Bilt Rewards Elite Status: How Is It Earned, What Are The Perks?

Link: Apply or upgrade your existing card to the no annual fee Bilt Blue Card, $95 annual fee Bilt Obsidian Card, or $495 Bilt Palladium Card

We’re currently seeing massive changes at Bilt. This includes the introduction of three new Cardless credit cards, a complete overhaul of how rewards are offered for rent, and the introduction of rewards for mortgages (all of which is based on the Bilt Cash concept).

With all of the changes that we’re seeing, I’d like to cover the details of the Bilt Rewards elite status program. I don’t want to suggest that this is a major reason to be involved in the Bilt ecosystem, but I think it’s worth covering as part of the larger context of all the changes that we’ve seen.

Let me emphasize that we could see further changes to this, given all the ways that Bilt has evolved in recent times, plus the lack of details we’ve been given. But this is intended to reflect the current reality of the program.

How to earn Bilt Rewards elite status

Bilt has four membership tiers — Blue, Silver, Gold, and Platinum — and you can qualify for status in one of two ways:

• Based on qualifying points, which would include all the Bilt points that you earn, regardless of the method; the only exceptions are referrals, courtesy points, points from member surveys, and incremental campaign bonus points, which don’t qualify
• Based on spending, whereby you can fast track your way to elite status with all eligible non-rent spending, including Bilt credit card spending, spending on Neighborhood Fitness classes, Bilt Dining restaurants, and Walgreens, on any cards linked to your Bilt account, spending on Lyft rideshares when Bilt is set as your rewards partner, and spending in the Bilt Travel Portal

Just to be crystal clear, with the latter method, earning status is literally based on the cumulative spending via all these means, rather than the number of points earned.

So, what are the elite requirements for Bilt status?

• You can earn Bilt Silver status with 50,000 qualifying points or $10,000 of eligible spending
• You can earn Bilt Gold status with 125,000 qualifying points or $25,000 of eligible spending
• You can earn Bilt Platinum status with 200,000 qualifying points or $50,000 of eligible spending

Status is valid for the year in which it’s earned, plus through the end of the following year. In other words, status earned in 2026 would be valid through December 31, 2027.

What perhaps makes this more compelling than in the past is that the new Bilt Palladium Card is actually pretty rewarding for spending, as it offers 2x points per dollar spent. That’s a card many people may want to use for everyday, non-bonused spending, and therefore, people may in the process easily earn Bilt elite status.

The benefits of Bilt Rewards elite status

So, what are the perks of having elite status with Bilt? I wouldn’t say the perks are huge, but there are definitely some benefits worth being aware of. I’ll be ranking the perks roughly in the order that I personally value them, though admittedly we’re all looking for different things.

Access to better Rent Day promotions

Ironically the best perk of elite status is something that isn’t even published. On the first day of every month, Bilt has a Rent Day promotion, which offers a different deal each month.

Bilt Rent Day promotions are often differentiated based on elite status. Generally speaking, the higher your elite status, the better the perks you receive as part of the Rent Day offer. Let me emphasize that there’s no guarantee these promotions are differentiated, but at least historically, that has been the case.

Air France-KLM Flying Blue Gold status

Bilt Platinum members receive Air France-KLM Flying Blue Gold status, which also earns you SkyTeam Elite Plus status. In order to activate this offer, you need to transfer 10,000 points to Flying Blue. The status match is valid for 12 months, though it should be possible to do this again in the following year, as there’s no end date for this offer.

It’s awesome to get SkyTeam Elite Plus status through Bilt. This gets you all kinds of priority services across SkyTeam airlines, lounge access on many itineraries, and more. Furthermore, when flying with Air France-KLM, you can assign seats for free, and can even select premium seats in some situations. The nice thing is that earning status with Flying Blue is incremental, so if you receive Gold status through this match, that also makes it easier to earn Platinum status.

Free flight & lounge access with BLADE

Thanks to a partnership between Bilt and BLADE, it’s possible to get perks with the urban air mobility platform. While everyone can score 2x bonus Bilt points on BLADE purchases by linking an eligible credit card to their Bilt account, elite members receive extra perks:

• Bilt Silver members can save 10% off BLADE airport flights booked through the Bilt app or website
• Bilt Gold members can save 10% off BLADE airport flights plus can receive access to BLADE lounges even when not flying; when visiting lounges and not flying, you’re limited to two beverages
• Bilt Platinum members receive the above benefits, plus one free BLADE flight between EWR or JFK and Manhattan, or between Nice and Monaco; eligible members will receive the free flight per occurrence of qualifying for the status

These are some pretty significant perks, especially for Bilt Platinum members, as you’re getting a free flight every year.

Rack up Bilt Cash for points accrual

While not directly tied to elite status, it’s worth mentioning the Bilt Cash concept, whereby you can earn $50 in Bilt Cash for every 25,000 points earned (in addition to earning 4% Bilt Cash on all credit card spending). How can Bilt Cash be redeemed? Well, that’s a great question.

We’re told it can be used “dollar-for-dollar” for perks like hotel credits, Lyft credits, dining credits, fitness credits, and more. Bilt Cash racked up with credit cards can also be redeemed to offset the fees for rent or mortgage payments. Unfortunately as of now there are a lot more questions than answers about this, but that’s the concept, at least.

Interest on your points balance

Bilt has a unique feature that you won’t find with any other points loyalty program. Silver, Gold, and Platinum members earn interest on their points, giving them an incentive to keep their points. Every month, members will be paid interest in the form of additional points based on their average daily points balance for the previous 30-day period. The rate is based on the FDIC published national saving rates, which are published here.

Let me just say that while I love the idea of this, don’t get too excited. The FDIC savings rates don’t offer competitive interest to what’s out there in the market otherwise (like with Bask Bank). For example, when your balance is in the tens of thousands of points, you can expect to maybe get a couple of dozen points monthly.

I very much appreciate the concept of this, and I won’t say no to free points, but this isn’t a reason to maintain your points balance.

Complimentary Bilt Collection gift

Upon reaching Platinum status, Bilt members can receive a gift from Bilt Collection, featuring a curated assortment of home decor and art. The exact gift will differ based on the person, but expect it to be something along the lines of a coffee table book.

Bonus points on new lease or lease renewals

Bilt Silver, Gold, and Platinum members can receive bonus points on new leases or renewals. Specifically, Bilt will deposit up to 50% bonus points on top of points issued by landlords to members when they live at Bilt Rewards Alliance properties.

Bilt home ownership concierge

Bilt Gold and Platinum members who redeem Bilt points toward a down payment on a home purchase can use a dedicated concierge to walk them through the home buying process step-by-step. Maybe that’s something that some people value, though it is pretty niche, if you ask me.

Bottom line

Bilt has a unique elite status program, with status being based on how many points you rack up in a calendar year. I love the idea of a credit card program with elite status based on how many points you earn, since it gives you an incentive to spend more on the card.

While the published benefits of Bilt status aren’t life-changing, there’s at least some value to this. In particular, the better Rent Day promotions for elite members can be valuable, and Platinum members may appreciate the Flying Blue Gold status, plus a free BLADE flight every year.

If you have elite status with Bilt, what has your experience been like?