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Bilt 2027 Changes: Opt Out by Your Card Anniversary to Keep 4% Bilt Cash
September 27, 2026
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Bilt announced a round of program changes on October 27, 2026, and one of them comes with a deadline. If you earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases, you’ll lose that option on your card anniversary unless you opt out of the new benefits first.
The rest of the news is mostly good for cardholders. Bilt Cash no longer expires at the end of the calendar year, and new perks are coming for Bilt elite members in 2027. Here’s what’s changing, what you need to do, and how to decide whether opting out makes sense for you.
What Did Bilt Announce on October 27, 2026?
Here are the main changes from Bilt’s announcement:
- Flexible Bilt Cash mode is being retired. Starting on your card anniversary, every Bilt card moves to housing-only rewards of up to 1.25X points on rent or mortgage, unless you opt out.
- Bilt Cash lasts longer. It now expires at the end of the month, 12 months after you earn it, instead of on December 31.
- Annual credits on the Palladium and Obsidian change form. Hotel credits become Bilt Cash, and they post on your card anniversary instead of January 1.
- Hotel redemptions with Bilt Cash drop to twice a year starting January 1, 2027.
- Daily Rewards launches January 15, 2027, with rewards for on-time housing payments and visits to Bilt neighborhood partners.
- Product changes between Bilt cards are now available in the Bilt app.
Your everyday points multipliers are not changing.
What Is Flexible Bilt Cash Mode?
Since the Bilt card lineup relaunched in January 2026, cardholders have chosen between two ways to earn rewards on housing payments.
Housing-only mode earns points on rent or mortgage based on how much you spend on the card in a month. You earn between 0.5X and 1.25X points on your housing payment, and the top rate requires everyday card spending at least equal to your housing payment.
Flexible Bilt Cash mode earns 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases, on top of your regular points. You can then use Bilt Cash to unlock points on your housing payment, or redeem it across Bilt’s other options.
Bilt Cash is a separate currency from Bilt Points. It isn’t cash back you can deposit in your bank account. You spend it inside the Bilt ecosystem.
What Happens If You Don’t Opt Out?
On your card account anniversary, your card switches to the new set of benefits automatically. You’ll earn up to 1.25X points on rent or mortgage through housing-only mode, and you’ll stop earning 4% Bilt Cash on everyday spending.
The points you earn on everyday purchases stay the same. On the Bilt Palladium Card (See Rates & Fees), for example, you still earn 2X points on everyday purchases. Palladium and Obsidian cardholders on the new benefits can also still redeem Bilt Cash for Point Accelerator.
New cardholders won’t get a choice at all. Bilt is removing Flexible Bilt Cash mode for new accounts in 2027.
How Do You Opt Out of the New Bilt Benefits?
Open the Bilt app, go to your card settings, and opt out of the new benefits before your card anniversary date.
Opting out has two effects:
- You keep earning 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spending, and you keep your current eligible annual credits.
- You can no longer switch between Flexible Bilt Cash mode and housing-only mode. Your choice is locked in.
If you’re thinking about opening a Bilt card and want Flexible Bilt Cash mode, coverage of the announcement reports that new applicants have until December 31, 2026 to choose it. Check Bilt’s card offer terms before you apply.
Should You Opt Out to Keep 4% Bilt Cash?
It depends on how much you put on the card and whether you actually use Bilt Cash.
Opting out tends to make more sense if you put a lot of everyday spending on your Bilt card and already redeem Bilt Cash regularly. On $2,000 a month in everyday purchases, 4% works out to $80 in Bilt Cash per month, or $960 a year.
Calculation formulated by Kudos, based on 4% of $2,000 in monthly eligible non-housing purchases over 12 months.
The new default may be the better fit if your Bilt card is mainly for rent or mortgage, or if you’d rather not manage a second rewards currency. If your everyday spending already matches your housing payment, you’ll hit the 1.25X top rate without thinking about Bilt Cash at all.
Since the choice is permanent once you opt out, look at a few months of your card spending first. Kudos can show you which card earns the most in each category you spend in, so you can see how much of your everyday spending actually belongs on your Bilt card.
Bilt Cash Now Expires 12 Months After You Earn It
Bilt Cash used to expire at the end of each calendar year, with only $100 rolling over. Now it expires at the end of the month, 12 months after it’s earned, with no year-end cutoff.
This change is already in effect. Bilt Cash you earn in October 2026 expires on October 31, 2027.
That means Bilt Cash earned during the holidays no longer has to be spent within weeks. You can check your expiration dates in the Bilt app.
How Are the Palladium and Obsidian Annual Credits Changing?
If you move to the new benefits, your annual hotel credit becomes Bilt Cash. The total dollar amount doesn’t change, but you can use it on more than hotels. Credits also post on your card account anniversary instead of January 1.
- Bilt Palladium Card: $200 in Bilt Cash plus a $400 hotel credit becomes one $600 Bilt Cash credit.
- Bilt Obsidian Card (See Rates & Fees): The $100 Bilt Travel hotel credit becomes $100 in Bilt Cash.
If you opt out, you keep your existing eligible annual credits instead.
Bilt Cash Hotel Redemptions Drop to Twice a Year
Starting January 1, 2027, you can redeem Bilt Cash toward eligible Bilt Hotel bookings twice a year instead of monthly. How much you can use each time depends on your Bilt status or card:
- Blue and Silver status: up to $50 per redemption ($100 per year)
- Gold and Platinum status: up to $100 per redemption ($200 per year)
- Eligible Bilt Palladium Card holders: up to $200 per redemption ($400 per year)
If you used Bilt Cash on hotel stays most months, this is the change that will affect you most.
What Else Is Coming to Bilt in 2027?
Daily Rewards
Starting January 15, 2027, every on-time rent or mortgage payment earns a Daily Reward, and so does one qualifying activity per day with a Bilt neighborhood partner, such as a meal, a fitness class, or a ride. Each Daily Reward shows two options and you pick one, ranging from Bilt Points and Bilt Cash to collectibles toward grand prizes, including $1,000,000 toward a home.
If you have a Bilt card, the points you earn on rent or mortgage don’t change. Daily Rewards are added on top.
Home Away from Home Hotel Redemptions
In 2027, Bilt Gold and Platinum members will be able to redeem Bilt Points at checkout for Home Away from Home hotel bookings, Bilt’s collection of luxury properties with added hotel benefits.
Rental Car Status Matches
Bilt elite members can unlock rental car status matches in 2027:
- Platinum: SIXT ONE Platinum and Hertz President’s Circle®
- Gold and Silver: SIXT ONE Gold and Hertz Five Star®
Product Changes Between Bilt Cards
You can now upgrade your Bilt card in the Bilt app. Go to card settings to see if you’re eligible. This lets you move between the Bilt Blue Card (See Rates & Fees), Bilt Obsidian Card, and Bilt Palladium Card without opening a new account.
How Kudos Helps You Get More From Your Bilt Card
Changes like these are easy to miss, and Bilt Cash, hotel credits, and housing rewards all work differently. Add your Bilt card to Kudos to see which card to use in each spending category and keep track of the credits and benefits that come with your cards, so you can decide whether opting out fits how you actually spend.
If your card moves to housing-only rewards on your anniversary, update your Bilt rewards tier in your Kudos card settings so your card recommendations stay accurate. Here’s how to set your Bilt rewards tier in Kudos. If you stay on Flexible Bilt Cash mode, you can track your Bilt Cash redemptions in the Benefits Tracker.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the deadline to opt out of the new Bilt benefits?
You need to opt out in your card settings in the Bilt app before your card account anniversary date. If you don’t, your card moves to the new benefits on your anniversary.
Can I switch back to Flexible Bilt Cash mode later?
No. If you opt out, you keep Flexible Bilt Cash mode but can no longer switch between it and housing-only mode. If you don’t opt out, your card moves to the new benefits and Flexible Bilt Cash mode is retired.
Does the new Bilt Cash expiration apply to Bilt Cash I already have?
Yes. The 12-month expiration is already in effect, and each amount expires at the end of the month 12 months after it was earned.
Are Bilt everyday points rates changing?
No. Bilt says the points multipliers you earn on everyday purchases with your Bilt card aren’t changing.
Does Daily Rewards replace the points I earn on rent with a Bilt card?
No. Bilt cardholders keep earning points on rent and mortgage as they do today, and Daily Rewards are added on top.
Cardless Inc. is the servicer of the Bilt Cards. Cardless is a financial technology company, not a bank. Bilt Cards are issued by Column N.A., Member FDIC, pursuant to license from Mastercard International Incorporated.
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Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are those of Kudos alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
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