Bilt Rewards is the loyalty program of the no annual fee Bilt Mastercard® (review), which is quite lucrative. This is a proper transferable points currency, allowing 1:1 transfers to a variety of partners. Unfortunately Bilt Rewards will soon be losing one of its special transfer partners, which is a huge loss for this points currency.
In this post:
Bilt Rewards cuts American AAdvantage as of June 2024
View from the Wing reports that Bilt Rewards and American AAdvantage will be winding down their partnership as of June 2024, three years after it launched. Per a Bilt spokesperson:
Bilt and American have agreed to wind down our partnership beginning in June. We appreciate everything we’ve been able to accomplish together since Bilt’s launch in 2021.
We can only speculate as to what happened in the background to cause this. I would assume that American AAdvantage chose to cut ties with Bilt Rewards, and not the other way around:
- American AAdvantage has intentionally not partnered with any major transferable points currencies, instead trying to push spending onto its own co-branded Citi and Barclays credit cards
- In the past couple of years, American AAdvantage introduced the Loyalty Points concept, whereby credit card spending counts toward elite status
- I’m curious if American just wasn’t getting the results it hoped from this partnership, or what; I know Bilt is trying to position itself as a company that is going to revolutionize the way people shop and dine locally (given the program’s focus on rent payment), and perhaps American wasn’t seeing how it fits into that vision
Is Bilt losing American as a partner a big deal?
On the one hand, I’d say that Bilt Rewards losing American AAdvantage as a partner is a massive deal. Bilt had been the only transferable points currency to partner with American AAdvantage, so that was one of the unique selling points of the program.
At the same time, I know many Bilt Rewards members didn’t actually transfer any points to American AAdvantage (I know I certainly didn’t). That’s because one of the awesome things about the Bilt Rewards program has been the monthly Rent Day promotions, where we’ve frequently seen transfer bonuses. The size of the transfer bonuses has varied based on your Bilt elite status, and have typically been anywhere from 75% to 150%.
We’ve seen these kinds of bonuses for transfers to partners like Air Canada Aeroplan, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. I think most savvy people with Bilt Rewards points have used their points this way, rather than transferring them to American AAdvantage, where we never saw a transfer bonus.
So yes, this is definitely a loss, and eliminates a competitive advantage of the program. But at the same time, at least for me it doesn’t change the fundamental value proposition of the program, due to the transfer bonuses we’ve seen to other programs. Here’s to hoping those continue. I also understand that for many people, AAdvantage transfers were a key part of the program.
Bottom line
As of June 2024, Bilt Rewards points will no longer be transferable to American AAdvantage. Bilt was uniquely positioned with this partnership, since none of the other major transferable points currencies allowed these transfers.
I suspect there’s a reason that American wanted to give Bilt a chance on transfers when it first launched, but presumably American now puts Bilt in the same category as other transferable points currencies, for some reason.
What do you make of Bilt Rewards losing American AAdvantage as a partner?
Time for Citi Thank You program to become an AA transfer partner permanently!!!
Man, I remember a few years back when there was the temporary opportunity to transfer from Citi ThankYou to AAdvantage. We all thought it was a test run and that AA would be added to the permanent list of partners, and then they just never were. Seems for some reason the folks in Dallas cannot or don't see a reason to add transferable points partners. At least I managed to get a JAL F award during that brief window.
Well I can stop worrying if I am missing out. I don’t pay rent nor mortgage and I only consider because transfer to AA
I’m currently in the Al Safwa lounge after using 100,000 AA miles CHC SYD DOH AUD
I’ll return home AUH IAD in First for 115,000 AA miles
Sorry for potential impact on others, but nice for me. No Worries ;-)
This is a WIN for AAdvantage members as it will keep the currency valuable. It also fits into the remarks made by AA execs at the recent investor day where they said that they not only don't intend on any devaluation, but want to INCREASE the value of the miles currency. Sorry to BILT members, but get an AA Credit Card if you want AA miles.
Also Ben, I get that you personally didn't...
This is a WIN for AAdvantage members as it will keep the currency valuable. It also fits into the remarks made by AA execs at the recent investor day where they said that they not only don't intend on any devaluation, but want to INCREASE the value of the miles currency. Sorry to BILT members, but get an AA Credit Card if you want AA miles.
Also Ben, I get that you personally didn't transfer to AA. But I think the average consumer obviously did and valued any way to get AA miles outside of their eco system. Not sure how you came up with opposite statements above like: ".... for many people, AAdvantage transfers were a key part of the program." and yet also say " and then " I know many Bilt Rewards members didn’t actually transfer any points to American AAdvantage..."
I think you overestimate the number of people who currently hold BILT cards.
As a % of AA points earners, they’re tiny.
I'm just stating the obvious that this is a good move in the direction of keeping the current value of AA miles.
Also, I'm sure your correct that the overlal percentage of Bilt members that are AAdvantage members is small. However, I would argue that they have an outsized effect as I bet they "earn" larger amounts per person than the average. All savvy members of any program do.
Lastly, AA's own investor...
I'm just stating the obvious that this is a good move in the direction of keeping the current value of AA miles.
Also, I'm sure your correct that the overlal percentage of Bilt members that are AAdvantage members is small. However, I would argue that they have an outsized effect as I bet they "earn" larger amounts per person than the average. All savvy members of any program do.
Lastly, AA's own investor day info on members basically said that all of their profits came from less than the top 20% of members. Outsized effect. You cut off 10k members from earning a few hundred thousand miles a piece a year, that helps the member who Flys twice a year and earns little miles to be able to book that dream trip for slightly less now. I'm all for it.
This is big. AA miles are very valuable without any bonuses - yes, I can convert to KLM with a significant bonus but then most of the TATL flights in J cost over 500,000 miles...
If you’re flexible you should be able to find them for 50.000. I don’t usually have too much trouble finding these.
I wonder if the Bilt departure means AA is migrating towards WF Autograph transfer partners?
Citi would be grand as well.
I had this card but Wells Fargo is so terrible that I canceled it.
Hawaiian is a Bilt transfer partner. Hawaiian and Alaska are to merge. Perhaps I'm wrong but I believe the deadline for the DOJ or DOT to officially object to the merger has passed. So, pulling in Alaska is a natural consequence. Of course, the loss of AA is unfortunate. The next logical questions are: 1) what transfer partners will end up with Wells Fargo and 2) what's going to happen to the BofA / Alaska relationship?
I have the card. The only reason I got the card was to earn AA miles. I pay mortgage not rent, and I don't enjoy trying to work with Wells customer service, so I will not be keeping the card.
No other card gets 3 AA miles per $1 on dining. That, to me, was what was attractive about the BILT card.
Wow. I'm glass they are ending this relationship. That's not really fair that a non AA credit card earns more than any AA card does, even the high AF ones.
but why didn't you just... get the free bilt card...
Welp I'm definitely not getting a Bilt card now. I was on the fence and honestly the only reason I wanted one was for the AA miles. No mas.
However, it has been reported by some that they can see logo for AS popping up on Bilt site. So this may be a necessary shedding for AS to be added as a new partner. Time will tell.
One guy on Reddit that saw something once is pretty insignificant.
Ben - I love your content and you've been a key player in many of my travel redemptions, but you're basically sweeping this away as not a big deal, while simultaneously pushing it for years due to AA and Hyatt being Bilt's key transfer partners.
Anyone in the travel space knows this is a HUGE loss on the end of Bilt, but you're downplaying it because "I know many Bilt Rewards members didn’t actually...
Ben - I love your content and you've been a key player in many of my travel redemptions, but you're basically sweeping this away as not a big deal, while simultaneously pushing it for years due to AA and Hyatt being Bilt's key transfer partners.
Anyone in the travel space knows this is a HUGE loss on the end of Bilt, but you're downplaying it because "I know many Bilt Rewards members didn’t actually transfer any points to American AAdvantage".
Come on. You're losing me, my friend.
Bilt shills are gonna continue to Bilt shill. I agree, I love this site and Ben but Bilt has always been a glaring mark (and pretty much all other travel sites are the same). They must pay insane commission fees.
AA as a transfer partner is pretty much the only thing that makes this card interesting. At this point I'd rather eat the 3% fee on rent and just open up Chase Inks all day since they've got the same transfer partners now.
@ Reese -- I mean, I'd argue that for the average consumer, what makes this card interesting is the ability to pay rent and earn points with no fee. The average consumer isn't going to "open up Chase Inks all day."
But honestly, if you are going to open Chase Inks all day, does AA being a partner really change the value proposition there?
>The average consumer isn't going to "open up Chase Inks all day.
That's a good point -- for those of us who are heavy into the points and churning game, opening inks all day is the way to go at this point, but sometimes it's hard to take a step back and think what's going to be best for the average consumer. Your blog does a good job catering to all levels, which is...
>The average consumer isn't going to "open up Chase Inks all day.
That's a good point -- for those of us who are heavy into the points and churning game, opening inks all day is the way to go at this point, but sometimes it's hard to take a step back and think what's going to be best for the average consumer. Your blog does a good job catering to all levels, which is what makes it so good and why I relied on it heavily when I was learning. So apologies for the accusations, Bilt is no doubt a good card for the average person. With that being said, it still feels like losing AA is being understated. Before this I would argue that deciding between putting rent on a new card for the SUB at 3% vs the Bilt card at 0% would actually be a pretty tough decision due to the AA flexibility (especially if you can hit the SUB organically), but now I see almost no reason to bother with Bilt, and would rather eat the 3% fee.
Now, when/if Bilt starts doing mortgages, that will be a game changer, even without AA.
@ Shawn -- I appreciate your feedback, but are you sure you're not confusing my content with someone else's? I mean, I only really starting writing around Bilt around a year ago (when I got the card), so I've hardly been writing about it for years. And I've mentioned very little about AAdvantage transfers.
This is a big loss, as I've acknowledged, and maybe I should make that clearer in the post. But surely you...
@ Shawn -- I appreciate your feedback, but are you sure you're not confusing my content with someone else's? I mean, I only really starting writing around Bilt around a year ago (when I got the card), so I've hardly been writing about it for years. And I've mentioned very little about AAdvantage transfers.
This is a big loss, as I've acknowledged, and maybe I should make that clearer in the post. But surely you can also see how the 75-150% transfer bonuses to programs like Aeroplan and Flying Blue have been the most compelling way to redeem points for many of us, no?
I promise you I have no incentive to downplay this. My thoughts on Bilt are pretty simple, and I don't push Bilt nearly as much as many others (who I do find sometimes have questionable narratives). I use it to pay my HOA for no fee, and I make a small number of purchases on the card each billing cycle. For savvy consumers into miles & points, I don't think this card is worth using for everyday spending. And I'm also not sure I understand Bilt's business model, but that's a different story...
That's fair - "years" was an exaggeration in which I can acknowledge, but it has been pushed and promoted as a no-brainer card. I expected a stronger stance considering this is one of the only US cards that transfers into AAdvantage, and it is truly a massive loss on Bilt's end.
Appreciate the feedback and transparency.
@ Shawn -- I hear you, and it is a big loss (and I said in the post that it is a big loss, but just that I and many others didn't choose to use our points this way). I think the extent to which the Bilt Card is a no-brainer is that you can earn points on rent payments and HOA with no fees. That's still something that no other card offers.
The extent...
@ Shawn -- I hear you, and it is a big loss (and I said in the post that it is a big loss, but just that I and many others didn't choose to use our points this way). I think the extent to which the Bilt Card is a no-brainer is that you can earn points on rent payments and HOA with no fees. That's still something that no other card offers.
The extent to which I share my thoughts on the Bilt Card reflect my own experiences. I use the card for my HOA payments, and I make around five small purchases on the card per month. I haven't transfered those points to AA, but rather have taken advantage of the transfer bonuses for programs like Aeroplan.
Anyway, appreciate you reading, and I do always appreciate feedback!
Bilt no longer has any standout value at this point. All other partners are covered by other cards. I am going back to paying rent by checks and cash.
I agree about Bilt losing a partner that gave them unique value, but why go back to paying rent by checks or cash? At the very least you can still get points for rent with no fees vs getting nothing for rent, and use the Bilt points to supplement your balances with their other partners.
RBC Rewards transfers to AA.
I would imagine it is as simple as AA thinks there miles are worth way more than Bilt is willing to pay for them.
Big bummer! I just got approved for the Bilt card yesterday and was glad to have some transferrable points that can go to American.
I noticed some folks mentioning seeing Alaska Airlines as a transfer partner on the Bilt app the other day which was taken down soon after.
Any thoughts or insight into that incident?
I think that would soften the blow, I'm not sure how often I would realistically transfer...
Big bummer! I just got approved for the Bilt card yesterday and was glad to have some transferrable points that can go to American.
I noticed some folks mentioning seeing Alaska Airlines as a transfer partner on the Bilt app the other day which was taken down soon after.
Any thoughts or insight into that incident?
I think that would soften the blow, I'm not sure how often I would realistically transfer to Alaska, but they do still have some good redemptions available to have in the back pocket.
I think this is bad news that will turn into good news. With Wells Fargo backing the Bilt credit card, i think WF is working toward acquiring Bilt’s transfer partners. Given AA’s exclusivity with Citi and Barclays, this is a logical step in that direction.
I am actually happy for this as this may be an indicator that AA miles won't be devalued soon or at least not likely to have a big drop in short term. However, if the rumor is true that Bilt will add Alaska Airline as a transfer partner, for Bilt users at least, it's a fair exchange.
Let me be blunt as it seems you’re not able to be.
This is bad!
Catastrophic. This was the reason I got the Bilt card.