Bilt is the platform that potentially helps people earn rewards on their housing payments, whether paying rent or a mortgage. However, Bilt goes way beyond that, and nowadays has quite the robust transferable points currency. In this post, I’d like to take a closer look at the basics of redeeming Bilt points, and how to maximize value.
So that I don’t bury the lede, generally the best use of Bilt points is to move them to the program’s airline and hotel partners, as this can offer the most outsized value. Bilt has some valuable and unique partners, and that’s what makes the ecosystem so lucrative.
Link: Apply for a Bilt credit card (Rates & Fees), with three options to choose from
The basic value proposition of Bilt’s credit card ecosystem
The easiest way to rack up Bilt points is with the three co-branded credit cards, issued by Column N.A. and serviced by Cardless, including the no annual fee Bilt Blue Card (learn more), $95 annual fee Bilt Obsidian Card (learn more), and $495 Bilt Palladium Card (learn more) — read my Bilt credit card review and comparison (Rates & Fees). Not only do these cards earn points, but they also earn you Bilt Cash, which can be redeemed to earn even more points (up to $100 of Bilt Cash earned rolls over to the next year).
I think the Bilt Palladium Card is the most lucrative card in the portfolio, despite its high annual fee. The card earns 2x points on all spending, plus the option to earn 4% back in the form of Bilt Cash. Bilt Cash can be used to earn points on your housing payments (rent, mortgage, and/or HOA), and as a general rule of thumb, you need to spend about 75% as much as your housing payment on the card to earn 1x points per dollar spent on housing (there’s a bit more nuance to that).
Bilt Cash can also be redeemed for spending accelerators, so that you earn an additional 1x points per dollar spent on everyday purchases, up to a certain limit.
Long story short, the card nets me well over 3x points per dollar spent on everyday purchases, which is pretty unrivaled (assuming you have enough spending that doesn’t qualify for good bonus categories on other cards, and can make the annual fee work — admittedly those are two major caveats).
The ways to redeem Bilt points, from best to worst
Earning lots of points is one thing, but how can you actually redeem points earned in the Bilt ecosystem? Bilt points are quite competitive with the other major transferable points currencies out there, so there are lots of great uses of them.
Let me go over the different ways to redeem Bilt points, ranked from most valuable to least valuable (in my opinion).
Transfer Bilt points to 25 travel partners (airlines, hotels, rail)
For those of us into miles and points, the good news is that Bilt has 25 travel transfer partners, as the program partners with 17 airline loyalty programs, seven hotel loyalty programs, and one rail loyalty program. Points transfer to most currencies instantly.
Bilt partners with the following 17 airline loyalty programs:
- Aer Lingus AerClub
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue
- Alaska Atmos Rewards
- Avianca Lifemiles
- British Airways Club
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Emirates Skywards
- Etihad Guest
- Iberia Plus
- Japan Airlines Mileage Bank
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Southwest Rapid Rewards
- TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go
- Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
- United MileagePlus
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Bilt partners with the following seven hotel loyalty programs:
- Accor Live Limitless (ALL)
- Hilton Honors
- IHG One Rewards
- Marriott Bonvoy
- Preferred Hotels I Prefer Hotel Rewards
- World of Hyatt
- Wyndham Rewards
Bilt partners with the following one rail loyalty program:
- Amtrak Guest Rewards
The transfer ratios for these programs are 1:1, with four exceptions:
- With Accor Live Limitless, the transfer ratio is 3:2, so that’s not quite as good as a 1:1 ratio
- With Amtrak Guest Rewards, the transfer ratio is 2:1, so that’s half of the typical ratio
- With Marriott Bonvoy, members can receive a bonus of 5,000 Bonvoy points for every 20,000 Bilt points transferred; so in the right increments, the transfer ratio is 1:1.25
- With Preferred Hotels I Prefer Hotel Rewards, the transfer ratio is 1:2, so that’s better than a 1:1 ratio
There’s quite a bit of overlap here with other transferable points currencies, though I should call out three things:
- Accor Live Limitless is interesting, since it’s a revenue-based program, and 2,000 Accor points gets you €40 of spending with the brand; this means you can redeem 3,000 Bilt points for €40 off an Accor stay, which is an easy way to cash out points at a not-bad value
- Alaska Atmos Rewards is a useful program for redemptions on both oneworld partner airlines, as well as on non-oneworld partners, like Condor, Starlux, and more
- World of Hyatt is otherwise only a transfer partner with Chase Ultimate Rewards, and there are lots of great uses of World of Hyatt points
Redeem Bilt points toward a home downpayment
Since Bilt is designed largely for people who rent, here’s a cool way you can redeem your Bilt points. If you buy a home, you can redeem your Bilt points toward a down payment at the rate of 1.5 cents each, which is quite good. In other words, 10,000 points would get you $150 toward a downpayment.
To use this option, you just email Bilt with proof of a home purchase, and include how many points you’d like to redeem. That’s pretty straightforward, and a good value!
Redeem Bilt points with the Bilt Travel Portal
Bilt has a travel portal, and you can choose to either earn or redeem points when booking travel through the portal. If you’d like to redeem points, Bilt points are worth 1.25 cents each toward a travel purchase. In other words, 10,000 points would get you $125 toward a travel purchase.
The Bilt Travel Portal allows you to book flights, hotels, rental cars, and activities, so you have quite a bit of flexibility.
The one exception to the redemption rate of 1.25 cents per point is that you can book BLADE flights through Bilt’s travel portal, though when you redeem that way, you only get 0.7 cents of value per point, so that’s a horrible redemption. The much better value for BLADE is to redeem Bilt Cash, and if you have Bilt Platinum elite status, you may also be entitled to some free BLADE flights.
Redeem Bilt points for shopping, fitness, and lifestyle
There are a variety of other ways you can redeem Bilt points, though personally I wouldn’t recommend these:
- You can redeem Bilt points through Amazon, at the rate of 0.7 cents per point
- You can redeem Bilt points toward select fitness classes, typically at the rate of somewhere around 1.0 cents per point
- You can redeem Bilt points toward the Bilt Collection (which includes apparel, art, home decor, and more), but the value is generally around 1.0 cents per point
Redeem Bilt points to pay your rent
Bilt lets you redeem your points to pay rent. However, each point only gets you 0.55 cents toward a rent payment. In other words, 10,000 points would get you $55 toward rent. This is a very poor use of points, so it’s not how I’d recommend redeeming Bilt points.
My strategy with redeeming Bilt points for best value
If you’re looking to maximize value (hopefully you are!), you shouldn’t redeem your Bilt points for any of the options that get you one cent of value per point or less. In other words, avoid paying rent with your Bilt points, and don’t use them for Amazon purchases, or for any of the fitness classes or lifestyle options.
Then there are two options that aren’t necessarily the best way to redeem your points, but which could still prove to be worthwhile:
- Redeeming Bilt points for 1.5 cents each toward a home downpayment could be a good deal, though admittedly, this is pretty niche
- Redeeming Bilt points for 1.25 cents each toward a travel purchase could be a decent option, assuming you’re struggling to otherwise get more value with your points
My preference is to transfer Bilt points to the program’s airline and hotel partners. After all, you can get such outsized value, especially for premium travel (first and business class flights, and five star hotels).
There are potentially deals to be had with most of Bilt’s transfer partners, though personally here’s my strategy with these points:
- On the hotel front, I think World of Hyatt is the most exciting transfer partner for Bilt, given all the amazing uses of these points, and also given that the only other partner for World of Hyatt is Chase Ultimate Rewards; I think Accor Live Limitless is also interesting, in terms of a decent “cash out” value of points toward a hotel stay (based on current exchange rates, you’re getting over 1.5 cents of value per point that way)
- On the airline front, Alaska Atmos Rewards is the program that excites me the most, given that no other major transferable points currency partners with the program, and I use the points all the time, particularly for redemptions on American; I also see value with Emirates Skywards and Japan Airlines Mileage Bank, as no other major transferable points currencies have 1:1 transfers to those programs
- We see a monthly Bilt Rent Day promotion, and we’ve seen some amazing transfer bonuses, especially for those who have Bilt elite status; members should keep an eye on these offers, as they could be worth a speculative transfer, and I think that’s the other best way to maximize Bilt points
Up until now, I’ve exclusively used my Bilt points for situations where there are transfer bonuses. I hope these offers continue, as that’s how I’ll continue to use my points.
Bottom line
In recent years, Bilt has created a really competitive transferable points currency, and there are lots of ways to get value with the points. In particular, Bilt has 25 airline, hotel, and rail transfer partners, and I’d say it’s about the best portfolio of partners that you’ll find. In particular, I appreciate Alaska Atmos Rewards and World of Hyatt, and I also often take advantage of Rent Day offers.
You can also redeem your Bilt points for 1.5 cents each toward a downpayment for a home, or for 1.25 cents each through the Bilt Travel Portal. While there are further lower value redemptions, I wouldn’t recommend redeeming your points that way.
If you do want to rack up Bilt points, I’d recommend the Bilt Palladium Card, given the 2x points on all eligible spending, plus the 4% back in Bilt Cash, which can be used to earn even more points.
What’s your favorite use of Bilt points?
Also have lotsa BILT cash and can't figure out best way to transfer B$ to an airline. Palladium card here. Called BILT twice and still don't know how. They suggest when paying rent there's some way to convert B$ into points but don't see it. Ben - please - a detailed posting on how best to use BILT cash. Thanks.
You can't transfer Bilt Cash to an airline. Only the points you acquire. You have to use your Bilt cash on things like Doordash credits, Blade credits, or fitness classes. Or even hotel stays. But you cannot transfer that Bilt cash value to the Airlines or Hotel partners directly.
I recently got the card but will be cancelling it early next year.
I find it overly complicated and too intrusive. I don’t use it to pay mtg/rent because it requires plaid. I have gold status (whatever that means) and about $1K in cash that will expire bc I can’t figure out how to use it. I don’t use Blade and I have Priority Pass through a different card. I’ll attempt to use the $200 hotel credit, transfer my points to World of Hyatt and call it a day.
Hoping to see a solid transfer bonus pop up before the end of the year (skipped speculative transfers to Avios and Mileage Bank earlier when I was still Bilt Gold). Got some Bilt Cash burning a hole and it'd be a better use for me instead of buying a BLADE ride.
I'm expecting to see Amtrak come up for October, which (being West Coast) is pretty much useless.
They're putting all new train sets on Cascades. The long haul trains are fun even though the rooms are tired - the food is actually pretty good!
I recall Samar may be in Phoenix, so, not PNW-enough for the better choo-choos. Still, I’m hearing great things about the ole California Zephyr… west of Denver. May need to add that to my list!
Can give the Southwest Chief a try!
Yeah from Phoenix my options are pretty limited. I would love to do one of the long-distance trains someday.
Well there's the Sunset Limited -> Texas Eagle. Or it's a drive to Flagstaff for the Southwest Chief, I guess. But can do, say, Maricopa to Austin - it's a ~24 hour trip, and then just hop a flight back the next day.
Don't mind my hyper-critical former-self below (was coming from good place... bah!) Some valid points remain. Now, that it's near 8 months later, probably should mention: BILT finally went live with the Blade and Blacklane BILT Cash redemptions, which is helpful, but Accelerators are capped at 5x on Palladium, so, if you have a serious glut, B$ can still hard to use, still. And, the Alaska Summit $50K on rent for 3x (in furtherance of...
Don't mind my hyper-critical former-self below (was coming from good place... bah!) Some valid points remain. Now, that it's near 8 months later, probably should mention: BILT finally went live with the Blade and Blacklane BILT Cash redemptions, which is helpful, but Accelerators are capped at 5x on Palladium, so, if you have a serious glut, B$ can still hard to use, still. And, the Alaska Summit $50K on rent for 3x (in furtherance of the 100K certificate) 'strategy' works. New transfer partners (like Amtrak) are cool. We'll see how the rest of the year goes...
Ben, if you actually have the card (and I think you do), and if you've been using it regularly, you likely have a glut of BILT Cash, which, if you aren't using to offset rent/mortgage fees, is kinda hard to actually redeem, after using the 5x Accelerators. Ankur's team has teased these high-value redemptions with Blacklane and Blade, but have waited now 6 months, yet it's still 'Coming Soon.' If you have an inside source,...
Ben, if you actually have the card (and I think you do), and if you've been using it regularly, you likely have a glut of BILT Cash, which, if you aren't using to offset rent/mortgage fees, is kinda hard to actually redeem, after using the 5x Accelerators. Ankur's team has teased these high-value redemptions with Blacklane and Blade, but have waited now 6 months, yet it's still 'Coming Soon.' If you have an inside source, you really should push for more details on that, because if they don't 'go live' with those and other redemptions, a lot of us are gonna have that excess 'CASH' expire... (maybe that was their plan all-along...)
Everyone will have excess Bilt Cash expiring. But, if the Bilt Cash a person can use, do they generate good value? Points accelerator, hotel credit, Lyft, Walgreens, Grub Hub. 0.25x extra transfer bonus. Those are my uses. The value of those far exceed the annual fee. The others will come when they come. Uber is buying Blacklane. There's a potential conflict with Bilt's relationship with Lyft.
Ditto - even though it's not real-world cash, feels bad to know it's gonna expire at the end of the year. No way I'm gonna be able to spend it without Blacklane and Blade. I'm wondering whether Bilt is deliberately holding back on releasing Blade and Blacklane because they know a bunch of people have large Bilt cash balances, and will be immediately cashing them out once they make those options available. And so they'll...
Ditto - even though it's not real-world cash, feels bad to know it's gonna expire at the end of the year. No way I'm gonna be able to spend it without Blacklane and Blade. I'm wondering whether Bilt is deliberately holding back on releasing Blade and Blacklane because they know a bunch of people have large Bilt cash balances, and will be immediately cashing them out once they make those options available. And so they'll launch them in January when everyone has low balances again
Khatl gets it ("they know a bunch of people have large Bilt cash balances" and "they'll launch them in January when everyone has low balances again" ...that's a BINGO.); Tom is deflecting (*grunts at those who shill*)
I get it. I would like to capture those as well. I would like everyone else to be able to capture those as well. But, as it stands, I'm capturing about $2k in value from Bilt Cash. I wouldn't call that being a shill. I'm just making the most of what I can.
Here's my calculations thus far: 5x Accelerator ($1,000 BC for that extra 25K points, $250 in-value); "Gold" Hotel credit 2x, one before July, one after July to stack with the other hotel credits ($200 total, no, I'm not going to use $100/mo, that's absurd.) $10 x 11 (because started February, so 11 months, instead of 12) x 3 for the $10 Lyft, Walgreens, Grubhub credits ($330). Baseline that's $780 in-value. Now, without Blacklane or Blade...
Here's my calculations thus far: 5x Accelerator ($1,000 BC for that extra 25K points, $250 in-value); "Gold" Hotel credit 2x, one before July, one after July to stack with the other hotel credits ($200 total, no, I'm not going to use $100/mo, that's absurd.) $10 x 11 (because started February, so 11 months, instead of 12) x 3 for the $10 Lyft, Walgreens, Grubhub credits ($330). Baseline that's $780 in-value. Now, without Blacklane or Blade (or prepaying a lot of rent), I'm gonna be out about $700 BC. (And, I'd really rather not include those rent-fee-offsets, because compared to BILT 1.0, that's a farce in-and-of-itself. I'm assuming that's how you got $2k. Now, where's L3 to suggest it should be worth $3k... *sigh*)
not to cosplay as L3 but not including rent-fee offsets makes your entire calculation pointless. you're focused on bilt 1.0. that doesnt exist anymore. what does exist is cards out today. So you can compare to another 2x card like venture/venture x or Amex BBP. Palladiums value prop absolutely murders those cards in value and its not even close
I do think they will probably slowly devalue over time as the rewards are so...
not to cosplay as L3 but not including rent-fee offsets makes your entire calculation pointless. you're focused on bilt 1.0. that doesnt exist anymore. what does exist is cards out today. So you can compare to another 2x card like venture/venture x or Amex BBP. Palladiums value prop absolutely murders those cards in value and its not even close
I do think they will probably slowly devalue over time as the rewards are so strong right now. but for now the getting is good!!
As a note, you can use one of the $200 semi-annual hotel credits and one of the $100 monthly Bilt Cash credits together on a single booking. So, it's really 2x $300. I've done it and my wife has done it.
As for the extra points from the accelerators, I transfer those to a specific program in which I redeem for substantially more than 1cpp. I realize that's not your value but it is my...
As a note, you can use one of the $200 semi-annual hotel credits and one of the $100 monthly Bilt Cash credits together on a single booking. So, it's really 2x $300. I've done it and my wife has done it.
As for the extra points from the accelerators, I transfer those to a specific program in which I redeem for substantially more than 1cpp. I realize that's not your value but it is my value.
I absolutely wish those other credits open up. But, if they don't, I'm doing okay. And, it sounds like Harold (below) is doing okay.
That being said, while Bilt is my everyday and dining card, my travel expenses go on a different card. Because Bilt is not the best card for those expenses.
Bilt has ROTTEN travel protections. And, while Bilt (and the Citi Strata Elite) is a World Legend MasterCard and MasterCard states that World Legend has Priority Pass WITH OTHER AIRPORT EXPERIENCES, both cards have lounges only. There's a class action waiting to happen.
Given these criticisms, I'm certainly not a shill.
Let's say Bilt Cash offsets $780 in expenses that you would otherwise pay. Minus the $495 annual fee. You're ahead. I don't see where you are "out." I don't see where you are losing. Some of your comments sound as if you feel cheated.
I don't say I'm "out" $X on the Amex Platinum because I don't use the Oura credit. I don't feel cheated. I focus on the credits I can use.
And,...
Let's say Bilt Cash offsets $780 in expenses that you would otherwise pay. Minus the $495 annual fee. You're ahead. I don't see where you are "out." I don't see where you are losing. Some of your comments sound as if you feel cheated.
I don't say I'm "out" $X on the Amex Platinum because I don't use the Oura credit. I don't feel cheated. I focus on the credits I can use.
And, you're earning 3x on $25k of spending. And, you have the occasional opportunity for outsized transfer bonuses. For me, the extra 1X on the $25k alone covers my annual fee. Now add an extra 1k points each Rent Day. If someone is a Hyatt fan, they have a hard on by this point.
Got the Paladium card and transferred points to Atmos for RT business class tickets on Condor from JFK to Venice.
Just started this month playing in the Bilt ecosystem with the Palladium card. Because of the lucrative SUB. As I see it, you can consistently earn 3% on everyday spending. The standard rate is 2%, but by redeeming 200 Bilt cash, you increase that to 3% on $5000 of spending. But you also earn Bilt cash at 4% on spending. So by the time you’ve spent that $5000, all of which earned 3% in Bilt...
Just started this month playing in the Bilt ecosystem with the Palladium card. Because of the lucrative SUB. As I see it, you can consistently earn 3% on everyday spending. The standard rate is 2%, but by redeeming 200 Bilt cash, you increase that to 3% on $5000 of spending. But you also earn Bilt cash at 4% on spending. So by the time you’ve spent that $5000, all of which earned 3% in Bilt points, you’ve also earned another 200 in Bilt cash, basically replacing the 200 Bilt cash you spent to increase your earnings rate from 2% to 3%. So in other words, you can forego increasing your Bilt cash balance and in exchange rack up 3% instead of 2% in Bilt points on all your spending. Very complicated, but it works.
I wouldn’t touch BILT with your 10ft pole. Program has way too many fraud issues. They’ll also debit your account for no reason. And they’ll lose payments you make.
Ben - I’d be interested in an article where you break down how to use Bilt Cash for good value. Like you, I’ve been using it to add 1 point per dollar to my everyday spend (as well as earn points for rent) but I can only do that 5 times before the end of the year. I redeemed $10 for a $10 Walgreens gift card, which was immediately available and fairly easy to figure...
Ben - I’d be interested in an article where you break down how to use Bilt Cash for good value. Like you, I’ve been using it to add 1 point per dollar to my everyday spend (as well as earn points for rent) but I can only do that 5 times before the end of the year. I redeemed $10 for a $10 Walgreens gift card, which was immediately available and fairly easy to figure out. That can be done once per month and provides dollar-for-dollar value. There’s no benefit to hoarding the Bilt cash as I think you can only role over $200/year. Anyways, I’d be interested to see your thoughts on that piece of the Bilt program. It’s an afterthought when compared with the points, but there’s some significant value buried in there. Thanks!
Don't hoard points. Especially do not hoard BILT points. The program is no longer backed by a 'too big to fail' bank like Wells Fargo, as of February 2026. So, if anything happens, it'll be finger-pointing, limited-to-no-notice shutdown. Earn 'em and burn 'em, folks, regardless of a possible transfer bonus. Also, they can lose transfer partners on a whim, too (recall AA used to be one.) If BofA, Chase, etc. pull a Citi and demand...
Don't hoard points. Especially do not hoard BILT points. The program is no longer backed by a 'too big to fail' bank like Wells Fargo, as of February 2026. So, if anything happens, it'll be finger-pointing, limited-to-no-notice shutdown. Earn 'em and burn 'em, folks, regardless of a possible transfer bonus. Also, they can lose transfer partners on a whim, too (recall AA used to be one.) If BofA, Chase, etc. pull a Citi and demand AS, UA, or Hyatt be pulled, watch out.
The intensity and volume of your comments across many articles suggest emotions beyond healthy are in play.
Agreed
I think a lot of the doom and gloom about Bilt's future (not by you Ben, mostly by comment sections) gets this all wrong.
If you think they won't be around in 2-3 years, then its precisely the WRONG action to sit on the sidelines now. If its a great deal now, yet you doubt the long term viability, you SHOULD be jumping in head first to take advantage while the getting is good!...
I think a lot of the doom and gloom about Bilt's future (not by you Ben, mostly by comment sections) gets this all wrong.
If you think they won't be around in 2-3 years, then its precisely the WRONG action to sit on the sidelines now. If its a great deal now, yet you doubt the long term viability, you SHOULD be jumping in head first to take advantage while the getting is good! Pretty easy between sign up bonus/rakuten/points accelerator/mortgage earnings to earn close to 200k points in one year with Palladium if you are a medium to high spender. My plan is to churn and burn then drop it.
Worst (best?) case- if they stick around for 2-3 years and I want the card again I'll just have P2 get it
The skeptics are right to be concerned (losing 1.0 was a major loss; you really have to 'game' 2.0 for it to make sense); more importantly, BILT lost it's too-big-to-fail backer (WF), and could have real financial issues if there's an economic downturn (which there is) and if their VC-money dries up (which it could). Specifically, next February (2027) is gonna be rough as everyone that paid $495 AF reconsiders renewing their expensive Palladium card......
The skeptics are right to be concerned (losing 1.0 was a major loss; you really have to 'game' 2.0 for it to make sense); more importantly, BILT lost it's too-big-to-fail backer (WF), and could have real financial issues if there's an economic downturn (which there is) and if their VC-money dries up (which it could). Specifically, next February (2027) is gonna be rough as everyone that paid $495 AF reconsiders renewing their expensive Palladium card... there'd better be some juicy retention offers, or it's gonna get ugly.
Hyatt, Hyatt, Hyatt... particularly given Palladium lets you earn at 2x
I'm curious what you think about Bilt cash redemption options? $200 for 3x Bilt points or exchanging $30 for 1,000 are both not great; other options are not that great either (maybe the odd Soulcyle/Barrys). But Bilt cash accumulates fairly quick at 4x and have $500 anyway from the card launch. Maybe March 1 will change it a bit when new redemption options open up
Yes. YES. YESSS!!! Hyatt!! (Also, Alaska!)
Cashing out to Hyatt at 2x per $ is the way to go. And with accelerators it's 3x. It's a no brainer even with the big deval. And def not keeping the points in Bilt just in case, or at least until there's some sort of understanding that the program has long-term viability.
My issue without Blacklane and Blade yet being available is accumulating bilt cash with no way to spend it. Would love...
Cashing out to Hyatt at 2x per $ is the way to go. And with accelerators it's 3x. It's a no brainer even with the big deval. And def not keeping the points in Bilt just in case, or at least until there's some sort of understanding that the program has long-term viability.
My issue without Blacklane and Blade yet being available is accumulating bilt cash with no way to spend it. Would love to know how people who spend a lot on their bilt card manage to spend it all - other than the accelerators and travel credit, the rest is fairly minor. I know it's not real-world cash and I probably need to just get past it, but knowing I'll likely have a balance at year end that isn't going to roll over feels bad.
I do like the points accelerator feature. And that’s the only thing I like about BILT. I’m gonna pass. BILT and cardless are two terrible companies. I’ll check back at end of 2026…if they’re still around.
I know of 3 people personally that have a BILT card…only one of them is able to use card, they have no housing costs running thru BILT. The other two have been locked out for over a week!
I recently dumped my Bilt card with the plan to pay rent via my Atmos Summit Card. Went into Bilt to pay rent and they no longer support Venmo payments unless you're a Bilt member, even though I'm willing to pay the 3% fee. What a joke.
Did they ever allow using the Alaska card if you pay rent by Venmo? I wanted to start using my Summit card for rent when I got it last year, but I was never able to because I have to pay my rent by check and that was only ever allowed by using the Bilt card.
They did previously- I was able to pay via Venmo and use my Summit card. Huge bummer with the current situation!
Ben, if the purveyors of doom are wrong and Bilt happens to survive, could you please republish this article on February 7th of each year? For the just-completed year, could you please assess whether Bilt offered a reasonable ecosystem when compared to other card-issuer ecosystems? Thank you.
That’s a great idea. Seriously, as one of said-doomsayers, honestly, I hope to be wrong. I’d love it if BILT overcame the odds, and continued to exist after years and years. I still like the idea of earning points off rent, but I just wish the 1.0 system lasted (thanks for all the fun, sugar-daddy Wells Fargo.) While 2.0 is complicated, it still has some merit, and many of us are still giving it a...
That’s a great idea. Seriously, as one of said-doomsayers, honestly, I hope to be wrong. I’d love it if BILT overcame the odds, and continued to exist after years and years. I still like the idea of earning points off rent, but I just wish the 1.0 system lasted (thanks for all the fun, sugar-daddy Wells Fargo.) While 2.0 is complicated, it still has some merit, and many of us are still giving it a try, at least for year 1, SUB, churn and burn. Will be wild to see how it’s going by March of 2027, after a lot of us downgrade to no-fee or close it altogether.
I think Tony is right. The launch has been such a clusterfuck and I have no confidence that BILT will be around to accumulate enough points to be useful. I got my card, activated it, waited a day (since I know there are fintechs involved, so there are more places where things need to be updated) and my card was still declined for a pizza! (this is on a credit line that could actually pay...
I think Tony is right. The launch has been such a clusterfuck and I have no confidence that BILT will be around to accumulate enough points to be useful. I got my card, activated it, waited a day (since I know there are fintechs involved, so there are more places where things need to be updated) and my card was still declined for a pizza! (this is on a credit line that could actually pay my rent in advance for more than a year).
Others have reported more dramatic screwups ... I'm just gonna stick this in the back of my sock drawer until it actually becomes useful.
Not a good idea. By the that time Bilt could be done! Just get it while you can! Paying out 6% is not sustainable. Booked my helicopter ride for Tuesday so I thank Bilt for that. Never been on one before so a little nervous.
"Paying out 6% is not sustainable."
They are not paying out 6%. Bilt cash isnt worth anywhere near $0.01 on the dollar. If well optimized it can be around 3%, though I imagine most redemptions are nowhere near optimized.
Yeah, I can get $5 off a Lyft a few times a year or top off the $200 Hotel credit for $100 twice a year. After that, it's maximize my rent points. It's not actual cash.
redeem every time you get to 1000 points. Soon, BILT will go poof, as will all your points!
“Fugazi, fugazi. It’s a wazzy, it’s a woozy. It’s fairy dust. It doesn’t exist.” — The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), Mark Hanna (Matthew McConaughey)
"Up until now, I’ve exclusively used my Bilt points for situations where there are transfer bonuses. I hope these offers continue, as that’s how I’ll continue to use my points."
Yes, that's THE BEST use of Bilt points. However, I predict such opportunities of greater-than-50% transfer bonuses will diminish gradually but quickly in Bilt 2.0, as the program's finance deteriorates.
I also question the sustainability of this program given Wells Fargo did not see it to worth while to continue with. I feel the same way about Rove. I just don’t see how sustainable it is either and have stayed clear of that as well. Mesa disappeared on a dime last year and I would not be surprised if Bilt and Rove did the same thing.
Bilt reminds me of Movie pass to some degree.