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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 Feb 7, 2025 | 8:03 am
  #1126  
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Ensuring this benefit goes to members who genuinely engage with our broader program
Originally Posted by bpc3qh
I wonder if they'll raise the number of times you have to use the card?
I read "broader program" to mean engagement with features in addition to the credit card.
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Old Feb 7, 2025 | 9:18 am
  #1127  
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I know companies always need to evolve and innovate and change, but these proposals read to me like Bilt needs to make some money. They always claim to be profitable, but that may only be due to a crazy contract they negotiated with Wells Fargo. And they've never shown us the numbers. These ideas hint that they may not be making so much money at all, or they may be trying to find a profitable path forward once that WF contract expires.
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Old Feb 7, 2025 | 3:27 pm
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Originally Posted by josephstern
I know companies always need to evolve and innovate and change, but these proposals read to me like Bilt needs to make some money. They always claim to be profitable, but that may only be due to a crazy contract they negotiated with Wells Fargo. And they've never shown us the numbers. These ideas hint that they may not be making so much money at all, or they may be trying to find a profitable path forward once that WF contract expires.
i do not know about bilt numbers, but we often hear that WF is bleeding money from bilt. and this makes a lot of sense to me because i would expect people to carry little balance on bilt because the bulk of the spendings will be for rent, and it would be the right thing to do financially for renters to be able to pay off their rent. i also expect wf to be uncomfortable if renters are unable to pay off their rent obligations, meaning there is a real good chance of defaulting. they will definitely try to minimize/mitigate the risk. either way, this limits what they can earn from interests, which is really where the bulk of credit card profits come from. many people here thinks that it is the interchange fees that pays for the rewards program. but a fed reserve report showed that interchange fees are often not sufficient to cover the cost of the rewards program, and the bulk of the profits actually comes from interest. so idk if bilt is profitable, but the bilt and WF as a whole definitely isnt and that needs to change.
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Old Feb 7, 2025 | 3:49 pm
  #1129  
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Bilt is actually really compelling as your only or secondary card. If I had a friend with one card, let's say Chase Freedom Flex, and they pay rent, then I would wholeheartedly recommend them Bilt as a second card. 3x dining is decent and 2x travel is pretty good for a no fee card.

The problem is once you have a ton of expensive cards, each marginal card has to provide something unique for you to keep it around. Statement credits are ok for breakeven but hotel FNCs push the needle for me.

If we look at the two proposed $550 cards vs the CSR:
  • I don't book through the portal, but Bilt has 5x vs Chase 10x
  • Bilt Neighborhood dining is just a small subset of restaurants so it's either 1x or 2x vs Chase 3x
  • Lyft is 5x vs Chase 10x, if Chase isn't extended in March 2025 I will switch Lyft to Bilt anyways
  • Walgreens I don't spend much at
  • Direct flight booking is 3x/4x vs Chase 3x
  • I have better cards for grocery and gas
I'm sure I could squint at it and say the Bilt card with points earning on rent plus their (probably hard to use) statement credits is better than the Chase one, but Chase has a much larger ecosystem of cards which help me accrue easily.

I'm almost reminded of the discontinued Uber Visa card (https://www.uber.com/newsroom/uber-visa-card/), which was also amazing as a free card but got nerfed as it didn't make money
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Old Feb 7, 2025 | 3:53 pm
  #1130  
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Originally Posted by gudugan
I'm sure I could squint at it and say the Bilt card with points earning on rent plus their (probably hard to use) statement credits is better than the Chase one, but Chase has a much larger ecosystem of cards which help me accrue easily.
And Walgreens isn't that compelling because with Chase Freedom Unlimited you get 3x on dining and drugstores (which isn't limited to just one merchant in that category).

For me, holding the CSR is a no brainer because of the (easy-to-use) credits, Sapphire Lounges, earning structure, and transfer partners. For a high annual fee card, I assess the benefits annually. In my wallet, I can easily justify the Amex Hilton Aspire, CSR, and Venture X. The Platinum card still retains enough value for me to maintain, too, but the other 3 I don't give a second thought about renewing with their fees and benefits. For those ~$95 annual fee cards, like you said, usually a FNC or something is enough to favor maintaining the card. Bilt would not have a similar draw. I'm willing to pay a $0 annual fee for the their card in its current form or any of the A/B tested proposals.
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Last edited by Majuki; Feb 7, 2025 at 3:59 pm
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Old Feb 7, 2025 | 4:32 pm
  #1131  
 
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Originally Posted by gudugan
Bilt is actually really compelling as your only or secondary card. If I had a friend with one card, let's say Chase Freedom Flex, and they pay rent, then I would wholeheartedly recommend them Bilt as a second card. 3x dining is decent and 2x travel is pretty good for a no fee card.
i dont feel bilt works as an only card or secondary card. firstly, wf is notorious for low credit limit, so you may not have enough to spend after rent. secondly, dining is the only decent category. 2x travel is ok, except this isnt better than a 2x everything card and there are a significant number of things on my trips that do not code as travel. you also only have 1x for retail spend, grocery, gas and everyday spend, which cumulatively is quite a big category for people. a 2x everything card is probably better

Last edited by Caspavio; Feb 7, 2025 at 4:41 pm
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Old Feb 7, 2025 | 4:47 pm
  #1132  
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Lol I can't even charge my rent to the card because the CL is too low.

Just use Bilt Protect via ACH, to the consumer there's no difference

Assuming you value Bilt points as more than 1cpp, it's a good everyday card
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Old Feb 7, 2025 | 5:45 pm
  #1133  
 
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Originally Posted by gudugan
Lol I can't even charge my rent to the card because the CL is too low.

Just use Bilt Protect via ACH, to the consumer there's no difference

Assuming you value Bilt points as more than 1cpp, it's a good everyday card
bilt gave me a high credit limit considering some of the datapoints on FT. but i still dont really use bilt outside of rent day; i use custom cash for dining and VX for general spend.
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Old Feb 7, 2025 | 8:56 pm
  #1134  
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Originally Posted by gudugan
Lol I can't even charge my rent to the card because the CL is too low.

Just use Bilt Protect via ACH, to the consumer there's no difference

Assuming you value Bilt points as more than 1cpp, it's a good everyday card
Yeah there's a difference - if you time it right, you can float your rent for 50 days or so.
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Old Feb 8, 2025 | 3:24 pm
  #1135  
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Without rent payments I could never make the case for getting the Bilt 1.0 card with the signup “bonus” lottery they are running.

Looking at these new card proposals, I still see no justification to join their eco system. They are poorly made clones of the UR cards that I already have.
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Old Feb 8, 2025 | 3:46 pm
  #1136  
 
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Originally Posted by notquiteaff
Without rent payments I could never make the case for getting the Bilt 1.0 card with the signup bonus lottery they are running.

Looking at these new card proposals, I still see no justification to join their eco system. They are poorly made clones of the UR cards that I already have.
which is why only no annual fee option a make sense to me. you get to earn from rent, you can another issuer and network, you also get 1.5% with no foreign transaction
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Old Feb 8, 2025 | 6:32 pm
  #1137  
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Originally Posted by Caspavio
you also get 1.5% with no foreign transaction
The bulk of my international spend is dining, some form of travel, gas, and groceries. I get 3X in all those categories with my CSR and my Strata Premier without foreign transaction fee.
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Old Feb 9, 2025 | 12:36 am
  #1138  
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Originally Posted by josephstern
Yeah there's a difference - if you time it right, you can float your rent for 50 days or so.
Specifically moved my due date so statements close a day or two before rent is due. It's terrific.
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Old Feb 9, 2025 | 8:28 am
  #1139  
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Originally Posted by nexusCFX
Specifically moved my due date so statements close a day or two before rent is due. It's terrific.
My HOA is tiny, so I moved mine to close at the end of the month so I could float the $10K Rent Day spend I was doing. Good while it lasted. Now puny.
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Old Feb 9, 2025 | 8:57 am
  #1140  
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My HOA is not puny but also not enough to affect my preference for statement timing. Thus my Bilt statement, as for all my other credit card statements, closes on the 1st or 2nd of the month, to reflect a calendar (previous) month’s activity.
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