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Old Oct 7, 2023, 1:25 pm
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
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 Dec 4, 2024 | 7:28 am
  #1066  
 
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well, the low credit limit shouldnt be a problem because there is biltprotect. the real problem is there isnt much incentive to use bilt outside of rent and rent day.
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Old Dec 4, 2024 | 8:26 am
  #1067  
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Originally Posted by Majuki
… Ankur's latest email. .. .
Another tidbit from (probably) that same email, which I’m unable to quote right now, is tacit confirmation that HOA fees are acceptable as Bilt “rent” payments.
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Old Dec 4, 2024 | 9:20 am
  #1068  
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Is there a way to generate ACH/bank routing information for a Bilt card? I have to pay my garage bill and if I use a credit card, it charges a convenience fee.

-J.
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Old Dec 4, 2024 | 9:52 am
  #1069  
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In the Bilt app, go to the Pay Rent tab and scroll down to where it says Step 2. Select how you want to pay rent. Then under Pay rent online, it shows Routing number and account number
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Old Dec 4, 2024 | 9:59 am
  #1070  
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Originally Posted by gudugan
In the Bilt app, go to the Pay Rent tab and scroll down to where it says Step 2. Select how you want to pay rent. Then under Pay rent online, it shows Routing number and account number
I don't have a Pay Rent tab. There's a button I can hit to make a payment, after which I enter an amount and then choose the method of payment. On that screen, it shows my Bilt MC and my personal bank as options.

-J.
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Old Dec 4, 2024 | 10:16 am
  #1071  
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This is what it looks like on the website, same as the app. Maybe you need to set up a residence address first for it to show your options?



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Old Dec 4, 2024 | 1:32 pm
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Originally Posted by Dr Jabadski
Another tidbit from (probably) that same email, which I’m unable to quote right now, is tacit confirmation that HOA fees are acceptable as Bilt “rent” payments.
Yes. I was interested in this sentence too as it was never "official" only Rent, but many people claimed they were able to pay HOA fees for mortgage. I still wonder if there is a separate category you can choose?

Here is the quote from the email - "Today, around 15% of our members have our cobrand card, while the vast majority of our members join Bilt through our network of apartment and condo buildings that use our platform for all rental / HOA payments."
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Old Dec 4, 2024 | 1:54 pm
  #1073  
 
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Originally Posted by CherryBlossomJAL
Yes. I was interested in this sentence too as it was never "official" only Rent, but many people claimed they were able to pay HOA fees for mortgage. I still wonder if there is a separate category you can choose?

Here is the quote from the email - "Today, around 15% of our members have our cobrand card, while the vast majority of our members join Bilt through our network of apartment and condo buildings that use our platform for all rental / HOA payments."
sentence only suggests hoa payments is accepted for bilt network of apartment and condo buildings. may not be available for others
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Old Dec 4, 2024 | 1:56 pm
  #1074  
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I feel like Bilt is not super strict on the source of payment as long as the vendor is someone who collects rent (eg a property management software) and theres only one payment a month
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Old Dec 4, 2024 | 2:38 pm
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Originally Posted by CherryBlossomJAL
Yes. I was interested in this sentence too as it was never "official" only Rent, but many people claimed they were able to pay HOA fees for mortgage. I still wonder if there is a separate category you can choose?
There's not a category that one can choose. Part of the confusion is there was a post on the Bilt subreddit from someone at Bilt stating that the ACH payments could go toward rent, HOA fees, and utilities. There were attempts to clarify this from Bilt directly with no consensus.
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Old Dec 5, 2024 | 11:22 am
  #1076  
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Originally Posted by GW McLintock
Is there a way to generate ACH/bank routing information for a Bilt card? I have to pay my garage bill and if I use a credit card, it charges a convenience fee. -J.
Might be just as well that you don’t have a Pay Rent tab. Quote below is from the WikiPost for this thread. Should probably be very careful with non-rent (or HOA payments or more than 1 monthly payment) via the Bilt Rent Account/ACH.

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.” …
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Old Dec 5, 2024 | 12:38 pm
  #1077  
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Originally Posted by Dr Jabadski
Might be just as well that you dont have a Pay Rent tab. Quote below is from the WikiPost for this thread. Should probably be very careful with non-rent (or HOA payments or more than 1 monthly payment) via the Bilt Rent Account/ACH.
Some may argue I am paying rent for my car

-J.
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Old Dec 5, 2024 | 1:00 pm
  #1078  
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Originally Posted by GW McLintock
Some may argue I am paying rent for my car -J.
Undoubtedly, any “some” who keep a car in New York City .

Let us know if Bilt agrees.
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Old Dec 8, 2024 | 10:22 am
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Question Transitioning to WF Card - tips?

I'm still an Evolve BILT cardholder and need to transition to the WF BILT card.

Back when there was the 10K offer to apply for the new WF BILT card (using a link on the BILT website) I applied. WF sent me a letter claiming they couldn't verify my identity . They required me to fax a bunch of documents. At that time, I had been seriously ill, just moved and had no time to jump through that many hoops. Consequently, that app was eventually denied.

Now, it's crunch time.

I'm wondering whether it might be easier to submit a fresh application rather than repeat the earlier scenario that triggered the burdensome verification process?

Another concern, no matter which application avenue I take is the merging/coordination of the current BILT reward points account with the new WF one?

All suggestions that might streamline this transition are welcome! Thanks
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Old Dec 8, 2024 | 1:11 pm
  #1080  
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Originally Posted by bk3day
I... WF sent me a letter claiming they couldn't verify my identity.... just moved....
Chances are that Wells Fargo could not verify your identity because the address did not match what was shown in credit bureau records. That may be resolved, but if not you will need to send whatever they request.
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