Bilt Mastercard review 2024: A must-have travel rewards card for renters

Renters in the United States can earn rewards on rent, travel and dining for no annual fee with the Bilt World Elite Mastercard®. Add in more than a dozen airline and hotel transfer partners and the Bilt credit card is one of the best travel cards on the market. However, people who prefer straightforward cash back won’t find this card to be a good fit. This Bilt World Elite Mastercard® review will help you determine if it’s the right card for your needs.

Bilt World Elite Mastercard®

BLUEPRINT RATING

Our ratings are based on specific use cases for each card. We compared this card to others in the same category and developed our rankings based on this criteria, along with our editorial input. Note that although we chose this card as the best in its category, the right card for you will depend on your own financial circumstances.

Rates & Fees / Terms Apply

Rates & Fees / Terms Apply

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On Bilt’s Secure Website

BLUEPRINT RATING

Our ratings are based on specific use cases for each card. We compared this card to others in the same category and developed our rankings based on this criteria, along with our editorial input. Note that although we chose this card as the best in its category, the right card for you will depend on your own financial circumstances.

Welcome Bonus

N/A

N/A

Annual Fee

$0

Regular APR

See terms

Credit Score

Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.

(700 – 749) Good, Excellent

1x on rent payments without a transaction fee (on up to 100,000 points each calendar year). 2x points on travel (when booked directly with an airline, hotel, car rental or cruise company). 3x points on dining. Plus, 1x points on other purchases. Use the card 5 times to earn points each statement period.

Editor’s Take

Pros

• Earns rewards on rent payments.
• No transaction fee for paying rent by credit card.
• No annual fee or foreign currency conversion fee.

Cons

• You must make five transactions per billing period to earn rewards.
• No welcome bonus or intro APR period.
• Restrictive definition of what counts as a travel purchase.

The no-annual-fee Bilt Mastercard earns elevated rewards rates on dining and travel, lets you transfer those points 1:1 to multiple airline and hotel partners and offers a slew of helpful travel perks, like an auto rental collision damage waiver and cellphone protection.

Card Details

• $0 annual fee
• Earn 3x points on dining, 2x points on travel (when booked directly with an airline, hotels, car rental agencies, and cruise lines), 1x points on rent payments without a transaction fee (on up to 100,000 points each calendar year) and 1x points on other purchases
• Earn double points on the first of the month (i.e. 6X points on dining, 4X on travel and 2X on other purchases; except rent)
• Earn points when you make 5 transactions that post each statement period
• Cellular Telephone Protection
• Purchase Security (theft and damage protection)
• Concierge Service
• Lyft Credits
• No foreign currency conversion fee
• Rewards & benefits terms
• Select ‘Apply Now’ to learn more about the product features, terms, and conditions.

Bilt Mastercard basics

• Annual fee: $0.
• Welcome bonus: None.
• Rewards: Earn 1 point per $1 on rent payments without a transaction fee (on up to 100,000 points each year), 2 points per $1 on travel (when booked through the Bilt Travel Portal or directly with an airline, hotel, car rental or cruise company), 3 points per $1 on dining and 1 point per $1 on other purchases. At least five transactions must be made per statement period to earn these rewards.
• APR: See terms for current APR. A balance transfer fee of up to 5% for each balance transfer, with a minimum of $5 applies.
• Recommended credit score: Good to excellent.
• Other perks and benefits: Elite status based on your annual spending, broad range of reward redemption options, travel protection benefits and purchase security against theft and damage.
• Does the issuer offer a preapproval tool? No.

Bilt Mastercard review

Paying rent with a credit card has long been frowned upon, whether your landlord charges a pesky surcharge for credit card payments or only accepts handwritten checks. Enter the Bilt World Elite Mastercard®, which completely shakes up the landscape for renters across the U.S.

This unique card lets you pay rent at virtually any apartment without incurring transaction fees — and use the points you earn toward flights and hotel nights booked either through the issuer’s travel portal or directly with airline and hotel loyalty programs after transferring your rewards. 

You’ll earn 1 point per $1 on rent payments without a transaction fee (on up to 100,000 points each year), 2 points per $1 on travel (when booked through the Bilt Travel Portal or directly with an airline, hotel, car rental or cruise company), 3 points per $1 on dining and 1 point per $1 on other purchases. At least five transactions must be made per statement period to earn these rewards. It would take roughly $8,334 in rent spending per month to hit the calendar year maximum of 100,000 points earned on rent.

If you fail to swipe your card five times in a month however, you’ll only earn 250 points on rent, so this should be a card you keep in your wallet and use regularly. 

There are a few ways to pay rent with the Bilt Mastercard. The company maintains agreements with more than 2 million rental homes across the country as part of the “Bilt Rewards Alliance.” If you happen to live in one of these properties, you can seamlessly pay your rent on the Bilt Rewards app. 

For any other rental homes outside of this alliance, Bilt generates a unique account number and routing number for you on the app. Simply use these numbers (in place of your personal checking account) to pay in your landlord’s online portal and your monthly rent will get charged to your Bilt Mastercard — again without paying any transaction fees.

If you do not have an online portal, Bilt can send a physical check to your landlord.

You have the option of turning on a feature called BiltProtect, which lets your rent payment be debited from a checking account rather than added to your credit card balance. You’ll still earn points on your rent — and this feature can be a good way to keep your card’s utilization ratio low.

But if you own a home, the Bilt Mastercard currently does not offer points on mortgage payments. 

As the Bilt Mastercard has improved its offerings over the years, it’s clear that it has evolved into a travel and lifestyle must-have for those who want to get maximum value from their everyday expenses — making it one of the best rewards credit cards to have at your disposal. 

Pros

• Earn points on rent: You could earn up to 100,000 points each calendar year on rent payments alone. 
• Additional freebies for cardholders: From double points on Rent Day (on all non-rent spending) to elevated rewards through Bilt Dining to elite status benefits, Bilt Rewards is one of the most innovative loyalty programs out there.
• Bilt points transfer 1:1 to 14 airline and 3 hotel loyalty programs: From American Airlines to Emirates, the award travel possibilities are endless.
• Cellphone protection: When you pay your monthly cellphone bill with this card, this coverage can reimburse you up to $800 if your phone is damaged or stolen (up to two claims per 12-month period and subject to a $25 deductible).
• Travel and everyday benefits: Cardholders get trip cancellation and interruption protection, trip delay reimbursement, primary auto rental collision damage waiver (except for residents of the state of New York, for whom this is secondary coverage), access to the World Elite Mastercard Concierge, purchase security and World Elite Mastercard benefits such as Lyft credits.
• No foreign currency conversion fees: Travel abroad without worrying about an extra charge being tacked on every time you use your card.

Cons

• Need to make at least five transactions (of any amount) in your billing period: If you fail to meet this threshold, the maximum rewards you can earn on rent each month is just 250 points, and you won’t earn rewards on any non-rent purchases.
• No welcome offer: Unlike many other cash-back and travel credit cards, there’s no welcome bonus for new applicants.
• Can’t earn points on mortgages: The Bilt Mastercard currently does not offer a way to earn rewards on your mortgage payments. 

Bilt Mastercard rewards

With the Bilt Mastercard you can earn 1 point per $1 on rent payments without a transaction fee (on up to 100,000 points each year), 2 points per $1 on travel (when booked through the Bilt Travel Portal or directly with an airline, hotel, car rental or cruise company), 3 points per $1 on dining and 1 point per $1 on other purchases. At least five transactions must be made per statement period to earn these rewards.

Using government data and other publicly available information, we estimate that a household in the U.S. that would be in the market for this card has an annual income of $84,352 and $46,495 in rent and expenses they are likely to be able to charge to a credit card (including rent). Given that estimate, here’s what our example household might earn using the Bilt credit card: 

SPENDING CATEGORY	SPENDING AMOUNT	POINTS PER DOLLAR	POINTS EARNED
Rent	$21,408 annually ($1,784 per month)	1 point	21,408 points
Travel	$2,941	2 points	5,882 points
Dining	$3,526	3 points	10,578 points
Other	$18,620	1 point	18,620 points
TOTAL	$46,495		56,488 points

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There are several other ways to score points outside of rent and typical card spending. Through Bilt Dining, cardholders can earn between 2X and 10X points at select restaurants through the program in nearly two dozen cities. That’s one of the most impressive return rates we’ve seen on restaurant spend from any card on the market.

Is eating out a big part of your budget? You’ll want one of the cards on our list of best credit cards for restaurants. 

Plus, cardholders can earn double points on non-rent purchases on the first of every month, known as “Rent Day.” During Rent Day, the Bilt Mastercard earns 6 points per $1 on dining, 4 points per $1 on travel and 2 points per $1 on other eligible purchases (excluding rent).

And, you can earn additional points thanks to a partnership with Lyft. By linking your Bilt and Lyft accounts, you’ll earn 2 points per $1 on Lyft rides. When you link your accounts and use the Bilt Mastercard to pay for Lyft rides, that earning rate rises to a total of 5 points per $1.

The Bilt Mastercard does not offer a welcome bonus, which is a drawback compared to some competing cards. However, some cardholders have received promotions during their first few days with the card, such as an elevated earning rate of 5 points per $1 on non-rent spending for five days. Also, once you’re a cardmember, you can refer friends to the Bilt Mastercard and earn 2,500 points per successful referral — plus, for every fifth successful referral, you’ll earn an additional 10,000 points — up to 50 total successful referrals.

Despite being a newer loyalty program, Bilt Rewards offers some of the most prolific redemption options available — particularly for travel. With a total of 17 airline and hotel loyalty partnerships, you can transfer your Bilt points to any of these programs at a simple 1:1 ratio. Some of Bilt’s most valuable partners include American Airlines AAdvantage, United Airlines MileagePlus and World of Hyatt, where you can find outstanding value for flights and hotel stays. Pro tip: You can get 100 points for every loyalty program you link to your Bilt account.

For even more travel options, you can book a flight, hotel, rental car or excursion at a rate of 1.25 cents per point through Bilt’s travel portal powered by Expedia. 

Additional redemption options include popular fitness classes like SoulCycle and SolidCore, the ability to save your points towards next month’s rent payment or towards a down payment on a future home, or redeem them as a statement credit against your card balance. 

You can also shop with your points on Amazon or through Bilt’s curated catalog of art, decor and apparel. But note that the best value will typically come from using your points for travel — points are only worth 0.7 cents each toward Amazon purchases and just 0.55 cents each when redeeming them toward a rent payment or statement credit, for example.

Want the full scoop on leveraging your Bilt points? See our 2024 Bilt Rewards program guide for details.

Bilt Mastercard perks

A distinctive benefit of the Bilt rewards program is the ability to earn elite status based on the points you earn with your account. There are four tiers: 

• Blue (entry-level).
• Silver (50,000 points).
• Gold (125,000 points).
• Platinum (200,000 points). 

It’s also possible to earn Bilt elite status through eligible credit card spending, such as non-rent purchases made with your Bilt Mastercard.

Based on your elite status tier, Bilt members can get interest on points and enjoy promotions throughout the year, and the loyalty program has hinted there’s plenty to come in the months ahead.

This no-annual-fee card also has your back on your travels domestically or abroad, with complimentary trip cancellation and interruption protection, trip delay reimbursement, primary auto rental collision damage waiver, and no foreign currency conversion fees. 

In addition to earning double points (on non-rent spending) on Rent Day, Bilt cardholders can look forward to playing Point Quest, a monthly trivia game that allows you to earn up to 250 points, and playing in the Rent Free game show for the chance to win your rent covered. 

How the Bilt Mastercard compares to other rewards credit cards

Bilt Mastercard vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

For a modest $95 annual fee, the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card offers numerous bonus categories. You’ll earn 5 points per $1 on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3 points per $1 on dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs), 2 points per $1 on all other travel purchases and 1 point per $1 on all other purchases. However, the Chase Sapphire Preferred does not waive transaction fees for paying your monthly rent, making it potentially expensive to pay your rent with the card. 

You can use your points to book travel through the Chase Travel℠ portal at a rate of 1.25 cents per point. Alternatively, you can transfer your Chase Ultimate Rewards® points 1:1 to 14 various airline and hotel partners, with some overlap with Bilt in loyalty programs.

Finally, the Chase Sapphire Preferred comes with a new cardmember offer of 60,000 points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. 

Don’t want to pay to carry a card? One of the best no-annual-fee credit cards might be the right choice for your wallet.

Bilt Mastercard vs. Citi Double Cash® Card 

The Citi Double Cash Card is a great cash-back option with no annual fee. This card is particularly attractive if you’re looking for the utmost simplicity and don’t want to keep up with bonus categories. You’ll earn 2% cash back on purchases — 1% when purchases are made and another 1% when they’re paid off, plus, for a limited time, 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/24.

Furthermore, the Citi Double Cash Card offers a lengthy 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months. After that, the standard variable APR will be 19.24% to 29.24%. An intro balance transfer fee of either $5 or 3%, whichever is greater, applies to transfers completed in the first 4 months. After that, the fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5). 

While the Citi Double Cash Card does not have access to the full lineup of Citi ThankYou® transfer partners that you’d get with the Citi Prestige® Card (which is not currently accepting new applicants), you can redeem rewards earned with your Double Cash Card at any time for a statement credit or direct deposit. However, it doesn’t offer an option to waive transaction fees to use the card to pay your rent.

Bilt Mastercard vs. Prime Visa * The information for the Prime Visa has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

If you want to earn generous rewards on several everyday categories, the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card is another solid no-annual-fee card to consider — although a Prime membership, which starts at $139 a year, is required to apply. If you’re a Prime member, you can earn 5% back at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods Market with an eligible Prime membership, 5% back on travel booked through Chase, 2% back at gas stations, restaurants, and on local transit and commuting (including rideshare), and 1% back on all other purchases.

New cardholders can also get a $100 Amazon gift card for Prime members upon approval. Rewards can be redeemed for cash back, future Amazon purchases, gift cards and more. Households who often “Amazon it” can greatly benefit from the rewards earned on this card. However, it’s not a good choice when it comes to paying your rent — as like most cards, you’ll have to pay a transaction fee.

The Bilt Mastercard is right for you if:

• You’re looking to start earning points on rent, making it a virtual no-brainer.
• Even if you’re not a renter, those who want to avoid paying an annual fee and earn bonus points on travel and dining expenses can greatly benefit from holding this card. 
• You want to be a smarter traveler with access to over 15 airline and hotel transfer partners, a slew of travel insurance protections, and no foreign currency conversion fees.

If you’ve gotten this far and don’t feel the Bilt Mastercard is a good fit, check out our list of the best credit cards for some alternative options. 

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)