Link: Apply for the no annual fee Bilt Mastercard®
I’ve written extensively about the Bilt Mastercard® (review), which is an innovative and rewarding credit card. Bilt has just announced an awesome new partnership with BLADE, the urban air mobility platform, which some members will no doubt find to be valuable
In this post:
Unlock BLADE benefits with Bilt Rewards
Thanks to a new partnership between Bilt Rewards and BLADE, it’s possible to earn bonus points for BLADE bookings, and even score discounts, lounge access, and free rides. As part of this new collaboration, we’ll see a fully integrated BLADE booking platform in the Bilt Rewards app. Let’s go over the details, as this partnership launches as of 9AM ET on Friday, April 19, 2024.
Earn 2x Bilt points per dollar spent with BLADE
Bilt Rewards members who pay for any BLADE booking with a credit card linked to their Bilt account can earn 2x bonus Bilt points per dollar spent. These bonus points are on top of the points that you’d otherwise earn on whichever card you’d like to use for that purchase, whether it’s the Bilt Mastercard®, or another card.
There’s no need to actually book through the Bilt Rewards app, and you’d earn these bonus points even if booking direct with BLADE.
So if you’re like me and value Bilt Rewards points at ~1.7 cents each, think of it like an incremental ~3.4% return on BLADE spending. That’s not a game changer, but it’s a nice added bonus if you were to spend that money anyway.
Bilt Rewards members get elite perks with BLADE
Bilt Rewards has an elite status program, and members at all three elite tiers receive additional perks with Bilt:
- 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
You can take advantage of these perks through the Bilt app or website, by going through the booking process there. You’ll automatically see the applicable benefits and discounts applied.
Those are some pretty nice perks:
- It’s quite interesting to get lounge access even when not flying with BLADE, as that’s not a perk you often see; I’m curious how sustainable this proves to be
- The free flight adds significant value to Bilt Platinum status; I’m happy to see Bilt continuing to invest in its elite program, as we also just recently saw Flying Blue Gold status added as a Bilt Platinum perk
Bottom line
Bilt Rewards and BLADE have just launched a partnership, offering some cool perks. You can earn 2x Bilt bonus points per dollar spent with BLADE, regardless of whether you pay with your Bilt Card, as long as you link your account.
Then Bilt elite members can take advantage of extra perks, ranging from a 10% discount, to BLADE lounge access, to a free BLADE flight annually.
What do you make of this new Bilt & BLADE partnership?
I thought the primary market for Bilt was renters, and I would have thought that people who can't afford to purchase their own home aren't likely to be buying helicopter service.
But it's NYC, so what do I know...
The Bilt benefit will likely cover only "regular" Blade flights. On Blade's "regular" flights, a person may only bring one carry-on. Beyond that, luggage is an additional charge and is transported via a ground courier to/from one's hotel. On Blade's "charter" flights with only one or two passengers, a person may bring luggage (the weight replacing that of passengers on "regular" flights). After 8pm, there are only "charter" bookings.
Lounge access without flying is just silly. Esp 30th street lounge… gonna stop for some whiskey on your jog around the island? Lol
Yeah I'm confused by this -- aren't their lounges at heliports? Why would you ever go to the heliport otherwise?
the lounge access when not flying perk is also available through some of Blade's membership options, so while it'd be weird for a legacy commercial carrier, it's not all that odd for Blade specifically.
@Ben - Sorry this is unrelated, but it's past 11:30pm here on the East Coast, and your still posting articles. Just curious, where are you right now? A secret review trip?
@ JB — Hah, great question, you pay close attention. I’m just on a late night flight back home, so am in eastern time zone. As a morning person, it’s way too late for me! Guess I won’t start posting at 4AM tomorrow.