More debit cards if anyone wants to test them
 

In case anyone would be interested in testing paying tax with other debit cards, I posted some pointers to about 40 rewards debit cards, at least 9 of which pay some rewward for PIN transactions, at http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles...t-cards-2.html , message #24.

Has anyone had luck using a Citibank ATM (Mastercard) card? After seeing skynerd's post that a Continental Chase MC Debit card worked, I tried my Citi Debit card again on PayUSATax.com but, despite selecting Debit, when I submit it, it wants to charge me the full 2% fee, not $3.89

Any advice?

The non-preferred CO Chase MC Debit card did not earn miles for me, but the preferred version of the card reportedly worked for Ikar (message 78) and a card from another bank worked for DCBob (post 64). To get the $3.89 flat price from payusatax, as Ikar explained in post 63, you have to click "continue" instead of "debit card". Anyhow, the user interface has "back" buttons, so you should be able to try other answers if you are not seeing the $3.89 flat price.

If you still have trouble getting the $3.89 flat price on payusatax, please feel free to send me a private message and I will try to help. I made screen snapshots of most of my steps, which I can refer to, but many have my private information in them.

It would be interesting to learn what results you get and exactly which kind of Citi debit card you use (I assume it earns some kind of rewards, right?).

I'm just baffled. I can't enter the card number unless I choose credit, debit, or bill me later. I choose debit, type in my debit card number, click Continue, and the fee is over a hundred dollars. The Citi debit card earns Thank You points, BTW.

Will send you a PM as well.

Paying tax with 2 mile/$ AmEx or 1.5 - 2 mile/$ Visa
 

http://boardingarea.com/blogs/viewfr...es-per-dollar/ and http://boardingarea.com/blogs/tmtrav...a-card-holder/ mention that the Fidelity Investment Rewards Visa and American Express now offer a redemption option to Star Alliance member Air Canada's Aeroplan miles that works out to 2 miles/$ for the AmEx and 1.5 mile/$ for the Visa (and 2 mile/$ after $15k/year). This is basically the best non-promotional mileage redemption I have heard of, and works out to the following cost per mile for paying US federal income taxes on line:

officialpayments.com or pay1040.com with American Express:
2.35% fee / (2.0 mile/$) = 1.175 cent/mile

payusatax.com with Visa:
less than $15k/year spent: 1.95% fee / (1.5 mile/$) = 1.3 cent/mile
more than $15k/year spent: 1.95% fee / (2.0 mile/$) = 0.975 cent/mile
[Edit 9/23/2010: Thank you Ikar for pointing out that payusatax now rejects Visa credit cards. I verified that this is specifically the case with my Fidelity Visa.]

FWIW, Payusatax appears to have stopped taking Visa for quarterly estimated tax payments, although they still take it for some other payments.

Per the T&C on payusatax.com, only Visa debit cards have the flat fee of $3.89. Mastercard debit cards are charged at the same rate as credit cards.

This also wipes out the opportunity to repeat DCBob's Delta Skymiles earning since Suntrust just switched all of their debit cards, including the Delta one, from Visa to Mastercard. Bummer.

I confirm that dry runs today at all three debit card tax payment services (payusatax, pay1040 and officialpayments) generated high fees (~2%) for my SunTrust Delta personal debit MasterCard and low fees (~$4) for my Chase non-preferred (0.5 mile/$) personal United Debit Visa. I have not tried a tax payment with the United debit Visa, but I did try a tax payment with my Chase non-preferred personal Continental Debit MasterCard some time ago and did not receive miles, so I wouldn't bet on the Untied debit Visa getting miles either.

Chase United debit card might earn miles via valuetaxpayment.com
 

A few days ago, I made an estimated tax payment with my Chase United non-preferred personal Visa debit card by valuetaxpayment.com (payusatax's new sister site that accepts Visa and AmEx). I was charged only the $3.89 flat debit card fee. This morning, it appears that Chase has coded the transaction as earning miles (unlike a similar test transaction with my Chase Continetnal non-preferred personal MasterCard debit card).

I believe the deadline for tax year 2010 estimated tax payments is tomorrow, Saturday, January 15 Monday, January 18. (Thanks for the correction, TAHKUCT.)

January 18th, 2011 is the deadline this year.

Can't Get the Lower Debit Card Convenience Fee
 

I went to the payusatax.com website, as well as the other RBS website, as well as the link2gov and officialpayments.com websites. Each time that I put in my Suntrust MC debit card for payment, I was quoted the convenience fee for a credit card, not a debit card. When the option was there (for instance, with officialpayments.com), I specifically checked off debit card, not credit card. I got the credit card convenience fee quote anyway. Can anyone explain this?

I cannot explain, but if it helps reassure you that you have not lost your sanity, I can tell you that your results confirm ones I mentioned at the bottom of this heavily edited post last week: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/15594232-post23.html , where one MasterCard debit card was offered the debit rates and one was not.

This card may no longer be available after Feb. 8th, but existing cards will continue working. See my longer message at http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/15734335-post57.html .

Does anyone know whether and in which format I can get a confirmation from IRS after paying my 2011 estimate tax through payUSAtax.com? Thanks!

The IRS doesn't provide confirmations of payments. You need to print out the online confirmation page from payUSAtax.com if you want a confirmation.

If you want an account transcript, the IRS will send one to you if you complete the request online at http://www.irs.gov/individuals/artic...232168,00.html. That shows all activity on your account for a specific tax year.