Paying your car tax on an American Express card

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Reader Dan dropped me a note to say that he had just renewed his car tax, and was pleasantly surprised to see that the DVLA website is now accepting American Express for payment. This is quite rare for a Government department.

I had a dig around, and it seems that this has been possible for at least six months. However, as you only renew your tax once a year you might not have come across it yet.

There is a £2.50 fee for paying by Amex. If you have a low-emission car then you might find that the £2.50 fee is not worth it, unless you have a spend target to meet on a new American Express card. Once you get into the £200 range, though, it is tempting to pay the fee – especially with a BA Premium Plus Amex, at 1.5 Avios per £1.

You may also want to think about timing your next Amex card application to fit in with your next car tax payment. After all, a £200 charge makes a big dint in the minimum spend required to hit a sign-up bonus. As a reminder, the spend targets on the main Amex-issued cards are:

Amex Preferred Rewards Gold – £2,000 spend in 3 months, current bonus 20,000 Amex points (=20,000 Avios) – My Review

Amex Platinum – £2,000 spend in 3 months, current bonus 30,000 Amex points (=30,000 Avios) – My Review

BA Amex – £500 spend in 3 months, current bonus 3,000 Avios points – My Review

BA Premium Plus Amex – £3,000 spend in 3 months, current bonus 18,000 Avios points – My Review

Starwood Preferred Guest Amex – £1,000 spend in 3 months, current bonus 10,000 SPG points (=10,000 Avios) – My Review

Want to earn more points from credit cards? – December 2021 update

If you are looking to apply for a new credit or charge card, here are our November 2021 recommendations based on the current sign-up bonus.

You can see our full directory of all UK cards which earn airline or hotel points here. Here are the top current deals:

British Airways BA Amex American Express card

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up, no annual fee and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending ….. Read our full review

British Airways BA Premium Plus American Express Amex credit card

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the UK’s most valuable credit card perk – the 2-4-1 companion voucher Read our full review

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & two airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Earning miles and points from small business cards

If you are a sole trader or run a small company, you may also want to check out these offers.

American Express Business Gold

20,000 points sign-up bonus and free for a year Read our full review

American Express Business Platinum

40,000 points sign-up bonus and a long list of travel benefits Read our full review

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa

The most generous Avios Visa or Mastercard for a limited company Read our full review

For a non-American Express option, we also recommend the Barclaycard Select Cashback card for sole traders and small businesses. It is FREE and you receive 1% cashback on your spending:

Barclaycard Select Cashback Credit Card

1% cashback and no annual fee Read our full review

Category

American Express Gold card, American Express Platinum card, British Airways American Express, Marriott Bonvoy American Express

This article is closed to new posts. Discussion continues in the HfP Forums.

Polly says:

22 Oct22 October 07:18

Out of interest where is the option? I just taxed our two cars, but it wasn’t offered on the screen, last week! Good spot though for the future….
Volker says:

22 Oct22 October 07:32

“I had a dig around, and it seems that this has been possible for at least six months.”

Really? Never noticed when I paid the road tax bill in August, and I usually check all payment options pretty thoroughly.
- Polly says:
  
  22 Oct22 October 07:37
  
  I agree, not obvious at all, I always look for an amex payment option first off, that’s why I would be curious to see where it’s offered as an option. It did not show on the cards options. Where did you see it Raffles?
Dominic says:

22 Oct22 October 08:56

On a related note – can one use 3v cards for Car Tax?
- Rob says:
  
  22 Oct22 October 09:39
  
  Presumably OK at a Post Office, not sure if the website can handle multiple cards though
  - Dominic says:
    
    22 Oct22 October 10:02
    
    Am I being dim…? How do you use 3v cards in person? I thought they were only for virtual transactions….?
    - Rob says:
      
      22 Oct22 October 10:44
      
      No, sorry Dominic, I am being dim. Forget what I said!
James says:

22 Oct22 October 09:07

How timely, I’m paying my car tax today and I’m looking to reach the £2000 spend on the Amex Gold over the next 2 months. Thanks!
Dominic says:

22 Oct22 October 11:32

This is bizarre. I’ve just tried to tax my car, and there is no sign of Amex being accepted on the payment page – and when I tried to put in my Amex details, it didn’t take a four digit CVC code, and would not accept the payment….
David Fegan says:

22 Oct22 October 11:54

I called the DVLA in June about this issue and they were surprised that their website sttetd that AMEX was a form of payment as it isn’t. At which point i put forward a suggestion that they update their website, seems to no avail.
- Volker says:
  
  22 Oct22 October 12:24
  
  It’s getting interesting now – see the first three comments. David, had you spotted the alleged payment option AMEX on the DVLA’s FAQ page?
  - Rob says:
    
    22 Oct22 October 12:44
    
    Well, this will be a fun day if it turns out that it isn’t possible despite the fat Amex logo ….!
Rob says:

22 Oct22 October 14:01

Let’s try to get some clarity into this.

Here is a comment that a poster made on Head for Points back in MAY:

“I just renewed my tax disc £225. I have always paid for it with a debit card. I did not know that DVLA took Amex. They charge a flat fee of £2.50 for all credit cards. So £2.50 bought me 455 Avios (Diamond Club Amex). 0.54p each.”

So it clearly DOES work.

Regarding 3V cards and DVLA, this was posted also back in May:

“Another data point – 3V accepted without a problem by the DVLA for renewing a tax disc. Handy as they charge £2.50 for using a credit card!”
Dominic says:

22 Oct22 October 14:12

But, sadly, I don’t think there is clarity in the reality, despite the posting above. I’ve just been on to the DVLA site again. a) there is no mention of Amex and it won’t take my Amex number, and b) I cannot see how to use 3v (which I tried), as it wants the whole sum paid at once.

I am utterly mystified. I think some posters must be in a parallel universe….?!?!?
- Rob says:
  
  22 Oct22 October 14:24
  
  And this is what Dan wrote to me earlier this week:
  
  ‘Quick heads up DVLA.gov.uk now take amex for car tax. With a £2.50 admin charge. I’ve just taxed my other half’s car (at £200 road tax for the year.) ‘
  
  I’ve dropped him an email for clarity!