Oct 7, 2023, 1:25 pm
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.
Linksto 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.
(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
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.
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 Rent Free may also have been discontinued in 2024 or 2025.
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.
Bilt Mastercard
Nov 25, 2023 | 9:10 am
#451
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: SJC
Programs: AA, AS, Marriott
Posts: 6,959
Nov 26, 2023 | 4:09 pm
#452
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: NYC/LA
Programs: DL DM, UA Silver, Marriott Titanium/LTP, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 9,803
In this months Wells Fargo/Bilt statements, a notice of a change to the program T&Cs:
Effective immediately:
The sentence in the section titled "General Terms" dealing with redemption values is deleted and replaced with: "At any time and for any reason without notice to you, Bilt may change the amount of points required for redemption."
To be honest I was a bit surprised this language wasnt already in the T&Cs because Im so used to airline and hotel loyalty programs having similar no notice language regarding program changes.
However, I have to wonder if theyre just tightening up the language for good practice, or if they are already contemplating changes to the program.
Effective immediately:
The sentence in the section titled "General Terms" dealing with redemption values is deleted and replaced with: "At any time and for any reason without notice to you, Bilt may change the amount of points required for redemption."
To be honest I was a bit surprised this language wasnt already in the T&Cs because Im so used to airline and hotel loyalty programs having similar no notice language regarding program changes.
However, I have to wonder if theyre just tightening up the language for good practice, or if they are already contemplating changes to the program.
Nov 26, 2023 | 4:30 pm
#453
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: SJC
Programs: AA, AS, Marriott
Posts: 6,959
Nov 27, 2023 | 12:32 pm
#454
Join Date: Jan 2012
Programs: CX MPO SL
Posts: 63
Yes. Even if you don't pay rent or HOA dues, you can still earn 2x on the first of the month, and there are sometimes bonuses with certain merchants. Transfer partners are respectable.
The only potential downside is there is some talk of the Bilt model being unsustainable, so if they reduce the benefits significantly or shut down completely then perhaps it would have made sense to save the new account or hard credit pulls for a different card.
The only potential downside is there is some talk of the Bilt model being unsustainable, so if they reduce the benefits significantly or shut down completely then perhaps it would have made sense to save the new account or hard credit pulls for a different card.
i also heard the argument that people will only make 4 de minimis transactions just to earn rent points. Honestly this is not terribly different from people earning a SUB with other cards then sock-drawering it. Min-maxers are going to min-max, whether it's Bilt or a different card. The unsustainable argument seems to assume Bilt's customer base consists of a lot more min-maxers than other cards, which i'm not sure is something that can be substantiated.
Nov 27, 2023 | 12:40 pm
#455
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: NYC/LA
Programs: DL DM, UA Silver, Marriott Titanium/LTP, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 9,803
I think the part that is unsustainable is giving points for rent, for people whose buildings arent part of the Bilt Alliance (Im assuming Bilt gets some upside from the buildings in the Alliance). Someone putting $3,000 per month in rent is getting 36,000 points a year, for which Bilt is getting no interchange whatsoever for those charges.
Nov 27, 2023 | 2:00 pm
#456
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Upper Sternistan
Posts: 10,680
I think the part that is unsustainable is giving points for rent, for people whose buildings arent part of the Bilt Alliance (Im assuming Bilt gets some upside from the buildings in the Alliance). Someone putting $3,000 per month in rent is getting 36,000 points a year, for which Bilt is getting no interchange whatsoever for those charges.
Nov 27, 2023 | 2:01 pm
#457
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: SJC
Programs: AA, AS, Marriott
Posts: 6,959
Another difference is that the earn rate is better than the typical $0 annual fee card. The only other 3x dining card that I know is the Chase Freedom Unlimited. However, the difference between Bilt and CFU is that CFU is cashback only unless you hold another Ultimate Rewards earning card that can transfer externally. Bilt is having to pay out a dining transaction that earned 3x to a transfer partner without collecting an annual fee.
Nov 27, 2023 | 3:50 pm
#458
Join Date: Oct 2023
Location: NYC <> SFBA
Programs: AA PlatPro, FB Gold, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 466
Wells Fargo Autograph once it gets transfer partners
Nov 27, 2023 | 7:34 pm
#459
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: SJC
Programs: AA, AS, Marriott
Posts: 6,959
Nov 27, 2023 | 8:26 pm
#460
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: NYC suburbs
Programs: UA LT Gold 1.2MM (BIS), AA LT Plat (SUBs, BD/Bask), Hilton Dia (CC), Hyatt Glob (BIB), et. al.
Posts: 4,589
I think the part that is unsustainable is giving points for rent, for people whose buildings aren’t part of the Bilt Alliance (I’m assuming Bilt gets some upside from the buildings in the Alliance). Someone putting $3,000 per month in rent is getting 36,000 points a year, for which Bilt is getting no interchange whatsoever for those charges.
People undoubtedly prioritize paying rent so Bilt is probably making less in finance charges on balances due to rent payments. Bilt is a more sophisticated card than most other cards, Bilt cardholders are probably less likely to carry a balance (and thus pay finance charges).
I’m a good example. Met the quasi-SUB (pseudo-SUB) with tax payments, paid the balance in full, Bilt gave me over 62,500 points on my first statement which I immediately transferred (speculatively) to Hyatt, a value of $600-$1000. I don’t know how much of a swipe fee Bilt got, on $12,500 charges even 2% is only $250. Every month I get almost 2,000 Bilt points for an ACH rent (condo) fee payment and 5-6 small charges totaling $50-$100, not much in swipe fees.
We may be seeing the start of Bilt cost cutting as recent reports indicate the quasi-SUB is no longer being offered.
(BTW, my recent prediction track record is pretty good
. I accurately predicted Aaron Rodgers would suffer a season ending injury within his first 2 Jets games.)
Nov 27, 2023 | 9:29 pm
#461
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Upper Sternistan
Posts: 10,680
Extrapolating from FT to the rest of the population is almost always a mistake. We come here to analyze and maximize. Most people get a card for any of a number of reasons, and then use it, and then ignore the details.
Nov 27, 2023 | 10:42 pm
#462
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2006
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(I almost jumped on the card a few months ago when some blog reported that everyone gets the quasi-SUB, even though I dont have any rent - or similar - monthly payment. Up by the time I had made up my mind, Bilt had let it known that that was in fact not the case after all and I really dont feel like getting a new card without a guaranteed SUB)
Nov 27, 2023 | 11:11 pm
#463
Join Date: Jan 2012
Programs: CX MPO SL
Posts: 63
the majority of any credit card company's customer base is nothing like the typical participants of forums like FT or r/churning on reddit.
Nov 28, 2023 | 4:20 am
#464
Flyertalk Posting Legend Moderator: Credit Card Programs, American Express, Capital One, Chase, Citi, Diners Club, Eco Travel, Signatures
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Nov 28, 2023 | 8:10 am
#465
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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