Bilt Rewards: The Complete Guide

In the world of credit card rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards and American Express Membership Rewards are often hailed as the top-tier programs. However, Bilt Rewards, a relative newcomer to the rewards landscape since 2021, has recently generated considerable buzz . It’s easy to see why.

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Like its Chase and American Express counterparts, Bilt Rewards offers its cardholders the option to transfer points to a variety of transfer partners. What sets Bilt apart is its distinctive approach — cardholders earn rewards by simply paying their rent without incurring any fees, a feature unparalleled by any other card. So, is it worth considering joining Bilt Rewards and adding a Bilt Mastercard® (See Rates & Fees) to your wallet? Let's delve deeper and review the overall program and the card.

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What Are Bilt Rewards?

Anyone can join the for free, but having the Bilt Mastercard® will boost your rewards in a major way (more on that in a bit). To start earning Bilt Points, download the Bilt Rewards app and create an account. If you live in a Bilt Rewards Alliance building, you’ll earn a minimum of 250 points per rent payment and can earn additional points through incentives that your landlord may offer. 

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Additional ways you can earn points when you rent at a Bilt Rewards Alliance property include:

• Renewing leases

• Signing a new lease

• Referring a new tenant

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Don’t live in a Bilt Rewards Alliance partner property? You still earn 1X Bilt Rewards on your rent (on up to 100,000 points in a calendar year) with the Bilt Mastercard®. And the card isn’t just for rent payments! 

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It earns a solid: 

• Up to 5X on Lyft (rideshares, bike, and scooters booked through the Lyft app - you have to link your Bilt and Lyft accounts and pay with the Bilt Mastercard)

• 3X on dining

• 2X on travel

• 1X on other purchases

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There is no cap to the number of Bilt Points you can earn per month on non-rent purchases. The only requirement is you have to use the card 5 times each statement period to earn points.

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On the first of every month, as part of their awesome promotion Rent Day, Bilt cardholders receive boosted earnings (excluding rent, up to 1,000 bonus points - these benefits/offers are not specific to Bilt cardholders. They're also available to Bilt Members generally):

• 6X on dining

• 4X on travel 

• 2X everywhere else

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You can redeem Bilt Rewards in a variety of ways, including: 

• Rent

• Future home down payment - the redemption rate toward a down payment is valued at up to 1.5 cents per point

• Fitness: redeem points for classes with SoulCyle, Rumble, [solidcore] and Y7 Studio. Redemptions start at 2,400 points and the redemption rate is ~ 1 cent per point

• Home decor and curated art - the redemption rate

• Travel - points can be redeemed 1:1 to travel partners:

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Airlines:

• Alaska Airlines -1:1

• Avianca Lifemiles -1:1

• United MileagePlus® -1:1

• Air France/KLM Flying Blue® -1:1

• Virgin Red® -1:1

• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club -1:1

• Emirates Skywards® -1:1

• British Airways Executive Club -1:1

• Cathay Pacific -1:1

• Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles -1:1

• Aer Lingus AerClub -1:1

• Iberia Plus -1:1

• Air Canada Aeroplan® -1:1

• TAP Miles&Go -1:1

• Southwest Airlines -1:1

• Japan Airlines -1:1

• Qatar Airways Privilege Club Avios -1:1

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Hotels:

• Hilton Honors -1:1

• Marriott Bonvoy™ -1:1

• World of Hyatt® -1:1

• IHG® One Rewards -1:1

• Accor Live Limitless -3:2

You can also redeem Bilt Points toward flights, hotels and activities at a fixed rate of 1.25 cents per point through the Bilt Travel Portal, similar to how the Chase Travel Portal works with redeeming Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve® points at 1.25 cents and 1.5 cents, respectively.

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Like with Chase and American Express, you’ll absolutely get the most bang for your buck when you transfer your points to travel partners, instead of opting for the fixed 1.25 cents option. 

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Some of our favorite Bilt redemptions include: 

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• Domestic economy flights on American Airlines for as little as 6,000 Bilt Points: American Airlines regularly releases a fare category known as "Web Specials," which typically offers significantly reduced prices for various routes, often featuring fares as low as 6,000 miles. If you're flexible on dates, this is an awesome way to redeem without using many points

• Hotel stays starting at only 3,500 Bilt Points: you can transfer Bilt Points to Hyatt to redeem really affordable complimentary hotel nights. Note: Hyatt's redemption options range from as few as 3,500 points per night for basic roadside hotels during off-peak periods to as much as 45,000 points per night for luxurious five-star hotels during high-demand travel dates

• Travel to Hawaii in United Airlines economy for 7,500 Bilt Points: Turkish Airlines is a partner of United Airlines. You can use Turkish Airlines miles to book domestic United Airlines flights (including to Hawaii) for7,500 miles one-way in economy and only 12,500 miles one-way in business class!