Maximize your points & miles
The no-annual-fee card that earns 4x on rent — and books premium award flights
Bilt Rewards points transfer 1:1 to seven major airline loyalty programs: United MileagePlus, American Airlines AAdvantage, British Airways Avios, Air Canada Aeroplan, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, Singapore KrisFlyer, and Air France/KLM Flying Blue. Most transfers complete instantly at a flat 1:1 ratio. Bilt also transfers to hotel partners including Hyatt, Marriott, and IHG, but this guide focuses on airline redemptions.
The headline feature of Bilt — and the reason it deserves a spot in almost every points enthusiast's wallet — is its 4x earning on rent. Bilt is the only major credit card that earns transfer-partner points on rent payments without your landlord charging a credit card surcharge. For a renter paying $2,000/month, that's 8,000 points per month or 96,000 points per year — enough for two round-trip transatlantic business class tickets via Aeroplan or Virgin Atlantic. The 4x rate is capped at 100,000 points per year, but for most renters the cap is plenty.
Bilt's other earning categories are 3x on dining, 2x on travel, and 1x on everything else, but the killer feature is rent. Because the card has no annual fee, there's effectively zero downside to holding it as a second card alongside your primary Chase, Amex, or Capital One card. You spend where the bonus categories work best on your primary card, and Bilt captures the one category every other card ignores: housing.
One requirement to know: to earn points, you must make at least 5 transactions per statement period on the card. This is Bilt's way of ensuring you use it as a real card, not just a rent-payment funnel. Coffee, gas, groceries — anything small works. Miss the 5-transaction minimum and you earn zero points for the month, including on your rent payment.
Cards that earn Bilt points: Bilt Mastercard ($0 annual fee), Bilt World Elite Mastercard (issued at $2,500+ monthly rent).
Only showing programs reachable via Bilt transfer. CPP = Cash Price ÷ Miles × 100 (higher = better value).
| Program | Economy OW | Business OW | First OW | Best CPP |
|---|
Air Canada Aeroplan tops the list for most travelers — 60,000 miles one-way for Star Alliance business class to Europe with no fuel surcharges on Lufthansa, Swiss, and Austrian. Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is right behind for Delta One transatlantic business class at 47,500 miles. British Airways Avios excels at short-haul domestic redemptions on American Airlines — flights under 650 miles cost as little as 6,000 Avios one-way. For first class, Singapore KrisFlyer unlocks Singapore Suites (A380) at 95,000 miles one-way. United MileagePlus is reliably good for the entire Star Alliance network.
For renters, almost unambiguously yes. The card has no annual fee, earns 4x on rent payments (capped at 100,000 points per year), 3x on dining, and 2x on travel. Transfer partners overlap heavily with Chase UR and Amex MR, which means Bilt slots in as a complement, not a replacement. A renter paying $2,000/month earns 96,000 points per year from rent alone — without any other spending. That's enough for two round-trip transatlantic business class tickets via Aeroplan or Virgin Atlantic. For non-renters, the case is weaker but the no-fee structure still makes it a free option for the 3x dining bonus.
Economy one-way to Europe starts at 10,000 miles via Virgin Atlantic (when partnered with Delta on specific routes), 13,000 via British Airways Avios on short transatlantic routes, or 30,000 standard via Aeroplan. Business class is best at 47,500 miles via Virgin Atlantic (Delta One) or 60,000 via Aeroplan (Star Alliance carriers). The Aeroplan option wins on fee structure — Lufthansa, Swiss, and Austrian business class booked through Aeroplan have no carrier-imposed fuel surcharges, while the same flights booked through British Airways Avios can cost $500+ in fees. First class is 95,000 miles via KrisFlyer for Singapore Suites.
You connect your bank account and rent payment details in the Bilt app, then pay rent through Bilt each month. Bilt sends the payment to your landlord via ACH, check, or virtual card — whatever your landlord accepts — and you earn 4x points per dollar with no credit card surcharge passed through. The 4x rate is capped at 100,000 points per year (about $25,000 in rent), and you must complete 5 transactions on the card per statement period to earn any points that month. Most renters easily clear the 5-transaction minimum with normal daily spending. Bilt is the only card on the market that offers this benefit at meaningful earning rates.
Bilt's partner list overlaps significantly with both Chase and Amex (Virgin Atlantic, Singapore KrisFlyer, Aeroplan, Flying Blue, British Airways are all shared) but doesn't replace either. Chase UR has more partners (13 vs 7), better hotel partners (Hyatt, IHG, Marriott), and stronger card options for travel earning (Sapphire Reserve at 3x on travel and dining). Amex MR has the broadest partner mix (18+) and unique partners like ANA Mileage Club for Star Alliance first class. Bilt's edge is purely in earning — it's the only no-fee card that earns transfer-partner points on rent. The optimal setup for many renters is to hold a Bilt Mastercard alongside a Chase Sapphire Preferred or Amex Gold, using Bilt for rent and the premium card for travel and dining.
Virgin Atlantic for Delta One transatlantic business class regularly yields 5-7+ cpp on $2,500+ cash tickets. Aeroplan for Star Alliance business class to Europe delivers 4-5 cpp with low fees. Singapore KrisFlyer for Singapore Suites first class can exceed 7 cpp when cash prices are $7,000+. The Bilt portal floor is 1.25 cpp on travel, so virtually any premium-cabin transfer beats that. As a benchmark, target 2+ cpp for solid value and anything above 5 cpp is exceptional. The economy floor is lower — for a $200 domestic flight, sometimes the portal beats a transfer.
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