Tag Archives for bilt rewards.
Bilt Card 2.0 is finally moving forward, and the most important details are not the new perks — it is the transition rules and deadlines that determine what happens to your account. Here is what current cardholders need to know before January 14 to keep the upgrade seamless, avoid a hard credit pull, and understand what you get if you do nothing.
Bilt has upgraded its travel portal to clearly show when an airfare booking is truly made directly with the airline. That means you can earn an extra Bilt point per dollar on the ticket, still put the charge on any card you choose, and—crucially—handle changes or rebooking with the airline instead of a third-party site. For anyone who values both rewards and control over their reservation, this is a real advantage.
Most travelers book airfare direct to keep earning bonuses on their card of choice. But some travel portals now pass through airline merchant coding and add their own points on top, letting you double-dip rewards and still get the protections and earnings your premium card offers. For many flyers, that makes portal booking more lucrative than buying straight from the airline.
Rakuten now lets you earn Bilt points instead of cash back — and for six months, every $1 of Rakuten rewards equals 100 Bilt points. That means everyday online shopping can now generate one of the most valuable points currencies in travel, especially when paired with Bilt’s frequent transfer bonuses.
Bilt Card 2.0 is nearly here. The transition to Cardless brings three new versions — no-fee, $95, and $495 — all earning points on mortgage payments. Current members can choose their new card with no hard credit pull ahead of the February 7 rollout.
On November 1 only, Bilt will run up to a 100% transfer bonus to Etihad Guest (12 a.m. Eastern to 11:59 p.m. Pacific as its headline Rent Day offer.
Beginning January 1, Bilt Rewards will retire its Milestone Rewards program and replace it with cash credits that members earn on top of their points. The new structure adds spendable value across Bilt’s partner network—from restaurants to travel—making each transaction deliver both points and real money.
Bilt Rewards has added Etihad Guest as a 1:1 transfer partner. I like the Abu Dhabi-based airline. And if you want their best award availability, you need to use their own miles.
Rakuten’s site revealed Bilt as a new cash-out option, alongside Amex and cash. If this goes live, I’ll move every rebate to Bilt—its points are simply worth more.
My biggest takeaway here is that Bilt points are so good I can literally look at a potential 100% bonus on transfers to Virgin and shrug, preferring to save my points for the next opportunity since I’m confident even better ones will come along.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
