Is it possible to purchase a car with my airline charge card? I plan on paying it off prior to having finance charges. Thanks for the help.

Yup, if you're willing to pay 2-4% on top of the price (and your credit limit can support it).

I've done it for 3% a couple of times.

I've tried to put the entire vehicle purchase on my Amex twice. Both dealers would allow some of the purchase on the card (no additional surcharge), but wouldn't go over $2,500. I figured some points were better than none.

In an earlier thread on this topic, (which I can't find right now but I know it's there), several people stated that they paid for the entire car with a credit card. While the dealers weren't too happy about it, they accepted the payment. One person wrote that the legal department of Visa stated that no company that accepts a credit card for one type of payment, service department, for instance, cannot then say that they will not accept it for sales. Additionally it was stated (where is that thread?) that Visa legal noted that no company can say they will only accept a certain amount and nothing above that.

I will be buying a car soon and I will be testing this out as I want to put the entire payment on my card.

I will let you know what happens. Plan on purchasing a vehicle for myself and a very used one for my daughter. Thinking that if they don't allow it perhaps I can get a better price from them at least as my miles will be a purchasing incentive for me.

I tried this once, after confirming with AmEx that the charge would be approved (in case the dealer was actually willing to do it). They declined. I pointed out, politely, that their merchant agreement requires them to take it. The salesman went off and consulted with the sales manager. He then offered the LoJack, which I had ordered, free if I paid for it some other way. Since that was more of a discount than the miles were worth, but cost them a lot less than the credit card fee would have been, it was a win-win. So, you may be able to get something out of this even if it's not miles.

If you can get the dealer to go along .. sure ^

Also mentioned in the 'elusive' thread ~ accepting full payment in plastic can subject the dealer to the card's version of those 'lemon laws'

/.

From 2 different dealers on separate car purchases, both times they only accepted up to $5K of deposit on CC. Balance paid by anything except CC.

Yep, I have done it twice. Both times max the dealer would take was 5K on card.

Before you get into a big hassle with the dealer about paying for the entire price with the card, ask yourself if you want to fight with the folks who will be deciding what is covered by your warranty after purchase. @:-)

By the way, I suspect if you push the entire payment on credit card you may find your deal is somehow off, because the dealer is taking too big a hit.

Points galore basically has it right about the other thread. The dealership and VISA haave a contract and the dealer has promised to accept VISA in payment. It is not an optional thing. If you insist, they have to accept your card. As Efrem correctly states, you don't have to insist and they may offer you something as good or better. But if you are refused and want to press it, a call to VISA support will do the trick.

I have purchased my last three vehicles entirely with my Delta AmEx card. Have had no problems.

lex

I just purchased a new Toyota Corolla for my daughter charged entirely on my Visa UA card. Actually, the salesperson asked me how I wanted to pay and I asked her the ways and she mentioned I could use the credit card. Last 2 vehicles at different dealers, they told me the max was $1000 on the card.

There is no rule that you have to service your car where you bought it. I never do (the closest dealership to me doesn't move much under sticker price on purchases, so I buy elsewhere and take my car to the closest dealer for service).

Relevant, and very recent article here...

http://www.suntimes.com/news/zimmerm...ixer06.article

...according to both MasterCard spokesman Tristan Jordan and Visa spokeswoman Dori Busell, car dealers are not allowed to set maximum purchase amounts under their merchant agreement with the bank that handles their credit transactions.
...

One caution: Busell, of Visa, said many car dealerships organize their sales and service entities as two distinct businesses. Sometimes the service side decides to accept credit cards and the sales portion does not. That's fine. But if the sales portion does accept cards, it's not allowed to set a maximum.

That actually depends on what make of car you buy.

I once had a Ford (NEVER AGAIN!!), and was refused warranty work at a different dealer. I pushed it all the way to their corporate office, and they finally relented "just this once." I had moved about 70 miles and the only reason I asked to go to another dealer in the first place was that it was a pain to go to the original. They told me that their policy allowed a switch in warranty dealers only if you documented that you moved further (might have been 100 miles). In the end, it didn't matter where I went -- both dealers were equally incompetent.

Now we drive only Hondas -- and they allow us to take our cars to any dealer we want for warranty work, including any Acura dealer. Of course, we don't have to go nearly as often as when we drove the Fords....

It's no small wonder Ford's struggling to catch up.

On the original topic, I once tried to pay with a CC, and was told it was allowed but I'd have to pay the extra (I think) 3%. FF miles weren't an issue for me at the time, so I didn't bother.