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Tag Archives for bilt.

The Backstory Behind The First Really Innovative Loyalty Program In Years

by Gary Leff on April 16, 2022

Apr 16 2022

It turns out that redeeming points for a mortgage down payment may have been illegal and Bilt had to get explicit regulatory approval from the Federal Housing Administration. The specific sources of funds used for mortgage down payments are heavily regulated.

They got an explicit government no at first, before approval, and then they had to get landlords to sign on, and many were skeptical (more homeowners means fewer renters). And that was just the start, because they completely revamped their earning value proposition in the three months prior to launching last fall.

Inside The Launch Party For Bilt Rewards And Wells Fargo With Wyclef Jean And A$AP Rocky

by Gary Leff on March 29, 2022

Mar 29 2022

The Bilt launch event was a lot of fun – and very cool to be there with Wyclef Jean, A$AP Rocky, Mayor Adams and Dr. Oz – but even cooler is that Wells Fargo has a genuine top travel card and has entered the co-brand space with some thunder.

While Bilt is a product that gives consumers something they cannot get anywhere else (free points-earning for their biggest expense) in a no annual fee top travel card to boot.

Bilt Mastercard Applications Finally Available, Earn Points Referring Your Friends Too

by Gary Leff on March 28, 2022

Mar 28 2022

The Bilt Mastercard has no annual fee, lets you earn up to 100,000 points per year paying rent on your card without a fee, and earns double points on travel and triple points on dining. If you rent an apartment or house this card is a no-brainer, but it’s a great travel card period and arguably the best no annual fee card even if you don’t rent.

The problem has been that this new program wasn’t able to keep up with demand, so there was a wait list to join. For awhile readers of this blog had access to an invite code that allowed skipping that list. Recently though there’s been just no way to get the card.

Unprecedented: Search American And Air Canada Award Availability Inside Bilt App

by Gary Leff on January 4, 2022

Jan 04 2022

You can now search for award availability with American Airlines AAdvantage and Air Canada Aeroplan inside Bilt’s app. No other transferable points program has this, and it’s fairly unprecedented in the industry. That says something about the Bilt project, and the demographic they’re reaching that’s valuable to airline loyalty programs.

How Bilt Solves The Two Biggest Challenges In Credit Card Marketing

by Gary Leff on November 30, 2021

Nov 30 2021

There are two challenges credit card companies face in marketing to consumers: Getting potential customers to apply for the card and getting cardmembers to use the card.

I already knew that the new Bilt Mastercard had a unique approach to the first challenge. Receiving my Bilt card I now see they have an interesting approach to the second as well.

I’ve Been Approved For A Bilt Card!

by Gary Leff on November 20, 2021

Nov 20 2021

The Bilt Mastercard has no annual fee, lets you earn points paying rent on your card, and has bonus categories similar to a Sapphire Preferred Card as well (2x travel, 3x dining). If you rent an apartment or house you can be 50,000 points richer each year with this card, and points transfer to great airline and hotel partners.

There’s a waiting list to get the card, but they gave me a code to skip the waitlist to share on this site. I do not receive referral credit of any kind if you do.

This Is An Odd Way To Select ‘Best New Crew Card Of 2021’

by Gary Leff on November 15, 2021

Nov 15 2021

The Points Guy gave out an award for ‘best new credit card of 2021’. I happen to think choosing the new Capital One Venture X is a reasonable pick. But how they dismiss the best competition is interesting.

Report From The Oasis Estate On Richard Branson’s Moskito Island

by Gary Leff on November 13, 2021

Nov 13 2021

Moskito Island – right next to Necker Island – was purchased by Richard Branson in 2007. I spent the weekend at the Oasis Estate there. Here’s what it’s like.

The Reason Hyatt Became The Only Hotel Points Transfer Partner For New Program Bilt Rewards

by Gary Leff on June 22, 2021

Jun 22 2021

The new Bilt Rewards program lets members earn points through their rental apartment, and even earn points for paying rent to any landlord. It has a credit card, and points transfer 1:1 into a variety of loyalty currencies.

At first blush it seemed surprising to see Hyatt as the only hotel points transfer partner. It makes sense for Bilt, it’s the only hotel program where a 1:1 points transfer offers value to members. But we haven’t seen Hyatt offer that many partnerships. Why add Bilt?