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8 Best Ways To Earn Lots of Bilt Rewards Points [2023]

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Bilt Rewards is one of the newest transferrable rewards currencies in the world of credit cards.

And it’s certainly one to pay close attention to — with Bilt Rewards points, you can earn and redeem rewards seamlessly, with a number of redemption pathways and several ways to rack up points.

Bilt Rewards’ transfer partners are exceptional — and if you’re a frequent traveler, you’ll love the impressive list of partners you can leverage.

Don’t worry if you’re unfamiliar with Bilt Rewards. In this guide, we’ll show you how to accumulate lots of Bilt Rewards points so that you can build a healthy stash of points to use towards that lovely vacation you’ve been planning.

Why Bilt Rewards Points?

Bilt Moinian Oskar Plaque
Image Credit: Bilt Rewards

Bilt was launched to make one of the most expensive purchases more rewarding: rent.

In the past, paying rent was somewhat of a wasted purchase in the sense that you’d just write a check or pay for rent through your bank account without any opportunity for earning rewards.

But with Bilt, you can now seamlessly earn Bilt Rewards points on rent payments, allowing you to dramatically accelerate how many points you earn every month. This can mean thousands of extra points every single month!

Flexibility of Bilt Rewards Points

Bilt Rewards also has one of the best lists of transfer partners available. In the event that you don’t see yourself using transfer partners, Bilt Rewards points can also be redeemed toward a down payment (with some restrictions) or as a credit on future rent.

Another way to redeem Bilt Rewards points is for workout classes at partners like Rumble and SoulCycle.

Finally, Bilt is also debuting the Bilt Collection, a platform for redeeming points at various merchants in travel, housing, fitness, and lifestyle.

Your Bilt Rewards points will not expire as long as your account is open.

Ease of Earning Bilt Rewards

To state the obvious, it’s easiest to earn Bilt Rewards points by spending on Bilt’s own credit card. However, you don’t need one to earn Bilt Rewards points.

Using a Bilt Rewards Credit Card To Earn Points

Bilt currently offers just 1 credit card: the Bilt World Elite Mastercard® Credit Card issued by Wells Fargo. Bilt does not charge any fees for eligible rent payments or on foreign transactions.

Bilt World Elite Mastercard® Credit CardTerms 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 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.

$0

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 benefits 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

  • 3x points per $1 at restaurants including eligible delivery
  • 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
  • No foreign transaction fee
  • Access to airline transfer partners

Cons

  • Does not offer a welcome bonus
  • Must use the card 5 times each statement period to earn points
  • $0 annual card fee
  • 1X points on rent payments with no fees (on up to $100,000 in rent payments every year) and non-bonus purchases
  • 2X points on travel (when booked directly with an airline, hotel, car rental or cruise company)
  • 3X points on dining
  • Use the card 5 times each statement period to earn points

Financial Snapshot

  • Foreign Transaction Fees: $0

Card Categories

The Bilt card doesn’t offer a traditional welcome bonus, though this may change in the future. However, from time to time it offers a higher rewards multiplier for a limited time after your card is approved.

Hot Tip: You need to make at least 5 transactions within every statement period in order to earn bonus points on the Bilt card. Otherwise, you will earn a flat 250 points each month that you pay rent on this card. 

1. Earn Points on Rent

Bilt app Review and Pay
Image Credit: Bilt Rewards

The impetus for creating Bilt was to make rent payments more rewarding. With the Bilt card, you can earn 1x points on rent payments per dollar spent when you make 5 transactions that post each statement period, up to 50,000 points from rent per calendar year. However, you can only make rent payments on 1 rental property per month.

If your rent payment is less than $250, or if you do not use your card for at least 5 transactions each month, you’ll earn a flat 250 points per statement if you pay with your Bilt card.

More than 2 million housing units participate in the Bilt Rewards Alliance, allowing renters to pay rent on the Bilt card without incurring a transaction fee.

If your property manager isn’t part of the Bilt Rewards Alliance, you can still earn rewards by using the Bilt app to send a rent check to your landlord each month. You’ll need to pay a few days ahead of your rent due date to ensure that your check arrives on time.

Hot Tip: If your landlord is a Bilt Rewards Alliance member, you can earn 250 Bilt Rewards points per rent payment without the credit card by signing up for a Bilt Rewards account through the website.

2. Pick Up the Bill at Restaurants

The Bilt card earns an impressive 3x points at restaurants and select delivery or takeout services. So whenever you’re eating out, pick up the bill and earn 3x points!

Dining is defined as:

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

Note that caterers, grocery stores, and other miscellaneous places that serve food or operate restaurants on their premises are not considered eating places and restaurants.

3. Book Travel

If you’re thinking of booking travel, you’ll be pleased to find out that the Bilt card earns 2x points on travel. Bilt’s broad definition of travel allows you to rack up points quicker than you might think on purchases from the following types of businesses:

  • Airlines
  • Car rental agencies
  • Cruise lines
  • Hotels
  • Motels
  • Resorts

However, Bilt explicitly outlines a number of exceptions that do not qualify as travel expenses:

  • Boat lease/rental
  • Bus lines
  • Campgrounds
  • Ferries
  • Garages
  • Motor home/recreational vehicle rental
  • Online travel sites
  • Parking lots
  • Passenger railways/trains
  • Real estate agents
  • Rideshares
  • Taxicabs and limousines
  • Timeshares
  • Toll bridges and highways
  • Travel agencies
  • Vacation rental platforms such as Vrbo or Airbnb

Luckily, the largest buckets of most travelers’ trip expenses are covered.

4. Use the Bilt Card for Everything Else

On all other purchases, the Bilt card earns 1x points per dollar. So whether you’re paying for health insurance premiums, sporting goods, or flowers, expect to earn 1 Bilt Rewards point per dollar spent.

Specialty Earning Opportunities

Beyond standard credit card spending and rent payments, let’s take a look at the remaining ways to earn Bilt Rewards points.

5. Earn Interest on Your Points

Bilt status
Image Credit: Bilt Rewards

Bilt offers a unique 4-tier elite status program that earns interest on the number of points in your account balance.

Your status is determined by the number of Bilt Rewards points you earned within the calendar year, while your interest earnings are based on the number of points in your account:

  • Blue — Less than 25,000 points earned in a calendar year
  • Silver — At least 25,000 points earned in a calendar year
  • Gold — At least 50,000 points earned in a calendar year
  • Platinum — At least 100,000 points earned in a calendar year

If you’re a Silver member or higher, Bilt will pay you interest on your 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. Note that interest is paid in the form of points, not in cash.

6. Refer a Friend

Bilt allows you to earn points by referring your friends and family to get the Bilt card, and one unique aspect of this referral program is that you don’t even need to have the Bilt card to refer your friends.

At the moment, Bilt is offering 25,000 points every time you successfully refer 5 friends to the Bilt card and they complete their first transaction.

The best part? You can earn up to 1 million bonus points from referrals, which is the largest referral bonus cap we’ve ever seen on a credit card.

7. Sign a New Lease or Renew an Existing Lease

The final way to earn Bilt Rewards points is by either signing a new lease or renewing an existing one with a property within the Bilt Rewards Alliance.

For Silver members and higher, you can earn up to 50% extra points when you sign a new lease or renew your existing lease and proceed to charge the new rent on your Bilt card. Note that the new or existing lease must be in the Bilt Rewards Alliance.

The number of bonus points you’ll earn depends on your Bilt elite status tier:

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

In general, when you link an airline or hotel transfer partner, you can earn 100 Bilt Rewards points. So theoretically, you can get 1,100 total points from this method with its 11 total transfer partners.

Final Thoughts

Bilt is still a very new rewards program — its first credit card, the Bilt card, was recently launched to the general public; before that, you needed to either join the waitlist or receive a special invite code to apply.

Now that the floodgates are opened, we expect the company to continue bolstering its program, whether it be through other credit card options or more ways to earn points in the Bilt ecosystem.

For now, the best ways to earn Bilt Rewards points are through its credit card (particularly paying for dining, travel, and rent).

You can also earn points from referring friends to sign up for the Bilt card, even though you don’t need to be an existing cardholder. Finally, you can earn interest on your points (just like you would with a savings account) and sign a new lease or renew an existing lease to rack up more Bilt Rewards points.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much are Bilt Rewards points worth?

In general, Upgraded Points values Bilt Rewards points at 1.8 cents each.

What credit score do you need to apply for the Bilt card?

You’ll probably want to have a credit score of at least 680 or above before applying for the Bilt card. The higher your score, the greater your odds of approval.

Is the Bilt card a credit card?

Yes, it is. The Bilt card is issued by Wells Fargo and offers rewards, no annual fee, and lots of benefits.

How do you earn Bilt Rewards points?

You can earn Bilt Rewards points in several different ways by paying rent through the Bilt app, spending on the Bilt card, referring your friends to get the Bilt card, earning interest on your Bilt Rewards points, signing a new lease, or renewing an existing lease.

Stephen Au's image

About Stephen Au

Stephen is an established voice in the credit card space, with over 70 to his name. His work has been in publications like The Washington Post, and his Au Points and Awards Consulting Services is used by hundreds of clients.

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