’ve found designed specifically for these purchases. You’ll earn up to 3% cash back on payments for automotive parts, trips to car dealers, car washes, tire purchases, and towing services. You get a great earn rate whether you take your vehicle to a service shop, have it tuned up at a dealership, or buy parts from a retailer — like Discount Tire and Firestone. This is very uncommon, as other cash back cards will typically give an earn rate like this on travel, dining, or groceries. You’ll get this rate on qualifying home and health purchases, too.
I also recommend this option if you need some extra time to pay off your car repairs. This isn’t your typical credit card, and it doesn’t offer a 0% intro APR period on purchases to avoid interest. Instead, it’s a rewards card tied to an Upgrade personal loan. Your transactions are combined into an installment loan with a fixed rate and terms. Then, you make your monthly payments and may pay less interest than you would carrying a balance on a normal credit card.
- Bonus cash back on car repairs
- Credit line from $500 to $25,000
- No annual fee
- Welcome offer requires a new Rewards Checking Plus account
- No interest-free period
- Locks you into a loan
Learn how to apply or read our full Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards Visa review.
Wells Fargo Reflect® Card
Rewards rate: None
Welcome offer: None
Annual fee: $0
Credit score recommended: Excellent, Good
If your car needs costly work and you know you need time to get the money, your best bet will be a credit card that offers an extended intro APR period on purchases. The Wells Fargo Reflect® Card does just that, with a 0% intro APR for 21 months from account opening (then 17.49%, 23.99%, or 29.24% Variable). This is the longest intro APR offer we’ve found (many others with similar intro periods offer them on balance transfers rather than purchase — the Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card, for example, has a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 21 months (then 17.49% - 28.24% (Variable)).
If you make your car repair purchase immediately after being approved for the Wells Fargo Reflect, you’ll get almost two full years to pay it off interest-free.
Unfortunately, an extended intro APR window like this comes with a tradeoff — you won’t earn any rewards on this card. The sole purpose of applying is to utilize the intro APR window. After that, it doesn’t make much sense to keep it in your wallet.
- Very long intro APR period on purchases
- Up to $600 in cell phone protection (subject to $25 deductible)
- No annual fee
- You won’t earn rewards
- No welcome offer
- Limited utility after interest-free window ends
Apply now or read our full Wells Fargo Reflect review.
Another option to consider
If you don’t need quite as long of an intro APR period, we suggest checking out the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card. Unlike the Reflect, you can earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.Discover it® Student Cash Back
Rewards rate: Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places you shop each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and more, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.
Welcome offer: Discover will match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year.
Annual fee: $0
Credit score recommended: Fair
If you’re a young adult who owns a car, you might have experienced the stress of needing repairs you can’t immediately afford. The Discover it® Student Cash Back can give you the option to charge purchases to your card, which you can then pay back the next time you get a paycheck or student loan/tuition disbursement. I always recommend paying off a credit card in full, not carrying a balance, but this card has a 0% intro APR offer on purchases that can buy you a little time to come up with funds — 6 months, to be exact (then 17.49% - 26.49% Variable *Rates as of December 12, 2024 APR). You don’t always find this with a student card.
You also don’t often find so much ongoing value. As far as credit cards with bonus rewards categories go, this one has better everyday options than we’ve seen. For example, you could earn elevated cash back on Amazon and Target purchases from October 1 through December 31, 2024, when I checked to write this on Dec. 10, 2024. Discover is one of our favorite issuers of credit cards for students because it offers reliable customer service, a mobile app that’s easy to use, and features like identity theft protection.
- Elevated cash back on rotating bonus categories
- Flexibility in redeeming earnings
- No annual fee
- Shorter intro APR period
- Have to activate bonus categories
- Bonus cash back capped at $1,500 in qualifying purchases per quarter
Apply now or read our full Discover it® Student Cash Back review.
Chase Freedom Unlimited®
Rewards rate: 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service and 3% cash back on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year). After your first year or $20,000 spent, earn 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases
Welcome offer: Earn an extra 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year)
Annual fee: $0
Credit score recommended: Excellent, Good
The Chase Freedom Unlimited is a more well-rounded option for everyday use, so we recommend it if you’re not interested in getting a credit card solely to pay for car repairs. Although you won’t earn bonus cash back on repairs, you’ll earn 1.5% back on everything, which is nothing to scoff at.
Getting a credit card for one big purchase isn’t always a good idea, so the Freedom Unlimited allows you to get the best of both worlds — flat-rate cash back on all purchases and a 0% intro APR offer on purchases for 15 months (then 19.74% - 28.49% Variable). If you have a relatively minor car repair and want a card that’s good for the long haul and not just good for now, we like this one.
Pro tip
The cash back you earn with the Freedom Unlimited is called Ultimate Rewards Points. These are widely hailed as some of the most valuable travel points you can earn, but you can also redeem them for statement credits and gift cards at a decent rate.
- Extended intro APR offer on purchases and balance transfers
- Lucrative welcome offer
- Flexibility in redemptions
- No bonus cash back on car repairs
- Requires good to excellent credit
Apply now or read our full Chase Freedom Unlimited review.
Citi Double Cash® Card
Rewards rate: Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases; plus, a special travel offer, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/25
Welcome offer: Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back
Annual fee: $0
Credit score recommended: Excellent, Good, Fair
If you have fair credit, you can’t go wrong with the Citi Double Cash card to pay for car repairs. You’ll earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases; plus, a special travel offer, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/25. This is a great incentive to pay your balance in full every month, but fair warning that it can also be frustrating if you want immediate access to your cash back.
This card doesn’t offer an intro APR on purchases, unfortunately, but it does offer a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months (then 18.49% - 28.49% (Variable)). If you’ve already paid for your car repairs, you could transfer your balance from a card with high interest rates and take your time paying it off on the Citi Double Cash.
- Accessible to those with fair credit
- Solid earning potential
- Extended intro APR on balance transfers
- No intro APR for purchases
- Limited additional benefits
Apply now or read our full Citi Double Cash® Card(Rates and fees) review.
Cards that didn’t make our list
Some cards that didn’t make our list include:
- Discover it® Cash Back: This is a solid cash back card, but each quarter's 5% bonus cash back category has a spending cap and must be activated. Plus, it’s unlikely car repairs will fall under this bonus calendar, so you’ll earn just 1%. Still, the intro APR on purchases and Cashback MatchTM make it a worthy contender in other scenarios. Read our Discover it® Cash Back review to learn more.
- Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express: This card offers 3% cash back on U.S. gas stations and eligible transit, making it ideal for someone who wants to save money on gas. However, you’ll earn just 1% on your car repair purchase. The card also has a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, $95 per year thereafter annual fee, which means you’ll need to spend heavily to earn enough cash back to recoup your cost. Read our Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express review to learn more.
How to choose the best credit card for car repairs
There are several factors to consider that can help you choose the best credit card for car repairs. Consider the following:
- Intro APR offers to spread out your car repair costs over several months
- Reward earnings on car repairs and other purchases you’re likely to make
- Annual fees that will add to your costs
- Credit score requirements
- Welcome offers that can be earned with a car repair purchase (we recommend using this one as a tiebreaker between similar cards, not the sole reason you apply)
FAQs
Can you use a credit card for car repairs?
Yes, you can typically pay for car repairs with a credit card. This is one of the ways to cover urgent repairs if you’re short on cash. Because car repairs can be expensive, consider using a 0% intro APR credit card to save money on interest charges for a certain period of time.
Are there credit cards with specialized benefits for car repairs?
There typically aren’t any specialized benefits for using a credit card to pay for car repairs other than being able to use credit rather than cash. But you can still earn rewards on the repair expense, and a low-interest credit card could help you pay for large purchases over time without incurring heavy interest charges.
Do dealerships offer financing for car repairs?
The availability of car repair financing at dealerships will vary by location and situation. Financing can be an attractive option because car repairs can be expensive. Consider interest rates and repayment terms before accepting a financing offer.
Bottom line
The best credit card for car repairs depends on your situation. If you’re tight on money and have a significant repair, you should apply for a card like the Wells Fargo Reflect to spread out your payments as long as possible without incurring interest charges. However, a more well-rounded card like the Chase Freedom Unlimited could be a better option if it's just a minor repair. No matter which option you choose, always read the terms and conditions before submitting an application.
Cash Back in Unique Categories
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Current Offer
Earn $200 statement credit by opening a Rewards Checking account and making 3 debit card transactions in the first 60 days of your Upgrade Card account opening
Annual Fee
$0
Rewards Rate
3% cash back on payments for home, auto, and health purchases; 1% cash back on payments for all other purchases