Who would have thought that something as simple as paying rent could save you a trip to Europe every year? Now that the Bilt Mastercard® is here, something as easy as paying your rent at the beginning of the month can earn you enough points to enjoy a European vacation every year.
BeltMasterCard®
Special feature
The Bilt Mastercard offers the unique ability to earn points when you rent.
The single biggest advantage of the Bilt Mastercard® is the ability to generate points on rental payments. As of June 2023, the average rent in one major US city was $2,029, and if the average renter paid with their Bilt Mastercard instead of a bank transfer, they would earn more than $300 in travel rewards each year. The Bilt Mastercard is an excellent option if you're looking to earn travel rewards or points that can go toward a down payment fund with your rental payments. If you're looking to maximize your cash back in the short term, consider getting a card with a $200 to $600 cash welcome bonus like the Citi Double Cash Card or the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.
Bonus prices
- Make at least 5 transactions in a statement period, in order to earn points on rent and net qualifying purchases (purchases minus returns/credits) for that statement period.
- 3X3X Belt Points on food
- 2X2X Belt Points on flights, hotels, car rentals and cruises when you book directly with airlines, hotels and car rental agencies
- 1X1X Bilt Points on rent paid through the Bilt App with your card account up to a maximum of 100,000 points per calendar year
- 1X1X Belt Points on purchases
- Terms of rewards and benefits.
- Travel benefits: trip cancellation and interruption protection, trip delay reimbursement, and collision damage waiver for car rentals.
- See This page For details.
- Foreign transaction fees: none
What is the Bilt Rewards Mastercard?
While many apartments or landlords are unwilling to charge rent to a credit card, the Bilt Rewards Mastercard will allow you to pay rent with your credit card and earn 1X Bilt Points on rent paid through the Bilt app using your card account up to a maximum of 100,000 points each year Orthodontic. You'll also earn 1X Belt Points on purchases, 2X Belt Points on flights, hotels, car rentals and cruises when you book directly with airlines, hotels and car rental agencies and 3X Belt Points on dining. Just keep in mind that you need to use your card five times a month to get rewards.
If you make these purchases on the first day of the month, also known as Rent Day, you'll earn double the points. That means 6X points on dining, 4X points on travel, and 2X points everywhere else, up to 10,000 bonus points per month. You won't earn double points on the rental made that day, but you will earn double points on everything else.
How do you pay rent with a credit card?
You can easily pay rent and earn rewards via two methods. Depending on your property, you can either pay rent online through the app or website.
If you live in a Bilt Alliance property, you can pay your rent directly on the website or via the app. If you don't live on an Alliance property but pay online, you can add a Bilt routing number to process the payment directly.
If your landlord only accepts checks, there is no problem. You can still pay with your Bilt Mastercard and get rewards. Go to the Bilt mobile app, click the “Pay Rent” tab, and select Pay by Check.
You will fill out information about the owner of the property and where the payment should be sent and you may need to provide some information such as the rental agreement to prove that it is where you actually live. They will charge your card and send the check on your behalf.
How many points can I get per year?
Rental payment rewards are limited to 100,000 points per year, but that won't be a problem unless you pay more than $8,000 a month in rent.
If your rent is higher than the normal range, say around $1,500 per month, paying rent with your Mastercard will only net you 18,000 points toward your rent payment each month. If you live in a big city like New York City and pay higher rent like $3,000, those numbers double to 36,000 points each year.
Keep in mind that this card also offers a solid earning structure for your spending, so once you shift some of your spending into additional categories, like dining or travel, you can also add thousands of points to your balance each year.
How are points transferred to airlines?
Linking your travel accounts and your Bilt account is a seamless process. Once you log in to the app, select the travel icon located at the bottom of the app. Scrolling to the bottom you will see Bilt Loyalty Partners.
Each partner transfers on a 1:1 basis, but you will need to transfer in 1,000-mile chunks. If you are a Basic Level Blue member, you will need to transfer a minimum of 2,000 points, otherwise your minimum is 1,000 points. Click on the loyalty partner of your choice, enter your frequent flyer number, and you should get confirmation that the accounts have been linked.
Most transfers are done instantly, but some may take some time.
Which Bilt partners travel to Europe?
Bilt offers over a dozen airline and hotel partners, and fortunately the majority of them travel to Europe. With almost all partners traveling to Europe, transferring points to get there is easy.
Some of the most popular partners are:
- Alaska Airlines
- Air Canada plane
- Air France/KLM Flying Blue
- British Airways
- Red Virgin
Any of these partners can get you to Europe and back, but let's look at two examples with Virgin Red and Flying Blue.
How many points do I need to travel to Europe?
The number of miles you will need depends on the airline and the class of service you are looking to fly. Virgin Atlantic offers many flights to and from Europe, most of them via London. Take a look at this example from New York to London on Virgin Atlantic.
Flying from New York to London on American Airlines with a connection to Paris, with its partner British Airways, can cost up to 10,000 miles and $153.00 in taxes and fees in economy class.
Both Air France and KLM participate in the Flying Blue Rewards program and are partners with Bilt Mastercard. Flights can be incredibly cheap in terms of points, with promotional award flights going for as low as 15,000 miles each way in economy class.
Get more value with our Rental Day promotions
Every first day of the month, Bilt offers amazing promotions for its card members to use their points and earn more. Several times each year, Belt will offer enhanced transfer rewards to select partners like Air Canada, Air France, and others.
In May 2023 and January 2024, Bilt offered a transfer bonus of up to 150% for points transferred to Flying Blue. The bonus amount you received depended on the level of status you had in Bilt Rewards, but ranged between 75% and 150%.
In the Air France example above, a 30,000-mile round-trip ticket could be obtained for significantly fewer points during the transfer promotion. 30,000 miles can be earned for:
- 17,142 points with a 75% bonus
- 15,000 points with a 100% bonus
- 13,333 points with a 125% bonus
- 12,000 points with a 150% bonus
If you don't have an immediate need, consider keeping your Bilt Rewards in your back pocket to grab one of these amazing deals when they pop up.
Ready meals
The Bilt Mastercard® gives renters the opportunity to earn points that can be converted into amazing vacations. Points earned by paying rent can be transferred to more than a dozen airlines, and with recurring Bilt Rent Day transfer rewards, you can multiply your points even more for bigger and better trips.
Consider using your Bilt Mastercard for dining and travel in addition to rental payments, as it will earn point multipliers, helping you build your points balance faster.
Frequently asked questions
Is it difficult to get a Bilt Mastercard?
Just like any credit card, your chance of being approved will be better if you already have an established credit history. You'll need good credit to be able to get the card, as well as a U.S. address, income, and other information that will be asked of you during the application process.
What if the owner doesn't take the credit card?
If your landlord doesn't take a credit card, or charges fees for paying with a credit card, Belt can take that stress off your hands. Belt can mail a check to your landlord and charge your credit card. If your landlord prefers ACH payment, you can also get the ACH information from Bilt and it will be charged to your credit card.
Is transferring points a good deal?
The answer is usually “it depends,” but in general, transferring your points to a partner airline or hotel can provide the value of outsourcing. Make sure you look at not only the cash price of the ticket, but also how much you pay in taxes and fees for using your miles. Taxes and fees will vary by airline, destination and transportation partners.
Please note that card details are accurate as of the date of publication, but are subject to change at any time at the discretion of the issuer. Please contact your card issuer to verify rates, fees and benefits before applying.
