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Complete Guide to Bilt Cash: What It Is, How You Earn It, and How Much You Need

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Ryan Smith
Edited by: Nick Ellis
& Jestan Mendame
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With the launch of 3 new credit cards, Bilt Cash (up to $100 of Bilt Cash earned rolls over to the next year) has become a central part of the Bilt Rewards ecosystem.

Bilt Rewards announced Bilt Cash late in 2025, but what it was — let alone how to earn or use it — remained a mystery. Now, we know that Bilt Cash plays a key role in how many points you can earn on rent and mortgage payments.

Along with enabling rewards from housing payments, Bilt Cash can also be used toward fitness classes, merchandise, or even picking up a prescription.

So what, exactly, is Bilt Cash? How do you earn this currency, and what are your options for using it?

We’ll walk you through everything you need to know.

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How To Earn Bilt Cash

Bilt announced its new credit card lineup on January 14, 2026. There are now 3 credit cards in the Bilt lineup:

Luckily, all of these cards earn Bilt Cash at the same rate, making things simple. Each card earns 4% back in Bilt Cash on nonhousing purchases, meaning you don’t earn Bilt Cash when paying your rent or mortgage but can earn it at the supermarket, gas pump, restaurant, and beyond.

Plus, the midtier Obsidian Card offers $200 in Bilt Cash when you’re approved for the card, while the Palladium Card offers $300 in Bilt Cash when you’re approved for the card, along with $200 in Bilt Cash deposited into your Bilt Rewards account annually (offer terms).

Bilt Obsidian CardTerms Apply / Rates & Fees

Apply Now
$200 of Bilt Cash when you apply and get approved. At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
$200 Bilt Cash
$95
Why We Like This Card

The Bilt Obsidian Card is a midtier option for those who want to earn up to 1.25x Bilt Points on rent or mortgage payments, as well as bonus points in key categories such as dining or groceries and travel.

Pros & Cons
Pros
  • Up to 1.25x points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee
  • 3x points on dining or groceries, on up to $25,000 per year (you can choose which category annually), and the option to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash
  • 2x points and the option to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on travel purchases
Cons
  • $95 annual fee
  • You’ll need to redeem Bilt Cash to unlock rewards for rent and mortgage payments
Card Highlights
  • Earn up to 1.25X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee.
  • 3X points on your choice of grocery (up to $25K/year) or dining. Your 3X category choice remains in effect for the entire calendar year.
  • 2X points on travel
  • 1X points on everyday spend
  • Welcome offer: $200 of Bilt Cash when you apply and get approved. At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
  • $100 Bilt Travel Hotel credit. Applied twice a year, as $50 statement credits, for qualifying Bilt Travel Portal hotel bookings.
  • Bilt Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent and mortgage payments, Lyft rides, statement credits, student loan balances, a down payment on a home, and more.
  • Earn additional points through Bilt Neighborhood Benefits™ when you use your card at Bilt’s network of 50,000+ merchant partners.
Financial Snapshot
  • Foreign Transaction Fees: None
Bilt Palladium CardTerms Apply / Rates & Fees

Apply Now
Subject to approval: 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 90 days + $300 of Bilt Cash.
Subject to approval: 50,000 points + $300 Bilt Cash
$495
Why We Like This Card

The Bilt Palladium Card is a premium card option for those who want to earn up to 1.25x Bilt Points on their rent and mortgage payments, but also want premium perks like airport lounge access.

Pros & Cons
Pros
  • 2x points and the option to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases
  • Up to 1.25x points on rent and mortgage payments
  • $400 annual Bilt Travel hotel credit, split into 2 semiannual credits (requires a 2-night stay)
Cons
  • Charges a $495 annual fee
  • You’ll need to redeem Bilt Cash to unlock rewards for rent and mortgage payments
Card Highlights
  • Earn up to 1.25X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee.
  • 2X points on everyday spend
  • $400 Bilt Travel Hotel credit. Applied twice a year, as $200 statement credits, for qualifying Bilt Travel Portal hotel bookings.
  • $200 Bilt Cash (awarded annually). At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
  • Welcome bonus (subject to approval): 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 90 days + $300 of Bilt Cash.
  • Priority Pass ($469/year value). See Guide to Benefits.
  • Bilt Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent and mortgage payments, Lyft rides, statement credits, student loan balances, a down payment on a home, and more.
  • Earn additional points through Bilt Neighborhood Benefits™ when you use your card at Bilt’s network of 50,000+ merchant partners.

Financial Snapshot
  • Foreign Transaction Fees: None
Bilt new cards 2026 neighborhood
Image Credit: Bilt

Beyond Bilt Cash, the cards have distinct features, varying annual fees, and different earning rates for Bilt Points, i.e., the points you can redeem for travel, transfer to partners, and more. These points are separate from Bilt Cash, though earning more Bilt Cash is central to your ability to earn up to 1x Bilt Rewards points on rent and housing payments.

It’s important to note that Bilt’s terms and conditions preclude several kinds of transactions from earning any Bilt Points and Bilt Cash, including prepaid cards, gift cards, person-to-person payments (Venmo, PayPal, Cash App, Zelle, etc.), tax payments, online resale marketplaces (eBay, Facebook Marketplace, etc.), cryptocurrenty or other digital currency purchases, lottery tickets, casino chips, and betting transactions including wagers at race tracks.

Hot Tip:

Check out the best ways to earn and redeem Bilt Points.

How To Redeem Bilt Cash

Bilt Cash can be redeemed in multiple ways. Bilt Cash replaces Milestone Rewards, and you can redeem it at face value, dollar for dollar, toward merchandise in the Bilt Collection, for fitness classes, at Walgreens, and more — all through Bilt’s “Neighborhood Rewards” program.

Additionally, Bilt Cash can be used to unlock up to 1x points earned on your rent and/or mortgage payment.

To earn points on your housing payment, you have options:

  • Pay a 3% fee and use any credit card you like, including a Bilt credit card (rates & fees)
  • Use Bilt Cash to avoid this fee

You also have the option of not paying the fee, not redeeming Bilt Cash, and simply not earning points on your rent or mortgage payment.

Whether you’re using a Bilt credit card or another credit card, such as an Alaska Airlines Atmos Reward credit card, paying rent by credit card incurs a fee (3%) or requires redeeming Bilt Cash to earn rewards.

Hot Tip:

Using Bilt Cash to avoid the 3% transaction fee on housing payments is only possible if you’re using a Bilt credit card. If you’re using any other credit card to earn points on the payment, you can’t redeem Bilt Cash to offset the transaction fee.

You’ll earn up to 1 point per $1 spent on housing payments with a Bilt credit card, regardless of which card you use, but only if you unlock this capability with your Bilt Cash.

To make this possible, you need to redeem $30 of Bilt Cash to earn 1,000 points — 1x earnings from a $1,000 rent or mortgage payment. There are no minimum redemption amounts, and you can redeem Bilt Cash at smaller ratios to cover the exact amount needed for your payment.

It’s also possible to cover just part of the payment, assuming you don’t have enough Bilt Cash. In that situation, you’ll again have the option to pay the 3% fee or simply forgo earning points on the remainder of the transaction.

Finally, note that Bilt Cash expires on December 31 of every year; however, you can roll over up to $100 in Bilt Cash into the next year.

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What Is Bilt Cash Worth?

Bilt Cash isn’t worth money and can’t be deposited into your bank account. However, when you redeem Bilt Cash, it has 2 possible values:

  • Face value ($1 of Bilt Cash is worth $1) toward Neighborhood Rewards redemptions, such as Walgreens, fitness classes, or merchandise
  • $3 of Bilt Cash to unlock 100 points at up to 1x earnings on housing payments

Using Bilt Cash for the neighborhood redemptions is easy to understand. The math on using Bilt Cash to earn points on housing payments is more complex.

Since you earn 4% back in Bilt Cash for all nonhousing purchases with your Bilt credit card, you can think of it this way: To earn up to 1x payments on housing payments, you need to spend an amount on your Bilt credit card that’s at least 75% of your rent or mortgage payment.

Wondering how much you need to spend on your Bilt credit card to earn the needed Bilt Cash for up to 1x earnings on your rent or mortgage payment? Here are some common examples:

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Housing Payment

Bilt Cash Required

Spending on Bilt Credit Card

$1,000

$30

$750

$1,500

$45

$1,125

$2,000

$60

$1,500

$2,500

$75

$1,875

Keep in mind that these credit card spending numbers pertain to nonhousing purchases. You don’t earn Bilt Cash on mortgage or rent payments. You’ll earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on other purchases with your card, regardless of the purchase category or which Bilt credit card you have.

Hot Tip:

New for 2026, Bilt has removed all caps on points earned from rent and mortgage payments. There’s no limit to how many mortgage or rent payments you can make per month, and there’s no limit to how many points you can earn from these payments. Your only limits are the fees you’re willing to pay or the number of these fees you can offset with Bilt Cash.

Final Thoughts

Bilt Cash now plays a critical role in earning up to 1x points on housing payments through Bilt Rewards. You earn 4% back in Bilt Cash when making purchases with a Bilt credit card — though only on nonhousing purchases with your card.

To earn up to 1x points on your housing payment, you need to offset the 3% fee with Bilt Cash. That means you need to earn Bilt Cash from regularly spending on your Bilt credit card. Otherwise, you’ll have to choose between paying the 3% fee to earn points on housing payments or simply not earn points because you don’t want to pay the fee. Having sufficient Bilt Cash avoids this conundrum.

The magic number for all of this is 75%. Use your Bilt credit card each month to make nonhousing expenses that are at least 75% of the cost of your rent or mortgage payment. That will give you sufficient Bilt Cash to unlock 1x points earnings on your housing payment.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Bilt Cash?

Bilt Cash is a new currency in Bilt Rewards. It’s different from the points you earn on purchases and that you can send to hotel and airline partners for award travel. Bilt Cash is earned as 4% back on credit card spending (though not on housing payments), and you can use Bilt Cash dollar for dollar at neighborhood partners, or you can use it to unlock up to 1x points earnings on housing payments without a transaction fee.

What is Bilt Cash worth?

When you redeem Bilt Cash, it has 2 possible values: It can be worth face value ($1 of Bilt Cash is worth $1) toward Neighborhood Rewards redemptions, such as Walgreens, fitness classes, or merchandise, or the other value is using $3 of Bilt Cash to unlock 100 points at up to 1x points earnings on housing payments.

How do I earn Bilt Cash?

When using a Bilt credit card, you earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on all purchases with your card, except for housing payments like rent or mortgage. Whether you’re shopping at the grocery store, pharmacy, or gas pump, using a Bilt credit card earns 4% back in Bilt Cash.

How do I earn Bilt Points on rent?

You can earn up to 1 point per $1 spent on rent using a Bilt credit card — and there are 3 of them. The earning rate doesn’t change. There’s no limit to how many points you can earn from rent payments each year, but you’ll have to choose how to unlock the rewards: Pay a 3% transaction fee or offset the fee with Bilt Cash. Using Bilt Cash this way requires $3 of Bilt Cash for each 100 points you want to unlock. Thus, earning 1,000 points from a $1,000 rent payment requires $30 of Bilt Cash.

How do I earn Bilt Points on a mortgage payment?

You can earn up to 1 point per $1 spent on your mortgage using any Bilt credit card, whichever of the 3 Bilt credit cards you have. The earning rate doesn’t change from card to card. There’s no limit to how many points you can earn from mortgage payments each year, but you have to unlock your ability to earn points on a mortgage payment in either of 2 methods: Pay a 3% transaction fee or offset the fee with Bilt Cash. Using Bilt Cash this way requires $3 of Bilt Cash for each 100 points you want to unlock. Thus, earning 1,000 points from a $1,000 rent payment requires $30 of Bilt Cash.

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About Ryan Smith

Ryan completed his goal of visiting every country in the world in December of 2023 and is now revisiting some favorites. Over the years, he’s written about award travel and credit cards for publications like AwardWallet, The Points Guy, USA Today Blueprint, CNBC Select, Tripadvisor, Point.me, Forbes Advisor, and more.

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