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What is Bilt?
Bilt is two parts of the same company. The first half is the Bilt app. This app is free for anyone to download and holds several bonus events for app holders. The second part is the Bilt credit card which earns Bilt points and also gives points benefits to renters.
The Bilt App
The Bilt app is free to download, and I recommend it. Not only does it give you several options for earning points without the credit card, but it also gives you access to their free Point.me tool.
Bonus Points & Rent Day
On the first of every month, the Bilt app has an event titled Rent Day. On Rent Day, you can participate in their challenges and earn points. These points are transferrable to their transfer partners, which are highly valued. You can also earn bonus points for dining and other outings if you link your credit card within the app. Anytime you utilize this at their selected locations, you will earn points.
Point.Me
Point.Me is an exceptional value within the Bilt app. Although it does not function at it’s full capacity within the app, it does give you a lot of info for free that would usually be paid for. To utilize point.me outside of the app you are looking at $130/year. This gives you access to points booking prices with the airline partners that Bilt is paired with.
Awayz
Similar to Point.Me, Awayz gives you points booking information for hotels partnered with Bilt. This is another paid service that is free within the bilt app, and adds a lot of value.
The Bilt Credit Card
I will start this by saying I do not have the Bilt credit card. I know many in the points and miles community who love their bilt card, and there’s a good chance I will eventually get one. However, it has not been high on my list for a 5/24 slot because I cannot utilize their rent benefits.
The Card
This card has a $0 annual fee and earns 1 point per dollar on rent, and they waive all your transaction fees. It will give you points on up to 100,000 dollars of rent per year. You will also receive 2 points per dollar on travel and 3 points per dollar on dining. You do need to use the card 5 times per statement in order to receive these rewards. I feel like that’s a unique and important distinction.
Rent Day
On Rent Day, as a cardholder, you will receive all the benefits previously discussed regarding Rent Day, but you also have unique benefits. On the first of every month the points you earn with your card will double. This means that for that day you will receive 6x points on dining, and 4x points on travel and 2x points on any other purchase. Many people eat out on the first of every month to take advantage of this perk.
Bilt For Renters
If you have to pay rent, you might as well earn points on it right? If rent payments are one of your largest payments in your budget, I would prioritize this card in my 5/24 strategy.
Bilt Transfer Partners
Bilt has had some shake ups as of late in their transfer partners, splitting the points and miles community on their opinions of the partners. For better or worse, the current partners are:
Airlines
- Alaska Airlines
- American Airlines (soon to leave)
- Flying Blue
- Cathay Pacific
- Aeroplan
- United Mileage Plus
- Virgin Atlantic
- Avianca Lifemiles
- Turkish Airlines Miles and Smiles
- Iberia
- British Airways
- AERClub
- Emirates Skywards
- Hawaiian Airlines
Hotels
- IHG
- World of Hyatt
- Marriott Bonvoy
Will Bilt cover mortgage payments?
Short Answer: No. Long Answer: They are working on it. If mortgage payments become a part of Bilt I can guarantee you this will fly to the top of a lot of lists for new cards.
Final Thoughts
This Bilt card makes the most sense if you are a renter. Although, even if you aren’t a renter, it provides some steady points for unique transfer partners like Alaska Airlines. For me, the app is absolutely worth it whether you grab the card or not.
