Introduction to the Bilt Credit Card
The Bilt Mastercard® is a no-annual-fee credit card that earns points when you pay rent, without charging additional transaction fees. This card also offers bonus points on dining and select travel, as well as double rewards on the first day of every month (fondly known as "Bilt Rent Day").
Business Insider's credit card experts compared the Bilt Mastercard® to the best credit cards and found it to be an industry leader thanks to generous bonus categories, lack of an annual fee, and fun ways to boost your rewards through games and dining partners. In fact, this card is our choice for "best restaurant card" on our guide to the best credit cards, since cardholders can easily earn up to 6x on dining.
Better yet, you can link other rewards credit cards to the Bilt Dining program to earn even more Bilt Points, and rewards can be redeemed for travel, merchandise, experiences such as SoulCycle and other workout classes, and exclusive dining opportunities.
$0
N/A
See Terms
N/A
Good to Excellent
- Only credit card to offer rent payments to any landlord
- Excellent range of airline and hotel transfer partners through the Bilt App
- World Elite Mastercard benefits and no annual fee
- If you’re not a renter, other cards offer better welcome bonuses and rewards
- Must make 5 transactions per statement period to earn points
The Bilt Mastercard® is the first credit card to offer up to 100,000 points in a calendar year rewards for paying rent without the transaction fee — and you can redeem your points for travel, merchandise, and more. While it now offers bonus points on dining and select travel, if you're not a renter, you should consider other no-annual-fee rewards credit cards as well.
Bilt Mastercard®- $0 Annual Fee
- Earn 1x points on rent payments without the transaction fee, up to 100,000 points each calendar year
- Earns 3x points on dining
- Earn 2x points on travel
- Earn 1x points on other purchases
- Earn double points on the first of each month (excluding rent, up to 1,000 bonus points)
- Use the card 5 times each statement period to earn points
- Earn up to 5x Bilt points on Lyft rides when you link your Bilt account and pay with your Bilt card
- Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent payments, statement credits, toward a down payment on a home, etc.
- Select "Apply Now" to learn more about the product features, terms, and conditions
Bilt Credit Card Overview
The Bilt Mastercard® is unique because you can use it to pay your rent to any landlord, anywhere, with no transaction fee.
Pro tip: You must make at least five transactions per statement period to earn points.
The Bilt Mastercard® earns 1 point per dollar for all rental payments, on up to $100,000 in payments every year when you use your card 5 times per statement period. There's no traditional welcome bonus, but you can earn bonus rewards by referring friends (2,500 per successful referral). Every fifth successful referral you make earns you an additional 10,000 points (up to 2,025,000 referral points each year) — even if you don't have the card.
The Bilt Rewards program offers several redemption options including point transfers to airline and hotel partners, booking travel through its travel portal, rent discounts, fitness rewards, and merchandise.
If you rent from a company in the Bilt Rewards Alliance — a network of over 2 million apartments across the U.S. — you don't need the Bilt Mastercard® to earn points for paying rent — you can earn points just by paying rent through the Bilt Rewards app.
How to Get the Bilt Credit Card
It's relatively easy to get a Bilt Mastercard®. The card doesn't offer a traditional welcome bonus, but it offers many other valuable perks.
Bilt Credit Card Requirements
To get the Bilt Mastercard®, you must be at least 18 years old and a U.S. resident with good to excellent credit. As with any credit card application, you'll need to supply your full name, contact information, plus income and financial information via the application link. You'll typically get a decision instantly, and can begin using your credit card once it arrives.
Bilt Credit Card Rewards
There are nearly a dozen ways to maximize the Bilt Rewards Program, from earning to redeeming and maximizing Bilt Points:
Welcome Bonus
The Bilt Mastercard® doesn't currently have a welcome bonus offer. However, Bilt members can earn bonus points for successfully referring others to open the Bilt Mastercard®. Here's how it works:
- You'll earn 2,500 Bilt Points for each Bilt Mastercard® applicant you refer and is approved for the card
- For every five successful referrals you make, you'll earn another 10,000 Bilt Points (so 22,500 points per five referrals)
- Each Bilt member is capped at a total of 50 referral bonuses
For a referral to qualify, the person you're referring can't have already had a Bilt Rewards account or opened the Bilt Mastercard®. In addition, your referral must create their Bilt Rewards account through a unique referral code you provide them; otherwise, you won't get credit.
You don't even have to have the Bilt Mastercard® to refer friends. Simply download the Bilt Rewards app and just click "Invite."
How to Earn Rewards With Bilt
You can earn Bilt Points in many ways, especially on dining and travel. Some of these methods don't even require you to have the Bilt Mastercard® itself.
Everyday Spending
For a card with a $0 annual fee (see rates and fees), the Bilt Mastercard® offers a respectable return rate for common spending habits:
- 1 point per dollar on rent payments (with no transaction fees) of up to $100,000 in rent payments every year
- 2 points per dollar on travel booked directly with airlines, hotels, car rentals, or cruise lines
- 3 points per dollar on dining (including food delivery services like Uber Eats and GrubHub)
- 1 point per dollar on other purchases
Again, earning 1 point per dollar on rent isn't the card's selling point — it's the fact that you can use a credit card to pay rent with no transaction fees. The rewards are simply a bonus.
You must make at least five purchases on the card each billing cycle to be eligible to earn rewards. Bilt wants this card to be top of mind for you each month — beyond just rent payments.
Lyft Rides
Bilt Rewards and Lyft have a partnership that earns bonus Bilt points on Lyft rides. When you link your Bilt and Lyft accounts and pay with your Bilt Mastercard® through the Lyft app, you'll earn 5 Bilt Points per dollar. If you don't have the Bilt Mastercard® but are still a Bilt Rewards member, you'll earn 2 points per dollar.
Bilt Rent Day
Bilt Rent Day falls on the first of every month, and often includes promotions such as challenges and trivia questions to earn bonus points, free rent, and other perks.
Most importantly, cardholders can earn double points on non-rent spending over Bilt Rent Day, up to a maximum of 1,000 bonus points, as follows:
- 6 points per dollar on dining (normally 3 points per dollar)
- 4 points per dollar on travel (normally 2 points per dollar)
- 2 points per dollar on other spending excluding rent (normally 1 point per dollar)
Milestone Rewards
Milestone Rewards are incremental benefits that all Bilt members can earn as they spend their way toward elite status, whether or not they have the Bilt credit card. Bilt members can claim one Milestone Reward for every 25k points they earn in a calendar year, and can unlock new reward options at each new "milestone" point threshold.
Milestone Rewards can be found and claimed under the Elite Status tab in the Bilt app.
Bilt Rewards Program Tiers
Bilt Members can earn elite status within the Bilt Rewards Program based on spending on the Bilt Mastercard® and other linked credit cards. The tiers are:
- Blue — for members who have earned 0 to 50,000 Bilt Points or spent less than $10,000 in eligible spend within the calendar year
- Silver — for members who have earned 50,001 to 124,999 Bilt Points or spent between $10,001 to $24,999 in eligible spend within the calendar year
- Gold — for members who have earned 120,000 to 199,999 Bilt Points or spent between $25,000 to $49,999 in eligible spend within the calendar year
- Platinum — for members who have earned 200,000 or more Bilt Points or spent $50,000 or more in eligible spend within the calendar year
Bilt Members earn status through qualifying points from both rent and non-rent spend within a calendar year. Non-qualifying status points include those earned from referrals, courtesy points, points from member surveys, and incremental campaign bonus points, such as the initial cardholder promotion.
Fast Track spending is another way to earn Bilt elite status, and includes all non-rent dollars spent on the Bilt Mastercard®, as well as in the Bilt ecosystem.
Qualifying Fast Track dollars include non-rent spend on the Bilt Mastercard®; Neighborhood Fitness classes booked through Bilt and at Bilt Dining restaurants with any card linked to your Bilt account; Lyft rideshares when Bilt is your designated rewards partner in the Lyft app; and purchases made via the Bilt Travel Portal.
Redeeming Rewards With Bilt
Bilt Points are worth 1.65 cents each, on average, based on Business Insider's points and miles valuations. That's because you can often get huge value by transferring your rewards to partners like United Airlines and Hyatt.
Transfer Points to Airline and Hotel Partners
What's really exciting about the Bilt Rewards program is that you can transfer points to airline and hotel loyalty programs, and the selection of award transfer partners is comparable to more established credit card rewards programs such as Chase Ultimate Rewards®, Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One Miles, and Citi ThankYou Rewards.
Bilt transfer partners include:
- ALL - Accor Live Limitless
- Alaska Airlines
- Aer Lingus AerClub
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Avianca LifeMiles
- British Airways Executive Club
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Emirates Skywards
- Flying Blue (Air France-KLM)
- Iberia Plus
- IHG Rewards Club
- Marriott Bonvoy
- TAP Air Portugal
- Turkish Miles & Smiles
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- United Airlines
- World of Hyatt
All transfers are instant and at a 1:1 ratio.
Redeem Points Through the Bilt Travel Portal
You can use your Bilt Points to book flights, hotels, rental cars, and activities through the Bilt Rewards Travel portal at a rate of 1.25 cents per point. Because it's powered by Expedia, you can access a wide variety of travel options around the globe, and the value per point you'll get is better than what most other bank portals offer.
The Bilt portal also allows you to compare the points price of a flight booked through the portal to what you'd spend by transferring points to partners for an award flight. This can help tremendously in your decision-making process when it comes time to redeem your rewards.
Point.me integration: The Bilt Rewards app now includes Point.me integration, which allows users to search for award flight availability with all of Bilt's transfer partners. Point.me will find you the best deal, and you can even transfer your Bilt Points to your chosen airline right in the app.
Learn more about point.me and similar tools in our guide to the best credit card rewards apps to track points and miles for travel.
Use Bilt Points for Amazon Purchases
Bilt added the ability to redeem points at Amazon checkout, similar to using other flexible rewards points. You can link your Bilt Mastercard® to your Amazon account and use points to fully or partially pay for a purchase. However, you won't get a good value for your rewards this way — Bilt Points are only worth 0.7 cents apiece when you redeem them for Amazon purchases.
Use Points for Fitness Classes
Bilt Rewards partners with SoulCycle, Y7 Studio, Rumble Boxing, and CycleBar and you can redeem points for group classes or subscriptions.
Redeem Bilt Points for Unique Shopping Experiences
Bilt members can cash in their points in the Bilt App for home decor, art, and other exclusive items through the Bilt Collection. Products rotate from time to time.
Get Discounts on Rent With Points
If you want to reduce your monthly expenses, you can cash in your points for discounts on rent payments. However, you'll only receive a value of 0.55 cents per point and this is only possible if you live within the Bilt Rewards Alliance
Use Points Toward a Down Payment on a Mortgage
When you're ready to transition from renting to homeownership, Bilt will offer the opportunity to put points toward a down payment on a mortgage.
Bilt Credit Card Key Benefits and Features
The Bilt Mastercard® offers above-average benefits, especially for a product with no annual fee.
Cellular Telephone Protection
When you pay your monthly wireless bill with your card, you're eligible for cell phone protection of up to $800 per claim, up to two claims per year. You'll be subject to a $25 deductible — which is low compared to many other credit cards that offer cell phone protection.
Trip Delay Reimbursement
When your flight is delayed six hours or more, the card's trip delay insurance reimburses you for reasonable expenses such as food, accommodation, and even extras like entertainment and airline lounges. You and all covered travelers are eligible to receive $200 per day for up to three days (maximum $1,800 in total per covered trip).
Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver
When you pay for your rental car with the card and decline the rental agency's in-house insurance, you'll receive primary car rental insurance for damage and theft — up to the cash value of the car. You and the other drivers on the reservation will be covered.
This benefit can save you $15+ per day over opting for the rental agency's proprietary coverage.
Trip Cancellation and Interruption Protection
You are eligible for up to $5,000 per insured person for nonrefundable tickets you've paid for with the Bilt Mastercard®. Eligible travelers include you, your spouse or domestic partner, and your dependent children.
This credit card travel insurance will cover you for things like death, accidental bodily injury, or the common carrier defaulting from financial insolvency.
Purchase Security
The card's purchase protection program, Purchase Assurance Plus, covers any eligible new purchase you make with the card against accidental damage or loss for 90 days, for up to $10,000 per claim, and $50,000 per cardholder.
Merchant Discounts
Bilt Mastercard® cardholders get practical discounts with popular brands. You'll get a $5 Lyft credit whenever you pay for three or more rides in a calendar month.
World Elite Concierge Services
Cardholders can access Mastercard's World Elite Concierge, which can help with things like hard-to-get restaurant reservations or event tickets.
Bilt Credit Card Annual Fee and Other Costs
Annual Fee
There's no annual fee for the Bilt Mastercard®, and there are no transaction fees to pay your rent with it. It's also a good choice if you're traveling overseas, because it doesn't add foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees).
Other Fees
Like most cards, the Bilt Mastercard® charges fees for other situations, including:
- Balance transfer fees
- Cash advance fees
- Late payment fees
Bilt Consumer Insights
In addition to compiling our expert insights, we scoured online forums such as Reddit to see what everyday cardholders have to say about this card. They address the Bilt Mastercard®'s limitations and drawbacks, as well as potential benefits for non-renters.
Good Even for Non-Renters
The Bilt Mastercard® is best-known as a great option for renters, but even people who don't pay rent can benefit from this card. The 3x on dining make this no-annual-fee card a great option for eating out, especially if you don't already have a credit card that earns bonus rewards on restaurants. Meanwhile, Bilt Rent Day bonuses can help you quickly double or triple your points stash.
Bilt Neighborhood Dining
The Bilt Neighborhood Dining program allows anyone to earn bonus points when dining at select Bilt partner restaurants nationwide by linking credit cards within the Bilt app, and cardholders can double their rewards
Poor Customer Service
Versatile as the Bilt Mastercard® can be, this card has some limitations, and one of those is customer service.
Cardholders say that customer service representatives are polite and eager to help. However, some customers have complained that issue resolution takes far longer on this card than on many others. Specifically, some consumers say that they end up getting passed back and forth between Wells Fargo and Bilt customer service, with both departments saying the issue can only be resolved by the other team.
Monthly Caps on Bilt Rent Day Bonuses
Bilt Mastercard®holders have been disappointed to see Bilt Rent Day bonuses decrease with the recent cap on rewards. As of October 2024, Bilt Rent Day rewards are capped at 1,000 bonus Bilt Points, no matter the combination in which they're earned.
Bilt Credit Card Comparison
Bilt Mastercard® vs. Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card is one of the easiest credit cards to use. Like the Bilt Mastercard®, it doesn't have an annual fee and it earns a flat 2% cash back on every dollar you spend, with no limits or exceptions. And since it's also a Wells Fargo credit card, it has the same cell phone protection that the Bilt Mastercard® has.
It also comes with a great welcome bonus: $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first three months from account opening. New cardholders also get a zero-interest period: 0% intro APR on purchases and qualifying balance transfers for 12 months from account opening (then 19.24%, 24.24%, or 29.24% variable APR).
Read more in our Wells Fargo Active Cash card review.
Bilt Mastercard® vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is one of the best travel rewards credit cards on the market, even though it comes with a modest annual fee ($95). It doesn't offer the same ability to earn rewards on rent payments to any landlord, but it does offer 3 points on dining and 2 points on travel. It also comes with more robust travel insurance compared to the Bilt Mastercard®.
Like the Bilt Mastercard®, it has a partnership with Lyft, where cardholders can earn 5x total points on Lyft rides through March 2025. The Chase Ultimate Rewards® program is among the best when it comes to options for redeeming your credit card points, especially if you want to book flights or hotel stays.
Read more in our Chase Sapphire Preferred card review.
Bilt Mastercard® vs. American Express® Gold Card
The American Express® Gold Card is another top travel card option, though it has a higher annual fee of $325.
It comes with up to $10 per month back in statement credits toward purchases at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys (enrollment required). It also offers up to $10 per month in Uber Cash credits when you enroll, up to a maximum of $120 per year.
If you take full advantage of every benefit the Amex Gold Card offers, you'll almost cancel out the annual fee. And it's even more rewarding for dining than the Bilt Mastercard®; Cardholders earn 4 points at restaurants worldwide on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar, and 4 points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 spent at U.S. supermarkets each year, then 1 point per dollar.
Read more in our Amex Gold card review.
Bilt Credit Card Frequently Asked Questions
Most people can use the Bilt Mastercard® to pay rent without fees within the U.S. If your home isn't within the Bilt Alliance, the issuer cuts a check to your landlord in lieu of your regular payment.
The Bilt Mastercard® has a $0 annual fee.
The Bilt Mastercard® earns 2x on travel except on the first day of the month, when you can earn 4 points per dollar on travel on up to $1,000.
The Bilt Mastercard® does not charge foreign transaction fees.
The Bilt Mastercard® is a $0-annual-fee credit card. That means if you earn just a single point each year, you're getting more value from the card than you're paying. If you pay rent in the U.S., the Bilt Mastercard® is a no-brainer. Depending on how much you pay, this card can easily save you hundreds per year in transaction fees.
You can use Bilt Rewards for things like merchandise, future rent payment, and select gym memberships. However, you'll get the biggest return for your points by transferring them to valuable travel partners like Hyatt, United Airlines, and Air Canada Aeroplan, or redeeming them through the Bilt Travel portal.
You won't earn airline miles directly, but you can convert your points into airline miles (or hotel points) if you desire. You can transfer Bilt points to Alaska Airlines, Avianca, United, Air France/KLM, Virgin Red, Emirates, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, TAP Air Portugal, Turkish Airlines, Aer Lingus, Iberia, and Air Canada.
The Bilt Mastercard® doesn't offer a traditional sign-up bonus, but you can still earn rewards by referring friends to the card. You can earn over 2 million bonus miles if you max out the total cap of 450 referrals.
Wells Fargo issues the Bilt Mastercard®.
Why You Should Trust Us: How We Reviewed the Bilt Credit Card
We evaluated the Bilt Mastercard® in comparison to similar travel rewards credit cards and looked at various factors, including:
- Ease of use — Does the card have straightforward earning and redemption options? Are there multiple ways to use points?
- Rewards earning potential — Are the card's bonus categories useful for everyday spending? And are any of them capped at a certain amount of spending?
- Unique perks — Does the card have features you won't find on comparable cards? In Bilt Mastercard®'s case, for instance, it's the only card that allows you to pay rent with no transaction fees.
- Benefits — How do the card's benefits, particularly its travel perks, compare to similar cards?
Read our full guide to how we rate credit cards at Business Insider.
