Earn Points on Your Rent in the UK — Nuba Rewards Explained
It’s finally here!!!!! The option to earn points on your RENT.
Yes. Your rent. And if you know anything about points and miles, you already know why this is exciting.
Rent is usually the biggest monthly expense for most households. For years, it’s been one of the hardest expenses to turn into points.
Until now.
And no, we are not talking about Bilt in the US.
This is finally something available for the UK market.
Enter Nuba Rewards.
What is Nuba Rewards?
Nuba is a platform that allows you to pay your rent using a credit card that earns points or miles. Instead of sending a normal bank transfer to your landlord, you pay through Nuba using your card. Nuba then transfers the rent to your landlord via bank transfer. The result? You earn points, miles, and card benefits on one of your biggest monthly expenses.
Why This Is Interesting for Points & Miles Collectors
Even without going deep into the fees yet, this creates some very interesting opportunities. Let’s start with the first one.
1. Reaching Minimum Spend for Welcome Bonuses
This is probably the most powerful use case. Welcome bonuses are often the fastest way to earn large amounts of points. But minimum spend requirements keep getting higher. And that’s where many people struggle. There is always a fine line between hitting a bonus and overspending. Nuba gives you a way to hit those spending requirements without spending anything extra. You’re simply paying an expense you already have.
Rent.
You also don’t need to use Nuba every month. You could use it temporarily, just long enough to reach a welcome bonus.
2. Unlocking the British Airways Companion Voucher
We ran the numbers using the British Airways Premium Plus card. Personally, I love the flexibility of Amex Membership Rewards from my Platinum card. But of course… I want it all. And that includes the BA Companion Voucher. If you’re a family, you already know how valuable that voucher can be.
By routing rent through Nuba for a year, it becomes much easier to reach the spending threshold required to unlock it. And according to the Nuba calculator, even after accounting for:
• Nuba transaction fees
• Credit card annual fees
The value of the Companion Voucher could still leave you around £1650 ahead depending on how you redeem it. For many families, that’s a huge difference.
3. Higher Spending Power = More Card Strategy
Another interesting angle is how this separates rent spending from everyday spending. Rent alone can represent a large annual spending amount. This gives you more flexibility to:
• Hit welcome bonuses faster
• Switch cards more strategically
• Optimise different points programs
Instead of struggling to reach spending targets, your rent does a lot of the work for you.
What Are the Fees?
Since rent payments are normally free bank transfers, Nuba charges a fee for allowing you to use a credit card. Current transaction fees are:
Visa / Mastercard: 1.99%
American Express: 2.49%
Example:
If your rent is £1,000, the fee would be:
• £19.90 with Visa / Mastercard
• £24.90 with American Express
Whether this makes sense will depend on your strategy. This is why we always recommend running the numbers first. Luckily, Nuba has a calculator on their website that makes this easy to evaluate.
How to Set Up a Nuba Account
The process is surprisingly straightforward. There are four main steps.
- Identity Verification: Standard KYC checks with ID verification.
- Tenancy Confirmation: Upload your tenancy agreement.
- Landlord Details: Provide your landlord’s bank details.
- Make Your Payment: Initiate your rent payment through the Nuba platform. Nuba then sends the rent directly to your landlord.
Additional Features
Beyond earning points, Nuba also includes a few extra benefits.
Credit Score Reporting
On-time rent payments can be reported to:
• Experian
• Equifax
• TransUnion
Which can help build your credit profile.
Rent Day Rewards
Every 1st of the month, Nuba offers limited-time promotions and perks, including chances to win free rent.
Is It Worth It?
Like most points strategies, the answer is: It depends on how you use it. For example, it could make perfect sense if you want to:
• Hit a welcome bonus
• Unlock a companion voucher
• Accelerate points earning
But if you’re simply paying rent without a strategy, the fees may not be worth it. That’s why we always recommend running the numbers first.
Final Thoughts
We wanted to bring this news to you as quickly as possible, because this is a really interesting development for the UK points and miles world. Platforms like this could change how expats and travellers earn points on everyday expenses. Keep an eye out, because we’ll also be releasing a full YouTube video breaking everything down step by step.
Quick Disclaimer
This post is for informational purposes only and may contain affiliate links. We only share tools and platforms we genuinely believe can add value for travellers and expat families looking to maximise points and miles.
