What are the Best Credit Cards to Pay for MLB.TV?

Happy Opening Weekend to fellow baseball lovers and credit card enthusiasts! If you or someone you know loves Major League Baseball but your favorite team is outside your television market (i.e. I love the Minnesota Twins but live in Los Angeles), consider a subscription to MLB.TV. The service is also handy for people who must travel but still want to watch their home town team.

Their app is available on many smart TVs, external devices (i.e. Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, PS4, Xbox One), mobile phones, and tablets.

There are two good credit card bonus and statement credit opportunities available right now for people interested in saving some money on an MLB.TV subscription. A few other options take the mound but don’t quite hit the strike zone. So let’s see which cards are home runs!

American Express Platinum: $20 Off Your MLB.TV Subscription!

The Platinum Card from American Express offers a monthly $20 statement credit when you use that card to pay for select streaming services. Batter up — MLB.TV qualifies!

Plus, you also receive 1X per dollar spent. (Nothing huge, but it’s better than a beanball to the batting helmet.)

Remember the entire $20 can be split between multiple services. For example, mine goes toward both my Hulu-ESPN+-Disney+ bundle and Netflix.

6% Cashback with the Amex Blue Cash Preferred Card!

I used my wife’s American Express Blue Cash Preferred Card to pay for my MLB.TV subscription. (As I mentioned above, my $20 credit was used elsewhere).

Select streaming services — again, including MLB.TV — receive a 6% cash back statement credit when paid with the Blue Cash Preferred. This is the card on which we’ll charge Hulu and Netflix when the Amex Platinum streaming credits expire after December.

Other Options

If you’re trying to meet a minimum spend requirement for a new card (i.e. did you apply for the big Marriott Bonvoy card bonuses?), that’s definitely a great way to go, too.

Aside from that, consider a card offering bonuses for everyday spending. Some examples include:

• Citi Double Cash Card (2X)
• Capital One Spark Miles (2X)
• Chase Freedom Unlimted (1.5X)

Cards Whose Streaming Credits Don’t Apply

A few other cards offer bonuses on select streaming services. Unfortunately, they won’t play ball and don’t include MLB.TV. A couple examples are the Wells Fargo Propel American Express and U.S. Bank Cash+ cards. You’ll simply earn their standard 1X.

As I stated a couple of weeks ago, Chase does not include MLB.TV on their list of eligible streaming providers awarding bonus points for the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve cards.

Stack with Rakuten?

Make sure to initiate your MLB.TV purchase through Rakuten. Then search for “MLB Shop.” You might get 1% back on your subscription. I say “might” because Rakuten states:

You also can check out free previews of MLB.TV, then subscribe to monthly or yearly games or get a single-team subscription. You’ll enjoy watching out-of-market regular-season games live, in high-definition, from the comfort of your own home. Get promo codes for deals on MLB.TV televised games by going through Rakuten first, then to MLB.com.

Worst case scenario: you waste a few seconds trying to earn some cash back that doesn’t materialize.

Final Frame

MLB.TV is a great way for baseball lovers who frequently travel or live far away from their favorite teams.

If the season gets canceled (which wouldn’t surprise me), I’ll just use whatever credit MLB.TV issues toward next year.

The Platinum Card from American Express or American Express Blue Cash Preferred Card are the best available options to save on a subscription. Amex (as far as my research indicated) is the only card issuer who considers MLB.TV a select streaming service.

Other options are available — but not as lucrative.

Play ball!

— Chris

Featured image: Baseball players photo ©iStock.com/slinscot. Rene’s Points composite.