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The Bilt Mastercard® is the first credit card to offer rewards for paying rent without paying additional transaction fees — and you can redeem your points for travel, merchandise, and more.
The Bilt card also offers bonus points on dining and select travel. But if you're not a renter, you should also consider other no-annual-fee credit cards — which you can link to the Bilt Dining program to earn Bilt Points.
If you are looking for the best credit card that allows you to earn rewards for your rent payments, without paying additional fees, the Bilt Mastercard® isn't just a great choice, it's your only choice.
The Bilt Mastercard® offers you 1 point per dollar for all rental payments, on up to $100,000 in payments every year when you use your card 5 times per statement period. There's no traditional welcome bonus, but you can earn bonus rewards by referring friends (2,500 per successful referral), and now every fifth successful referral you make gets you an additional 10,000 points (up to 2,025,000 referral points each year) — even if you don't have the card.
Bilt Mastercard®
Insider’s Rating Info icon Insider's Ratings are decided by our editorial team. The rating system considers various factors and evaluates cards against others of the same type so you can pick a card that is a good fit for your goals. A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star Icon of check mark inside a promo stamp It indicates a confirmed selection. PerksAnnual Fee$0
Intro APRN/A
Regular APRSee Terms
Intro OfferN/A
Recommended CreditGood to Excellent
Pros- Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Only credit card to offer rent payments to any landlord
- Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Excellent range of airline and hotel transfer partners through the Bilt App
- Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. World Elite Mastercard benefits and no annual fee
- con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. If you’re not a renter, other cards offer better welcome bonuses and rewards
- con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Must make 5 transactions per statement period to earn points
The Bilt Mastercard® is the first credit card to offer up to 100,000 points in a calendar year rewards for paying rent without the transaction fee — and you can redeem your points for travel, merchandise, and more. While it now offers bonus points on dining and select travel, if you're not a renter, you should consider other no-annual-fee rewards credit cards as well.
Bilt Mastercard® Product Details- Select "Apply Now" to take advantage of this specific offer and learn more about product features, terms and conditions.
- $0 Annual Fee.
- Earn up to 1x points on rent payments without the transaction fee, up to 100,000 points each calendar year.
- 2x points on travel.
- 3x points on dining.
- 1x points on other purchases.
- Earn points when you make 5 transactions that post each statement period.
- When renting at a Bilt Alliance property, you can choose to have your rent payments automatically reported by Bilt to the three major credit bureaus each month; Experian™, TransUnion™, and Equifax™.
Bilt Credit Card Overview
What's unique about the Bilt Mastercard® is that you can use it to pay your rent to any landlord, anywhere, with no transaction fee. You'll earn points on rent payments (1 point per dollar on up to $100,000 per year), 2x points on travel, 3x points on dining, and 1 point per dollar on other purchases. However, you must make a minimum of five transactions per statement period to earn points.
The Bilt Rewards program offers a number of redemption options, including point transfers to airline and hotel partners, booking travel through its travel portal, rent discounts, fitness rewards, and merchandise.
If you rent from a company in the Bilt Rewards Alliance (a network of over two million apartments in the US) you don't need the Bilt Mastercard® to earn points for paying rent — you can earn points by paying rent through the Bilt Rewards app.
However, if you're not a renter, there are many other rewards credit cards that could earn you more points, miles, or cash back for your spending — with a broader range of ways to redeem your rewards.
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Bilt Credit Card Rewards
Welcome Bonus
The Bilt Mastercard® doesn't currently have a welcome bonus offer. However, Bilt members can earn bonus points for successfully referring others to open the Bilt Mastercard®. Here's how it works:
- You'll earn 2,500 Bilt Points for each Bilt Mastercard® applicant you refer and is approved for the card
- For every five successful referrals you make, you'll earn another 10,000 Bilt Points (so 22,500 points per five referrals)
- Each Bilt member is capped at a total of 50 referral bonuses
Note that in order for a referral to qualify, the person you're referring can't have already had a Bilt Rewards account or opened the Bilt Mastercard®. In addition, your referral must create their Bilt Rewards account through a unique referral code you provide them, otherwise, they won't count.
You don't even have to have the Bilt Mastercard® to refer friends. Download the Bilt Rewards app and just click "Invite."
How to Earn Rewards on the Bilt Mastercard
Everyday Spending
For a card with a $0 annual fee (see rates and fees), the Bilt Mastercard® offers a respectable return rate for common spending habits:
- 1 point per dollar on rent payments (with no transaction fees) on up to $100,000 in rent payments every year
- 2 points per dollar on travel booked directly with airlines, hotels, car rentals, or cruise lines
- 3 points per dollar on dining (including food delivery services like Uber Eats and GrubHub)
- 1 point per dollar on other purchases
Again, earning 1 point per dollar on rent isn't the card's selling point — it's the fact that you can use a credit card to pay rent with no transaction fees. The rewards are simply a bonus.
You must make at least five purchases on the card each billing cycle to be eligible to earn rewards. Bilt wants this card to be top of mind for you each month — beyond just rent payments.
Lyft Rides
Bilt Rewards and Lyft have a partnership that earns bonus Bilt points on Lyft rides. When you link your Bilt and Lyft accounts and pay with your Bilt Mastercard® through the Lyft app, you'll earn 5 Bilt Points per dollar. If you don't have the Bilt Mastercard® but are still a Bilt Rewards member, you'll earn 2 points per dollar.
Bilt Rent Day
Bilt Rent Day falls on the first of every month, and often includes promotions such as challenges and trivia questions to earn bonus points, free rent, and other perks.
Most importantly, cardholders can earn double points on non-rent spending over Bilt Rent Day, up to a maximum of 10,000 bonus points, as follows:
- 6 points per dollar on dining (normally 3 points per dollar)
- 4 points per dollar on travel (normally 2 points per dollar)
- 2 points per dollar on other spending excluding rent (normally 1 point per dollar)
Milestone Rewards
Milestone Rewards are incremental benefits that all Bilt members can earn as they spend their way toward elite status, whether or not they have the Bilt credit card. Bilt members can claim one Milestone Reward for every 25k points they earn in a calendar year, and can unlock new reward options at each new "milestone" point threshold.
Milestone Rewards can be found and claimed under the Elite Status tab in the Bilt app.
How to Use Rewards Earned From the Bilt Card
Transfer Points to Airline and Hotel Partners
What's really exciting about the Bilt Rewards program is that you can transfer points to airline and hotel loyalty programs, and the selection of award transfer partners is comparable to more established credit card rewards programs such as Chase Ultimate Rewards®, Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One Miles, and Citi ThankYou Rewards.
Bilt Transfer Partners
- Aer Lingus AerClub
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Avianca LifeMiles
- British Airways Executive Club
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Emirates Skywards
- Flying Blue (Air France-KLM)
- Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles
- Iberia Plus
- IHG Rewards Club
- Marriott Bonvoy
- Turkish Miles & Smiles
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- United Airlines
- World of Hyatt
All transfers are instant and at a 1:1 ratio.
Bilt Points are worth 1.65 cents each, on average, based on Business Insider's points and miles valuations. That's because you can often get huge value by transferring your rewards to partners like United Airlines and Hyatt.
Redeem Points Through the Bilt Travel Portal
You can use your Bilt Points to book flights, hotels, rental cars, and activities through the Bilt Rewards Travel portal at a rate of 1.25 cents per point. Because it's powered by Expedia, you can access a wide variety of travel options around the globe, and the value per point you'll get is better than what most other bank portals offer.
It's also got the ability to compare the points price of a flight booked through the portal to what you'd spend by transferring points to partners for an award flight. This can help tremendously in your decision-making process when it comes time to redeem your rewards.
The Bilt Rewards app now includes Point.me integration, which allows users to search for award flight availability with all of Bilt's transfer partners. Point.me will find you the best deal, and you can even transfer your Bilt Points to your chosen airline right in the app.
Use Bilt Points for Amazon Purchases
Bilt added the ability to redeem points at Amazon checkout, similar to using other flexible rewards points. You can link your Bilt Mastercard® to your Amazon account and use points to fully or partially pay for a purchase. However, you won't get a good value for your rewards this way — Bilt Points are only worth 0.7 cents apiece when you redeem them for Amazon purchases.
Use Points for Fitness Classes
Bilt Rewards partners with Soul Cycle, Solidcore, and Y7, and you can redeem points for group classes or subscriptions.
Redeem Bilt Points for Merchandise
Bilt members can cash in their points in the Bilt App for home decor, art, and other exclusive items through the Bilt Collection.
Get Discounts on Rent With Points
If you want to reduce your monthly expenses, you can cash in your points for discounts on rent payments. However, you'll only receive a value of 0.55 cents per point and this is only possible if you live within the Bilt Rewards Alliance
Use Points Toward a Down Payment on a Mortgage
When you're ready to transition from renting to homeownership, Bilt will offer the opportunity to put points toward a down payment on a mortgage.
Bilt Credit Card Benefits and Features
Cell Phone Protection
When you pay your monthly wireless bill with your card, you're eligible for cell phone protection of up to $800 per claim, up to two claims per year. You'll be subject to a $25 deductible — which is low compared to many other credit cards that offer cell phone protection.
Trip Delay Reimbursement
When your flight is delayed six hours or more, the card's trip delay insurance reimburses you for reasonable expenses such as food, accommodation, and even extras like entertainment and airline lounges. You and all covered travelers are eligible to receive $200 per day for up to three days (maximum $1,800 in total per covered trip).
Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver
When you pay for your rental car with the card and decline the rental agency's in-house insurance, you'll receive primary car rental insurance for damage and theft — up to the cash value of the car. You and the other drivers on the reservation will be covered.
This benefit can save you $15+ per day over opting for the rental agency's proprietary coverage.
Trip Cancellation and Interruption Protection
You are eligible for up to $5,000 per insured person for nonrefundable tickets you've paid for with the Bilt Mastercard®. Eligible travelers include you, your spouse or domestic partner, and your dependent children.
This credit card travel insurance will cover you for things like death, accidental bodily injury, or the common carrier defaulting from financial insolvency.
Purchase Security
The card's purchase protection program, Purchase Assurance Plus, covers any eligible new purchase you make with the card against accidental damage or loss for 90 days, for up to $10,000 per claim, and $50,000 per cardholder.
Merchant Discounts
Bilt Mastercard® cardholders get practical discounts with popular brands. You'll get a $5 Lyft credit whenever you pay for three or more rides in a calendar month.
World Elite Concierge Services
Cardholders can access Mastercard's World Elite Concierge, which can help with things like hard-to-get restaurant reservations or event tickets.
Bilt Mastercard® Insider’s Rating Info icon Insider's Ratings are decided by our editorial team. The rating system considers various factors and evaluates cards against others of the same type so you can pick a card that is a good fit for your goals. A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star Icon of check mark inside a promo stamp It indicates a confirmed selection. PerksAnnual Fee$0
Intro APRN/A
Regular APRSee Terms
Intro OfferN/A
Recommended CreditGood to Excellent
Pros- Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Only credit card to offer rent payments to any landlord
- Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Excellent range of airline and hotel transfer partners through the Bilt App
- Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. World Elite Mastercard benefits and no annual fee
- con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. If you’re not a renter, other cards offer better welcome bonuses and rewards
- con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Must make 5 transactions per statement period to earn points
The Bilt Mastercard® is the first credit card to offer up to 100,000 points in a calendar year rewards for paying rent without the transaction fee — and you can redeem your points for travel, merchandise, and more. While it now offers bonus points on dining and select travel, if you're not a renter, you should consider other no-annual-fee rewards credit cards as well.
Bilt Mastercard® Product Details- Select "Apply Now" to take advantage of this specific offer and learn more about product features, terms and conditions.
- $0 Annual Fee.
- Earn up to 1x points on rent payments without the transaction fee, up to 100,000 points each calendar year.
- 2x points on travel.
- 3x points on dining.
- 1x points on other purchases.
- Earn points when you make 5 transactions that post each statement period.
- When renting at a Bilt Alliance property, you can choose to have your rent payments automatically reported by Bilt to the three major credit bureaus each month; Experian™, TransUnion™, and Equifax™.
Bilt Credit Card Annual Fee and Other Costs
There's no annual fee for the Bilt Mastercard®, and there are no transaction fees to pay your rent with it. It's also a good choice if you're traveling overseas, because it doesn't add foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees).
Like most cards, the Bilt Mastercard® charges fees for other situations, including:
- Balance transfer fees
- Cash advance fees
- Late payment fees
How the Bilt Rewards Credit Card Compares
Bilt Credit Card vs. the Chase Sapphire Preferred
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is one of the best travel credit cards with a modest annual fee ($95). It doesn't offer the same ability to earn rewards on rent payments to any landlord, but it does offer 3x points on dining and 2x points on travel. Like the Bilt Mastercard®, it has a partnership with Lyft, where cardholders can earn 5x total points on Lyft rides through March 2025. The Chase Ultimate Rewards program is among the best when it comes to options for redeeming your credit card points, especially if you want to book flights or hotel stays.
Read our Chase Sapphire Preferred Card review
Bilt Credit Card vs. the Amex Gold Card
The American Express® Gold Card is another top travel card option, though note it has a higher annual fee of $325. It comes with up to $10 per month back in statement credits toward purchases at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys (enrollment required). It also offers up to $10 per month in Uber Cash credits when you enroll, up to a maximum of $120 per year (you must have the latest version of the Uber App and your eligible Amex Gold Card must be a method of payment in your Uber account). If you take full advantage of these and additional credits the Amex Gold Card offers, you'll almost cancel out the annual fee. And it's even more rewarding for dining than the Bilt Mastercard®; you'll earn 4x points at restaurants worldwide (on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar), and 4x points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 spent at U.S. supermarkets each year, then 1 point per dollar).
Read our Amex Gold Card review
Bilt Credit Card Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Bilt credit card worth it? Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.The Bilt Mastercard® is a $0-annual-fee credit card. That means if you earn just a single point each year, you're getting more value from the card than you're paying. If you tend to pay rent with a credit card — or if you'd like to— the Bilt Mastercard® is a no-brainer. Depending on how much you pay in rent, this card could easily save you $500+ per year in transaction fees.
How can you spend Bilt Rewards? Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.You can use Bilt Rewards for things like merchandise, future rent payment, and select gym memberships. However, you'll get the biggest return for your points by transferring them to valuable travel partners like Hyatt, United Airlines, and Air Canada Aeroplan, or redeeming them through the Bilt Travel portal.
Does the Bilt credit card earn airline miles? Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.You won't earn airline miles directly, but you can convert your points into airline miles (or hotel points) if you desire. Bilt currently has 14 transfer partners to choose from — and the list is ever-growing.
Does the Bilt credit card come with a sign-up bonus? Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.The Bilt Mastercard® doesn't offer a traditional sign-up bonus, but you can still earn rewards by referring friends to the card. You'll get up to 2,025,000 bonus miles worth of successful referrals to friends and family (total of 450 referrals).
Which bank issues the Bilt credit card? Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.Wells Fargo issues the Bilt Mastercard®. That's great news if you've already got a bunch of cards from more mainstream banks like Chase, American Express, Citi, or Capital One.
Why You Should Trust Us: How We Reviewed the Bilt Credit Card
We evaluated the Bilt Mastercard® in comparison to similar travel rewards credit cards and looked at various factors, including:
- Ease of use — Does the card have straightforward earning and redemption options? Are there multiple ways to use points?
- Rewards earning potential — Are the card's bonus categories useful for everyday spending? And are any of them capped at a certain amount of spending?
- Unique perks — Does the card have features you won't find on comparable cards? In Bilt Mastercard®'s case, for instance, it's the only card that allows you to pay rent with no transaction fees.
- Benefits — How do the card's benefits, particularly its travel perks, compare to similar cards?
Read our full guide to how we rate credit cards at Personal Finance Insider.
Jason Steele Freelance Contributor Jason Steele is a personal finance journalist and an expert in credit cards, consumer credit, and travel rewards. Jason speaks at numerous conferences every year and is the founder and producer of CardCon, The Conference for Credit Card Media.ExperienceJason has been writing about credit cards, travel rewards, and personal finance since 2008, and his work has appeared in over 100 outlets including Forbes, USA Today, Newsweek, Time, The Wall Street Journal and CNN. In 2012, Jason became the first contributor to The Points Guy, where he’s a senior points and miles correspondent. In 2017, Jason founded the CardCon conference to bring together the media that covers the credit card industry. Jason also consults for businesses in the credit card industry, as well as individuals who need to maximize their earning and spending of travel rewards. Jason loves learning everything he can about credit cards and travel rewards, and sharing his excitement with his readers. When readers can learn new tips and tricks, and use them to save money and earn free travel, he feels like he’s making a difference in their lives. ExperienceJason's expertise includes:- Credit cards
- Consumer credit
- Travel rewards
- Aviation
Tessa Campbell Investing and Retirement Reporter Tessa Campbell is an investing and retirement reporter on Business Insider’s personal finance desk. Over two years of personal finance reporting, Tessa has built expertise on a range of financial topics, from the best credit cards to the best retirement savings accounts.ExperienceTessa currently reports on all things investing — deep-diving into complex financial topics, shedding light on lesser-known investment avenues, and uncovering ways readers can work the system to their advantage.As a personal finance expert in her 20s, Tessa is acutely aware of the impacts time and uncertainty have on your investment decisions. While she curates Business Insider’s guide on the best investment apps, she believes that your financial portfolio does not have to be perfect, it just has to exist. A small investment is better than nothing, and the mistakes you make along the way are a necessary part of the learning process.Expertise: Tessa’s expertise includes:- Credit cards
- Investing apps
- Retirement savings
- Cryptocurrency
- The stock market
- Retail investing
Angela Fung Marketing Compliance Manager Angela Fung is the Compliance Manager for Business Insider's Personal Finance division, overseeing a team that ensures content accuracy and editorial independence so readers are always getting up-to-date and objective financial advice.The compliance team's mission is to maintain reader trust by confirming stories are fact-checked and current so that readers can make informed financial decisions. The team also works to minimize risk for partners by maintaining clear, precise language that is compliant with regulatory and partner marketing guidelines that align with the editorial team. Read more Read less Top Offers From Our Partners 
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