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
Major changes are coming to Bilt, the platform that’s known for letting people earn points for paying rent, without racking up any fees. We’ve known that Bilt will discontinue its one Wells Fargo credit card, and will instead transition to having three Cardless credit cards. Not only that, but we’ve also known that the way that members will be rewarded for paying rent is changing as well.
The wait is finally over, and all of the details of the new Bilt Card 2.0 have just been revealed. Just about everything is changing, from how rent is rewarded, to the rewards structures and perks of the credit card(s). Let’s cover all the details.
In this post:
How Bilt will award points for rent & mortgages
Before we even talk about the details of the new credit cards, let’s discuss how rewards for rent are changing. I don’t want to bury the lede, so to put this as simply as possible, regardless of which credit card you have, you’ll need to spend an average of 75% of your rent or mortgage amount on the card in order to earn 1x points.
To discuss that in a bit more detail, historically, those with the Bilt Card have been able to pay their rent with no fee while earning 1x points on that spending, for up to $50,000 in rent spending per year. The only requirement was that you had to make five transactions per billing cycle on the Bilt Card in order to unlock that.
Obviously the hope was that people would shift a lot of their spending to the Bilt Card. However, as you might have guessed, that wasn’t always the case. Instead, many people would make five small transactions per billing cycle while earning points for rent, which wasn’t really a sustainable model.
With that in mind, this system is completely changing. Here’s the good news:
- Members will be able to earn points for paying both rent and mortgages (mortgage rewards are new)
- Members will be able to pay for multiple properties and earn points (compared to being limited to one property)
- There will no longer be a cap on the amount that members can be rewarded annually (previously there was a $50,000 annual cap)
As you’d expect, there’s a major catch — you’ll now need to “earn” the ability to pay your rent or mortgage by card, if you want to earn points without incurring fees. Specifically:
- All three Bilt credit cards will offer 4% in Bilt Cash on spending, in addition to the standard rewards structure (Bilt Cash is a Bilt specific rewards currency — it’s not yet clear at what rate this can be redeemed toward other things in the long run, as that’s another big question)
- $3 in Bilt Cash will be worth 100 Bilt points on your total rent and mortgage payment, at the rate of 1x points; in other words, you’re paying a 3% “fee” (in Bilt Cash) for your payment
- Bilt Cash will expire on December 31 of the year in which it’s earned, though $100 in Bilt Cash can be rolled over to the next year
Okay, the way this is structured seems unnecessarily complicated to me, as it seems like the amounts should’ve been adjusted a bit, to be simpler. But the simply idea is that you’ll earn 4% back in Bilt Cash toward those payments on your spending, and then you’ll have to pay a 3% fee with those Bilt Cash rewards to make your payment.
Obviously this is a major departure from the old system. To explain it in the form of an example:
- If you spent $15,000 on a Bilt card, you’d earn $600 in Bilt Cash (since you earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on all spending on all cards)
- $600 in Bilt Cash would allow you to earn $20,000 in fee free rent or mortgage payments, while earning 1x points
Details of the three new Bilt Cardless credit cards
Bilt is transitioning from having a single Wells Fargo credit card, to having three Cardless credit cards. The products will be at very different price points, so let’s cover the details of those.
Before I do, let me note that the sign-up bonuses mentioned below are available for a limited time, and are available for both new and transitioning customers. Furthermore, you can only be the primary cardmember on one Bilt credit card, so you couldn’t apply for multiple of these cards.
No annual fee Bilt Blue Card details
The no annual fee Bilt Blue Card will be the most basic card in the portfolio, and the least exciting. It essentially gives you access to the ability to earn rewards for rent and mortgage payments with Bilt, without many frills. It’ll have the following perks and rewards structure:
- A welcome bonus of $100 in Bilt Cash upon approval
- 1x points + 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases, with no foreign transaction fees
- Unlimited 1x points on rent and mortgage payments (funded with Bilt Cash)
- World Elite Mastercard benefits
$95 annual fee Bilt Obsidian Card details
The $95 annual fee Bilt Obsidian Card is the mid-range card in the portfolio, and it offers expanded spending multipliers, and a travel portal credit that can potentially offset the annual fee. It’ll have the following perks and rewards structure:
- A welcome bonus of $200 in Bilt Cash upon approval
- 3x points on your choice of dining or grocery (on up to $25K of spending per year), 1x points on all other purchases, and 4% back in Bilt Cash on all purchases, with no foreign transaction fees
- A $100 Bilt travel portal hotel credit every calendar year ($50 semi-annually, two-night minimum stay)
- Unlimited 1x points on rent and mortgage payments (funded with Bilt Cash)
- World Elite Mastercard benefits
$495 annual fee Bilt Palladium Card details
The $495 annual fee Bilt Palladium Card is the most premium card in the portfolio, and it offers what might just be an unrivaled return on everyday spending. It’ll have the following perks and rewards structure:
- A welcome bonus of 50,000 bonus points and Bilt Gold status after spending $4,000 within three first three months (on non-housing purchases), plus $300 Bilt Cash upon approval
- 2x points + 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases, with no foreign transaction fees
- A $400 Bilt travel portal hotel credit every calendar year ($200 semi-annually, two-night minimum stay)
- $200 in Bilt Cash annually
- Unlimited 1x points on rent and mortgage payments (funded with Bilt Cash)
- A Priority Pass membership, with up to two guests allowed (authorized users can be added for $95 each, and also receive a membership)
- World Legend Mastercard benefits
How the Wells Fargo to Cardless transition will work
To discuss the logistics of this transition, Bilt has opened “pre-order” for the new card portfolio. Cardmembers have until January 30, 2026, to choose which card to transition to, so that the entire process is seamless. The new card portfolio will be launching on February 7, 2026:
- Bilt will be transitioning from Wells Fargo to Cardless, and existing cardmembers will be moved to the new platform, with the card numbers staying the same, digital wallets auto-updating, and no hard credit inquiries
- Those who choose to transition to a new Bilt credit card will be able to transfer any balance from their old account, with a soft credit pull; alternatively, they can close their account, or keep a Wells Fargo account, with the card becoming an Autograph Visa card with a different card number
- Current cardmembers can continue to use their existing Wells Fargo cards as before through February 6, 2026, and all points and membership details remain the same
My take on these Bilt credit card & rewards changes
It goes without saying that these Bilt changes are massive, and it’s now a completely different ballgame. In the past, one could have the Bilt Card, make five tiny transactions each billing cycle on the card, and then earn thousands of points in monthly rent payments. Obviously that the model simply wasn’t sustainable, from a profitability perspective.
For the average consumer, especially for those who aren’t huge credit card spenders (particularly in non-bonused categories) these changes are negative. The new no annual fee card isn’t nearly as rewarding as the old no annual fee card. Furthermore, you’ll now need to spend an average of at least 75% as much as your rent payment in order to earn rewards. These changes aren’t surprising, but they’re rough.
That being said, I feel like the real sweet spot here is the $495 annual fee Bilt Palladium Card, and it might just be the new best premium card for everyday spending:
- The card actually has a welcome bonus, which the old Bilt Card never officially had
- Earning 2x points on everyday spending is awesome, especially given Bilt’s transfer partners, like Alaska Atmos Rewards and World of Hyatt
- If you do spend a significant amount on credit cards, then there’s a ton of upside in being able to earn points for paying your rent, mortgage, etc., including on multiple properties (if applicable), with no caps
Of course the issue is the annual fee, and the general credit card fatigue that many of us have. I think most of us already have a Priority Pass membership, so don’t value an incremental membership that much. The $400 Bilt travel credit helps with offsetting the $495 annual fee, but either way, this isn’t a card where you’re going to come out ahead exclusively based on the benefits and credits, and there will be a very real cost to holding onto the product.
As I see it, the sweet spot with maximizing value with Bilt has basically reversed. Bilt used to be great for those who weren’t big spenders and who had a no annual fee card, since the rent rewards were disproportionate. Meanwhile under the new system, Bilt will be great for those who are big spenders, and who have huge rent or mortgage payments (the fact that there are now also rewards for mortgages will be exciting for many!).
I would guess that with these changes, the number of people paying their rent through Bilt will be decreasing significantly. However, perhaps the amount that people are charging to Bilt products will increase, since there’s finally an incentive to spend on one of the cards… if you’re willing to pay $495 per year. Unfortunately the rewards structures on the two more basic cards are significantly less interesting, if you ask me.
I think there’s one other potentially interesting angle here. Bilt and Alaska Atmos Rewards also have a partnership, where you can earn 3x points on rent payments (and soon mortgage payments) on the Atmos™ Rewards Ascent Visa Signature® credit card (review) and Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® Credit Card (review), in exchange for a 3% fee, which can’t be paid with Bilt Cash.
Some people might still find that to be worthwhile, as one wonders if the Bilt Cash could then be redeemed toward other things at a lucrative rate. For now that remains a question mark, but it’s something to keep on your radar.
Bottom line
As of February 7, 2026, Bilt will be transitioning its credit card portfolio from Wells Fargo to Cardless. Just about everything is changing, from the card details, to how rent will be rewarded.
Long story short, cardmembers will be able to earn points for rent and mortgage payments, with no caps. The catch is that they’ll essentially have to spend 75% of their rent or mortgage amount on the card in order to earn rewards.
Bilt will have three credit cards, incuding a basic no annual fee card, a $95 annual fee card with a bonus category and a hotel credit, and a $495 annual fee card that will offer 2x points on all purchases, plus a hotel credit.
These all represent massive changes, and there’s no denying that Bilt won’t have the mass appeal it once had, where you could basically earn rewards on rent for next to nothing. Bilt will still be worthwhile for some, and in particular, the Bilt Palladium Card is pretty compelling.
But this is certainly a completely new concept that will have a lot of people rethinking their strategy. And seriously, how many $400-900 annual fee cards can we all reasonably have before we say “enough already?”
What do you make of these Bilt changes? How will they impact your strategy?
Ben, can you also do the math for us on the united option where you pay with that card?
Fellas, if you jump on the Palladium offer, you can get a limited-edition mirror-finish… ooh lala… that changes everything. And, once accept the offer, BILT asks whether you want to close your old Wells Fargo card. BAH! Cold-blooded.
My brain hurts after reading this, so apologies if this was answered in the post. Does the 75% spending need to occur monthly, or could I potentially pay my taxes semi-annually and meet the threshold to get the points for my mortgage.
@ Kara -- Understandable that your brain would hurt, it's a bit complicated. :-) Bilt Cash expires at the end of the year it's earned (minus the rollover Bilt Cash), so you could spend it across months. However, you'd need it early on, or else you wouldn't have the balance to cover it.
There’s a number you can text Bilt to ask questions. When I asked about Priority Pass restaurants and said yes that it is included Ben, can you verify this?
@ John -- I have a question out to a contact about this, and will report back when I hear!
To clarify, is there any use for built cash other than paying the "fee" for rent and mortgage payments?
@ Ken -- It's my understanding that there should be other uses of Bilt Cash, though exact details remain to be seen. As soon as I know more, I'll be sure to report back.
Is anyone else considering downgrading their VX and getting the Palladium as a 2x catchall? TBH I never use C1 lounges (I have CSR), and I was holding on to VX for EVA; I found the travel credits a PIA (everything costs more) so that's a little irrelevant to me anyways, and given the tightening on C1 SUBs anyways not really much of a point (I'm on year 2 of my VX).
Thoughts?
@ Amy -- I think that's something that a lot of people are probably considering, since 2x Bilt points is probably more useful than 2x Capital One miles. It all comes down to how much of that $495 annual fee you can recoup.
The $400 travel credit, split up into two $200 semi-annual credits, requiring at least two nights stay, makes it a nope for me.
The C1 VX $300 travel credit is easy to use if you fly. Pay published fare, still get FF benefits, etc. Also, the annual anniversy bonus is worth $100 against any travel-coded charges, including taxis, public transport, etc.
C1 is paying you $5 to hold onto the card...
This is a tough call for me. I'm unsure if 75% of my rent in spending categories that is not bonused by the other cards in my wallet is easily achievable and worth potential trade offs. Although 2x in Bilt points can be pretty valuable if we see some of the lucrative rent day bonuses like we've seen this year. But it's hard to feel comfortable that those won't be watered down too.
I'm disappointed...
This is a tough call for me. I'm unsure if 75% of my rent in spending categories that is not bonused by the other cards in my wallet is easily achievable and worth potential trade offs. Although 2x in Bilt points can be pretty valuable if we see some of the lucrative rent day bonuses like we've seen this year. But it's hard to feel comfortable that those won't be watered down too.
I'm disappointed that the Palladium card offers Gold Status but no additional benefit for cardholders who already qualified gold. Would be nice if there was some help getting to platinum.
I'm curious if these are the best sign up offers we see or if they will get more aggressive with time.
I earned Gold the last couple years (the rent is too damn high). Honestly, the 50K SUB is what's making me go for Palladium. Besides, if you act quickly... you can get a limited-edition mirror-finish… psh.
Have they shared any information about Rent Day changes? Will it still exist? Will paying taxes that day still be exempt from receiving (the admittedly meager) bonus points?
Assuming no Rent Day bonus on taxes, I'm still wondering if it would make sense to make estimated tax payments (or overpayments) on the Palladium Card to bump up the monthly spending. Essentially we'd be moving from the 3% Bilt rent fee to a slightly lower fee...
Have they shared any information about Rent Day changes? Will it still exist? Will paying taxes that day still be exempt from receiving (the admittedly meager) bonus points?
Assuming no Rent Day bonus on taxes, I'm still wondering if it would make sense to make estimated tax payments (or overpayments) on the Palladium Card to bump up the monthly spending. Essentially we'd be moving from the 3% Bilt rent fee to a slightly lower fee on the tax payment while also earning 2x Bilt points and 4x Bilt cash on that spend. Does this math out?
@ CC17 -- Bilt Rent Day will continue. Earning 2x Bilt points on an ongoing basis on tax payments definitely sounds lucrative, so hopefully that's actually possible, and isn't blocked in any meaningful way.
Also a point on hotel credits - who knows how they will work.
Example - I already have hotel credits on Amex Plat, CSR and United Quest. You’d think it’s largely the same collection of top-end hotels.
I’m checking out hotels in Taipei - Amex FHR has the usual suspects - five or so, Mandarin Oriental, Grand Hyatt etc.
Chase Edit - not a single Edit hotel in Taipei.
United Quest (“Renowned Hotels”) -...
Also a point on hotel credits - who knows how they will work.
Example - I already have hotel credits on Amex Plat, CSR and United Quest. You’d think it’s largely the same collection of top-end hotels.
I’m checking out hotels in Taipei - Amex FHR has the usual suspects - five or so, Mandarin Oriental, Grand Hyatt etc.
Chase Edit - not a single Edit hotel in Taipei.
United Quest (“Renowned Hotels”) - only one hotel comes up, Proverbs - which is a pretty random property.
I’m tired of hotel credits and don’t need another one…
Good point. FHR is the gold-standard. Chase is a distant second. Citi is the worst. Have never even considered BILT, but, it's probably super-bad.
Are we still gonna have the rent day benefit with 2x points?
Honestly, no one knows yet...
Too complex for me and I don’t want another coupon book, so will be cutting my Bilt card.
Already have 4x for dining and groceries on Amex Gold, so there’s an opportunity cost here earning at 3x.
Not to mention, Amex will stick around; BILT/Cardless... nobody knows...
I’m in the camp of this no longer being worth my time without any meaningful bonus category on the lower two tiered cards (huge missed opportunity not competing with Sapphire Preferred 2x travel on the $95 card). I don’t need ANOTHER PP.
The transition is unnecessarily confusing.
Is it either/or/both?
Could someone stay with Bilt under the no fee card and also stay with Wells under their Autograph program?
Or you transition...
I’m in the camp of this no longer being worth my time without any meaningful bonus category on the lower two tiered cards (huge missed opportunity not competing with Sapphire Preferred 2x travel on the $95 card). I don’t need ANOTHER PP.
The transition is unnecessarily confusing.
Is it either/or/both?
Could someone stay with Bilt under the no fee card and also stay with Wells under their Autograph program?
Or you transition to Bilt and no option to also keep Wells?
What happens to existing Bilt point balances? (I have 400k points now)
RIP Bilt…
Rest in pieces.
Ben - Does one still receive 2x Bilt points for spend on the 1st of the month (rent day)?
@ Art_Czar -- We know Rent Day is sticking around in general, but not if 2x points on Rent Day is sticking around. Once we find out I'll be sure to report back.
Preserving the ability to transfer Rakuten points at a 1:1 ratio seems to be the only interesting thing here. What about this strategy-
Get the $95 card and move $25k of dining spend (the cap) to the card. That gets you 75k (3x) points + $1000 Bilt Cash. The $1000 Bilt Cash allows for $33,333 in rent/mortgage spend and 1x points (more with the bonus cash but presumably you need some bonus cash to cover...
Preserving the ability to transfer Rakuten points at a 1:1 ratio seems to be the only interesting thing here. What about this strategy-
Get the $95 card and move $25k of dining spend (the cap) to the card. That gets you 75k (3x) points + $1000 Bilt Cash. The $1000 Bilt Cash allows for $33,333 in rent/mortgage spend and 1x points (more with the bonus cash but presumably you need some bonus cash to cover the first monthly payment - may be a bit of a wash, the $100 roll over basically accounts for this).
So for $95 on $25k spend you get 4.33 points/$ - so you get 108,333 Bilt Points + Bilt Status (presumably Gold for $25k spend). Because you can already earn 3x on dining on a $0 fee card (Chase F.Un for instance), in essence you are buying 33.33k points for $95 ($1 per ~350 points). And ideally you would earn Silver at $10k spend threshold before the 8/15 Rakuten transfer date (as the last 1:1 transfer date is otherwise 5/15).
The problem of course is that they've blown up their entire model and made this way too complicated. Hard to have any confidence that this program is going to last as formulated. I do think the 10% interest rate may be a factor as well (ironically perhaps a negative factor for some if folks view Bilt as associating their brand with the White House).
Because of that, kind of feels like the $495 SUB strategy may be the way to go. Collect the 50k SUB and enjoy Gold status through 2027 for Rakuten transfers, cancel after 1 year, transfer those points out as they come in, and move on. Otherwise the idea of paying $495 a year just to get 2x spend and Alaska as a transfer partner... I mean, not a lot of value there otherwise, don't want hotel credits, don't want another priority pass.
Ahh, yes, Rakuten... for as long as that promotion lasts... no explicit mentions of it, yet. I could see them keeping it going for a little while longer, past the transition, then *POOF* yanking it. The ole bait n switch. Pull that rug!
Yup. 100% correct. I guess I could see getting the $495 card for the 50k, combining it with whatever I get from the 2/15 Rakuten transfer (and what I previously got for the 11/15/25 transfer), waiting for the next rent day or whatever that has a good transfer bonus in the first half of 2026, transferring all the points out, and never thinking about Bilt again.
Short term strategy is probably correct here. Just was...
Yup. 100% correct. I guess I could see getting the $495 card for the 50k, combining it with whatever I get from the 2/15 Rakuten transfer (and what I previously got for the 11/15/25 transfer), waiting for the next rent day or whatever that has a good transfer bonus in the first half of 2026, transferring all the points out, and never thinking about Bilt again.
Short term strategy is probably correct here. Just was trying to figure out if there was a mid to long term strategy. I guess there is, but feels like a lot of brain damage to earn an extra 33k points/year. Literally could just go get the $0 Rakuten credit card and take the extra 28k points/year on $7k spend plus 10k point ($100) SUB. And then transfer those points to the 2025 Card Refresh Winner of the Year - American Express.
Yup, one more churn and burn, then “never thinking about BILT again.”
This. Is. The. Way.
What if you make a rent/mortgage payment and you don't have enough Bilt Cash that month to pay the "fee"? Does the payment bounce? Also, say if next month you accumulate enough Bilt cash to pay the previous month's fee, do you retroactively get the points?
Re-reading Ben's post, it seems like if you don't have the Bilt cash to cover the fee that month, then you pay the fee with real cash, and don't earn points.
@ mangoMan -- If you don't have enough Bilt Cash, you'd earn pay the 3% fee, but could earn points.
Curious on if we'll be able to use third party credit cards. Today you can use any card in your wallet and use the ACH feature still earning points. I haven't seen if that functionality has changed.
@ Me -- You'll continue to be able to use third party credit cards for a 3% fee, but you can't pay that with Bilt Cash.
Bilt with WF gave notoriously low credit limits. anyone know if they will be higher with the new partner?
@ Mike -- Anything is possible, as the credit lines aren't guaranteed with the transition. However, I wouldn't count on getting a higher credit line.
yes. they increased my limit by 4k on palladium ( 20 -24k ) and no hard pull
Bumped me up from 30k to 35k. No hard pull (I have a freeze with all 3 credit bureaus)
@lucky -- At some point I'm wondering if you might cover whether it might make sense to NOT use Bilt Cash for rent and instead redeem it towards other things -- and instead use the Alaska Atmos 3X points offer. If you have both cards, it seems like Atmos is now much better for rent?
The big downside of Bilt Cash is that it expires at the end of the calendar year so you can't...
@lucky -- At some point I'm wondering if you might cover whether it might make sense to NOT use Bilt Cash for rent and instead redeem it towards other things -- and instead use the Alaska Atmos 3X points offer. If you have both cards, it seems like Atmos is now much better for rent?
The big downside of Bilt Cash is that it expires at the end of the calendar year so you can't accumulate it too long. However, if you can basically use it to book hotels through Bilt's platform or for local merchants like restaurants you would otherwise go to, I wonder if you actually get more value redeeming it that way. Paying 3% "cash" for 1X bilt point is a loss because the points are worth, at most, 2 cents each, less than the 3 cents you're paying. But if you pay rent for Atmos, the 3X Atmos points you get are worth more than the 3% fee -- and then you can redeem Bilt cash on hotel stays or local restaurants towards the end of the year, probably at a better valuation since Bilt has said Bilt Cash will be 1:1 to cash prices. There's some planning involved, but if worse comes to worse, you could probably make a rent payment in December to burn up any remaining Bilt Cash.
If the $495 card means 2 Bilt points (worth say ~4% return) PLUS 4% Bilt Cash that you can actually redeem on hotels/restaurants you might otherwise pay cash for, you could end up with an ~8% return on everyday spending which is pretty incredible. Obviously we might discount the value of the Bilt Cash somewhat and everyone's valuation of Bilt points is different but if there are decent redemption options for Bilt Cash other than paying a 3% fee for 1X point, it might actually make sense to pay rent with Bilt even if you have their card.
From the wording I don't think you can "spend" the Bilt cash for anything else.
"If the $495 card means 2 Bilt points (worth say ~4% return) PLUS 4% Bilt Cash that you can actually redeem on hotels/restaurants you might otherwise pay cash for, you could end up with an ~8% return on everyday spending which is pretty incredible."
Not only incredible, impossible. They would be losing money on every dollar you spend.
@ John -- It's a great question, and for now the big question mark is how lucrative Bilt Cash redemptions will be going forward. I wouldn't expect anywhere close to "face value" on Bilt Cash, since the economics just wouldn't make sense. As we learn more, I'll be sure to write about it.
Bilt website states “dollar for dollar” on hotels through portal and some other things. Even if you discount that to half, everyday spend at 2x + 2% hotel credit seems pretty solid
If you scroll down, the Bilt credit card webpage actually states the options on how to use Bilt Cash: Choose how you want to use your value: dollar-for-dollar across Bilt ecosystem or access to Bilt-only experiences:
Dollar for dollar:
-Hotel bookings in the Bilt Travel Portal - Apply Bilt Cash toward hotel stays booked through the Bilt Travel Portal.
-Lyft credits - Apply Bilt Cash toward rides around your neighborhood.
-Home...
If you scroll down, the Bilt credit card webpage actually states the options on how to use Bilt Cash: Choose how you want to use your value: dollar-for-dollar across Bilt ecosystem or access to Bilt-only experiences:
Dollar for dollar:
-Hotel bookings in the Bilt Travel Portal - Apply Bilt Cash toward hotel stays booked through the Bilt Travel Portal.
-Lyft credits - Apply Bilt Cash toward rides around your neighborhood.
-Home delivery, powered by GoPuff - Use Bilt Cash on GoPuff orders to make everyday essentials even more effortless.
-The Bilt Collection - Redeem Bilt Cash for select lifestyle pieces and limited drops from the Bilt Collection.
-Fitness classes - Use Bilt Cash toward classes when you book through the Bilt app.
-Mobile Dining Checkout - Apply Bilt Cash via Mobile Dining Checkout at select Bilt partner restaurants.
Unlock Access:
-Points on rent and mortgage with no transaction fee: For every $30 in Bilt Cash earned, you can unlock 1,000 points on rent or mortgage payments. up to your housing payment amount
-One-time status upgrades - Use Bilt Cash to boost your status tier and access a higher transfer bonus during Rent Day
-Early access to members experiences: Use Bilt Cash to book exclusive experiences like dining, fitness events, and more.
Also, I believe the $200 annual Bilt Cash with the premium card covers $6,666 in rent/mortgage payments, not $3750. ;)
Appreciate the balanced updates. I can’t understand the transition. No hard pull if I move to Cardless, ok, but it is a new account (and 5/24 slot), right? What about the WF card credit line? Does that come? Or will I also then keep a WF account unless I close it (forgoing available credit)
@ Sb -- The credit lines are expected to be roughly comparable, though could be adjusted, so it's not guaranteed. Regarding 5/24, that's an excellent question, as the account numbers are supposed to stay the same, but the card issuer changes. I'm not sure how that has been handled in past similar situations?
I just “transitioned” my Bilt card to the Palladium. There was no credit check. I fact my credit is frozen with all the credit bureaus. So I assume there will be no official record of a new credit account. To me it looks it won’t count in the 5/24 rule.
The whole thing depends on the value of Bilt Cash, which is a function of how and for what it can be used. We simply don't know that as of now, or before you must commit to one of the Bilt cards.
If the use of Bilt Cash is severely restricted beyond offsetting fees on rent/mortgage payments, it'd be worth only a fraction of its face value.
@ Tony -- I wouldn't expect Bilt Cash to be worth anywhere close to face value, because the economics wouldn't make sense. That would mean you'd earn 4% back on your spending on top of up to 2x points, which would be unrealistically lucrative.
Pretty sure that the Bilt Cash is used solely to pay for rent/mortgage payments and has no other user or value.
I agree with the author the use of Bilt Cash is needlessly complicated. They could simply say every $1 in non-rent spending allows $1.33 in rent/mortgage payments.
If you have a $50k mortgage you need to put $50k/1.33 = $37,500 in normal spending on the card.
This means there is a significant opportunity cost.
Venture X, $100 dollars cheaper and a lot less noise in the background.
i mean just say you don't understand points if youre going to insinuate that C1's partner list is equal to Bilt's lmao
Don't care about transfer partners, most of us in this space already has access to just about everyone Bilt has access to via other cards. And I stand firm in my comment of Venture X, $100 cheaper and still a lot less noise in the background.
This guy gets it.
But… why not milk that 50K SUB, then close it after a year…
As someone who has the Alaska Summit card as long as I will still get 3x the points on rent by paying a 3% fee, I just might start using that card. For about $1200 a year I will get around an extra 82K Alaska rewards points while at the same time getting the benefit of earning more Status points as well.
This is the question: will that 3x Atmos still go on? If so, that is the better way, especially the 3.3x with BofA account.
TT is reporting in their article that the partnership is extended to mortgages. Hopefully that’ll get confirmed by other outlets.
Nice to see credit card reward structures going full pay to win like in gotcha games… super confusing to average users and made to be like that on purpose.
We live in the age of the bamboozle
Are achieving the silver , gold or platinum status tiers changing in any way?
@ john -- Nope, the thresholds are remaining the same.
are they honoring existing status at all? thinking about this esp. in light of Rakuten transfer ratios.... I earned status last year so should have it till the end of this year?
does the PP membership include guest access or restaurant?
So basically there is still no fee for paying rent, but you have to 'unlock' those points with BILT cash in order to get the points. So if you only pay for rent, you won't get charged a fee, but if you want to get those points, you need to spend 75% of your rent on non-rent spend to get all the rent points you got previously. So there is now an opportunity cost, but it comes in the form of non-rent spend opposed to a 3% transaction fee.
I wonder if the Priority Pass will include guest access. For those of us who get our membership from Cap One, this would be a benefit.
Ah yes Priority Pass.. that’s what all the hype was about!
@ Mike P -- I've reached out to a contact to ask, and I'll update this comment when I learn the answer.
@Ben - appears so per the Guide to Benefits
Eligible cardholders will enjoy complimentary lounge
membership for them and up to two guests.For additional guests
above two, the Cardholder will be charged $35 per guest per
lounge visit
https://www.biltrewards.com/terms/palladium-card-guide-to-benefits
If we choose to convert to the Palladium, will we be eligible for the sign up bonus, or do we need to completely cancel the existing card and reapply outright?
@ Chase -- You're eligible for the sign-up bonus if you convert, yep. :-)
That doesn't appear to be the case...
Never mind. I misread the terms.
10% interest rate. Fascinating that they are going to be able to use that as a marketing tool.
Gotta lick those boots!!
As a current Palladium card holder (now JPM Reserve), I hope JPM Chase takes legal action against them for obvious infringement.
@ John G -- Yeah, while not that mainstream, it is interesting that they used the Palladium name, since it's already in use. Then again, I guess lots of credit cards and other elite tiers are named after previous metals?
I'm guessing that's "precious".
True about the names but it looks exactly like the JPM card so the entire "cause confusion" argument might apply since it's also such a unique name and looks exactly like the former JPM card.
Make Attorneys Great Again...
Palladium is a common noun specifically it is a precious metal. It would be like taking legal action because another company has a gold or platinum card. Even something like "reserve" is too common to trademark.
For trademarks, the USPTO has various tests, with a couple of criteria including non-obvious, distinctive, etc. Trademarking an element (in this case, a "Palladium" credit card) is essentially no different than calling a card "gold" or "platinum" or "plutonium" or any other element.
Yes, it can (and does) get more nuanced than just the above, but basically there's not really any path to JPMC claiming rights to that word for their product offering.
Is bilt gold status just part of SUB on the palladium or a recuuring benefit? Also how does it impact getting platinum tier?
@ john -- It's just part of the sign-up bonus, and it's valid for the year in which it's earned, plus the following year (so currently through the end of 2027).
Thanks Ben !
Thanks Ben, that's something BILT should probably make a little more clear on the website (although currently any update to their website would be progress).
Anyway, for me this is very simple. Get the Palladium for the first year, enjoy 50k Atmos points, see how things go with it being a "one and done" credit card solution... and If I'm not impressed at 13 months I'll either downgrade to free or cancel.
Think the Palladium card makes sense to me for now to move my non-bonused spend. The rumor of getting Bilt Gold status was not true it appears, which is disappointing.
@Ben, have you heard anything about the Alaska partnership? Would be great if it got extended to mortgages.
Oops, I can’t read. I see hat Gold is included with the Palladium welcome bonus. Also no idea why I double-posted.
@ Samar -- I've asked about the Alaska question, and I'll report back (by updating this comment) when I have an answer. :-)
@Ben - TT is reporting that the partnership is extended to mortgages. Will be great if you can get confirmation.
https://thriftytraveler.com/news/credit-card/bilt-card-2-0-new-cards-mortgage-rewards
so it turns out the leaks from last week were 100% accurate lol. kind of weird that Kerr went on instagram to post a video denying that there would be a fee for paying rent when there is???
anyway I look forward to churning the Palladium for 1 year
Yup, $495 for 50K Hyatt points, churn and burn.
New rent strategy since 3% fee not waived and new BILT Cash isn't worthwhile: If 3x Alaska cards still works (which I haven't seen any details otherwise), switch rent to Atmos + BofA account, earn 3.3x, net 0.3 Alaska points per dollar, go for status, 100K certificate after 60K spend.
The Bilt 1.0 rules were that atmos gets 3x up to $50k per year, then 1x above that
Yes, true. So, 50K on rent; 10K+ on non-rent for the Alaska 100K cert. Wonder if Alaska or BofA or BILT or Cardless or whoever is gonna clarify whether all of that is still intact for good...
Thanks Ben. The BILT website isn't loading for me so this is great.
Indeed. Ben rocks! A great sign for their new card issuer, Cardless, which is also known to have had tech issues in the past... LOL.
@1990, yeah I'm really nervous about the Cardless thing. In my 15 years of credit card "churning"/maxxing (or whatever the kids say), I have only ever had a SUB not post properly once. And that was with Cardless Lifemiles card... requiring about five phone calls and some emails. Fun.
Exactly. Ask the Celtics card folks how it went for them… bad news bears!
Let the games begin!
Ben got the early scoop, and he didn't leak it. Honorable.
Also, BILT's own website doesn't show much for now, so maybe it crashed. Meaning, OMAAT is like one of the few places that has the details at the moment. (TPG was a few minutes after you, but, please, have some self-respect, and ignore those shills; instead, support sites that actually allow comments and provide public-best offers, like Ben's.)
A whole bunch of folks were under an embargo. Calm down.
Nawald, who are you trying to defend? BILT? I'm praising Ben. I'm trashing TPG.