Bilt Palladium Card Review: Bilt's Premium Offer, A Spending Powerhouse

I’m the target market for this card (high income + spend, VHCOL region, high rent, fairly young, prefer a one-card setup, all in on Atmos/Hyatt) but until they invest in proper customer support, I’m not going to apply. How does your $495 AF card only offer AI chatbot and Twitter DM support? It’s ridiculous.

It’s just ok for this first year. 50K SUB. 2x everything. But, unless you use BILT Cash to offset the rent fee, you’re gonna end up with way too much excess BILT Cash, and it’ll just expire. I suspect there’ll be a lot of downgrades or card closings upon renewal.

Without rent/mortgage it's a far less enticing card.

That JAL transfer bonus made the fist year makes it unmatchable for me, 2x round trip business during blossum season for ~110k points is absurd.

I'll downgrade or close next year as I see no way that it continues to earn at its current rates.

As with any card, it's a fit for some and not a fit for others. And, as with any card, you need to study it to see whether it's a fit for your specific circumstances. Anecdotal comments trying to convince you one way or another -- to get it or not get it -- are meaningless.

If you’re not running your housing payments thru BILT (and have the spend to unlock the points, of course). BILT isn’t worth it.

Me personally, I would let BILT anywhere near my housing. Maybe in future if and when they clean up their act. At least get to Citibank or US Bank level of bad.

Drew, you’re lucky to have both taken advantage of the transfer, and actually found availability to redeem with JAL. Since the bonus, availability has been a real problem, so many others who speculatively transferred without immediately confirming tickets are disappointed when they have a bunch of JAL points they can’t use for what they really wanted or expected.

I’ve found bilt cash to be extremely valuable beyond just rent. The $200 portal credit +$100 bilt cash has already been worth near face value. I booked at a hotel that was also eligible with Hyatt. With recent Chase devaluations, even if they do devalue next year I don’t find too many more worthwhile options. Accor is an underrated transfer partner for those who travel to Europe or Asia often. All in all I’m extremely happy with it and would be ok with a small devaluation to keep the programs viable.

I would like to pay my mortgage thru BILT and get obsidian. But they’re not a serious business and program is already ripe for devaluation. I’m also not a fan of BILT cash. So many coupons with too many restrictions.

People need to stop asking about or expecting ability to downgrade palladium. BILT has repeatedly said it’s not happening. And if I were them I wouldn’t let cardholders downgrade at all either.

But I would let them apply for a new card….with no bonus of course (should the other 2 cards eventually offer a bonus, and they should!)

Gotta stop Gamers from wrecking the program.

LOL. You one of those “Close Friends” that gets points for every positive BILT mention on socials?

I think we've already seen a bit of a devaluation with the 100k cap on Rent Day bonuses (kicking myself for missing out on the Avios transfer, could have used that now). The limited usage of Bilt Cash (after accelerators are exhausted and paying for the additional points from my mortgage) is also very much annoying. But the combo of Bilt Cash + hotel credit has covered the annual fee, and the card has been a points earning machine for me.

I'm a few K $ away from Bilt Platinum, which will result in additional savings when I can do the Flying Blue Gold status match, now that Air France started charging for J long-haul seat selection to the US (Boo to you Air France for copying BA).

Totally agree. Have around $2k useless Bilt Cash as without Mortgage/HOA how would I use them? $100 a month on a min 2-night hotel stay? Blade? Little $5/$10 credits
Nice for the SUB and 2x earnings (upped to 3x with multiplier) but Bilt cash doesn't serve any purpose

As a resident of an Alaska hub this is an awesome card for me. Until someone else transfers to them I will hold it. Easy to offset the fee with weekend stays in hotels that otherwise don't accept points too. My 2k mortgage I now get points for that I didn't before so that's $200+ in value a year that I didn't get previously. Easily worth $495.
Something I haven't seen mentioned is Walgreens expires 30 days from use so claim it at the end of the month and again at the beginning of the month for $20 to spend.

I put all my non category spend on this card. 3x earn on that spend and the best transfer partners out of all cc’s right now makes this a keeper. 200 portal credit combined with 100 credit you can get from converting bilt cash makes this similar to the FHR credit on the plat. I hope they change their stance on points for tax payments.

It's interesting that some people find the Bilt Card very rewarding and Bilt Cash very easy to use . . . in spite of others telling them how bad the Bilt Card is. DoC presented a very straightforward approach to use the card and Bilt Cash.

I've been an OMAAT reader for years. Man oh man, your ads are out of control!! Left side, right side, pop ups in the middle of content shifting the screen so need to search where I was.
I understand the role of advertising to support your work but this has gotten ridiculous. Something has really changed.
May not be worth the annoyance going forward.

Way too confusing between points and cash. no thanks

Lee, there are systemic issues with 2.0, and undeniably it is worse for renters than 1.0 (because there’s now a fee for rent that you have to spend to offset). However, yes, some extremely savvy, often wealthy users *might* receive outsized value if they “game” this product. But there are drawbacks, like the relatively unusable BILT Cash glut some of us are referring to here. By all means, insert your meta-commentary and plausible deniability, but I see your comment for what it really is: Fluff.

3x but up to 25,000 points and after using 5x $200 BC for that Accelerator, but after that, back to 2x. See, it’s far more complicated and nuanced, which is why many preferred 1.0, but those days are over because Wells Fargo was tired of losing $10 million/month on being Ankur’s sugar-daddy. Yep. Nope.

Lee, if you actually followed DoC, you’d know, many regulars there have been highly critical of BILT 2.0… are you just fluffing for Ankur? Clearly, BILT has an active online mafia that likes to come on and say good things about their products or insert plausible deniability, and try to discredit any naysayers, like you just tried to do.

DoC's approach excluded consideration of rent/mortgage payments. It's okay that many people have a problem with Bilt and it's okay if they're mad. But, there are those who do quite well with Bilt. The problem is that those for whom it doesn't work try to convince those for whom it does work. And, in your case, you constantly denigrate those for whom it does work. I'm sorry Bilt didn't work out for you and I don't want to deny your right to be mad. But, don't slam those who say they do well by the card.

Lee, there’s a big difference between a product working for a tiny group of people who know how to rig the system, and a product being a 'good deal' for the average renter. If you have to jump through so many hoops and ignore the actual rent features just to make the 2.0 cards competitive with a standard 2% cash-back card, it’s a bad value proposition for the vast majority of consumers. Pointing this out isn't 'madness,' it's basic consumer advocacy. Do keep shilling for them, though.

Marc gets it. Bilt artificially inflates the card's perceived value by giving you "Cash" that is heavily restricted by expiration dates and hyper-specific uses (like minimum hotel nights or niche partners, some of which are still "Coming Soon" for 6 months now...) If you can't use the coupon book, that value evaporates. The math don't work...

You have actual statistics that illustrate only a small number of people benefit from the card? Right. You seem to have a lot of anger going on. Your employer's health insurance likely has a counseling benefit. You might want to look into it. Get well soon.

Every Bilt article from anyone seems to be a test of reading comprehension.

Someone needs to make or have AI make a widget that says if I have x $ regular spending monthly and y $ of housing spending I end up with Z $ of each BILT currencies.

Lee, faking mental health advice because you’re losing a debate about a credit card says more about you than me. No one needs statistics to realize that when BILT introduced new rent fees and coupon credits, the math got worse for most consumers. When the annual fees hit for Palladium, a lot of folks are gonna downgrade or close the card. Face the music.

"Anecdotal" ... oof, nice double-speak.

Translation: When someone highlights a legitimate flaw or a math problem with Bilt, it’s just "meaningless anecdote." But when someone praises it, it’s suddenly hard "data and facts."

Tim Dunn perfected this tactic (in-favor of Delta). Rewrite the rules of logic so your preferred brand can never actually lose an argument! Huzzah!

Your claims of a multitude who are worse off without backing sounds a lot like Trump's claims of attendance at his speeches without backing.

Ah, since amateur psychology didn't work, you've now pivoted to political commentary.

'Thank you for your attention to this matter.'

1990 is the new Tim Dunn

If by Tim Dunn, you mean 'persistent,' yes. 100%. If by Tim Dunn, you mean, sycophant for a specific brand, like Delta or BILT. Nope. I'm for consumers (and workers). There's a huge difference advocating for them, rather than simply shilling or cucking or sane-washing corporate greed. Try to learn the difference, friends.

Consumer advocacy is a far more noble cause than shilling for a corporation.

Many of us are going to have a glut of expiring BILT Cash. It’s probably by-design, and we’re falling into that trap.

Hope you're on BILT's payroll, because otherwise, you're doing their dirty work for free.

I have different concerns. AUs don’t count for the “accelerator” of spending $200 Bilt cash for an extra point on future spending. This makes we wonder why on earth I’m paying $95 for my husband other than to keep family peace. Also, the elephant in the room is Cardless and their… struggles… to achieve anything close to the customer service one expects from traditional card issuers. Also, as a newer issuer, bin fraud is rampant and a major pita when it happens.

Without rent/mortgage it's a far less enticing card.

That JAL transfer bonus made the fist year makes it unmatchable for me, 2x round trip business during blossum season for ~110k points is absurd.

I'll downgrade or close next year as I see no way that it continues to earn at its current rates.

Totally agree. Have around $2k useless Bilt Cash as without Mortgage/HOA how would I use them? $100 a month on a min 2-night hotel stay? Blade? Little $5/$10 credits
Nice for the SUB and 2x earnings (upped to 3x with multiplier) but Bilt cash doesn't serve any purpose

"Anecdotal" ... oof, nice double-speak.

Translation: When someone highlights a legitimate flaw or a math problem with Bilt, it’s just "meaningless anecdote." But when someone praises it, it’s suddenly hard "data and facts."

Tim Dunn perfected this tactic (in-favor of Delta). Rewrite the rules of logic so your preferred brand can never actually lose an argument! Huzzah!

LOL. You one of those “Close Friends” that gets points for every positive BILT mention on socials?

Hope you're on BILT's payroll, because otherwise, you're doing their dirty work for free.

3x but up to 25,000 points and after using 5x $200 BC for that Accelerator, but after that, back to 2x. See, it’s far more complicated and nuanced, which is why many preferred 1.0, but those days are over because Wells Fargo was tired of losing $10 million/month on being Ankur’s sugar-daddy. Yep. Nope.

Lee, there are systemic issues with 2.0, and undeniably it is worse for renters than 1.0 (because there’s now a fee for rent that you have to spend to offset). However, yes, some extremely savvy, often wealthy users *might* receive outsized value if they “game” this product. But there are drawbacks, like the relatively unusable BILT Cash glut some of us are referring to here. By all means, insert your meta-commentary and plausible deniability, but I see your comment for what it really is: Fluff.

Lee, if you actually followed DoC, you’d know, many regulars there have been highly critical of BILT 2.0… are you just fluffing for Ankur? Clearly, BILT has an active online mafia that likes to come on and say good things about their products or insert plausible deniability, and try to discredit any naysayers, like you just tried to do.