Bilt Reduces Points Earning on Partner Credit Cards, Hints at New Partnerships

Updated: May 20, 2025, 6:38pm CDT

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Bilt Reduces Earning Rates on Rent With Non-Bilt Credit Cards
Bilt Hints at New Partnerships
Final Thoughts

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Well, that was quick. Just last month, Bilt announced the ability to earn points on rent when paying with credit cards other than its own product.

Now, Bilt Rewards is reducing the earning rates on several of these credit cards. Apparently, Bilt’s management didn’t like what they saw after a month of this new feature — Bilt has halved the earning rates for many credit cards. It is dropping the earning rates on Discover, Mastercard, and Visa credit cards to match the already poor earning rates with American Express. This change will go into effect on July 21, 2025.

On the other hand, Bilt is hinting at new partnerships to match its existing offering with Alaska Airlines for earning rent rewards.

Here’s how these changes affect you.

Bilt Reduces Earning Rates on Rent With Non-Bilt Credit Cards

First things first, it’s worth mentioning that this devaluation doesn’t affect the Bilt Mastercard. That’s the silver lining. As long as you make the mandatory 5 transactions per billing cycle on this card, you’ll earn rewards as you always have.

Last month, Bilt announced the ability to earn points on rent with additional credit cards. While paying with a Visa or American Express card — rather than your Bilt Card — does incur a 3% transaction fee on rent payments, the highlight of this announcement was the ability to earn Bilt Rewards Points on top of whatever your credit card offers.

Now, those earning rates are getting cut in half on July 21, 2025.

Shot of woman using her laptop for shopping online and paying with credit card while sitting in the kitchen at home — Image Credit: Josep Suria via Shutterstock

According to a spokesperson from Bilt, the company is “making some adjustments to our current offerings on third-party cards used to pay rent, based on the results we saw last month. We’ll be aligning the rewards value prop on the Bilt platform for Mastercard, Visa, and Discover cards to be in line with American Express cards.”

Here’s a look at the altered earning rates going forward:

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Card Type	Current Earning Rate	New Rate (From July 21, 2025)
Visa, Mastercard, and Discover cards	1 point per $1 spent	1 point per $2 spent
American Express cards	1 point per $2 spent	No change

These numbers don’t affect whatever rewards your credit card earns, and it’s worth repeating that paying rent through Bilt with any of these cards will incur a 3% transaction fee.

Amex cards aren’t affected by these changes, but earning rates on other cards will be reduced to match the already low earning rate for using an American Express card.

Hot Tip:

Paying rent with a credit card, even with a fee, can be worth it if you’re earning rewards that are worth more than the fee — or if you’re doing it to earn a big welcome bonus offer on a new credit card. Make sure to do the math to see what makes sense in your situation.

Bilt Hints at New Partnerships

Through Bilt’s partnership with Alaska Airlines, it’s possible to pay rent with the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature^® credit card and earn 3x Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles on rent — up to $50,000 annually, then 1x. Again, there’s a 3% transaction fee on these payments, while the Bilt Card does not charge administrative fees for rent.

Now, Bilt Rewards is planning similar partnerships with additional co-branded travel credit cards “later this summer.” The same spokesperson said this would involve “our travel partners,” which may indicate co-branded credit cards from rewards programs found in the list of Bilt’s transfer partners.

Final Thoughts

The idea of new partnerships for earning rewards on rent payments is exciting. However, it’s coupled with a reduction in the number of points you can earn on rent payments with Bilt Rewards, assuming you’re using a credit card other than the Bilt Card.

When the ability to use these other credit cards was first announced, we mentioned that you should do the math to ensure the fee associated with these payments is worth it. After the earning rates are reduced on July 21, it will be worth it in even fewer instances.