If you’re a renter, you’ve most likely stumbled upon Bilt.
The Bilt Rewards program is a way for renters to earn rewards for each on-time rent payment they make. Residents can then use those points to pay for expenses like travel, rent and dining. And when renters are ready to transition into buyers, they can even use their points for a down payment on a home.
There are two different enrollment options with Bilt Rewards: the Housing-Only Option or the Flexible Bilt Cash Option (the default option). If you live in a Bilt Rewards Alliance property, you can enroll in the program without applying for a Bilt credit card.
We break down everything you need to know.
[Read: Best Credit Cards.]
Introducing Bilt Card 2.0
Bilt launched Bilt Card 2.0 earlier this year, which is a suite of three separate Mastercards that have an updated rewards rate. Each credit card is aimed at a different kind of renter (and eventual homeowner) and has tiered annual fees. Here’s a brief overview of the new credit cards.
| Card | Bilt Blue Card | Bilt Obsidian Card | Bilt Palladium Card |
| Annual fee | $0 | $95 | $495 |
| Intro APR | 10% intro APR on purchases for 12 billing cycles | 10% intro APR on purchases for 12 billing cycles | 10% intro APR on purchases for 12 billing cycles |
| Variable APR | 26.74% to 34.74% | 26.74% to 34.74% | 26.74% to 34.74% |
| Rewards rate | One point per $1 spent on everyday purchases (nonrent) |
— Three points per $1 spent on dining or grocery (up to $25,000 per year) — Two points on travel — One point on everyday purchases (nonrent) |
Two points per $1 spent on everyday purchases (nonrent) |
| Sign-up Bonus | $100 Bilt Cash | $200 Bilt Cash | 50,000 Bilt Points and Gold Status after you spend $4,000 on purchases (excluding rent or mortgage) in your first three months |
| Featured benefits |
— No transaction fees on housing payments — No foreign transaction fees — Cellphone protection (stolen or damaged phones) |
— No transaction fees on housing payments — $100 Bilt Travel Hotel credit — Trip delay insurance |
— No transaction fees on housing payments — $400 Bilt Travel Hotel credit — $200 of Bilt Cash (awarded annually) — Priority Pass |
Complicated Rewards Structure
With the addition of these credit cards, earning rewards isn’t so simple. The introduction of Bilt Cash and the three new credit cards means Bilt members will have to figure out how and where to spend.
Depending on the enrollment option you choose, each credit card allows you to earn bonus rewards on everyday purchases in the form of 4% back in Bilt Cash (Flexible Bilt Cash Option) or up to 1.25 points per dollar on rent and mortgage (Housing-Only Option). You must choose an option when you activate a card but can switch between options at any time.
Housing-Only Option
If your main goal is to earn points on housing, you’ll want to choose the Housing-Only Option at time of enrollment. The more you use your credit card for everyday purchases, the more points you earn on your housing payment made during the same billing cycle.
Here’s a quick breakdown of how you would earn points with the Housing-Only Option.
| Nonhousing Spending as Percentage of Monthly Housing Payment | Points Earned Per Dollar |
| 25% | 0.5 point |
| 50% | 0.75 point |
| 75% | 1 point |
| 100% or more | 1.25 points |
Let’s do some math to make things a little easier to understand. Say you spend $2,000 on rent and $1,500 on nonhousing purchases. That’s 75% of nonhousing spending on your credit card, so you’ll earn one point per dollar — or 2,000 points on your rent. If your rent is $2,000 and you spend just $500 (25%) on nonhousing purchases that month, you’ll earn 0.5 point per dollar — or 1,000 points.
If you don’t meet the minimum spend requirement, you’ll only earn 250 points on your housing payment through Bilt. So, the credit cards incentivize you to use them by enticing you with points on your rent.
Flexible Bilt Cash Option
You might instead choose to earn 4% on all nonhousing purchases in Bilt Cash, which we explain more below. It is not cash back, but instead rewards currency (that is separate from points) that you can use to cover the 3% processing fee on your housing payment or redeem with other merchants.
All About Bilt Cash
With the introduction of Bilt’s three new credit cards comes Bilt Cash, which is separate from Bilt Points. Every Bilt member, including non-cardholders, can earn Bilt Cash — you just won’t earn as much if you don’t have a Bilt credit card. Members earn $50 in Bilt Cash for every 25,000 Bilt Points earned toward elite status. There’s just one little caveat: Bilt Cash isn’t actual cash back.
Members will receive statement credits to select merchants — kind of like a restricted coupon book. Also, Bilt Cash expires at the end of every calendar year (only $100 is rolled over into the next calendar year).
If you want to redeem your Bilt Cash, you can only do so in the form of monthly credits. And unused credits don’t roll over — so use ’em or lose ’em. Redemption options include:
— Up to $120 per year toward Grubhub restaurant delivery. $10 credit every month (available March 1, 2026)
— Up to $100 per year toward Gopuff Fam membership. Redeemable for a monthly or annual membership (available March 1, 2026)
— Up to $300 per year at select Bilt Dining partners. One visit per month up to $25
— Up to $600 per year toward dining experience bookings. Up to $50 per month (available March 1, 2026)
— Up to $1,200 per year hotel credit. A two-night minimum; up to $50 per month for Blue and Silver members and up to $100 per month for Gold and Platinum members
— Up to $120 per year toward Lyft. $10 per month toward Lyft rides
— Up to $150 per year toward Blacklane rides. Up to $50 per year for Blue and Silver members, up to $100 per year for Gold members and up to $150 per year for Platinum members (available March 1, 2026)
— Up to $700 per year toward BLADE airport flights. Up to $350 per seat; up to two seats per year (available March 1, 2026)
— Up to $60 per year toward parking. $5 per month at participating Bilt Neighborhood Parking locations
— Up to $480 per year toward fitness classes. Redeem toward one group fitness class per month in the Bilt app; up to $40 per month
— Up to $120 per year toward Walgreens purchases. $10 per month
— Up to $600 per year toward comedy experience bookings. $50 per month (available March 1, 2026)
— Up to $120 per year toward Bilt Design Collection purchases. $10 per month
As you can see, while the options are numerous, the monthly amounts can feel limiting. If you don’t want to think about merchant restrictions, expiration dates and monthly caps, you might be better off just choosing the Housing-Only Option when enrolling in the rewards program.
Other Ways to Earn
Pay Your Rent
If you link your credit card, debit card or bank account to your Bilt account, you can earn rewards on rent payments.
— Credit card. You can pay your rent with another linked credit card for a 3% processing fee. You’ll earn one Bilt Point per $2 dollar spent.
— Debit card. You can earn up to 250 points if you pay with a debit card. However, you will be charged a flat fee of $9.95.
— Bank account. This method has a $1.95 processing fee, and you can earn up to 250 points on your payment.
Use the Bilt Dining Program
Bilt has a Bilt Dining program that allows you to earn points when you use an eligible linked card to pay at participating restaurants. Since it’s based on your address, you’ll get recommendations for neighborhood restaurants near you.
You can earn up to three points per dollar spent at these restaurants, and there is no cap on how many points you can earn. There are over 20,000 restaurants in the program, and to find one near you, open the Dining section of the Neighborhood tab on the Bilt app or website. You can filter by location, cuisine and more.
Shop at a Bilt Neighborhood Partner
In addition to restaurants, you can earn rewards all around your neighborhood. Bilt partners with fitness studios and pharmacies, allowing you to earn up to three points per dollar spent with Bilt fitness partners, two points per dollar spent on Walgreens-branded products and one point per dollar spent at Walgreens. You can also earn 100 points per prescription refill (up to 26 refills per year, and enrollment is required) and link your Health Savings Account or Flexible Spending Account.
Additional Methods to Earn Bilt Points
— Book with Lyft. You can earn two points per $1 spent with Lyft when you link your Lyft and Bilt accounts.
— Book travel. Bilt members who are not cardholders can earn one point per $1 spent on flights and two points on hotels booked directly through the Bilt Travel Portal.
— Purchase a home. When you’re ready to transition into homeownership, you can use Bilt points if you work with an eXp Realty agent. You’ll earn one point for every $2 spent on the total closing price of your home.
[Read: Rewards Credit Cards]
Bilt Elite Status
Bilt’s status program is beneficial for travelers. Plus, tier status earned at any point in the year remains active through the end of the following year. So, for example, if you earned Gold status in December, you’ll keep that status in the following year.
| Tier | Benefits | How to Qualify |
| Blue |
— Rent Day transfer bonus offers — Access to Bilt Collection — 1:1 point transfers with airlines and most hotels (2,000-point minimum required) — Rent reporting to credit bureaus |
Enroll in Bilt Rewards |
| Silver | All Blue level benefits, plus:
— Virgin Voyages elite status match — 1:1 point transfers with airlines and most hotels (1,000-point minimum) — Earn interest on points — BLADE benefits — Earn 1,000 points for every $10 in Rakuten Cash Back — Higher Rent Day transfer bonuses |
Earn 50,000 Bilt points or $10,000 spent on a Bilt credit card (excluding rent) |
| Gold | All Silver level benefits, plus:
— Access to Home Away from Home benefits — Bilt Travel Concierge — Priority access to Rent Day experiences — Complimentary access to BLADE lounges (even if you’re not flying with them that day) |
Earn 125,000 Bilt points or $25,000 spent on a Bilt credit card (excluding rent) |
| Platinum | All Gold level benefits, plus:
— Complimentary BLADE flight — Access to Platinum Member Specialist Support — Air France-KLM Flying Blue elite status match for 12 months (after you transfer 10,000 Bilt points to Flying Blue) |
Earn 200,000 Bilt points or $50,000 spent on a Bilt credit card (excluding rent) |
Milestone Rewards
Milestone rewards are a sort of perk you earn when you reach a certain number of points. For example, the first milestone is 25,000 points, and the second milestone is 50,000 points. Rewards include double points on dining for a certain amount of time, 10 points on your next three Lyft rides and more.
How to Redeem Bilt Points
There are multiple ways to redeem your Bilt points.
Transfer to Partners
One of the best ways to redeem your Bilt points is through travel purchases. Bilt allows you to transfer points at a 1:1 ratio to numerous airline and hotel loyalty programs.
Airline transfer partners:
— Aer Lingus
— Atmos Rewards (Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines)
— Air Canada
— Air France/KLM
— Avianca LifeMiles
— British Airways
— Cathay Pacific
— Emirates
— Etihad Airways
— Iberia
— Japan Airlines
— Qatar Airways
— Southwest Airlines
— Spirit
— TAP Air Portgual
— Turkish Airlines
— United Airlines
— Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Red
Hotel transfer partners:
— Accor Live Limitless
— Hilton Honors
— World of Hyatt
— IHG One Rewards
— Marriott Bonvoy
You can also book with more than 500 airlines and 700,000 hotel properties directly through Bilt’s travel portal.
Redeem for a Home Down Payment
When you’re ready to buy your home, you can use your Bilt points to help do it. Points are converted at 1.5 cents per point. So, for example, 100,000 Bilt Points are worth $1,500 toward your down payment.
You’re only allowed one redemption per home purchase, but there are no restrictions on the property type, lender, or whether you are living in the home or using it as a second home or investment property.
Other Ways to Redeem
Though not as lucrative, you can redeem your Bilt points in other ways:
— Lyft rides
— Amazon shopping
— Gift cards from over 120 participating merchants
— Rent or a statement credits
— Fitness classes
More from U.S. News
Bilt Is Tripling Its Credit Card Roster. But Do You Need Its Card to Earn Rent Rewards?
Clever Credit: Can My Credit Card Be Tracked at Protests?
Your Guide to the Revamped Bilt Rewards Program originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 02/11/26: This story was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
