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Bilt Blue Credit Card

Adam Seper
Written by: Adam Seper
Bilt Blue Apply Now

The Bilt Blue Card is the entry-level card in the Bilt system. It lets you earn points on rent and mortgage payments, but there's a catch. The card also comes with a $100 Bilt Cash welcome offer just for signing up. Using Bilt Cash is one way to earn points on housing.

Bilt Blue Apply Now

Bilt Blue Credit Card Review

Key Takeaways

You can still earn points on rent (and now mortgage), but you must meet a required amount of non-housing spend to unlock that earning rate.. Bilt points remain transferable to a strong lineup of airline and hotel partners. You'll earn 4% back in Bilt Cash (which is different from Bilt points) on all non-rent, non-mortgage purchases, plus a few modest category bonuses. But as with most no-annual-fee cards, the other perks are thin.

Why This Card Could Be Right For You

You can still use this card to pay your rent, and you can also use it to pay your mortgage. The biggest change with Bilt 2.0 is that earning Bilt points on those payments must come by putting other, non-housing spend on the card. Fortunately there is still no annual fee on this introductory card.

You will earn $100 in Bilt cash for signing up for the card, with no spending requirement. That effectively serves as the welcome offer. You’ll also earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on all purchases excluding rent and mortgage.

Bilt Cash was introduced with Bilt 2.0 and can be used in several ways. Most notably, you can use it to earn Bilt points on rent or mortgage payments (every $30 in Bilt cash earns 1 point per dollar on $1000 in rent or mortgage payments). There are a variety of other ways to use Bilt Cash. You can see those in the "How to Redeem" section of the Bilt Rewards page.

Other Bilt Blue features include:

  • 3x points at Bilt Neighborhood Partner restaurants
  • 3x points at Bilt Neighborhood Partner fitness studios
  • 3x points on Lyft rids
  • 2x points at Walgreens
  • Cellular Wireless Protection
  • Purchase assurance
  • MasterRental Coverage


Maximizing points efficiency

We don't often recommend no annual fee cards, but the Bilt Blue might be an exception because of the ability to earn points on housing. If you pay housing through Bilt and spend 75% of that amount on your card with non-housing purchases, you unlock 1x points on that housing spend.

  • With a $2,000 housing payment and $1,500 in non-housing spend, you'll earn 3,500 total points using the Blue card
  • That's an effective 2.33x return on your actual card spend, which is a very strong value for a no annual fee card

When The Usual Advice Doesn't Apply

The exceptions where this card might not be good for you:

  • You were a Bilt 1.0 cardholder and used the card to earn points on rent with no caveats
  • The new system no longer works for your budget and spending habits
Bilt Rewards

What to Know About Bilt Rewards

No longer a slam dunk for renters, but Bilt’s strong transfer partners make the program worth watching

  • Bilt now has three credit cards, all with points transferable to partners that rival, or even outshine, Chase
  • You can earn points for both rent and mortgage, but you'll have to put a significant amount of other monthly spend on the card to earn it
  • Earning points on housing is more complex, and Bilt’s user base is shifting
  • Bilt is now best used as a daily spend travel rewards card when not working on a new card welcome offer
  • The program can still be highly rewarding, but you'll need a clear plan to maximize point earning

How The Bilt Blue Credit Card Fits In The Bilt Rewards Ecosystem

The Bilt Blue Card is the entry-level option in the Bilt lineup. It has no annual fee and offers a modest $100 sign-up bonus, paid in Bilt Cash (which is separate from Bilt points).

The next tier up is the Bilt Obsidian Card, which carries a $95 annual fee and includes:

  • $200 Bilt Cash welcome bonus (no spending required)
  • 4% back in Bilt Cash on all non-mortgage, non-rent purchases
  • Stronger bonus categories than Bilt Blue
  • $50 hotel credit, twice per year, for bookings made through the Bilt portal (requires a two-night minimum)
  • If you use Bilt to pay your housing then spend 75% of that amount on non-housing purchases, you can effectively earn 2.33x, 3.33x, or 4.33x on that non-housing spend depending on the bonus category

At the top of the ecosystem is the Bilt Palladium Card, with a $495 annual fee. That’s partially offset by:

  • $300 in Bilt Cash (no spending required)
  • 50,000 Bilt points + Bilt Gold status after spending $4,000 on non-rent, non-mortgage purchases in the first 3 months
  • 2x points on everyday spend (excluding rent and mortgage)
  • Elevated multipliers with select partners
  • $200 in additional Bilt Cash on your account anniversary (starting in year one)
  • If you use Bilt to pay your housing then spend 75% of that amount on non-housing purchases, you can effectively earn 3.33x on that non-housing spend

All three Bilt cards earn points on rent and mortgage payments under the same rules. You choose one of two ways to unlock housing points:

  • Option 1: Spend a required percentage of your monthly housing amount on non-housing purchases to unlock points on rent or mortgage, earning on a sliding scale up to 1.25X per dollar. The more non-housing spend you put on the card, the higher your housing earn rate.
  • Option 2: Use Bilt Cash to unlock points on housing. Every $30 in Bilt Cash unlocks 1X points on up to $1,000 in rent or mortgage payments (with a 1x max redemption option)

Card Information

Bonus Points Minimum Spend Point Value Annual Value Annual Fee
1st Year Value
0 $0 1.7 ¢ $0 $0
$50
Bonus Extra Differentiating Perks Rules
$100 Bilt Cash Points for paying rent and mortgage 5/24

Award System

Bank

Reconsideration Phone

Current Offer

0 Bonus Points for
$0 spend.

Spend Categories

All Other None »

1X points
1.7¢ Per Dollar Spent

Restaurants Company Specific »

3X points
5.1¢ Per Dollar Spent

Rideshare and Transit Company Specific »

3X points
5.1¢ Per Dollar Spent

Drugstores / Pharmacy Company Specific »

2X points
3.4¢ Per Dollar Spent

Fitness Memberships Company Specific »

3X points
5.1¢ Per Dollar Spent

Apply Now »

Card Benefits

Cell Phone Protection

Cell Phone Protection »
Use your card for your monthly bill and be reimbursed to replace or repair a stolen or damaged phone. Up to $800 per claim and $1,000 per covered card per 12 month period

Car Rental Insurance

Car Rental Insurance »
Secondary insurance that pays the lowest of repair cost or the car’s adjusted value, which can limit payouts for major damage or total loss. Loss-of-use fees are covered separately but capped at $500 per incident.

No Foreign Transaction Fees

No Foreign Transaction Fees »
You will pay no foreign transaction fees when you use your card for purchases made outside the United States.

Purchase Protection

Purchase Protection »
You're covered on items damaged or stolen within 90 days, up to $1,000 per loss and a total of $50,000 per cardholder account per 12 month period
Apply Now »

Point Transfer Options

Sharing No

Travel Partner Transfers

Outside Point System Bilt Rewards

Transfers Out To
Point Transfer Options
Accor Live Limitless

3:2 86% value retained

Point Transfer Options
Aer Lingus AerClub

1:1 88% value retained

Point Transfer Options
Air Canada Aeroplan

1:1 82% value retained

Point Transfer Options
Atmos Rewards

1:1 94% value retained

Point Transfer Options
Avianca Lifemiles

1:1 76% value retained

Point Transfer Options
British Airways Avios

1:1 65% value retained

Point Transfer Options
Cathay Pacific

1:1 65% value retained

Point Transfer Options
Emirates Skywards

1:1 53% value retained

Point Transfer Options
Etihad Guest

1:1 65% value retained

Point Transfer Options
Flying Blue (Air France-KLM)

1:1 76% value retained

Point Transfer Options
Hilton Honors

1:1 29% value retained

Point Transfer Options
Iberia Plus

1:1 71% value retained

Point Transfer Options
IHG One Rewards

1:1 35% value retained

Point Transfer Options
Japan Airlines (JAL)

1:1 82% value retained

Point Transfer Options
Marriott Bonvoy

1:1 41% value retained

Point Transfer Options
Qatar Airways' Privilege Club

1:1 71% value retained

Point Transfer Options
Southwest Rapid Rewards

1:1 76% value retained

Point Transfer Options
TAP Air Portugal (Miles&Go)

1:1 59% value retained

Point Transfer Options
Turkish Airways Miles&Smiles

1:1 65% value retained

Point Transfer Options
United MileagePlus

1:1 76% value retained

Point Transfer Options
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

1:1 82% value retained

Point Transfer Options
World of Hyatt

1:1 100% value retained

View All Point Transfer Options »

Bilt Blue Application Rules

5/24

Your application will be declined if 5 new cards are reported on your personal credit report in the past 24 months

Ranking of Cards Offering Bilt Rewards

#1
Bilt Blue
Bilt Blue »
#1
Bilt Obsidian
Bilt Obsidian »
#1
Bilt Palladium
Bilt Palladium »

Best for Series

Below is a snapshot of where this card performs best compared to the other cards in our database:

Rank 6th Honorable Mention
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