Card guide · Bilt Rewards points
Bilt Blue
Card guide overview
A no-fee entry point to the only program that earns transferable points on rent with no transaction fee. Up to 4X Bilt dining, 3X hotels/portal, and 3X Lyft.
Key card attributes
| Issuing bank | Reward currency | Currency type | Network | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilt | Bilt Rewards | Transferable points | Mastercard | $0 |
Closest alternatives
At a glance
Earn transferable points on rent with no annual fee—the only $0 card that can do this.
The Bilt Blue earns up to 4X at Bilt partner restaurants (20,000+ U.S. locations), 3X on hotels through the Bilt Travel Portal, 3X on Lyft rides, 2X on flights through the Bilt Travel Portal, and 1X on all other purchases. It earns up to 1.25X on rent, mortgage, and HOA payments with no transaction fee—the only $0 card with this capability.
The Blue lacks the point accelerator and hotel credits of the Obsidian and Palladium. But at $0, there is no annual fee to offset—every point earned on rent is pure upside. The Bilt Cash system adds complexity (two earning systems, Cash expiration, only $100 rolls over), which is why we rate the full Coupon Book score even on the no-fee card.
Best fit
Renters who want transferable points on housing at no annual cost
If your primary goal is earning points on rent without paying an annual fee, the Blue is the simplest path in. You can always upgrade to the Obsidian or Palladium later.
Current timing
$100 Bilt Cash is the standard welcome offer
The Blue has consistently offered $100 Bilt Cash as its welcome bonus. The value proposition is the ongoing rent earning, not the one-time bonus.
Main watchout
Bilt program complexity applies even at $0—two earning systems, expiring Cash
Like all Bilt cards, you earn both Bilt Points and Bilt Cash in parallel. Unlocking full housing rewards requires non-housing spend each billing cycle. Bilt Cash expires annually. The Blue has no fee to recoup, so the complexity is less of a financial liability, but it still demands active management.
Current & historical offer
$100 Bilt Cash has been the consistent welcome offer.
We compare public offers with public offers. Referral, branch, targeted and mixed cash-plus-points offers are outside this ladder.
Timing assessment
$100 Bilt Cash is a modest bonus, but the card costs nothing to hold.
At $0 annual fee, there is no pressure to maximize the welcome offer. The Blue exists to earn points on rent—the $100 Bilt Cash bonus is a one-time bonus on top of that ongoing value.
Why someone may skip
The Obsidian at $95 adds meaningful benefits for a small fee.
For $95, the Obsidian adds 3X dining-or-grocery (vs. 1X), two semiannual $50 hotel credits that each require an eligible minimum two-night portal stay, and a Point Accelerator. Each accelerator activation costs $200 Bilt Cash and applies to the next $5,000 in eligible purchases, up to five activations per year. The annual fee is offset only if you can use both restricted hotel credits.
Card benefits
Housing rewards and no annual fee are the story; the rest is standard for a $0 card.
The tiers are a Points Brief editorial assessment of decision importance and rarity among comparable $0 transferable-points cards—not labels supplied by Bilt.
Tier 1 · Rare differentiators
Benefits uncommon enough at this fee level to influence the card decision.
Earn transferable points on rent and mortgage with no transaction fee—and no annual fee
The only $0 card that earns transferable points on housing payments. On a $2,000 monthly rent payment at 1.25X, that is 30,000 points per year from an expense no other $0 card touches—all with no annual fee to offset.
- ACH, Venmo, or check payment to your landlord with no transaction fee.
- Rate scales with non-housing spend: 0.5X at 25%, 1X at 75%, 1.25X at 100%+ of housing payment.
- Minimum 250 points per month even with no non-housing spend.
- At $0 annual fee, every housing point earned is pure upside.
Know the limits: Full 1.25X requires non-housing spending equal to your housing payment in the same billing cycle. If you only use the card for rent, you earn just 250 points per month.
Tier 2 · Decent earn rates for a no-fee card
Benefits that add value but should not drive the decision alone.
Up to 4X Bilt partner restaurants
Up to 4X at Bilt's curated dining network of 20,000+ U.S. restaurants. This is the Blue's highest earning category.
At 4X with Bilt points valued at 1.5–1.8 cents each, this is roughly a 6–7.2% return—strong for a no-fee card. But the rate only applies at Bilt's specific partner restaurants, not all dining.
Tier 3 · Expected travel-card basics
Useful protections and services that should not drive the decision alone.
No foreign transaction fees Travel baseline
No issuer foreign-transaction fee on purchases made abroad.
World Elite Mastercard benefits Mastercard
Standard World Elite Mastercard protections including cell phone protection and ID theft protection.
Stainless steel card Card baseline
All Bilt cards are metal—unusual for a no-fee card.
Comparison method: No-fee transferable-points and travel cards including Capital One VentureOne, Citi Strata, and Amex EveryDay; public positioning reviewed in July 2026. Tiering is editorial.
Earning rates
Rent is the reason to hold this card; the spend earn rates are secondary.
Bilt points are earned on top of Bilt Cash—a separate layer that can return up to 4% through the Bilt ecosystem. Rates shown are Bilt Points only; Bilt Cash earnings are additional.
Bilt partner restaurants (20,000+ U.S. locations)
Bilt's curated dining network. This is not all restaurants—it is the Bilt partner network specifically.
Hotels through Bilt Travel Portal + Lyft
Hotel bookings through the Bilt Travel Portal. Also 3X on Lyft rides after linking accounts.
Flights through Bilt Travel Portal
Airline tickets purchased through the Bilt Travel Portal.
All other purchases
One point per dollar on everything not covered by a higher category.
Value context: Bilt points are estimated at 1.5–1.8 cents each. At 4X on Bilt dining, that is roughly a 6–7.2% return. But 1X everywhere else trails the 2% cash-back baseline. The Blue is a rent-earning card that happens to earn points on spend—not a daily driver. Housing rewards at 1.25X on a $2,000 rent payment add roughly $30–$36 in monthly point value at no annual cost.
Transfer partners
A growing but still maturing transfer partner roster.
Bilt Rewards points transfer to the airline and hotel partners below at 1:1 unless otherwise noted. Transfers are generally final. All three Bilt cards share the same transfer partner roster—the $0 Blue gets the same access as the $495 Palladium. Bilt regularly runs limited-time transfer bonuses of 20–100%, which can significantly boost point value.
Key differentiator
Rent Daybonus transfers
Bilt runs frequent transfer bonuses—sometimes 100% or more—on Rent Day.
No other transferable-points program regularly offers 100% transfer bonuses. Bilt's Rent Day promotions (1st of each month) can make Bilt points the most valuable transfer currency on specific dates.
Major airline transfer partners (1:1)
Airline programs available for point transfers at 1:1.
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Air France–KLM Flying Blue
- Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- Avianca LifeMiles
- British Airways Executive Club
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Emirates Skywards
- Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles
- Iberia Plus
- Japan Airlines Mileage Bank
- Singapore KrisFlyer
- Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
- United MileagePlus
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Hotel transfer partners
Hotel programs available for point transfers.
- World of Hyatt
- IHG One Rewards
- Marriott Bonvoy
Why Bilt points can be more valuable than they appear
What sets Bilt apart in transfer value.
- Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- Japan Airlines Mileage Bank
- World of Hyatt (shared only with Chase Ultimate Rewards)
Sources and methodology
Sources for this page
- Last checked: July 24, 2026
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