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
#886




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
#887


Join Date: Jul 2019
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, B6 Mosaic 2, AA Platinum Pro
Posts: 870
I'm seeing a few data points from folks I know that have been rejected or approved with a dramatically lower CL so it's not looking as great as I would hope
I use Bilt as my primary, but even I'm on the fence about renewing here - I guess they just think the # of Evolve cardholders is low enough (and their stranglehold over TPG etc. is large enough) that it won't matter if there's a few disgruntled ex-cardholders
I use Bilt as my primary, but even I'm on the fence about renewing here - I guess they just think the # of Evolve cardholders is low enough (and their stranglehold over TPG etc. is large enough) that it won't matter if there's a few disgruntled ex-cardholders
#888

Join Date: Jan 2023
Location: DCA, IAD
Programs: Hyatt Globalist; AA Plat. Pro.
Posts: 249
Glad I've only ever had the Wells Fargo card, I guess. This is an incredibly crappy move by Bilt to not ensure that existing cardholders in good standing can continue to have the card.
#889




Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: NYC/LA
Programs: DL DM, UA Silver, Marriott Titanium/LTP, Hilton Diamond
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#890
Original Poster


Join Date: Sep 2011
Programs: Virgin Atlantic Silver, IHG Diamond, Bonvoy Gold, Hilton Diamond, AA Platinum Pro, Sixt Diamond
Posts: 1,478
They should be offering 20K points, which would represent the entirety of the $200 payment they will get from Wells Fargo for a new approval. It's the least they could do to compensate for the wasted time and hard pull + 5/24 slot. They already got paid for the original approvals for these original cardholders and should be paying the second approval payment forward instead of pocketing half.
#891


Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: SFO/YYZ
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Posts: 2,814
Went from 22K limit on Evolve card to 10K on WF card. FICO over 800, ~400k income. WF very stingy.
#892




Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: SJC
Programs: AA, AS, Marriott
Posts: 6,959
I decided to prepay my HOA fees for the next year as a hedge against any program changes that might happen to Bilt Rewards.
#893


Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: SFO/YYZ
Programs: AC 35K|BA Silver|Marriott Plat|HH Diamond|Hyatt Globalist|ALL Plat
Posts: 2,814
I haven't gotten any indication that I got the offer, but when I got that offer on the Evolve card it only happened on the day I got the physical card in the mail and I only did the WF application yesterday so maybe it'll come.
#894




Join Date: May 2005
Location: SEA
Programs: AS; Hyatt Globalist; Hilton Gold; NEXUS
Posts: 1,175
I have a similar profile, and was given a $30k limit by Wells. But this was a fresh application in May without any prior Evolve card. My utilization was 0 (I pay off before statements are cut) and my total credit was around $85k across 7 accounts before the Bilt card. 3x Chase, 2x AMEX, 1x BoA, 1x Barclays. I've never done business with Wells before.
#895
FlyerTalk Evangelist



Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Upper Sternistan
Posts: 10,680
What is your total credit limit across all cards? Utilization? Any new recent accounts? Trying to tease out what they care about.
I have a similar profile, and was given a $30k limit by Wells. But this was a fresh application in May without any prior Evolve card. My utilization was 0 (I pay off before statements are cut) and my total credit was around $85k across 7 accounts before the Bilt card. 3x Chase, 2x AMEX, 1x BoA, 1x Barclays. I've never done business with Wells before.
I have a similar profile, and was given a $30k limit by Wells. But this was a fresh application in May without any prior Evolve card. My utilization was 0 (I pay off before statements are cut) and my total credit was around $85k across 7 accounts before the Bilt card. 3x Chase, 2x AMEX, 1x BoA, 1x Barclays. I've never done business with Wells before.
#896
FlyerTalk Evangelist




Join Date: May 2015
Location: BOS, YVR, ZRH
Programs: *G
Posts: 18,127
I know that we all like to keep our credit scores up by paying ccs before the bill cuts, but please realize that in today's higher interest rate environment, you're giving up real money to keep that score high. You can easily get 5% annual interest for those 20 days or so of float you're giving up. On a $10,000 credit card bill, 20 days at 5% interest comes to about $27. Do that 12 times a year and that's $324. I'm not willing to pay $324 to keep my score a bit higher. Maybe on occasion I'd pay off a card before the statement cuts for a specific app, but now that interest rates are higher, I don't do this as standard practice like I used to.
#897
FlyerTalk Evangelist



Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Upper Sternistan
Posts: 10,680
What? There is no interest on your utilization that gets reported as statement balance. Do you pre-pay your CC so your statement balance is 0 every time? You're just giving your CC provider a free 1 month loan that way. I just lay 25 days after my statement is due, and that's interest free.
-pay before the bill cuts so that the issuer reports your utilization as zero
-pay at the last possible date and get a real utilization reported (bringing down your credit score) but keeping your cash in an account that earns interest all the way
I use to do the former when rates were basically zero, but now that I can earn interest, I do the latter. Poster before me is still doing the former.
#898
FlyerTalk Evangelist




Join Date: May 2015
Location: BOS, YVR, ZRH
Programs: *G
Posts: 18,127
Right - that's my point. You can either:
-pay before the bill cuts so that the issuer reports your utilization as zero
-pay at the last possible date and get a real utilization reported (bringing down your credit score) but keeping your cash in an account that earns interest all the way
I use to do the former when rates were basically zero, but now that I can earn interest, I do the latter. Poster before me is still doing the former.
-pay before the bill cuts so that the issuer reports your utilization as zero
-pay at the last possible date and get a real utilization reported (bringing down your credit score) but keeping your cash in an account that earns interest all the way
I use to do the former when rates were basically zero, but now that I can earn interest, I do the latter. Poster before me is still doing the former.
Even if there's no interest in a savings account, I don't see a reason to pay my bill early, unless my utilization was crazy high. And my overall utilization is way below 30%, so that's not a concern.
#899
Flyertalk Posting Legend Moderator: Credit Card Programs, American Express, Capital One, Chase, Citi, Diners Club, Eco Travel, Signatures




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#900


Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: SFO/YYZ
Programs: AC 35K|BA Silver|Marriott Plat|HH Diamond|Hyatt Globalist|ALL Plat
Posts: 2,814
What is your total credit limit across all cards? Utilization? Any new recent accounts? Trying to tease out what they care about.
I have a similar profile, and was given a $30k limit by Wells. But this was a fresh application in May without any prior Evolve card. My utilization was 0 (I pay off before statements are cut) and my total credit was around $85k across 7 accounts before the Bilt card. 3x Chase, 2x AMEX, 1x BoA, 1x Barclays. I've never done business with Wells before.
I have a similar profile, and was given a $30k limit by Wells. But this was a fresh application in May without any prior Evolve card. My utilization was 0 (I pay off before statements are cut) and my total credit was around $85k across 7 accounts before the Bilt card. 3x Chase, 2x AMEX, 1x BoA, 1x Barclays. I've never done business with Wells before.



