Home › Card reviews › Bilt Rewards Benefits: 2026 Cards and How Rent Earning Works

Bilt Rewards Benefits: 2026 Cards and How Rent Earning Works

By John Bourscheid · Updated October 2026 · 6 min read
Quick answer

Bilt has 4 status tiers: Blue, Silver at 50,000 points earned in a calendar year, Gold at 125,000 and Platinum at 200,000. You can also reach them with $10,000, $25,000 or $50,000 of non-rent spend, and a tier lasts through the end of the following year. Bilt runs 3 cards, the no-fee Blue, the $95 Obsidian and the $495 Palladium, and all 3 earn up to 1.25 points per dollar on rent or mortgage with no transaction fee. Figures checked at Bilt on October 5, 2026.

Bilt status tiers

Bilt counts the points you earn in a calendar year and your non-rent spend in the Bilt ecosystem, then gives you the higher of the 2 tiers.

Tier Points earned in a calendar year Or non-rent spend
Blue Under 50,000 Under $10,000
Silver 50,000 $10,000
Gold 125,000 $25,000
Platinum 200,000 $50,000

A tier earned at any point in a year stays active through the end of the next year. Points from rent count, including points unlocked with Bilt Cash. Referral points, courtesy points, survey points and promotional bonus points do not count. Spend that counts toward the spend route: non-rent purchases on a Bilt card, Bilt Dining restaurants, Neighborhood Fitness classes booked through Bilt, Walgreens and Lyft with your Bilt account linked, and the Bilt Travel portal.

What the Bilt cards earn

Advertisement

Card Annual fee Earns
Bilt Blue $0 Up to 4x at Bilt partner restaurants, up to 3x on hotels and flights booked through Bilt Travel, 3x on Lyft, 1x on everything else, plus rent
Bilt Obsidian $95 3x on your choice of dining or grocery (grocery up to $25,000 a year), up to 6x at Bilt partner restaurants, up to 4x on Bilt Travel hotels and flights, 3x on Lyft, 2x on other travel, 1x on everything else, plus rent
Bilt Palladium $495 Up to 5x at Bilt partner restaurants, up to 4x on Bilt Travel hotels and flights, 4x on Lyft, 2x on everything else, plus rent

Lyft rates need linked Bilt and Lyft accounts.

The credits and perks

Every Bilt card pays rent and mortgage with no transaction fee. You choose 1 of 2 reward options: Housing-only rewards earns up to 1.25 points per dollar on the housing payment, and Flexible Bilt Cash earns 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases, which you can spend to unlock points on housing.

Credit or perk Value How it works
Housing-only rewards 0.5x to 1.25x on rent or mortgage Everyday card spend of 25% of the housing payment earns 0.5x, 50% earns 0.75x, 75% earns 1x and 100% earns 1.25x, counted per billing cycle. Below 25% you still get 250 points
Flexible Bilt Cash 4% back in Bilt Cash $30 of Bilt Cash unlocks 1,000 points on a housing payment, up to 1x the payment, or pays for monthly credits
Rent Day Double points On the 1st of each month, everyday purchases (not housing) earn double, up to 1,000 bonus points a month
Transfer partners 26 programs 18 airlines, 7 hotel programs and Amtrak, most at 1:1
Bilt Travel hotel credit $100 Obsidian, $400 Palladium Paid as 2 statement credits a year ($50 or $200) on qualifying Bilt Travel hotel bookings
Palladium extras $200 of Bilt Cash a year, Priority Pass Up to $100 of the Bilt Cash rolls into the next calendar year

The fee math

The Bilt Blue is free, so any renter can earn points on rent at no cost. On $5,000 a year of grocery spend, the $95 Obsidian earns 15,000 points against 5,000 on the Blue, so that 10,000-point gap has to be worth more than $95 to you.

The $495 Palladium returns up to $400 in Bilt Travel hotel credits and $200 of Bilt Cash a year. If you will not book hotels through Bilt Travel, the fee mostly buys 2x on everyday spend and Priority Pass.

Switching cards. The Bilt card offer terms (last updated September 18, 2026) allow 1 voluntary upgrade or downgrade per rolling 12 months. Move within 30 days after the old card’s annual fee posts and Bilt reverses that card’s welcome bonus, including bonus-earned status, issues the new card’s bonus instead and charges back redeemed annual credits, which can leave a negative balance. After 30 days, nothing is reversed and no new bonus is issued.

Who it fits and who it does not

It fits renters, and now homeowners with a mortgage, who want points on a bill they cannot otherwise earn on. It does not add much for someone who owns outright or already maximizes other cards for dining and travel. The free Blue card is a no-risk way to start.

Bilt Rewards

Earn rates, credits and fees checked at Bilt on October 5, 2026. Confirm the current welcome offer at the issuer before you apply.

See Bilt transfer partners

More card guides

Where this comes from. Earn rates, fees and credits from Bilt’s card page. Status tiers from Bilt’s support article How do you earn Bilt Elite Status (updated January 28, 2026). Rent Day and the 2 housing reward options from Bilt Card 2.0 Program Overview (updated September 18, 2026). Checked October 5, 2026. Updated October 21, 2026: Card-switching rules from the Bilt card offer terms dated September 18, 2026; partner count from Bilt’s transfer partner page (October 20, 2026).

FAQ

What are the Bilt status tiers?

Blue, Silver, Gold and Platinum. Silver takes 50,000 points earned in a calendar year or $10,000 of non-rent spend, Gold takes 125,000 points or $25,000, and Platinum takes 200,000 points or $50,000. A tier lasts through the end of the following year.

Is the Bilt card worth it in 2026?

The no-fee Bilt Blue is worth it for any renter, since it earns transferable points on rent at no cost. The $95 Obsidian and $495 Palladium are worth it only if you will use their added travel and dining earning.

How does Bilt earn points on rent?

You pay rent or mortgage through Bilt with no transaction fee. With Housing-only rewards you earn 0.5x to 1.25x, depending on whether your other card spend that billing cycle reaches 25%, 50%, 75% or 100% of the payment.

What are the Bilt cards in 2026?

3: the no-fee Bilt Blue, the $95 Bilt Obsidian and the $495 Bilt Palladium. The Obsidian earns 3x on dining or grocery, and the Palladium earns 2x on everyday purchases.

Do Bilt points transfer to airlines and hotels?

Yes. Bilt lists 19 airlines, 7 hotel programs and Amtrak, most at 1:1, after adding JetBlue on October 20, 2026; Hyatt moves to 4:3 on January 1, 2027.

Is there a fee to pay rent with Bilt?

No. Paying rent through Bilt to earn points does not carry a transaction fee, which is what makes it unique.

How this guide is kept current

Last reviewed October 2026. We verify every rule, ratio, and figure against issuer terms and current reporting, and date each one. See our editorial standards for how we research and correct guides.