Incessantly Requested Questions About My New Favourite Card

Posted: 8/31/23 | August thirty first, 2023

Bilt is certainly one of my favourite journey bank cards. Whereas I’ve a handful of others in my pockets, Bilt is my go-to for many of my day-to-day spending.

Plus, it’s nonetheless the one bank card that lets you earn factors on hire fully free of charge — no charges, methods, or gimmicks. You simply pay your hire every month and earn factors you should use free of charge journey.

I’ve already written an in-depth review of the Bilt card and highlighted the essential things to know about it, but there are nonetheless quite a lot of misconceptions. I get emails about it each week.

So at the moment I needed to take the chance to reply some continuously requested questions on Bilt. Hopefully, this can clear up any confusion you may need — and persuade you join and begin incomes your personal factors at the moment!

Why is Bilt my present favourite journey bank card?

Bilt is the one bank card that lets you earn factors on hire — as much as 100,000 per yr. That is fully free too; there isn’t a annual price. When you dwell within the US and hire (particularly in expensive cities like NYC or SF), it’s a no-brainer.

One more reason I like Bilt is as a result of it’s the one non–American Airways card that transfers to American Airways. That is nice information for frequent AA fliers, or vacationers with particular upcoming journeys for which they wish to use AA factors.

For instance, this yr, for my birthday, I flew to Japan on JAL in first-class (certainly one of my favourite first-class experiences) by optimizing my spending to amass quite a lot of Bilt factors. AA is a associate with Japan Airways, so I may switch my Bilt factors to AA, after which use these for a seat on a flight operated by JAL.

Lastly, Bilt makes it straightforward to earn factors, with 3x on eating, 2x on journey, and 5x on Lyft — and double these figures on all classes (besides hire and Lyft) on the primary of the month (aka Hire Day). Plus, you’ll get the factors on a rolling foundation, so that you don’t have to attend till your assertion closes to make use of them.

Simply word that you need to make 5 purchases monthly (with no minimal spending requirement) to earn factors.

In abstract, Bilt has a number of stable bonuses. However the primary draw is incomes factors on hire. When you aren’t doing that, you’re actually leaving cash on the desk.
 

How do you earn factors paying hire with Bilt?

When you open a Bilt Mastercard, you merely go to the Bilt app or web site to arrange your recurring month-to-month rental funds.

First, you’ll arrange a Bilt Hire Account with Wells Fargo (the financial institution behind Bilt). That is mainly a authorized “dummy” account created as a workaround for bank card processing charges. You don’t use it for anything (you don’t withdraw cash from it or deposit into it).

Every time these distinctive routing and account numbers are used to pay hire (whether or not you employ an internet portal, Venmo, or PayPal), your Bilt Mastercard is charged for a similar quantity. You then repay the steadiness every month (in full!) by connecting it to your traditional checking account, as you’ll every other bank card.

In case your landlord solely accepts checks, you may nonetheless pay together with your Bilt card by way of the Bilt Rewards app, and Bilt will ship a examine in your behalf.

My rental fee portal prices a processing price for paying by bank card. Will I get charged a price for utilizing Bilt to pay my hire?

Nope! With a Bilt Hire Account (see above), you’re technically paying your hire with a checking account, not a bank card. So that you received’t incur any charges!
 

What’s the annual price for Bilt?

There’s NO annual price, which is a part of what makes Bilt so superior!
 

What are the most effective switch companions for Bilt?

My favourite switch associate is American Airways, as a result of, apart from AA bank cards, that is the one technique to earn AA factors.

You too can switch factors 1:1 to 13 different journey companions:

• American Airways
• AerClub (Aer Lingus)
• Aeroplan (Air Canada)
• British Airways
• Cathay Pacific
• Emirates
• Flying Blue (Air France/KLM)
• Hawaiian Airways
• Iberia
• IHG (Intercontinental Inns Group)
• Turkish Airways
• United
• Virgin Atlantic
• World of Hyatt

It’s straightforward to seek out the most effective use of your Bilt factors when reserving flights, because it integrates straight with Point.me, the points-booking search engine (learn more about Point.me in my review). Simply put your required vacation spot into the app’s journey portal, and the search operate will show all of the flights that you may e-book with Bilt factors.

When you’ve determined, you may switch your Bilt factors to the mandatory journey associate proper inside the app.
 

What’s Hire Day?

Hire Day is the primary day of the month (when hire is often due). On at the present time, Bilt gives double factors for the primary spending classes, which means that you simply’ll earn 6x (not 3x) on eating, 4x (not 2x) on journey, and 2x on different purchases (besides hire) made on the primary of the month. (Lyft factors are additionally not doubled.) That is my favourite technique to simply rack up Bilt factors.

There are much more bonuses on Hire Day within the Bilt app, the place you may play numerous video games with the intention to earn factors. For instance, in Level Quest, a mainstay of the Hire Day extravaganza, you may earn factors for proper solutions to (fairly straightforward) trivia questions.

There’s additionally a Hire Day Problem that adjustments each month, through which you full a problem for an opportunity that Bilt can pay your hire for one month. Previous challenges have included a fill-in-the-blank one and a picture search (discover Bilt blocks inside a picture).
 

Does Bilt work if I pay a mortgage as a substitute of renting?

No. You at present can’t get factors in your mortgage, solely hire funds.

Nonetheless, even owners may wish to take into account getting the Bilt card for the plethora of different advantages. It’s for sure the best no-fee travel credit card on the market, no matter whether or not you’re utilizing the points-for-rent characteristic or not. The benefit of incomes factors which might be transferable to a variety of journey companions, Hire Day advantages (obtainable to all cardholders), free Level.me entry (a device for locating award flights), and stable journey insurance coverage make it arduous to beat.
 

What credit score rating is required for Bilt?

The beneficial credit score rating to use for Bilt is within the good-to-excellent vary (670–850), although this isn’t a hard-and-fast rule. Different components in your credit score historical past could come into play when your utility is evaluated.
 

How do you apply for a Bilt bank card?

Simply click this link to apply! For many candidates, it takes simply a few minutes to obtain a response. Take into account that this can be a arduous inquiry in your credit score, which means that it’d trigger a brief dip in your rating.
 

Can I take advantage of Bilt with out the bank card?

When you dwell in a Bilt Alliance property (properties with an official partnership with Bilt), you received’t want the Bilt Mastercard to earn factors in your hire. Nonetheless, even when you dwell in certainly one of these properties, I nonetheless assume it’s properly value it for all the opposite methods to earn much more!
 

Is Bilt value it?

Sure! Contemplating there’s no price and solely factors to realize, Bilt is totally value having in your pockets.

Bilt is a must have for anybody who rents within the US — however particularly vacationers. I actually can’t suggest it sufficient. As the one card that permits you to earn factors from paying hire, and because the solely non–American Airways card that permits you to earn AA factors, it’s my favourite for a cause.

Don’t depart cash on the desk — get your Bilt card today!