Personal Card

Bilt Obsidian Credit Card

Written by: Adam Seper

While the Bilt Obsidian lets you earn Bilt points on rent and now mortgage, you’ll need to earn Bilt cash by spending outside those categories to do it fee-free.

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Bilt Obsidian Credit Card Review

Key Takeaways

The Bilt Obsidian Card is Bilt’s mid-tier option and lets you earn unlimited points on both rent and mortgage payments. While a 3% fee applies, you can offset it with Bilt Cash, including the $200 (in Bilt Cash) welcome bonus you’ll receive just for signing up, with no spending required.

Why This Card Could Be Right For You

Earning $200 in Bilt Cash just for signing up is a solid offer that offsets the $95 annual fee in year one. You’ll also earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on all non-rent, non-mortgage purchases. Bilt Cash can be used for several things (many have yet to be announced), but the main selling point is to use it to earn points on housing payments. Every $30 in Bilt Cash covers the fee for earning 1 point per dollar on $1,000 of rent or mortgage. How far that stretches depends on your monthly payment.

The hotel credit is underwhelming. It’s split into two $50 credits, requires a two-night minimum, and must be booked through the Bilt portal. If prices match those found directly, you’re effectively saving $50 on a two-night stay, twice per year.

Beyond that, the card offers several bonus categories that help you rack up both Bilt Points (transferable to partners) and Bilt Cash (usable toward housing payment fees):

Bonus categories:

Up to 1x on rent and mortgage
3x on your choice of dining or groceries (grocery cap: $25K/year)
2x on travel
1x on everyday spend
5x at Bilt Neighborhood Partner restaurants
3x at Bilt Neighborhood Partner fitness studios
3x on Lyft rides
2x at Walgreens

Included protections:

Cellular Wireless Protection
Purchase Assurance
MasterRental Coverage
Trip Cancellation & Interruption Protection
Trip Delay Reimbursement
Extended Warranty

When The Usual Advice Doesn't Apply

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

You have been a Bilt user who valued the ability to earn points on rent fee-free, which is no longer the case
You don't want to jump through so many hoops to earn points on your housing payments
The hotel credit is not a very valuable perk

What to Know About Bilt Rewards

Bilt Rewards are quickly becoming valuable in the points and miles world, but only if you’re a renter.

Earn up to 100,000 points in rewards from your monthly rent payments by putting it on the Bilt Mastercard
There is no annual fee or extra charge for doing this as Bilt acts as an intermediary and sends a check if your landlord doesn’t accept credit cards or charges a fee for using one
You can then cash those points in for high value redemptions
Bilt has an impressive array of transfer partners that rivals Chase and American Express, so you can turn that rent payment into free airfare and/or hotel stays pretty easily

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

Bilt 2.0 now has three credit cards, and we only recommend one.

Bilt Blue:

$100 signup bonus paid in Bilt Cash (no spending requirement)
4% back in Bilt Cash on all non-housing spend
Limited perks beyond a few spending multipliers

Bilt Palladium (the strongest option for points and miles enthusiasts):

$495 annual fee
4% back in Bilt Cash on all non-housing spend
$300 Bilt Cash welcome bonus (no spending required)
50,000 Bilt points + Bilt Gold status after spending $4,000 on non-housing purchases in the first 3 months
2x points on everyday spend (excluding rent and mortgage)
Elevated multipliers in select bonus categories
$200 in Bilt Cash on your account anniversary (first year included)
$400 in biannual hotel credits ($200 twice per year) for two-night bookings made through the Bilt portal

Card Information

Bonus Points	Minimum Spend	Point Value	Annual Value	Annual Fee	1st Year Value
0	$0	1.7 ¢	$200	$95	$105

Differentiating Perks	Rules
Points for paying rent and mortgage	5/24

Award System

Bank

Reconsideration Phone

Current Offer

0 Bonus Points for
$0 spend.

Spend Categories

Groceries If Selected »

3X points
5.1¢ Per Dollar Spent

Restaurants If Selected »

3X points
5.1¢ Per Dollar Spent

Travel None »

2X points
3.4¢ 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

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Card Benefits

Cell Phone Protection »
Use your card for your monthly bill and be reimbursed to replace or repair a stolen or

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.

Travel Insurance »
Reimburses delay expenses after 6+ hours, up to $300 per trip and 1 claim per 12 months. Also covers trip interruption for nonrefundable fares up to $2,000 per trip and $5,000 per year. Coverage is secondary.

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 »
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

Extended Warranty »
Extends the original manufacturer or store warranty by up to 24 months. Coverage pays the lowest of the purchase price, repair cost, replacement cost, or $10,000 per claim.

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Point Transfer Options

Transfer To Spouse/Partner No

Transfer To Friends No

Travel Partner Transfers

Outside Point System Bilt Rewards

Transfers Out To

Accor Live Limitless

3:2 86% value retained

Aer Lingus AerClub

1:1 88% value retained

Air Canada Aeroplan

1:1 82% value retained

Atmos Rewards

1:1 94% value retained

Avianca Lifemiles

1:1 76% value retained

British Airways Avios

1:1 65% value retained

Cathay Pacific

1:1 65% value retained

Emirates Skywards

1:1 53% value retained

Etihad Guest

1:1 65% value retained

Flying Blue (Air France-KLM)

1:1 76% value retained

Hilton Honors

1:1 29% value retained

Iberia Plus

1:1 71% value retained

IHG One Rewards

1:1 35% value retained

Japan Airlines (JAL)

1:1 82% value retained

Marriott Bonvoy

1:1 41% value retained

Qatar Airways' Privilege Club

1:1 71% value retained

Southwest Rapid Rewards

1:1 76% value retained

TAP Air Portugal (Miles&Go)

1:1 59% value retained

Turkish Airways Miles&Smiles

1:1 65% value retained

United MileagePlus

1:1 76% value retained

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

1:1 82% value retained

World of Hyatt

1:1 100% value retained

View All Point Transfer Options »

Bilt Obsidian 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

Bilt Blue »

Bilt Obsidian »

Bilt Palladium »