Can You Pay Part B Premium with a Credit Card

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Looking at all this confusing drivel about Medicare (it should be free).

I was looking at payment options for next year, it says you can pay by credit card but do they charge a fee ? I don’t see where they do but maybe I’m missing something ? If there is no fee I would pay and get a 2% cash back reward.

I would pay the full balance on the credit card and pay no interest charges.

I see conflicting billing options, one says monthly one says quarterly ?

Also are the same payment options available with the main medigap companies ? ( Cigna, Aetna etc.)

Starts next year..

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Part B premiums are deducted monthly if you are receiving Social Security. If you are delaying Social Security then the Part B premium is billed quarterly. You can pay with credit card but can’t speak to the surcharge question.

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If it’s like paying tax estimates then yes, you can use a credit card, but you are sent to a third party site that does charge a fee.

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Curious - why should Medicare be free? I admit the surrounding environment is confusing, but it is what it is. Government.

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Well, why shouldn’t it be free, as a part of Social Security? You have to be eligible for Social Security to qualify for Medicare, so…? It’s a valid question. I don’t have an answer, though.

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Part A Medicare appears free to the users… the users pay no further premium. Part B Medicare isn’t free, and there is a hefty 20% no-limit co-pay, which is why Medicare Part B users must have Medicare Supplemental insurance which is also not free. If we had tax rates like the 1950s or 1960s during America’s “boom” years, the ones we Boomers get all nostalgic about, we would not be having this and many other discussions about failing government and crushing Federal debt.

Privatize the gains, socialize the losses.

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No I’m holding up on social security.

I didn’t mean “free” I meant I’ve been paying into it for 45 years, that should be enough.

If the credit card fee and the reward were a wash I’d be inclined to do it, if not I may open a new checking account at a bank exclusively for that.

I’m looking at and leaning Part G-HD and some sort of Part D plan.

I’ve heard too many bad things about the MA plans.

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Just a side note. One of my best friends held off on social security until the “full retirement age”. He started taking it in August. He died last night. That’s the biggest downside to holding off on taking Social Security.

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Well, we know what Clark says. He calls them Medicare “Disadvantage” plans. Yes, your premiums are lower but there’s too many “Gotchas” for me.

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I agree KC. I’m generally a positive person. But I know if I waited to 67 or 70 I’d die the day before I was going to start collecting.

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I wonder if it would be better if I took Social Security payments early and not touched it, but put it or put it into CD’s or other investments every month. At least the money would still be there.

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I think KC has suggested that. Makes sense to me.

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Sorry for your and his family’s loss.

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Sorry about your loss.

The problem collecting before FRA is you can only make a certain amount from a job, I think for 2026 it’s around 2K a month, after that for every 2.00 over they deduct 1.00 from the monthly benefit.

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You probably would not be better to file earlier. Remember that Social Security benefits past age 62 increase by 5% to 8% per year until age 70. The exceptions to the benefit of delayed filing include individual who need S.S. at an earlier age to make ends meet; those with significant health issues; and for a couple the lower income individual.

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Yes, Clark does poo-poo them, but for those with low(er) incomes, MA plans with lower premiums are the only affordable option.

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You do what you have to do, clearly.

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So true. I helped my mother and boyfriend’s mother choose their 2026 coverage, after watching this informative, unbiased (IMHO) video (25:45 makes great point): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-4vbNem698&list=WL&index=2

One chose the MA PPO and the other went with the MA HMO based on their current doctors, scripts, and budget.

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Back to the original topic… I am going to pay my Part B premium with a credit card manually every 90 days, but I’m going to see if I can put my bank EFT info in as a backstop in case I forget…. I really like the 2% cashback on the card, it would be $4 per month. If I get tired of paying it… I’ll let go of the $4

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If the Medicare payment site is like the IRS, a payment made with a credit card has a minimum fee associated with it that will likely offset the $4 month cash back.