Earlier this year, Bilt retired the original Bilt Mastercard® and introduced a new line of Bilt 2.0 cards, including the Bilt Blue Card (see rates and fees).
This no-annual-fee card is meant to be a starting point for those newer to the Bilt ecosystem. While it doesn't offer much in terms of bonus categories, it does come with Bilt's specialty: The ability to earn up to 1.25X points on rent and now mortgage payments with no transaction fee.
As CNBC Select previously covered, there's a lot of potential value in the Bilt 2.0 ecosystem — but it's remarkably complex. You have to be willing to put in the time to fully grasp the ins and outs. If you're at all interested in what the new Bilt cards have to offer, the Bilt Blue Card could be a great place to start.
The Bilt Blue Card offers a solid entry card to the world of Bilt, offering 1X on everyday purchases without charging an annual fee.
- Earns ultra-valuable flexible rewards
- No annual fee
- Can earn up to 1.25X points on rent and mortgage payments
- Additional steps for no-fee rent payments
- Bilt Cash redemptions are complicated
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn up to 1.25X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee.
- 1X points on everyday spend
- Welcome offer: $100 of Bilt Cash when you apply and get approved. At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
- Bilt Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent and mortgage payments, Lyft rides, statement credits, student loan balances, a down payment on a home, and more.
- Earn additional points through Bilt Neighborhood Benefits™ when you use your card at Bilt's network of 50,000+ merchant partners.
- Other benefits: No foreign transaction fees, Cellular Wireless Telephone Protection, Purchase Assurance, MasterRental Coverage (See Guide to Benefits)
Balance transfer fee
Greater of 5% or $5
Welcome bonus
If you apply for the Bilt Blue Card and are approved, you'll earn $100 in Bilt Cash as a sign-up bonus. At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
Bilt Cash has 19 different redemption options, including the ability to earn points on housing payments (depending on the housing payment option you pick) and a point accelerator feature that earns additional Bilt Points. It's worth noting that all but $100 of your Bilt Cash will expire at the end of the year, so use it or lose it.
Benefits and perks
The Bilt Blue Card lacks many of the elevated perks offered by the higher-tier Bilt Obsidian Card (see rates and fees) and Bilt Palladium Card (see rates and fees), but it does offer a few entry-level benefits and the ability to earn within the Bilt ecosystem without the annual charge.
The Bilt Blue Card features Cellular Wireless Telephone Protection, *Purchase Assurance and MasterRental Coverage, which is secondary for car rentals in the U.S.
*A maximum benefit amount and certain restrictions and limitations apply. Please review the Mastercard Guide to Benefits for details: https://www.bilt.com/terms/blue-card-guide-to-benefits.
How to earn and redeem Bilt Points and Bilt cash
Earning Bilt Points
The Bilt Blue Card earns 1X points per dollar spent on everyday spend (all non-housing purchases).
Through the Bilt Rewards program, you can earn additional points at partnered stores, like restaurants or workout classes. You also have the ability to earn on housing, but how you do so is up to you.
Earning on housing
Deciding how you want to earn on housing is where the Bilt Rewards program gets more complex. Gone is the more simplistic system of the past; instead, you have two new options:
Option 1 is probably the simplest: Pay no transaction fee (see rates and fees) and earn up to 1.25X points on your housing payment. Essentially, the more you spend on everyday purchases with your Bilt Blue Card, the more you're able to earn via your housing payment.
Bilt 2.0 housing payment option 1
| Points earned on housing payment | Minimum everyday spend as a % of monthly rent/mortgage (Example $2,000 rent) |
|---|---|
| 0.5X points | Minimum of 25% of monthly payment ($500) |
| 0.75X points | Minimum of 50% of monthly payment ($1,000) |
| 1.0X points | Minimum of 75% of monthly payment ($1,500) |
| 1.25X points | 100% or more of monthly payment ($2,000+) |
Source: Bilt Rewards
While it is a "spend more, earn more" system, it's also tiered. Once you hit a minimum spending threshold, you're guaranteed at least that rate of rewards.
Option 2 is more complex. You earn up to 1.25X points on housing payments when you redeem Bilt Cash ($30 Bilt Cash per 1,000 Bilt Points), plus 4% in Bilt Cash on every purchase (on top of Bilt Points earned).
Bilt 2.0 housing payment option 2
| Points earned on housing payments | Up to 1X Bilt points |
| Bilt Cash earned on Bilt card spending | 4% Bilt Cash on every purchase |
| Bilt Cash cost to earn points on housing payments | 3% of payment amount ($30 Bilt Cash per 1,000 Bilt Points) |
What makes this system more complex is also what makes it more desirable: its flexibility. Earning Bilt Cash means you have a lot more redemption options at your disposal (which we'll get into further below).
Earning Bilt Cash
At the moment, there are only a few ways Bilt Blue cardholders can earn Bilt Cash, and only one of them is constant:
- New cardmember $100 Bilt Cash sign-up bonus. At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
- Earn 4% Bilt Cash with any of the Bilt cards, depending on which option you choose for earning rewards on housing (see Option 2 above)
- $50 Bilt Cash for every 25,000 Bilt Points you earn toward elite status
Redeeming Bilt Points
Bilt Points are among the most valuable credit card rewards currencies, but it all depends on how you use them. As a general rule of thumb, you'll typically receive over 1 cent per point for:
- Bilt Travel bookings
- Transfer to Bilt travel partners
- Down payment on a home
- Fitness classes
While Bilt Points can be worth over 2 cents per point toward transfer partner travel, they have a guaranteed value of 1.5 cents per point when redeemed toward a down payment on a home.
Bilt offers 23 different transfer partners, split between 18 airlines and five hotels. Points transfer at a 1:1 ratio (unless noted):
Bilt Rewards transfer partners
| Bilt Rewards transfer partners |
|---|
| Avianca Lifemiles |
| Atmos Rewards (Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines) |
| Air Canada Aeroplan |
| Aer Lingus Aer Club |
| Accor Live Limitless (3:2) |
| British Airways Club |
| Cathay Pacific Cathy |
| Iberia Club |
| Etihad Guest |
| Emirates Skywards |
| Flying Blue (Air France and KLM) |
| Hilton Honors |
| IHG One Rewards |
| Japan Airlines JAL Mileage Bank |
| Mariott Bonvoy |
| Qatar Airways Privilege Club |
| Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards |
| Air Portugal TAP Miles&Go |
| Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles |
| United Airlines MileagePlus |
| World of Hyatt |
| Wyndham Rewards |
| Virgin Red |
You'll typically receive 1 cent per point (or less) for:
- Rent payments
- Student loan payments
- Statement credits
- Gift cards
- Merchandise, including Amazon, Bilt Home Delivery and Bilt Design Collection
- Lyft rides
Redeeming Bilt cash
Bilt offers 19 different redemption options for Bilt Cash, two of which are exclusive to cardholders. Each redemption option will have its own dollar limit and other restrictions, which you can dive into here.
Cardholder-exclusive:
- Earn points on housing payments: Bilt Cardholders can use Bilt Cash (depending on the housing payment method selected) to earn up to 1.25X points on housing payments ($30 Bilt Cash per 1,000 Bilt Points).
- Point accelerator: By paying $200 in Bilt Cash, you'll earn an additional 1X points on the next $5,000 in purchases (up to five times per year; expires after $5,000 everyday spend or calendar year-end)
Redemption options
- Unlock higher transfer bonuses during Rent Day promotions
- Bilt Travel hotel credits
- Lyft rides
- Blacklane rides beginning March 1, 2026
- BLADE airport helicopter flights (coming soon)
- Bilt Home Away from Home benefits beginning March 1, 2026 (if you don't qualify with elite status)
- Priority Pass additional guest credits
- Bilt Neighborhood Parking credits beginning (coming soon)
- Fitness classes
- Walgreens credits
- Grubhub beginning March 1, 2026
- Bilt 15-minute home delivery by Gopuff Fam
- Gopuff Fam membership beginning March 1, 2026
- Bilt partner restaurants
- Bilt dining experiences beginning March 1, 2026
- Bilt comedy experiences beginning March 1, 2026
- Bilt Design Collection credits
Rates and fees
The Bilt Blue Card (see rates and fees) has a $0 annual fee, but there are late payment and returned payment fees of up to $41 each. The card doesn't charge any foreign transaction fees.
In terms of interest rates, the Bilt Blue Card currently features a 10% intro APR on purchases for 12 billing cycles (followed by a variable APR of 26.74% to 34.74%).
Card comparison
Bilt Blue Card vs. Wells Fargo Active Cash Card
If dealing with multiple rewards currencies is too much for you, the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card offers a flat 2% cash rewards on all purchases. While you will be sacrificing some of the extra redemption flexibility, you're gaining an easier-to-use rewards system.
The Active Cash Card's welcome bonus does require spending, but you'll earn more rewards. New card members can earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first three months after opening the account.
Both cards carry a $0 annual fee, and just like the Bilt Blue Card (see rates and fees), the Wells Fargo Active Cash also comes with cell phone protection (subject to a $25 deductible). It also features a 0% intro APR for 12 months on purchases and balance transfers (as opposed to the Bilt card's 10% intro APR on purchases), followed by a lower variable APR range of 18.49%, 24.49% or 28.49%. Balance transfers made within 120 days qualify for the intro rate and a 3% balance transfer fee, then a fee of up to 5% (min. $5) applies.
The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card is great if you want simplicity thanks to its flat-rate 2% unlimited cash rewards on purchases and $0 annual fee.
- High flat-rate return on purchases
- Intro-APR for purchases and qualifying balance transfers for a year
- No annual fee
- Cell phone protection
- Has a foreign transaction fee
- Limited redemption options unless you pair it with a Wells Fargo card that allows point transfers
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Apply Now to take advantage of this offer and learn more about product features, terms and conditions.
- Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months.
- Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.
- 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers. 18.49%, 24.49%, or 28.49% variable APR thereafter; balance transfers made within 120 days qualify for the intro rate and fee of 3% then a BT fee of up to 5%, min: $5.
- $0 annual fee.
- No categories to track or remember and cash rewards don't expire as long as your account remains open.
- Find tickets to top sports and entertainment events, book travel, make dinner reservations and more with your complimentary 24/7 Visa Signature® Concierge.
- Up to $600 of cell phone protection against damage or theft. Subject to a $25 deductible.
Balance Transfer Fee
3% intro for 120 days from account opening, then up to 5%, min: $5
Foreign Transaction Fee
3%
Bilt Blue Card vs. Citi Strata Card
If having a card with transfer partners is a draw, the Citi Strata℠ Card offers full access to Citi's airline and hotel partners — including popular options like American Airlines and JetBlue. Since the Citi Strata is a no-annual-fee card, the Citi ThankYou® Points it earns typically transfer at a lower 1:0.7 ratio (with a few exceptions, which you can learn about here).
Outside of its rewards on select travel bookings and restaurant purchases, the Citi Strata lets you pick your 3X rewards category from one of five options: Fitness clubs, select streaming services, live entertainment, cosmetic stores/barber shops/hair salons or pet supply stores.
There's also a longer intro APR period that applies to both purchases and balance transfers.
The Citi Strata℠ Card is a solid rewards credit card that earns in several everyday spending categories, with no annual fee.
- No annual fee
- Customizable earnings category
- Earns transferable rewards
- Has foreign transaction fees
- Fewer built-in benefits
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff
- Earn 20,000 bonus Points after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.
- 0% Intro APR on balance transfers and purchases for 15 months; after that, the variable APR will be 18.49% - 28.49%, based on your creditworthiness. There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).
- Earn 3 ThankYou® Points for each $1 spent in an eligible Self-Select Category of your choice (Fitness Clubs, Select Streaming Services, Live Entertainment, Cosmetic Stores/Barber Shops/Hair Salons, or Pet Supply Stores). Choose your eligible Self-Select Category on Citi Online or by calling customer service. The default Self-Select Category is Select Streaming Services.
- Earn 5 ThankYou® Points for each $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals and Attractions booked on Citi Travel® via cititravel.com; earn 3 ThankYou Points for each $1 spent at Supermarkets, on Select Transit purchases, and at Gas & EV Charging Stations.
- Earn 2 ThankYou® Points for each $1 spent at Restaurants; earn 1 ThankYou® Point for each $1 spent on All Other Purchases.
- No Annual Fee
Balance transfer fee
There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. A balance transfer fee of 5% of each transfer ($5 minimum) applies if completed after 4 months of account opening.
Is the Bilt Blue Card right for you?
If you've heard about Bilt and are interested in the program it's building upon, the Bilt Blue Card could be a great starting point.
The Bilt Points you earn can be incredibly valuable when used toward the right redemption options. But the card only earns 1X points on everyday spend, so you likely won't accumulate points quickly on general card spending alone.
It's also worth asking yourself how much time and effort you're willing to put into Bilt. Having two different housing reward systems can be complex, and Bilt Cash comes with its own rules to navigate.
If you're game to roll up your sleeves and put in the effort, the Bilt Blue Card offers a no-annual-fee (see rates and fees) way to start exploring the card-centric benefits of Bilt Rewards.
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