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Spotify just raised the stakes in the streaming wars. On September 10, the company announced a new Lossless Listening experience, designed to give music enthusiasts the best quality audio at 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC.
Whether they’re queuing up playlists on their phone, smart speaker or car, Spotify users can now enjoy their favorite songs in the highest sound quality.
While Spotify’s rollout is grabbing headlines, there’s another angle worth noting: how you pay for your subscription can put money back in your pocket. With the right credit card, your monthly streaming bill doesn’t just vanish into Spotify’s coffers—it turns into cash back or even free months of listening.
What Lossless Listening Means
The long-promised Lossless Listening option allows Spotify Premium users to stream tracks in up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC, enhancing the listening experience.
The upgrade delivers richer sound and studio-level clarity and is launching in more than 50 countries by October. Listeners in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Japan, Australia and other regions have already started seeing the feature appear in their apps, and more markets will come online within the next month.
Spotify users must manually enable Lossless on each device they use to listen to music. They can do this within the Spotify app:
- Tap the profile icon in the top left corner.
- Go to “Settings & Privacy,” then “Media Quality.”
- Select where to enable Lossless audio: Wi-Fi, cellular, downloads.
Why Your Credit Card Choice Matters
A Spotify Premium subscription costs $11.99 per month in the U.S., which is not a budget-breaker, but adds up over time. Over a year, that’s roughly $144 for an Individual plan, and even more if you’re on a Duo ($16.99 per month) or Family plan ($19.99 per month). That’s where the right rewards card can help.
Instead of treating streaming fees as just another bill, you can treat them as a rewards category. Over time, those dollars can offset part of your subscription—or, if you’re strategic, make it feel like Spotify is paying you to listen.
Best Credit Cards for Spotify Streaming
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
With the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express (terms apply, rates & fees), you will receive 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in eligible purchases (then 1%), 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions, 3% cash back at eligible U.S. gas stations and on transit purchases (including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more) and 1% cash back on other purchases. Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit and at Amazon.com checkout.
With an approximately $144 annual subscription, you’d earn over $8 back just from Spotify (via Rewards Dollars earned under the select U.S. streaming category that can be redeemed as a statement credit). Those rewards stack up even faster if you also subscribe to Netflix, Hulu or Disney+. The card also offers a $250 statement credit after spending $3,000 in eligible purchases within the first 6 months.
Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card
The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card offers 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®), 5% cash back on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases and 1% on all other purchases. While its rewards for streaming services are less than those of the Amex Blue Cash Preferred, its rewards cover most everyday expense categories.
Cardholders will also receive a $200 cash bonus after spending $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening, plus a $100 credit to use towards flights, stays and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel during your first cardholder year. This itself can cover the cost of an Individual Spotify Premium plan for over a year.
Citi Custom Cash® Card*
The Citi Custom Cash® Card* earns 5% cash back on purchases in a top eligible spend category up to the first $500 spent each billing cycle, 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through Citi Travel and 1% cash back on all other purchases.
Select streaming services, including Spotify, qualify for the card’s rewards in your top eligible spending category, meaning you’ll automatically earn 5% cash back if streaming is your largest bill for the month.
This flexibility makes the card ideal if your expenses shift from month to month—heavy on gas one month, streaming the next. With a bit of planning, you can maximize rewards by letting Spotify trigger the 5% bonus when you don’t have larger expenses elsewhere.
Additionally, you can also receive $200 in cash back after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. The bonus points come in the form of 20,000 ThankYou® points that can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
Bottom Line
Spotify’s Lossless Listening upgrade is all about creating a smoother sound experience. But if you’re smart with your wallet, the smoothness can extend to your budget, too.
Certain credit cards turn your monthly subscription into a steady stream of rewards.
In an era of subscription fatigue—when most households juggle multiple streaming services—those small savings add up. Lossless Listening might deliver the best audio quality audio, but the right card can keep your rewards flowing just as effortlessly.
To view rates and fees for the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express please visit this page.