Bilt Rewards Review — Earning, Redeeming, Transfer Partners, and More

Bilt Rewards is one of the most exciting new financial services companies and aims to transform tenants’ relationships with paying rent.

Founded on the premise of allowing people to earn rewards on rent while paying no transaction fees, this company incentivizes renters to get as much back from their rent as possible while paving the way to homeownership.

With plenty of transfer partners, it’s possible to maximize the value of your Bilt points through luxury travel redemptions.

Let’s dig into our review of Bilt Rewards.

What Is Bilt Rewards?

Bilt Rewards is a loyalty program that allows members and credit cardholders to earn points on purchases.

You can earn Bilt Points without the Bilt World Elite Mastercard^® Credit Card, but you’ll earn more points with a Bilt Card than without.

When you apply for a Bilt Card, you’re automatically enrolled in Bilt Rewards. Otherwise, you can register for a Bilt Rewards account through their website or mobile app.

The best way to earn Bilt Points is to spend on the Wells Fargo-issued credit card!

Once you’ve racked up enough Bilt Points, you can redeem them for some amazing travel bookings. Plus, while you’re racking up points from rent payments, you can build your credit history.

The Best Bilt Rewards Credit Card

The best way to earn Bilt Points is by spending on the co-branded Bilt credit card issued by Wells Fargo:

Bilt World Elite Mastercard^® Credit Card

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

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 ins and outs 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.

Apply Now(at Bilt's secure site)

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

The Bilt Card is the quintessential — and only — credit card you can use to earn Bilt points.

If you have at least 5 transactions per billing statement, you’ll earn:

• 3x points on dining
• 2x points on travel (when booked directly with an airline, hotel, car rental, or cruise company)
• 1x points on rent without the transaction fee, up to 100,000 points per calendar year
• 1x points on other purchases
• See Rewards & Benefits

Other key benefits include travel insurance, purchase security, and other World Elite Mastercard benefits.

How To Earn Bilt Points

Earn Points by Paying Rent

Bilt’s claim to fame is earning points by paying rent, so it only makes sense that one of the best ways to earn Bilt Points is through rent payments.

Right now, you’ll earn 1 point per dollar spent on rent paid through the Bilt Rewards app with the Bilt Card. You can earn up to 100,000 points in a calendar year this way.

You can only make rent payments to 1 property per month, and if your rent is less than $250, you’ll earn 250 points for that payment.

That means you’ll earn at least 250 points per rent payment, even if your rent payment is lower than $250.

It gets better — even if your landlord isn’t a Bilt Rewards Alliance partner, you can still earn points by having Bilt send a check on your behalf with no transaction fees!

If your landlord has an online payment portal, you can use your Bilt Card to make the payment without transaction fees.

Hot Tip: If you don’t have the Bilt Card, you can still process your rent payments through Bilt to earn 250 points per rent payment.

Earn Points and Save With Rent Day

On the first day of every month, Bilt has Rent Day. Between 12:00 a.m. EST to 11:59 p.m. PST on Rent Day, you’ll earn double points on the following purchases made with your card

• 6x points on dining
• 4x points on travel
• 2x points on other purchases (except for rent)

You must use the card 5 times each statement period to earn points (See Rewards & Benefits), but you can earn up to 1,000 bonus points every month — and that’s not all!

On Bilt Rent Day, you can also access special offers, which have included 2-for-1 cruise fares through Virgin Voyages, point transfer bonuses, free points through trivia games, as well as rent giveaways.

This is a great way to save money, earn more points, and potentially win big prizes!

Earn Points by Dining Out

One of the best ways to earn bonus points with Bilt Rewards is to use your Bilt Card to pick up the bill when dining out.

That’s because the Bilt Card earns 3x points on dining and up to 5x points when dining at a Bilt Neighborhood Dining restaurant.

Just keep in mind that you need to have at least 5 transactions post within a billing period to earn points for that billing period (See Rewards & Benefits).

Dining is classified as:

• Eating places and restaurants
• Drinking places
• Bakeries
• Fast food restaurants

Notably, the fine print states that “caterers, grocery stores, and other miscellaneous places that serve food or operate restaurants on their premises are not considered eating places and restaurants.”

If you spend $1,000 per month on dining, you will earn 3,000 points from dining, as long as you hit that 5-transaction minimum.

Earn Points by Booking Travel

With the Bilt Card, you’ll earn 2x points on travel, as long as you have at least 5 transactions that post to your account in a statement period (See Rewards & Benefits).

Travel includes:

Mastercard explicitly excludes these categories from travel:

So if you spend $500 on airfare and $300 on Airbnb stays in a month, you’d earn 1,000 points since your Airbnb purchase is ineligible to earn points. This is, of course, assuming that you made at least 5 transactions that post to your account within that statement period (See Rewards & Benefits).

Earn Points by Referring a Friend

Another way to take advantage of the Bilt Rewards ecosystem is to refer a friend for the Bilt Card.

Right now, you can earn 2,500 Bilt Points as a referral bonus for each successful Bilt Card referral.

Also, for every 5 successful referrals made, you’ll get another 10,000 Bilt Points. So if you make 5 successful referrals, you’ll earn 12,500 points, plus an extra 10,000 point bonus, for a total of 22,500 points.

There is a cap of 50 referral bonuses you can earn.

Here are some of the requirements for referrals to qualify for the bonus:

• They haven’t previously opened a Bilt Rewards account or Bilt Mastercard issued by Wells Fargo.
• They must apply through your unique link and referral code
• The application must be submitted by March31, 2025, or an earlier deadline determined by Bilt at its discretion provided at least 2 weeks in advance
• If the referral submits more than 1 application, the bonus is only awarded to the application that results in an approved account

Referral bonuses are deposited within 30 days after the qualified referral has been approved for a Bilt Card.

Earn Bilt Points With Lyft

Through Bilt’s partnership with Lyft, Bilt cardmembers earn 5x points on rides after linking their Bilt and Lyft accounts. You can do that by following these steps:

1. Open the Lyft app.
2. Click on the main menu (upper left corner).
3. Select “Rewards” and scroll down to the “Loyalty Rewards” section.
4. Select Bilt Rewards as your loyalty partner and follow the steps to link your account.

Bilt Rewards members who don’t have a Bilt Card can still earn 2x points on Lyft rides by linking their accounts.

Earn Points on Fitness Classes

Bilt members can earn up to 3x points on popular fitness classes like Barry’s Bootcamp, SoulCycle and more. Simply book your class through the Bilt app and earn bonus points along with select freebies:

• Barry’s: 2x Bilt points and complimentary shake from the fuel bar
• BFT: 3x Bilt points
• CorePower Yoga: 3x Bilt points and complimentary yoga mat and towel rental
• CycleBar: 3X Bilt points and complimentary shoe rental
• Pure Barre: 3X Bilt points
• Rumble Boxing: 3x Bilt points and complimentary glove rental
• SoulCycle: 3x Bilt points, complimentary shoes rental and bottled water
• Y7: 3x Bilt points, complimentary mat and towel rental
• YogaSix: 3x Bilt points

Earn Points at Walgreens

You don’t have to be a Bilt credit cardholder to earn bonus points on purchases. Bilt allows all members to earn bonus points at Walgreens on select purchases and subscription refills. Simply link a credit card to your Bilt account and use it to earn bonus points on Walgreens purchases.

• 1x Bilt points on all Walgreens purchases
• 2x points on Walgreens-branded items
• 100 Bilt points on prescription refills (exclusions apply)

Bilt Rewards members also receive free photo prints and the ability to apply HSA/FSA benefits to purchases.

Earn Interest on Your Bilt Points Balance

One of the most unique ways Bilt lets you earn rewards is via “interest” (in the form of points) on your Bilt rewards balance. The exact amount varies depending on your Bilt status level and is based on the national savings rate outlined by the FDIC.

Bilt Rewards has four status tiers, which you can earn by accruing points or a specific amount of credit card spending:

• Blue — Anyone enrolled in Bilt Rewards
• Silver — At least 50,000 eligible points earned in a calendar year or $10,000 in eligible spend
• Gold — At least 125,000 eligible points earned in a calendar year or $25,000 in eligible spend
• Platinum — At least 200,000 eligible points earned in a calendar year or $50,000 in eligible spend

Earn Points When You Renew or Sign a Lease

Bilt offers bonus point incentives when you sign a new lease or renew an existing one with a property in the Bilt Rewards Alliance. These incentives vary by property but can amount to thousands of points, which you can claim for yourself or share among roommates.

Additionally, Bilt members with Silver elite status or higher can earn 10-50% bonus points when signing or renewing a lease and paying the bill with a Bilt Card:

• Blue — 0%
• Silver — 10%
• Gold — 25%
• Platinum — 50%

Earn Points on a Home Purchase

Earning points on rent is great, but what if you’re ready to buy a home? Bilt makes it possible to earn lots of points on a home purchase through eXp Reality.

Members earn 1 Bilt point per $2 on the closing price of their new home, which can add up substantially.

Most homebuyers get nothing when buying a new home, so the ability to earn hundreds of Bilt points is incredibly rewarding.

How To Redeem Bilt Points

One of the most attractive features of Bilt Rewards is the ability to redeem Bilt Points for luxury travel. You can transfer Bilt Points to airline and hotel partners for award travel!

Bilt Rewards Transfer Partners — Airlines and Hotels

One of the best ways to redeem Bilt points is through Bilt’s transfer partners. With both domestic and international frequent flyer programs, there are lots of ways to put your rewards to good use.

So whether you want to book an Emirates first class ticket halfway around the world or a short domestic flight on United Airlines, Bilt has you covered.

Bilt’s partner list is among the most comprehensive; it has United MileagePlus, as well as the fantastic World of Hyatt loyalty program.

Just remember that when you transfer points, you must do so in 1,000-point increments. Bilt Rewards Blue members must transfer a minimum of 2,000 points while Silver members and above can transfer a minimum of 1,000 points.

To transfer Bilt points to travel partners, follow these simple steps:

1. Open your Bilt Rewards app on your phone or visit the website.
2. Log into your Bilt Rewards account.
3. Navigate to the “Rewards” tab.
4. Select “Transfer” from the top menu.
5. Choose your desired transfer partner and link your account to the Bilt Rewards app.
6. Once the accounts are linked, choose the transfer partner again, enter the number of points to transfer, and click Transfer points.

Bilt Rewards Travel Portal

The Bilt Rewards Travel Portal is powered by Expedia and allows you to book flights, hotels, rental cars, and activities using your points. Your points are worth 1.25 cents each in the portal, similar to the redemption offered by the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card.

Read our Bilt vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred review to find out how the two cards stack up.

Other Redemption Options

There are 5 other ways you can use Bilt Points:

• Hand-curated art, decor, and apparel through The Bilt Collection
• Group fitness classes at Barry’s, Rumble Boxing Group Fitness, SoulCycle, Y7 Studio, and others
• Shopping on Amazon
• Rent payments
• Down payment toward homeownership

Everything Else You Need To Know

What Are Bilt Points Worth?

We value Bilt Points at 1.8 cents each, which means 50,000 Bilt Points are worth $900 and 100,000 Bilt Points are worth $1,800.

In general, you’ll get reduced value when using Bilt Points at The Bilt Collection, for group fitness classes, or rent and down payments.

To get the most value, you’ll typically want to transfer points to airline and hotel partners to book business and first class flights or 5-star hotel stays.

Bilt Points Expiration

Bilt Points do not expire as long as your account is open and in good standing.

Comparing Bilt Rewards to Other Transferable Points

Getting outsized value from paying rent is easier than ever, thanks to the Bilt Card.

But how does Bilt Rewards compare to the alternatives out there?

Bilt Rewards vs. Amex Membership Rewards

Bilt Rewards is often compared to the Amex Membership Rewards program.

In some ways, Amex Membership Rewards is superior to Bilt Rewards — there are additional American Express transfer partners like Aeromexico Rewards, ANA Mileage Club, Delta SkyMiles, and Singapore KrisFlyer.

On the other hand, Bilt Rewards has a few unique transfer partners like United MileagePlus and World of Hyatt.

We value Amex Membership Rewards points at 2.2 cents each, which makes them around 20% more valuable than Bilt points.

Despite the contrasting valuations, we actually believe that it makes the most sense to hold your points in both Bilt Rewards and Amex Membership Rewards to be able to capture as many transfer partners as possible.

Bilt Rewards vs. Chase Ultimate Rewards

Bilt Rewards shares a lot of similarities with Chase Ultimate Rewards — it has United MileagePlus and World of Hyatt as a U.S. transfer partner, along with a variety of other international programs, like Air Canada Aeroplan, British Airways Executive Club, Emirates Skywards, and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.

We give the edge to Bilt Rewards here, which may be a controversial opinion. After all, Chase Ultimate Rewards points are worth 2.0 cents each, while Bilt Rewards are worth 1.8 cents each.

But we do so because it has an underrated transfer partnership with Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles.

Bilt Rewards vs. Capital One Miles

Bilt Rewards is overall a much better transferrable currency than Capital One Miles, thanks to its partnership with United Mileage Plus (for domestic U.S. flights), as well as World of Hyatt for its points-efficient hotel prices.

Capital One is more advantageous for international airline transfers like Aeromexico Rewards, Etihad Guest, and Singapore KrisFlyer.

We peg Capital One miles and Bilt Points to the same value of 1.8 cents each, which makes them neck-and-neck competitors.

Bilt Rewards vs. Citi ThankYou Rewards

The Citi ThankYou program’s biggest strength is its portfolio of international airline frequent flyer programs — however, it only has one U.S.-based airline partner (JetBlue TrueBlue).

In contrast, Bilt Rewards has a partnership with United Airlines. You can also redeem points at World of Hyatt for some fantastic deals.

One underrated feature of Citi ThankYou Points, though, is the ability to transfer points at a 1:2 ratio to Choice Privileges — when done successfully, you can get some great value at hotels.

We value Bilt Points at 1.8 cents each, while Citi ThankYou Points are worth 1.6 cents apiece.

Take Advantage of Other Bilt Rewards Benefits

Bilt Status

Bilt Cardholders can earn points towards 4 tiers of Bilt status:

• Blue — Less than 50,000 eligible points earned in a calendar year
• Silver — At least 50,000 eligible points earned in a calendar year or $10,000 of eligible spend
• Gold — At least 125,000 eligible points earned in a calendar year or $25,000 of eligible spend
• Platinum — At least 200,000 eligible points earned in a calendar year or $50,000 of eligible spend

Benefits include a Bilt Collection gift (Platinum), a complimentary BLADE helicopter flight between New York City and JFK or Newark airports (Platinum), bonus points new leases or renewals at participating properties (Silver, Gold, Platinum), and a homeownership concierge (Gold, Platinum).

Members who reach Silver, Gold, or Platinum status can earn interest (in the form of points) based on the national savings rate outlined by the FDIC. The interest is calculated based on the average daily points balance in your account across every 30-day period.

Additional Benefits

The Bilt Card also comes with a variety of other benefits, including:

• Trip cancellation and interruption insurance with up to $5,000 in coverage per traveler
• Trip delay reimbursement of up to $200 per day when your trip is delayed by more than 6 hours due to covered reasons (up to $1,800 per trip)
• No foreign transaction fees on purchases originating abroad
• Cell phone protection of up to $800 per claim (subject to a $25 deductible)
• Purchase security of up to $10,000 per claim for purchases that are stolen or damaged within 90 days of the date of purchase

Final Thoughts

Overall, Bilt Rewards has become one of the biggest players in the transferrable rewards space, mostly because of its unexpectedly awesome collection of airline and hotel partners.

It’s hard to complain about its transfer partners when it has United MileagePlus and World of Hyatt, and a bunch of other international frequent flyer programs all under 1 umbrella!

Currently, the best way to earn Bilt Points is through credit card spending on the Bilt Card, thanks to the 3x points on dining, 2x points on travel, and 1x points on other purchases.

Make sure to capitalize on the double bonus earnings on Rent Day, referral bonuses, and more. However, you must use your card 5 times each statement period to earn points (See Rewards & Benefits).

We still believe Amex Membership Rewards points are more valuable than Bilt Points, but we’re in the controversial camp that believes Bilt Points are more valuable than Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

Bilt Points are roughly on par with Capital One miles, and slightly better than Citi ThankYou Points.

However, Amex, Capital One, and Citi generally offer easier ways to accumulate more points beyond just 1 credit card product. At the same time, Bilt offers the ability to rack up points with rent, which is unique and very rewarding for millions of consumers.