According to The Wedding Report, there were approximately 2.4 million weddings in the U.S. in 2022. As a result, vendors like venues, caterers, musicians, and photographers are experiencing high demand, leading to increased costs for these services. Weddings are already costly events, and now they are becoming even more expensive. Guests also feel the financial burden, with a survey reporting that nearly 18 percent of respondents said they would accrue credit card debt to attend a wedding.
Using the appropriate credit cards can result in significant cost savings, which is great news.
If you need to carry a balance
If you need more time to pay for your wedding expenses, consider getting a credit card with a 0% intro APR offer. This will allow you to spread out your payments and could save you a significant amount of money in interest charges. Keep in mind that cards with the longest 0% intro APR offers usually don’t offer cash back or travel rewards. However, if you prioritize saving on interest charges and improving your cash flow, the lack of rewards may not be as big of a concern.
The Wells Fargo Reflect® Card is an excellent offer on the market that includes a 0% intro APR on purchases and qualifying balance transfers for 21 months from account opening. After that, the APR will vary between 17.99% to 29.99%. Keep in mind that to take advantage of the intro APR offer for balance transfers, you must transfer your balance within 120 days and pay a balance transfer fee of 5% (minimum $5).
The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card is unique because it offers rewards and an attractive intro APR offer. You can earn 1.5 percent cash back on any purchase made, and the card has a 0 percent intro APR for the first 15 months on purchases and balance transfers (after that, the variable APR ranges from 19.74 percent to 29.74 percent). However, there is a balance transfer fee of 3 percent for each transfer made.
If you’re interested in a free honeymoon
Let’s talk about the exciting part. If you are a new Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card cardholder and spend $4,000 in the first three months, you will receive 60,000 bonus points. These points can be worth up to $750 (1.25 cents each) if you use them to book travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards. Additionally, you can potentially get even more value by transferring the points to Chase’s airline and hotel partners.
Exciting news! You and your spouse are both eligible to apply for this card separately, which means you can each earn the welcome bonus. This is much better than sharing one account. Additionally, if you refer up to five new Sapphire Preferred cardholders per year, Chase will give you a 15,000-point bonus for each referral.
If you have a Chase Sapphire Preferred card, you can get $50 in statement credits every account anniversary for hotel stays booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards. You’ll also earn 5X points when you buy travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 5X points on Lyft rides (through March 31, 2025), 3X points on dining (including qualifying delivery services), select streaming services, and online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs), 2X points on all other travel purchases, and 1X points on everything else you buy.
If cash back is more your jam
Wedding expenses typically fall outside of the usual credit card bonus categories, so a 2 percent cash back card could be a good choice. The Citi® Double Cash Card is an option that provides 1 percent cash back when you buy something and another 1 percent when you pay off the purchase. Another option is the PayPal Cashback Mastercard®. Everyone could use a little extra cash, right?
To get more rewards on your venue and catering expenses, ensure that they fall under the dining merchant category code (MCC). You can then consider using one of the top credit cards for restaurants, like the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card*. It offers 4 percent cash back on dining, 4 percent cash back on entertainment and popular streaming services, and 3 percent cash back at grocery stores. Additionally, new cardholders can get a welcome bonus of $300 if they spend $3,000 within the first three months.
If you’re looking for bonus rewards
When you reserve multiple rooms at a hotel, sometimes you can earn bonus points based on the spending of your guests. I did this for my wedding by booking a block of rooms at two nearby hotels, a Marriott and a Sheraton. These hotels offered discounted rates for groups. I then informed my guests about the available rooms, and they made their own reservations and paid for their stays. As a result, I received some free rewards points.
The bottom line
Using one of the best credit cards available today is a clever way to manage the costs of your wedding. It can provide a period of interest-free payment, help you accumulate travel rewards for a free honeymoon, or even give you cashback.