- Bilt Rewards is a relative newcomer among transferrable points that offers great value for foodies.
- Learn two ways to boost your Bilt Rewards by reading about the Bilt Mastercard or Bilt Rent Day.
Introduction to Bilt Rewards
Bilt Rewards is a relative newcomer among transferable points, but this program offers some of the most valuable travel rewards you can earn.
Bilt Rewards and its unique value
Bilt Points carry a high upside thanks to Bilt's lucrative roster of transfer partners of two hotel programs and 14 airline programs, and a high floor of value when you redeem for travel directly with Bilt.
How Bilt Rewards works
Bilt Rewards has quickly established itself among the top transferable points programs. It isn't always easy to quickly earn rewards with Bilt, which makes saving for high-end travel rewards difficult.
Still, these points are immensely valuable to experienced award travelers, and a great place for novices to dip their toes into the points and miles game.
Earning points on rent payments
Bilt Mastercard® cardholders earn 1 Bilt Point per dollar spent on rent each month. This benefit is revolutionary in the credit card rewards space because other credit cards charge between 1% to 4% in transaction fees to process rent payments, usually in the thousands of dollars each month.
Bilt Mastercard® earns 3x Bilt Points on dining, 2x points on travel, and 1x points on all other purchases.
Additional ways to earn points
Bilt Rewards members can use the Bilt Mastercard® to pay for all dining and travel expenses, especially if they can make most of those transactions on the first day of each month, Bilt Rent Day, when all rewards except for rent earn double (up to 1,000 points).
Non Bilt-cardholders who are Bilt Rewards members can earn bonus points by participating in Bilt Rent Day activities such as Point Quest trivia.
Benefits of joining Bilt Rewards
Bilt Rewards has a relatively restrictive rewards-sharing policy compared to many other loyalty programs, and points can be relatively difficult to earn especially since Bilt doesn't offer a traditional welcome offer for new credit card applicants.
No-fee rent payments
The Bilt Mastercard® is the first credit card that earns rewards on rent payments without incurring hefty transaction fees. Bilt cardholders who rent from one of Bilt's thousands of partner properties can pay rent directly via the Bilt Rewards app.
Other renters can have Bilt cut a check on their behalf, or use a virtual routing and account number to submit payment each month.
Redeeming Bilt Points
Bilt Points have a wide range of redemption options. Bilt Rewards are most valuable when you transfer them to airline and hotel partners such as World of Hyatt.
These various programs enable you to redeem rewards for high-end travel experiences, such as first or business-class flights and premium hotel rooms. Finding exceptional redemption opportunities takes skill and patience, but you can crush the average redemption value when you do.
Redeeming through Bilt Travel
Bilt Rewards can be redeemed for travel directly through the Bilt Travel Portal by booking flights, hotels, and other travel purchases, and then paying for them with Bilt Points at a rate of 1.25 cents per point. The ability to consistently redeem points at this rate gives Bilt Rewards a higher floor than many other transferable points programs.
Travel partners and airline miles
Bilt has a strong roster of transfer partners, and a reliable floor of value via direct redemptions with airlines and hotel chains.
Redeeming Bilt Points for award travel usually provides a good return, even without booking premium travel. Economy flights and standard hotel rooms often provide the most consistent and accessible value, especially when compared to how much you'd spend if you paid cash for your travel.
Homeownership credits
One Bilt Points redemption can be particularly lucrative for people who hope to become homeowners. Select mortgage lenders that partner with Bilt allow Bilt Rewards members to cash out their points toward their down payment. Bilt Points are worth 1.5 cents apiece when redeemed through participating lenders for eligible home purchases.
Fitness, art, concerts, sports games, and more
Bilt allows members to apply Bilt Points toward fitness classes and wellness programs, Amazon purchases, art and exclusive experiences, rental payments, and more. However, most of these redemptions return less than 1 cent per point.
However, you can easily you can surpass that value by using your Bilt Points for travel, so these less valuable options should generally be ignored.
Bilt Rewards partnerships
Bilt partners with a number of rental and homeownership corporations across the U.S. to bring housing benefits to renters and potential home buyers alike.
Real estate partners
The Bilt Rewards Alliance is a network of property management companies that partner with Bilt. Bilt Alliance properties are automatically integrated with the Bilt rent payment system so residents can quickly and easily pay rent each month without incurring transaction fees.
Travel and lifestyle brands
Bilt Rewards partners with the following airline and hotel chain loyalty programs:
Airlines:
- Aer Lingus AerClub
- Air Canada Aeroplan®
- Air France/KLM Flying Blue®
- Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- Avianca Lifemiles
- British Airways Executive Club
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Emirates Skywards®
- Iberia Plus
- Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
- United MileagePlus®
- Virgin Red®
Hotels:
- IHG® One Rewards
- Marriott Bonvoy™
- World of Hyatt®
All Bilt Points transfer to these travel partners at a 1:1 ratio.
Maximizing your Bilt Points
Bilt Points have an average redemption value of 1.65 cents per point in Business Insider's most recent points and miles valuations. Read on to learn which redemption options you should target and avoid to maximize your return.
Strategic rent payments
Utilizing the Bilt Mastercard®
The Bilt Mastercard® is your best tool for quickly accumulating a stash of Bilt Points. This card earns 3x Bilt Points on dining, 2x points on travel, and 1x points on all other purchases. The card earns double points (up to 1,000 points) on all non-rent transactions on Bilt Rent Day.
Participating in bonus point opportunities
Bilt Rent Day is a Bilt-exclusive activity day that falls on the first of each month, and is Bilt's way of making the traditional rent due date a little bit more enjoyable.
On Bilt Rent Day, Bilt Rewards members can play trivia games, contests, free fitness classes, and other promotions. Activities change each month, but participants can expect to earn bonus points, take advantage of exclusive transfer bonuses to valuable travel partners, potentially win free rent for a month, and more.
Bilt Rewards pros and cons
As with all loyalty programs, Bilt Rewards has both positive and negative qualities. These are our key observations:
Expiration policy (pro) — Bilt Rewards points don't expire as long as your account remains open and in good standing. That means there's no pressure to redeem until you're ready, which is a great feature for any travel rewards.
Strength of transfer partners (pro) — Bilt has fewer transfer options than most other major transferable points programs, but the roster of airline and hotel partners is among the strongest. While some partners are more lucrative than others, Bilt Rewards is void of throwaway options that are unlikely to ever be useful.
Transfer bonuses (pro) — Bilt occasionally offers transfer bonuses, usually as part of its Rent Day promotion around the first of each month. Adding more transfer bonuses would boost the program's value, especially given the relative difficulty of accumulating Bilt Rewards points overall.
Transfer times (con) — Transfers to travel partners can take longer through Bilt than they do from competing loyalty programs. With delayed transfers, you run the risk of losing a great award redemption while waiting for your points to land in your airline or hotel account.
Sharing/pooling (con) — Bilt does not allow you to share rewards with other members or transfer points to their loyalty accounts. This is the most restrictive policy among major transferable points programs.
Ease of accumulation (con) — Bilt deserves a lot of credit for innovating a way to earn rewards on rental payments with no fee, but those earnings are capped at 100,000 points annually.
Bilt Rewards frequently asked questions
The Bilt Rewards program allows all participants to earn Bilt Points on everyday transactions. Renters can earn additional Bilt Points for paying rent through Bilt Rewards. The Bilt Mastercard® earns 1 Bilt Point per dollar spent on rent.
Homeowners cannot pay mortgage expenses through Bilt.
Anyone can apply for the Bilt Mastercard®, including non-renters. Cardholders earn points for spending on this credit card, which earns 3x Bilt Points on dining, 2x points on travel, and 1x points on all other purchases. The card earns double points on all purchases outside of rent on Bilt Rent Day up to 1,000 points.
Anyone can apply for the Bilt Rewards loyalty program, even if they don't have the Bilt Card. Program members can link other credit cards to their Bilt Wallet to earn additional rewards when dining out with restaurant partners.
Bilt Points can be redeemed as cash toward your down payment with select Bilt partner lenders at a value of 1.5 cents apiece.
Bilt allows renters to pay rent to any U.S. landlord. If your landlord isn't a Bilt Alliance member, rent payments can be made via the Bilt Mastercard, distributed by check, or paid through a virtual routing and account number.
Redeem points for travel with major airlines and hotel partners, fitness classes, artwork, and even towards a down payment on a home, among other unique options.
Renters who pay with the Bilt Mastercard® will not incur transaction fees, and earn 1 Bilt Point per dollar spent on rent.
You'll max out Bilt Point earning opportunities if you use your Bilt Mastercard® to pay for all dining and travel expenses, especially if you can aggregate those transactions on the first day of each month when all rewards are doubled for Bilt Rent Day, up to 1,000 points. You can also earn bonus points by participating in Bilt Rent Day activities such as Point Quest trivia.
