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Old Oct 7, 2023, 1:25 pm
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Last edit by: Dr Jabadski
Bilt Rewards Mastercard WikiPost

(10/7/23 Original author (Dr Jabadski) note: As I posted here on 9/9/23 Considering Ive been salivating about simple no-cost points-etizing (like monetizing) my condo payments for about 25 years, I see Bilt as a game changer. I should have added almost a Holy Grail (a thing that is eagerly pursued or sought after). I successfully applied for a Bilt Mastercard 1 month ago thus Im far from an expert. Both before and after approval I posted multiple questions many times on this thread and several other FTers were highly gracious and informative. Thought a WikiPost might save some others a good deal of time, effort and aggravation, at least in not repeating my questions and searching for the answers. I certainly hope the experts will edit and update this WikiPost as necessary. Im also exercising Writer's Prerogative to officially coin the term pointsetize, like monetize convert into or express in the form of currency, to earn points from payments which otherwise would not earn points.)

Bilt Rewards Mastercard (Bilt MC) was first launched in mid-2021, in good part as a no fee way to charge and pointsetize rent payments. (Perhaps the only no fee way to pointsetize rent payments.) There are multiple reports of earning Bilt points for paying condominium monthly maintenance/common charges, sometimes even when the word condo or condominium is in the transaction description.

Bilt MC is a personal credit card, WF reports credit card information to the various credit bureaus and Bilt MC will count toward Chase 5/24.

This post and this post (both from 9/7/23) describe shutdown reports perhaps related to micro transactions, fluctuating rent payment amounts or multiple rent payments. This 10/11/23 post includes several references to Reddit user quotes about shutdowns and several Reddit Bilt quotes in response.

Links to Bilt Rewards Terms of Use and Evolve Bank & Trust (Bilt Technologies) Customer Account Agreement. The Terms state Bilt may make available to you a Bilt Rent Account (Account), which is a transaction bank account that can be used by you solely to make rent payments. The Agreement states: For the avoidance of doubt, the Account is a transaction bank account that can be used by you solely to make rent payments. For the avoidance of doubt, this is not an account that you may use to deposit or withdraw funds for any other purposes outside of rent payments.

Bilt MC is a metal card weighing ~16 grams (comparisons: AmEx biz plat 18.5 gm, AmEx Gold 15 gm, Chase Sapphire Reserve 13 gm, traditional plastic card 5 gm).

Bilt Mastercard is issued and managed by Wells Fargo. Bilt Rewards is a separate website and app (which contains some credit card information but not as much as WF website).

Most reports are of instant approvals, Wells Fargo reconsideration phone number and experiences are not well documented. Reported initial Credit Limits vary $4,000 - $30,000 with higher limits more commonly reported. This post (9/1/23) describes one instance of a Something went wrong message upon application and the steps toward approval several days later.

In March/April 2025 Bilt initiated a new and different process for paying rent and HOA fees which requires preauthorization and/or "auto-pre-authorization" within 5 days of payment. Rent payments can be made in multiple different ways. Bilt will provide a (bank) routing number and account number. ACH rent payments can be sent (deposited) by Bilt or withdrawn by a managing company.

Bilt MC is shipped via trackable no-signature-required First Class mail in a small (4.5 x 6.5) white box with unique packaging inside as pictured at the bottom of this post. As of Feb 2024 no reports of expedited shipping.

Reports on this thread starting in late November 2023 indicate this "quasi-SUB" may be offered randomly and/or only to some people, selection criteria unknown. This post may be the only report of being offered the quasi-SUB prior to Bilt Mastercard application, based on existing Bilt Rewards account. Bilt's quasi-SUB" is offered via an email and a text message notification the same day as card receipt informing of 5x/5 days/max 50K (email quoted verbatim in this post). (Quasi* due to very short duration in contrast to many traditional SUBs of 3 month duration.) Please note this quasi-SUB maxs out at $12,500 (not $10,000) and tax payments will count. No reports yet of returns and their effect on quasi-SUB. (* quasi- a combining form meaning resembling, having some, but not all of the features of, used in the formation of compound words: quasi-definition; quasi-monopoly; quasi-official; quasi-scientific.)

Newly earned Bilt points will display as pending until 5 transactions per statement cycle. After 5 transactions, points will post and become available shortly after a transaction, before statement date. The Bilt Rewards website has a transaction counter which disappears upon reaching 5.

Bilt points for linking partner programs (100 points each) and for adding a credit card to Bilt Wallet (100 points each for first 3) post immediately. Original author received 500 point bonus for first rent payment.

Bilt Rewards points are transferable at 1:1 usually within a few minutes to multiple different airline and hotel programs.

Theres discussion of the long term viability of Bilt with some of those posts linked at the bottom of this post after BREAK.

Bilt Status Tiers: Blue - anyone enrolled in Bilt Rewards with under 25,000 points, Silver - 25,000 points earned, Gold - 50,000 points earned, Platinum - 100,000 points earned. Tier status earned at any point in a year remains active through the end of the following year. Earn Interest on Points (Silver, Gold, Platinum Tiers) is minimal, discussed on this post and this post.

Bilt Points Quest Trivia was discontinued as of July 2024. Bilt Points Quest Trivia on the first of each month offers up to 250 points for correctly answering, within 10 seconds, 6 (out of 15-20) questions. Must get first 5 questions (10, 20, 30, 40, 50 points) correct to see the 6th bonus 100 point question. Theres often a Reddit thread with the Q & A. (Point Quest - October 2023 Answers) The lower half of this post has comments from a highly experienced test taker regarding memory, recall and studying for Points Quest Trivia.

Bilt Rent Free may also have been discontinued in 2024 or 2025. Bilt also has various RentFree games, available a few days prior to and/or on the 1st of the month, different people get different games. Could be a Family Feud style question with enough time to Google answers or a Where's Wally? (Bilt Brick) type of game or something else. Successful completion enters to be one of 3 people for whom Bilt pays their monthly rent (up to $2500).

List of Bilts Rent Day promotions going back to October 2022 at the bottom of the page here: DEALSPOINTS.

June 2024: Bottom of this post describes one persons experience paying a significant assessment (and earning points) with Bilt MC, at this time (only 3 weeks later) no report of clawback or shutdown (based on using Bilt to pay rent more than once a month and/or for something other than rent/condo fees).

June 2024: Bottom of this post contains Bilt quotes regarding Bilt BiltProtect.

June 2024: Important post (and link) stating that WF is losing money every month on Bilt.
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Old Oct 1, 2023 | 9:41 am
  #361  
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Couldn’t find today’s Bilt Points Quest Trivia answers anywhere online, did it anyway, couldn’t effectively use Google to help due to 10 second time limit. I got 4 of 5 correct, did not get a 6th (most rewarding) question, 130 points total. Not sure if there are more than 5 questions and if everyone gets the same questions. Hope everyone else can get the full 250 points, it’s a marathon not a sprint and the longest journey starts with 1 step (or 250 points) . (I don’t post on reddit, I’ll only post this here.)

10/1/23 Q & A:
Most decorated Olympian: Micheal Phelps
Host city 2024 Olympics: Paris
Football interception for touchdown: Pick Six
Football perfect season with Superbowl win: Miami
Early hockey puck material: Frozen cow dung
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Old Oct 1, 2023 | 9:48 am
  #362  
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Originally Posted by Dr Jabadski
Not sure if there are more than 5 questions and if everyone gets the same questions.
Yes, there are more than five questions. Todays Reddit thread seems to be

https://reddit.com/r/biltrewards/s/WBOiJXz5i8
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Old Oct 1, 2023 | 10:00 am
  #363  
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Originally Posted by notquiteaff
Yes, there are more than five questions…. Today’s Reddit thread seems to be
https://reddit.com/r/biltrewards/s/WBOiJXz5i8
Thank you, not sure why I couldn’t find that reddit thread with 5-10 minutes of Google searching, would have been nice. Maybe next month I'll ask for the link here BEFORE I try to answer the questions. (And I though I was being so magnanimous by posting here before it was posted anywhere and despite my annoyance at not earning the full 250 points .)

BREAK*

Originally Posted by progapanda
The interest is miniscule; the one plus of Silver status is that points transfers to partners can be made in 1,000-point increments vs. the Blue tier.
Originally Posted by josephstern
Agreed on the interest BS. In my mind, they'd be better off not offering that at all rather than doing it in such a pathetic fashion.
When is (the miniscule pathetic BS) interest posted; monthly first or last (business) day, annually? Thank you.

(* Procedure words (abbreviated to prowords) are words or phrases limited to radio telephone procedure used to facilitate communication by conveying information in a condensed standard verbal format. “Break”: I hereby indicate the separation of the text from other portions of the message. In other words, “finished with that subject, different subject follows”.)

Last edited by Dr Jabadski; Oct 1, 2023 at 10:15 am Reason: usual verbosity
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Old Oct 1, 2023 | 11:34 am
  #364  
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Originally Posted by Dr Jabadski
Thank you, not sure why I couldnt find that reddit thread with 5-10 minutes of Google searching, would have been nice. Maybe next month I'll ask for the link here BEFORE I try to answer the questions. (And I though I was being so magnanimous by posting here before it was posted anywhere and despite my annoyance at not earning the full 250 points .)
I just went to the r/biltrewards "forum" and looked at recent threads.

https://www.reddit.com/r/biltrewards/

Sports trivia is definitely not my strong suit, so not sure if the answers will actually help me this time. Probably not worth memorizing little factoids that are of zero interest to me to earn a few more points.
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Old Oct 1, 2023 | 12:19 pm
  #365  
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Originally Posted by notquiteaff
I just went to the r/biltrewards "forum" and looked at recent threads. https://www.reddit.com/r/biltrewards/ .
Thanks again, excellent suggestion.

Originally Posted by notquiteaff
Sports trivia is definitely not my strong suit, ...
Me too.

Originally Posted by notquiteaff
Probably not worth to earn a few more points.
Points and miles are always worth it, even just a few of them, its a marathon not a sprint, the longest journey starts with 1 step .

Originally Posted by notquiteaff
I remember Audience Rewards from back in the day.
Perfect example of (a minimal number of) points being worth it.

Originally Posted by notquiteaff
memorizing little factoids that are of zero interest ...
Im writing as one whos had to experience WAY more than my fair share of memory testing and who definitely had a method to my madness (of memory and testing), not at all trying to be disrespectful or tell you what you should do. (College, medical school, Navy, residency, board certification, many hours of required online training and testing prior to reserve mobilization, re-certification; seems like I spent my life studying SOMETHING for a test or exam.) I often think that I would not have graduated from medical school if it required more memorization and less recall and if I had not learned taught myself effective study and testing habits.

These trivia answers do not require memorization (remember), they require recall. Remember means to keep something in your memory, while recall means to access your memory, like the difference between a fill in the blank question and a multiple choice question. (We had 1 fill in the blank exam in first year medical school (bacteriology), the average score was 42%, I got a 37%, no more fill in the blank exams after that .) Recall is also more short term than memorization which is more likely to become long term memory.

Next month, Ill find the reddit thread, read though it once or twice for a minute or 2, not specifically trying to memorize (remember) it, then immediately do the Bilt Multiple choice Points Quest questions and try to answer each question as quickly as possible. For a multiple choice question theres a valid reason the first thought is most likely to be correct. Multiple choice questions are more likely to be answered incorrectly when overthought and/or the answer is changed from that originally chosen.

Although both remember and recall fade with age , I should be able to recall and select the correct answers from list, not sure I would be able to regurgitate the correct answers unprompted. If Points Quest was fill in the blank Id still give it a try but I doubt Id put as much effort toward it due to less likelihood of success.
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Old Oct 1, 2023 | 1:06 pm
  #366  
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Curated questions/answers from Doc's post upthread and the Reddit thread

10/1/23 Q & A:
Most decorated Olympian: Micheal Phelps
Host city 2024 Olympics: Paris
Football interception for touchdown: Pick Six
Football perfect season with Superbowl win: Miami Dolphins
Early hockey puck material: Frozen cow dung
Number of holes in standard round of golf: 18
What team did Messi join in the MLS: Inter Miami
Which famous NHL player had the quote “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”? Wayne Gretzky
Which team was originally known as the New York Titans? New York Jets
First basketball hoop made of - peach basket
NBA most points in a single game - Wilt Chamberlain
US Open Tennis Champion: Coco Gauff
Jesse Owens olympic sport: track and field
First televised US Sport in 1939: baseball
Which team does the traditional haka dance: New Zealand All Blacks
bowler gets 3 strikes in a row: Turkey
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Old Oct 1, 2023 | 1:10 pm
  #367  
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Originally Posted by Dr Jabadski
... Recall is also more “short term” than memorization which is more likely to become long term memory.
I just demonstrated Total Recall after posting the above summary, and earned my 250 points.
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Old Oct 1, 2023 | 1:28 pm
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Originally Posted by notquiteaff
… just demonstrated … Recall … and earned my 250 points.
Excellent. FWIW, copying and editing will enhance both remember and recall. Might be an efficient procedure going forward, edit the reddit post for posting here THEN do the Bilt trivia.

Originally Posted by notquiteaff
Curated questions/answers from Doc's post upthread …
Originally Posted by notquiteaff
…and earned my 250 points.
Is that your way of saying you owe me 60 points ? Why 60, of course because 59 is too few and 61 is too many !
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Old Oct 1, 2023 | 1:31 pm
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Originally Posted by Dr Jabadski
Excellent. FWIW, copying and editing will enhance both remember and recall. Might be an efficient procedure going forward, edit the reddit post for posting here THEN do the Bilt trivia.
Yes, and I think I will create a second account for my spouse. Double the reward for the same effort. If I transfer to Hyatt from both accounts and then combine them, it will take only 10 months for us to earn a single night in a luxurious category one property somewhere in a suburb of a larger city
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Old Oct 1, 2023 | 4:57 pm
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Originally Posted by Dr Jabadski
Im not knowledgeable enough to comment about Chase personal and biz cards and referrals but Ill mention that Bilt Rewards points can be transferred (apparently near instantly) to Hyatt and some or all Bilt MC (counts toward 5/24) cardholders receive a quasi-SUB (50K/$12,500/5 days) offer the day the card is received. I did it about 3 weeks ago, met the quasi-SUB spend with estimated tax payments.

Just in case youre not aware, Chase has both personal and biz Hyatt cards, each with 24 month SUB timeframes.
how does the bilt SUB work? You get extra points just in the first 5 days? I have seen the Hyatt cards, their SUB just arent as high as rhe ink (assuming I can get more than one per card)
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Old Oct 1, 2023 | 5:23 pm
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Originally Posted by Scotttyd
… I have seen the Hyatt cards, their SUB just aren’t as high as rhe ink (assuming I can get more than one per card)
Granted, but could conceivably max out Ink approvals/SUBs while still having capability for additional (Hyatt CC) approvals/SUBs.

Originally Posted by Scotttyd
how does the bilt SUB work? You get “extra” points just in the first 5 days? …
Kind of a lengthy answer. The Cliffs Notes* version is upon receipt of a new Bilt MC an email is often received stating (paraphrasing): “Your Bilt Mastercard has been delivered! … offer you 5X points on all of your eligible purchases (excluding rent) for the next 5 days … Terms: … only valid for 5 days from the date this email … earn a total of 5 rewards points, (1 base point plus 4 bonus points), per $1 spent on net purchases … maximum … 50,000 points… must make at least 5 transactions each statement period using your Bilt Mastercard to earn points.” I refer to it as "quasi" due to the 5 day timeframe.

I documented my recent experience with Bilt application, receipt, quasi-SUB in a series of posts on the Bilt thread starting on 9/1/23. This post discusses the quasi-SUB, this post clarifies the quasi-SUB max.

(* Cliffs Notes: a series of pamphlets with summaries and basic analyses of works of literature intended as study aids, is a company that makes books that tell you the gist of a certain topic; in other words “the short version” – of which my posts rarely are .)
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Old Oct 1, 2023 | 9:34 pm
  #372  
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Monthly. On the 1st.

Originally Posted by Dr Jabadski

When is (the miniscule pathetic BS) interest posted; monthly first or last (business) day, annually?
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Old Oct 2, 2023 | 8:07 am
  #373  
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Originally Posted by Dr Jabadski
Granted, but could conceivably max out Ink approvals/SUBs while still having capability for additional (Hyatt CC) approvals/SUBs.

Kind of a lengthy answer. The Cliffs Notes* version is upon receipt of a new Bilt MC an email is often received stating (paraphrasing): Your Bilt Mastercard has been delivered! offer you 5X points on all of your eligible purchases (excluding rent) for the next 5 days Terms: only valid for 5 days from the date this email earn a total of 5 rewards points, (1 base point plus 4 bonus points), per $1 spent on net purchases maximum 50,000 points must make at least 5 transactions each statement period using your Bilt Mastercard to earn points. I refer to it as "quasi" due to the 5 day timeframe.

I documented my recent experience with Bilt application, receipt, quasi-SUB in a series of posts on the Bilt thread starting on 9/1/23. This post discusses the quasi-SUB, this post clarifies the quasi-SUB max.

(* Cliffs Notes: a series of pamphlets with summaries and basic analyses of works of literature intended as study aids, is a company that makes books that tell you the gist of a certain topic; in other words the short version of which my posts rarely are .)
Just to further clarify, to max out, you'll need $12,500 of purchases since the base point does not count from the 50K max. Only the 4x bonus points count toward the 50K max. This assumes 1x spending - not sure what happens if you spend in bonus categories in this period. I know they get to 5x also, but I'm not sure if the 5x bonus pool of 50K gets used after 1x or after the normal amount (2x or 3x).
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Old Oct 2, 2023 | 9:55 am
  #374  
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I really need to start buying like hotel gift cards or something on the 1st. By far the best deals out there. Just eating out nice once a month on the first becomes very appealing.

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Old Oct 2, 2023 | 10:01 am
  #375  
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I've been loading up on InKind (restaurant dining app) credit on the 1st for (good!) restaurants in New York I'd visit anyway. 6x points from Bilt and typically a nice upfront discount from InKind.

Originally Posted by Smiley90
I really need to start buying like hotel gift cards or something on the 1st. By far the best deals out there. Just eating out nice once a month on the first becomes very appealing.

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