Members of Bilt Rewards have been able to transfer their points to airline and hotel partners since the loyalty program launched. Effective June 30th, the Bilt travel portal allows members to book travel using their points like cash. In partnership with Expedia, Bilt Rewards can be used to book flights, stays, rental cars, and so much more. Here’s everything you wanted to know about booking trips through the Bilt Rewards Travel Portal.
In This Post
What are Bilt Rewards?
Bilt Rewards is a rewards program where you can earn points when paying rent, using its co-branded credit card, and other qualifying activities. Membership is free and you can use my referral link to sign up. Points earned from Bilt can be used to book travel, transfer to airline and hotel partners, save for a down payment, and more.
When you rent from a Bilt Alliance property, you can choose to have your rent payments reported to the three major credit bureaus. This is an excellent way to build your credit with Experian, Transunion, and Equifax to purchase a home, get a car loan, and more.
How to earn Bilt Rewards points
There are four primary ways to earn Bilt Rewards points:
- Paying rent at eligible properties. Members who live in qualifying communities can earn points when paying their rent using cash, credit, or other methods, even if they don’t have the Bilt credit card.
- Paying rent with the Bilt Rewards Credit Card. Members with the Bilt Mastercard earn points for paying rent, even if their property doesn’t belong to the Bilt Rewards Alliance.
- Using the Bilt Mastercard. When you make purchases with the Bilt credit card, you’ll earn up to 3x points on every dollar you spend. This includes 2x points on travel and 3x on dining.
- Booking travel through the Bilt Rewards Travel Portal. Earn up to 2x points per dollar when booking flights, hotels, and more through the Bilt travel portal. When booking points & cash reservations, you’ll earn Bilt points on the cash portion of the trip.
Some Bilt Rewards Alliance properties offer periodic incentives for referring tenants, renewing your lease, and other activities. Keep your eyes open for promotions where you can earn additional Bilt points.
How to redeem Bilt Rewards points
Earning points is nice, but spending them is even better. Here are some of the best ways to redeem Bilt Rewards points:
- Transfer points to partners. Points transfer on a 1:1 basis to 11 partners, including American Airlines, United Airlines, Turkish Airlines, and World of Hyatt.
- Pay monthly rent. Put a little cushion in your budget when using your Bilt points to cover all or some of your monthly rent.
- Save for a down payment. Bilt is the first rewards program that lets you redeem points towards homeownership.
- Book travel. Starting June 30th, you can redeem your Bilt Rewards points to book flights, hotels, rental cars, and more. Points are worth 1.25 cents each when booking travel, which is the same rate as the Chase Sapphire Preferred.
- Real-time award availability with select partners. Sometimes it’s hard to know how many points to transfer or if award space is available. With Bilt’s exclusive relationships, you can see exactly how many miles are needed to book flights with American Airlines, Air Canada, or United Airlines.
You can easily toggle between these airlines or the Bilt travel portal when redeeming your points for the best value based on availability, departure times, travel time, and price.
Bilt offers other redemption options, like fitness classes and shopping. However, they don’t offer the same value as those listed above.
Pros and cons of the Bilt Rewards Credit Card
Before applying for the Bilt Rewards credit card, pay attention to the pros and cons of the card to decide if it is right for you:
Benefits of the Bilt credit card
- Earn rewards on rent payments
- Pay rent without being charged a fee
- Transfer points to airline and hotel partners
- Travel cancellation and interruption insurance
- Trip delay reimbursement
- Auto rental collision damage waiver
- No foreign transaction fees
- Monthly Lyft credits
Downsides of the Bilt card
- No welcome bonus
- Doesn’t offer cash back redemptions
- Travel bonus purchases are limited
- Homeowners can’t earn on mortgage payments
- Higher minimum transfer amount
Bilt Rewards Travel Portal launched June 30th
On June 30th, the Bilt Rewards Travel Portal was released to all Bilt members. The travel portal is operated by Expedia, so members have access to the same flights, hotels, and more at the same prices.
- Earn up to 2x points when booking travel. Plus, you’ll earn up to 2x points for every dollar you spend booking travel through the Bilt travel portal. There are 1x points per dollar for all members. However, if you have the Bilt Mastercard, you’ll earn double the points (2x per dollar) on your reservations.
- Book travel using points and cash. You can use a combination of points and cash to pay for travel. This way, if you don’t have enough points or want to save some for later, you have options.
- Get 25% more value when booking travel with points. Your points are worth 1.25 cents per dollar when booking travel through the Bilt Rewards Travel Portal. That’s the same value you get from the Chase Sapphire Preferred, which has a $95 annual fee.
- More booking options. Because Expedia powers the Bilt travel portal, you have full access to its inventory to book your trip. That includes 500+ airlines, 700,000+ properties, hundreds of car rental companies, and numerous activities and attractions.
- Theme park tickets and on-site hotels. If you love Disney and other theme parks, you can buy theme park tickets or book on-site hotels to earn points. Or you can redeem points to pay for your tickets or hotel stay.
What are points worth in the Bilt Rewards Travel Portal?
Your Bilt Rewards points have a range of values, depending on how you redeem them. When they are redeemed through the Bilt Rewards Travel Portal, they are worth 1.25 cents per point. This means that you need just 24,000 points for a $300 reservation.
The Bald Thoughts
With the launch of the Bilt Rewards Travel Portal, these points have even more value for travelers. Renters gain the most value by earning points on one of their biggest expenses, but some homeowners can also find benefits. Sign up for Bilt Rewards today using my Bilt referral link to start earning points today for rent, travel, and other purchases. Then, redeem your points through the Bilt travel portal for maximum value by booking trips through its Expedia partnership or by transferring points to its airline and hotel partners.
Frequently asked questions about the Bilt Rewards Travel Portal
Can I book points & cash reservations with Bilt Rewards?
Yes, if you don’t have points or want to save some for other redemptions, you can book points & cash reservations. All points are worth 1.25 cents each
How much are Bilt Rewards points worth?
On average, Bilt Rewards points are worth 1.8 cents each. However, their value varies depending on how they are redeemed. The highest value redemptions are when you use them to book travel through the Bilt travel portal or when transferring to airline and hotel partners.
What are the Bilt Rewards transfer partners?
There are 11 airline & hotel transfer partners available with Bilt Rewards. Partners include American Airlines AAdvantage, Air France KLM Flying Blue, United MileagePlus, and World of Hyatt. Points transfer in 2,000-point increments to all partners on a 1:1 basis. When you reach elite status by earning 25,000 points in one year, the minimum transfer is 1,000 points.
