Bilt Card vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred Card [Detailed Comparison]

The Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card launched over a decade ago, democratizing the travel rewards card market. This popular card offers users enticing travel perks, from no foreign transaction fees to access to 10+ airline and hotel transfer partners — all at an affordable $95 annual fee price point.

It’s no wonder millions of households hold the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. But in 2021, a new entrant came into the space. While its primary appeal is the ability to earn points on rent payments, upon closer look, the Bilt World Elite^® Mastercard Credit Card also offers many of the same great travel perks as the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. Best of all, the Bilt Card has a $0 annual fee (see terms and conditions).

Today, we’ll provide an in-depth card comparison of the 2 products to help you determine which one comes out on top.

Overview

Although the Bilt Card is much newer, it largely models many of the same benefits we know and love about the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. Here’s an initial look at the 2 credit cards, side-by-side:

Welcome Bonus Comparison

Opening a card with a welcome bonus can be a great way to earn a massive haul of points upon meeting minimum spending requirements. The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is known for offering a generous welcome offer, adding even more value for prospective applicants.

Bilt Card

Bilt World Elite Mastercard^® Credit Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

Bilt World Elite Mastercard^® Credit Card

Welcome Offer

No offer available

No offer available

Annual Fee

$0

APR

See Rate & Fees

Why We Like This Card

Never before has there been a credit card built specifically with renters in mind. Enter the Bilt World Elite Mastercard^® Credit Card, designed specifically to help renters earn rewards on their rent payments with no transaction fees.

Of course, aside from rewards on rent, there are many other solid features that the card offers that add extra value to cardholders. In this guide, we provide a complete breakdown of everything the Bilt Card has to offer to help you decide whether the card makes sense for you.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 3x points per $1 at restaurants
• 2x points per $1 on travel booked directly with airlines, hotels, and car rental agencies
• 1x point per $1 on rent payments, without a transaction fee, up to 100,000 points each calendar year

Cons

• Does not offer a welcome bonus
• Must use the card 5 times each statement period to earn points

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• $0 Annual Fee
• Earn 1x points on rent payments without the transaction fee, up to 100,000 points each calendar year
• Earns 3x points on dining
• Earn 2x points on travel
• Earn 1x points on other purchases
• Earn double points on the first of each month (excluding rent, up to 1,000 bonus points)
• Use the card 5 times each statement period to earn points
• Earn up to 5x Bilt points on Lyft rides when you link your Bilt account and pay with your Bilt card
• Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent payments, statement credits, toward a down payment on a home, etc.
• Select “Learn More” to learn more about the product features, terms, and conditions

Financial Snapshot

• APR: See Rate & Fees
• Foreign Transaction Fees: $0

While the Bilt Card does not have a publicly available welcome offer, many new applicants have reported receiving an email with the opportunity to earn 5x points on all eligible purchases for the first 5 days (up to 50,000 bonus points). While not an official welcome bonus offer, you can read the full terms and conditions for more information.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

A fantastic travel card with a great welcome offer, good benefits, and perks for a moderate annual fee.

Learn More(at Chase's secure site)

Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

A fantastic travel card with a great welcome offer, good benefits, and perks for a moderate annual fee.

Welcome Offer

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

60,000 bonus points

UP's Bonus Valuation*:

$1,200

Annual Fee

$95

APR

20.99% - 27.99% Variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent (670-850)

Why We Like This Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred^® card is one of the best travel rewards cards on the market. Its bonus categories include travel, dining, online grocery purchases, and streaming services, which gives you the opportunity to earn lots of bonus points on these purchases.

Additionally, it offers flexible point redemption options, no foreign transaction fees, and excellent travel insurance coverage including primary car rental insurance. With benefits like these, it’s easy to see why this card is an excellent choice for any traveler.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 5x points on all travel booked via the Chase Travel portal
• 5x points on select Peloton purchases over $150 (through March 31, 2025)
• 5x points on Lyft purchases (through March 31, 2025)

Cons

• $95 annual fee
• No elite benefits like airport lounge access or hotel elite status

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
• Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel.
• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
• Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2027.
• Member FDIC

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 20.99% - 27.99% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

Chase Ultimate Rewards

Bilt Rewards Points vs. Chase Ultimate Rewards Points

Both cards earn flexible points, which means you can transfer your rewards to each program’s respective airline and hotel programs for outsized value. We’ll next dive into the details of earning and redeeming both types of points.

Earning Potential

The earning rates on the 2 cards are quite similar, but there are a few key differences to note.

With the Bilt Card, you must use the card at least 5 times each statement period to earn points (See Rewards & Benefits). There’s no minimum transaction amount, so this can be as simple as buying a bottle of water or a subway ticket. That said, if you’re opening this card just to earn points on rent, you want to ensure you’re meeting this 5x threshold every month.

Bilt Card

The Bilt Card set itself apart from the sea of travel credit cards by offering a unique value proposition: earn points on rent payments with no additional transaction fee.

How does this work in practice? For starters, the Bilt Rewards Alliance comprises more than 2 million rental homes where you can pay your rent with the Bilt Card without transaction fees. However, even if your rental home does not partake in the Bilt Rewards Alliance (and charges a fee to pay with a credit card), don’t fret. The Bilt Card gives all users a unique ACH checking account number to pay their rent.

Since you’ll pay your rent with this routing and account number, Bilt then charges your credit card account with the same amount and awards you the points. As always, you’ll want to make sure you pay your full statement balance before the monthly due date to avoid incurring any interest charges. But if you’re able to keep up with your payments, this is how you can earn valuable points on rent without transaction fees.

The Bilt Card offers 1x points on rent payments, capped at 100,000 points annually (Use the card 5 times each statement period to earn points. See Rewards & Benefits). This limit works out to roughly $8,333 per month for rent payments. Put simply, if you’re a renter in the U.S., it’s virtually a no-brainer to open the Bilt Card and earn points on one of your largest monthly expenses. While the Bilt Card does not currently support mortgage payments, even non-renters may want to consider opening the card thanks to its excellent earning rate on travel and everyday purchases.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

While the Chase Sapphire Preferred card does not offer payments (with no additional fee) on rent, it comes with a few other useful bonus categories on everyday purchases. You can earn 3x points on select streaming services, which includes popular subscriptions like Apple TV+, Netflix, Hulu, and Spotify, as well as pick-up and delivery orders placed online with grocery stores.

Chase Sapphire Preferred cardholders will also earn a 10% points bonus based on total card spending at each account anniversary. For example, if you spent $100,000 on the card in a year, you’d receive an additional 10,000 points.

Redemption Options

Both rewards currencies are consistently ranked highly on our latest points and miles valuations. We estimate that Bilt Rewards points are worth 1.8 cents each, while Chase Ultimate Rewards points are worth 2 cents each.

It’s a bit easier to earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points thanks to welcome bonus offers and expanded bonus categories. Ultimately, the difference is negligible as both programs offer top-tier transfer partners.

There is an impressive list of Bilt transfer partners, and there’s a decent amount of overlap between the Bilt and Chase transfer partners, with both programs transferring at a simple 1:1 ratio.

There are many standout loyalty programs that make for extraordinary travel redemptions. It’s no secret that World of Hyatt has long been our favorite hotel loyalty program, and you’re spoiled for choice with transfers from both Bilt Rewards or Chase Ultimate Rewards.

Bilt Rewards partners with Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles, another underrated airline program that makes for excellent Star Alliance redemptions. Meanwhile, Chase Ultimate Rewards offers transfers to Southwest Rapid Rewards, a popular loyalty program for domestic travelers.

While transferring points to partners is easily the best way to get maximum value from your points, it’s nice to have other options, too. Here’s a full rundown of the redemption options from both programs:

Both programs allow you to book flights, hotels, rental cars, and more through their respective travel portals and get a 25% points bonus at redemption. This can be another great way to book travel if you can’t find the award availability by leveraging airline or hotel transfer partners.

Travel Protection and Benefits Analysis

If you’re thinking about adding a travel card to your wallet, you want to ensure you’re covered in an emergency. Both cards offer useful coverages that can come in handy on travels:

• No Foreign Transaction Fees — There are no additional fees charged for purchases internationally.
• Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption — While both cards offer this coverage, the Bilt Card has a limit of up to $5,000 per person, and the Chase Sapphire Preferred card has a limit of up to $10,000 per person, up to $20,000 per trip.
• Trip Delay Reimbursement — With the Bilt Card, use your card to purchase the entire trip and receive up to $200 per day (for up to 3 days) if your trip is delayed more than 6 hours, with a maximum of $1,800 for all travelers per trip. You’ll receive up to $500 per ticket for delays of 12 hours with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.
• Primary Car Rental Collision Damage Waiver — Pay for your entire car rental with your card, decline the rental agency’s CDW/LDW coverage, and receive coverage for damage or theft.

Bilt Card

• Lyft Credit — Take 3 rides in 1 calendar month and get a $5 Lyft credit with your Bilt Card.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

• Up to $50 Hotel Statement Credit — Book a hotel via the Chase travel portal and receive up to $50 as a statement credit each card anniversary year.
• Baggage Insurance — Receive up to $3,000 if your luggage is stolen or damaged.
• Delayed Luggage — Receive up to $100 per day for a maximum of 5 days if your luggage is delayed more than 6 hours.
• Roadside Dispatch — If you are stranded on the side of the road, roadside dispatch is available 24/7 to provide assistance. Cardholders are responsible for actual services received.

Shopping Showdown – Benefits and Protections

Both rewards cards offer complimentary shopping protections:

• Purchase Security and Purchase Protection — The Bilt Card offers generous purchase protection coverage limits for eligible items bought within the first 90 days, offering reimbursement for up to $10,000 per item or $50,000 per account annually. With the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, items damaged or stolen within the first 120 days from the purchase date may be eligible for reimbursement of up to $500 per item, $10,000 per account annually.

Bilt Card

• Cell Phone Protection — Pay your monthly cell phone bill with the Bilt Card and you’ll receive up to $800 in cell phone coverage (subject to a $25 deductible) against covered damage or theft.
• Access to World Elite Mastercard Concierge — You can contact the World Elite Mastercard Concierge 24/7/365 for restaurant recommendations, travel assistance, and much more.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

• Extended Warranty — Eligible items purchased with your card with a manufacturer’s warranty of 3 years or less will receive an extension for 1 additional year.
• Chase Offers — Sign in to your online card account and review offers to earn statement credits for eligible purchases at dozens of retailers.
• Shop through Chase — Receive bonus points by shopping at hundreds of online retailers via the Shop through Chase shopping portal.
• DoorDash Benefits — Chase Sapphire Preferred cardholders can enroll in a complimentary 1-year DashPass membership (activate by December 31, 2027).

Annual Fees and Adding Authorized Users

Annual Fees

At the end of the day, the biggest difference between the 2 cards is their annual fees:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred card: $95
• Bilt Card: $0

If you’re adamant about not paying any annual fees, the Bilt Card is fantastic whether you want to travel, earn points on rent, or both. However, there is certainly a tradeoff. The Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers a generous welcome offer, a $50 annual hotel statement credit, and partner benefits that can help make up for the $95 yearly cost.

For these reasons, it’s quite common for people to hold both cards, especially if you’re looking to diversify your points and miles strategy.

Authorized Users

Both the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and the Bilt Card do not charge for authorized users and have no set limit.

Final Thoughts

There’s no clear winner, as each card has its own strengths and weaknesses. No matter which card you pick, you can’t go wrong with the Bilt Card or the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. They offer excellent travel and shopping benefits and plenty of opportunities to earn bonus points.

If you’re a renter in the U.S., adding the Bilt Card to your repertoire is virtually a given. For example, if you spend $2,000 on rent per month, you could be earning 24,000 points every year — from rent alone!

If you don’t live in a rental property and are looking for a general travel rewards card, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is likely the better option. With a reasonable $95 annual fee and an exhaustive list of travel insurance benefits, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is our go-to travel card — and with good reason.

In theory, there’s nothing stopping you from owning both credit cards. However, you’ll want to consider the stringent application Chase 5/24 rules and make sure you haven’t opened 5 credit cards (or more) in the past 24 months to maximize your approval odds.