Bilt Rewards has made a name for itself in the travel rewards world since it launched in 2021. It was the first loyalty program to let you earn points when you pay your rent, and it’s expanded to reward members for dining at local restaurants, filling prescriptions at Walgreens, and taking Lyft rides.
Bilt Rewards has a credit card too, dubbed the Bilt Mastercard®. This card has no annual fee and lets you earn Bilt Rewards points on daily purchases. These points can then be transferred to airline and hotel loyalty programs — including heavy-hitters like Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan and World of Hyatt — or redeemed for a discount on your rent or through the Bilt Rewards Travel Portal.
We think the Bilt Mastercard is one of the best no-annual-fee travel credit cards out there, thanks to its excellent earning structure and great transfer partners. However, you should know the card’s ins and outs before applying to ensure it aligns with your financial needs.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Bilt Mastercard®.
Let’s get the bad news out of the way first: the Bilt Mastercard doesn’t have a welcome offer. This is disappointing as other no-annual-fee credit cards include small welcome bonuses. However, thanks to its other features, we think the card is still worth considering.
The Bilt Mastercard is among the best no-annual-fee credit cards for everyday spending. You’ll earn the following:
Bilt makes paying (and earning points from) your rent remarkably easy. Head to the Rent tab in the Bilt Rewards app and choose how you usually pay your landlord. Some options include mailing a check, sending an ACH transfer, and paying with Venmo. Regardless of how you pay, Bilt will send your payment for fre,e and you’ll earn points in the process.
Bilt also runs its monthly Rent Day promotion on the first of every month. This promotion lets you earn double points on all purchases that day — up to 1,000 points — and often has lucrative partner benefits. In the past, we’ve seen Rent Day transfer bonuses and status matches to airline and hotel loyalty programs.
You must make at least five transactions per statement period on your Bilt Mastercard to earn points.
Much of the Bilt Mastercard’s value comes from the points it earns — and we’ll discuss that shortly. However, there are still some perks you should know about, including extensive travel protections.
You can redeem Bilt Rewards points for:
You’ll almost always get the best value from your Bilt Rewards points by transferring them to Bilt’s extensive list of transfer partners. You can view the full list of transfer partners in our full guide to Bilt Rewards, but here are a few interesting ways to leverage Bilt points for flights on major U.S. airlines:
For American Airlines flights:
For United Airlines flights:
For Delta Air Lines flights:
Some of our other favorite ways to redeem Bilt points include:
There are hundreds of travel credit cards out there, so it’s essential to assess your options before you apply for the Bilt Mastercard. Here are two comparable cards to consider:
The Bilt Mastercard is well worth it for renters who want to earn points on rent payments and other everyday purchases. There’s no other credit card that gives you valuable travel rewards points for your rent payments. Plus, earning 3 points per dollar on dining is rare for a card with no annual fee.
The card’s value goes well beyond earning points. When it’s time to redeem, you can transfer Bilt Rewards points to some of the travel world’s most lucrative loyalty programs like Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, Air Canada Aeroplan, World of Hyatt, and United MileagePlus, among others. We’ve consistently redeemed our Bilt points for 3+ cents per point.
It’s also one of the few no-annual-fee credit cards that doesn’t charge a foreign transaction fee. Earning rates don’t change abroad, so you’ll earn the same 3 points per dollar when enjoying a pain au chocolat at a Paris cafe as you do at your neighborhood Dunkin’ Donuts.
We strongly recommend the Bilt Mastercard to renters and anyone looking for a no-annual-fee credit card. It’s the only card that rewards you for rent payments, and it earns a nice sum on travel and dining purchases too. And once you have points, you can redeem them with some of the industry’s leading loyalty programs.
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