Bilt vs the Chase Sapphire Preferred comes down to rent. Bilt’s cards ($0 Blue, $95 Obsidian, $495 Palladium) earn transferable points on rent with no transaction fee, while the $95 Sapphire Preferred earns 5x on Chase Travel and 3x on dining and comes with a $100 hotel credit. Renters lean Bilt, most others get more from the Sapphire Preferred, and many people hold both. Checked October 22, 2026.
Bilt vs Sapphire Preferred, head to head
| Category | Bilt Card | Chase Sapphire Preferred |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | $0 Blue, $95 Obsidian, $495 Palladium | $95 |
| Top earn rates | Points on rent with no fee, plus dining and travel | 5x Chase Travel, 3x dining, gas, and rentals |
| Credits | Varies by tier | $100 hotel credit |
| Lounge access | Palladium tier only | None |
| Issuer | Column N.A., serviced by Cardless | Chase |
| Bonus eligibility | No bonus if you have held any Bilt Card 2.0 or earned a 2.0 bonus | Unavailable if you currently have the card open; counts toward Chase 5/24 |
| Authorized users | $50 each on Obsidian | Free |
| Rental car coverage | See Bilt’s benefit guide | Primary, up to $60,000 |
| Transfer partners | Bilt transfer partners | Chase partners, led by Hyatt at 4:3 since October 1, 2026 (Bilt reaches Hyatt at 1:1 until December 31, 2026, then 4:3) |
Chase Sapphire Preferred
Our pick for most people. Confirm the current welcome offer and terms at the issuer.
Bilt vs Chase transfer partners
Advertisement
13 of Chase’s 14 partners are also Bilt partners. Only Singapore KrisFlyer is Chase-only. Bilt adds about a dozen programs Chase does not reach.
| Bilt | Chase (Sapphire Preferred) | |
|---|---|---|
| Partners | 27: 19 airlines, 7 hotels and Amtrak | 14: 10 airlines, 4 hotels |
| Usual ratio | 1:1, except Accor 3:2, I Prefer 1:2 and Amtrak 2:1 | 1:1, except Hyatt |
| World of Hyatt | 1:1 until December 31, 2026, then 4:3 | 4:3 (1:1 from the Sapphire Reserve) |
| On both lists | Aer Lingus, Air Canada Aeroplan, Flying Blue, British Airways, Iberia, JetBlue, Southwest, United, Virgin Atlantic, IHG, Marriott, Hyatt, Wyndham | |
| Only here | Atmos (Alaska and Hawaiian), Avianca, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Etihad, JAL, Qatar, TAP, Turkish, Accor, Hilton, I Prefer, Amtrak | Singapore KrisFlyer |
From our transfer partner chart, checked October 2026. Point values differ by method; The Points Guy put Bilt points at 2.2 cents and Chase points at 2.05 cents in June 2026.
How Bilt earns on rent
Bilt’s 2026 cards tie rent points to your other spending. Spend 25%, 50%, 75% or 100% of your rent on the card in a month and your rent earns 0.5x, 0.75x, 1x or 1.25x, with a 250-point floor. Or use $30 of Bilt Cash to earn 1,000 rent points (Bilt, checked October 22, 2026).
A worked example: rent of $2,000 and $1,500 of other card spending (75% of rent) earns 2,000 rent points at 1x, plus the points on the $1,500 itself. The Sapphire Preferred earns nothing useful on rent, because paying rent by card usually carries a fee larger than the rewards.
Obsidian vs Sapphire Preferred, Palladium vs Sapphire Reserve
The like-for-like matchups are fee against fee. The $95 Bilt Obsidian faces the $95 Sapphire Preferred: Bilt wins for renters and on partner count, Chase wins on the $100 hotel credit, primary rental car coverage and free authorized users. The $495 Bilt Palladium faces the $795 Sapphire Reserve: both add lounge access, the Reserve transfers to Hyatt at 1:1, and the Palladium costs $300 less a year. Confirm current earn rates and credits at Bilt and Chase before you choose.
Which should you pick
Pick Bilt if you pay rent and want to earn transferable points on it without a fee, using the Blue card.
Pick the Sapphire Preferred if you want the stronger travel card overall: bonus categories, a hotel credit, and Chase transfer partners.
The honest tradeoff
Bilt wins on the single category no other card rewards well, rent. The Sapphire Preferred wins on everything else a travel card is for.
More card guides
FAQ
Is Bilt or the Sapphire Preferred better?
Bilt if earning points on rent matters most and you want a no-fee card; the Sapphire Preferred if you want the stronger overall travel card with bonus categories and a hotel credit.
Can you earn points on rent with the Sapphire Preferred?
No. Rent paid by card usually carries a fee that cancels the rewards. Bilt is the card built to earn on rent without that fee.
Do Bilt and Chase points transfer to the same partners?
Mostly. 13 of Chase’s 14 partners are also Bilt partners, including United, Air Canada Aeroplan, British Airways, Flying Blue, Southwest, IHG, Marriott and Hyatt. Only Singapore KrisFlyer is Chase-only, and Bilt adds programs such as Atmos (Alaska and Hawaiian), Turkish and Hilton.
Can you use both Bilt and the Sapphire Preferred?
Yes, and many renters do: Bilt for rent, the Sapphire Preferred for travel and dining, pooling value across two point currencies.
Is the Bilt Obsidian better than the Sapphire Preferred?
For renters, usually yes: both cost $95, and the Obsidian earns on rent and reaches more transfer partners. Without rent to put on it, the Sapphire Preferred’s $100 hotel credit, primary rental car coverage and free authorized users usually win.
Bilt Palladium or Chase Sapphire Reserve?
The Palladium costs $495 and the Sapphire Reserve $795. Both include lounge access. The Reserve transfers to World of Hyatt at 1:1; Bilt moves to 4:3 on January 1, 2027.
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.
We re-check these guides as issuer rules and award charts change. 2 ways to follow along, no account needed.