Bilt caught our eye from the very beginning. It was the first loyalty program for renters, allowing members to earn valuable rewards on their monthly rent payments, the largest monthly expense for many of us.
Since then, Bilt has grown into its own ecosystem. And as it has grown, so has our love for it. No longer just for renters, the Bilt program now offers exceptional value for everyone.
Here are our favorite things about the program — and why you’ll want to sign up today.
Bilt isn’t a credit card company
You may have assumed that pretty much the only way to earn Bilt Points is to get a Bilt credit card, as is the case with some other rewards currencies.
And yes, you can get a Bilt credit card (and more on the way — back to that shortly), but you can actually earn plenty of Bilt points using any credit card.
Bilt points are a rewards currency, just like airline miles. And just like how you can earn airline miles in a variety of ways — through flying the airline, using a cobranded airline credit card, and even shopping through the airline’s shopping portal or dining with its partners — you can earn Bilt points by linking all of your credit and debit cards.
In fact, realizing this was the reason I first joined Bilt. I saw that I could earn Bilt points by booking Lyft rides and dining at restaurants that are partnered with Bilt. That meant not joining was actually costing me points.
Of Bilt’s over 5 million members, Bilt tells TPG that only 15% are actually Bilt cardholders. While most members discover Bilt through their apartment building (currently partnering with 70% of the nation’s top 100 property managers), others join directly to earn more valuable rewards on everyday spending.
Stack earning Bilt points and benefits with any credit card
It may still come as a surprise that Bilt allows you to earn Bilt points on top of the points or miles you’re earning on other cards. You can link any credit card from any issuer through your Bilt app and earn Bilt points with partners like Lyft, Walgreens and businesses that are part of Bilt’s merchant network … in addition to the regular points you are earning on your rewards credit card of choice.
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You can even pay your rent with another card you’ve linked through your Bilt account — allowing you to earn Bilt points as well as whatever rewards your credit card earns. You’ll earn 1 Bilt point per $2 spent if you go this route.
This month, I’m focused on topping off my American Airlines miles balance, so I linked my AAdvantage card to my Bilt app and used it to pay my rent. Doing so allowed me to earn 1 mile per dollar spent on my AAdvantage card for the charge, plus Bilt points on my rent — allowing me to stack my earnings with that purchase.
Bilt has even partnered with the Atmos Rewards (formerly Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan) cobranded credit cards to allow cardholders to earn an impressive 3 points per dollar spent on rent transactions — that spending also contributes to your status spending with Atmos Rewards! We won’t be too surprised if we see more of these partnerships in the future.
Just note that you’ll be charged a transaction fee when you use a card other than Bilt’s, so crunch the numbers to ensure your earnings are worth more to you than that fee.
Bilt offers the most valuable rewards
According to TPG’s October 2025 valuations, Bilt points take the cake as the most valuable rewards currency, coming in at a whopping 2.2 cents per point.
This is thanks to Bilt‘s wide range of redemption options and the largest network of 1:1 travel transfer partners on the market, including valuable programs that aren’t frequently part of many other rewards programs, like Atmos Rewards, World of Hyatt and Japan Airlines Mileage Bank.
And beyond the option to transfer your Bilt points to external travel partners, you can also redeem your Bilt points for travel through Bilt’s travel portal, gift cards, Amazon.com purchases, fitness classes and items in Bilt’s exclusive Home Collection. And, of course, sometimes you can ramp up the transfer ratios with Bilt’s monthly Rent Day promos.
Bilt also offers some really exciting exclusive redemption options beyond the realm of travel, including the chance to redeem your points for a rent credit, toward student loan balances and even toward a down payment on a home. Options include:
- Rent Credit
- Fitness classes
- Mobile check out at select restaurants
- Bilt Home Delivery
- Bilt Home Collection
- Bilt Travel Portal
- Amazon.com
- Lyft rides
- Gift cards at +120 brands
- Member-only Experiences
- Down payment on a home
- Student loan balances
Bilt Members can also access valuable status benefits in other travel programs — even without being a cardholder. This is really cool as it sort of changes the equation on loyalty: By being loyal to the Bilt ecosystem, you’ll access exclusive loyalty benefits in many other programs.
Members can earn status within the Bilt program by earning status points through a combination of spending and taking advantage of Bilt’s various points multiplier opportunities. As you hit higher status tiers, you’ll unlock benefits such as priority access to Rent Day monthly promotions (sometimes transfer bonuses up to 300%!), a travel concierge and Bilt’s exclusive Home Away from Home hotel benefits.
Plus, Bilt status can unlock exclusive status match opportunities for members, including status matches with Flying Blue and Virgin Voyages.
It’s getting even better — soon
As time goes on, Bilt seems to get better and better.
Just in the past year, it’s added five new transfer partners and the ability to redeem your points for student loan balances. Plus, it’s announced two really exciting things coming soon: three entirely new credit cards, including its first-ever premium card, and the chance to earn Bilt points on mortgage payments. That will be an absolute game changer for the tens of millions of Americans who make pretty large mortgage payments each and every month and typically haven’t been able to feasibly leverage that large expense into lucrative rewards.
And Bilt just announced the launch of Bilt Cash, coming in 2026, which will allow members to be rewarded even more.
As much as Bilt is growing, it seems it’s just getting started.
Bottom line
If you haven’t joined Bilt yet, you’re leaving points on the table. If you thought Bilt was just for renters, or just for folks in cities like New York, or just for those who had a Bilt card, it’s time to take a fresh look at how Bilt can help diversify your points portfolio.
