Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

This device is too small

If you're on a Galaxy Fold, consider unfolding your phone or viewing it in full screen to best optimize your experience.

Skip to main content
Advertiser Disclosure Many of the offers that appear on this site are from companies from which The Motley Fool receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear) and may influence which products we write about, but our product ratings are not influenced by compensation. We do not include all companies or offers available in the marketplace.
    |    Accessibility Options

Bilt Mastercard® Review: Fee-Free Rent Rewards and Transferable Points

Review Updated
Brittney Myers
Author: Brittney Myers
Brittney Myers
Brittney Myers
Writer

Brittney started her writing career in the world of science, putting her physics degree to good use. Her journey into finance started with building her personal credit, but soon grew into a borderline obsession with credit cards and travel rewards. For the last 7 years, she has enjoyed the ability to share her expertise with readers, as well as the opportunity to interview companies and individuals making an impact on our financial lives. She wholly believe most problems can be solved with the right research -- and a good spreadsheet -- and she specializes in translating complex financial topics into actionable advice to help educate and empower readers.

See Full Bio

Many or all of the products here are from our partners that compensate us. It’s how we make money. But our editorial integrity ensures that our product ratings are not influenced by compensation. Terms may apply to offers listed on this page.

Bilt started out as a way to earn rewards while paying rent with your credit cards. Now Bilt has launched its own rewards credit card, the Bilt Mastercard®. With it, you can earn rewards on rent without the transaction fee, as well as earn bonus rewards on dining and travel, all with no annual fee. But how does it compare to your other rewards card options? Read our detailed Bilt Mastercard® review to find out.

Ratings Methodology

Bilt Mastercard®

Bilt Mastercard®
Rating image, 4.00 out of 5 stars.
4.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Rating image, 4.00 out of 5 stars.
4.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Credit Score: Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.
Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good (670-850)
Credit Score Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Good (670-850)

Intro APR

Purchases: N/A

Balance Transfers: N/A

Regular APR

See Terms

Rewards Circle with letter I in it. 1x points on rent payments through Bilt with no transaction fee, up to 100,000 points per calendar year. 2x points on flights, hotels, rental cars, and cruises when booked directly with airlines, hotels, and car rental agencies. 3x points at restaurants. You can earn double points, up to 6x, on first day of each month (excluding rent payments). You must make 5 transactions that post each statement period to earn points.

1x - 6x rewards points

Annual Fee

$0

Welcome Offer

N/A

  • If you use Bilt to pay rent, this is a good way to waive the transaction fee. It's also a nice option for a no annual fee travel card thanks to its transferable rewards.

    • Purchase rewards
    • Transferable points
    • Waived rent payment fee
    • No annual fee
    • Transaction minimum
    • No sign-up bonus
    • No intro-APR offers
    • Earn points on rent and much more.
    • 1x points on rent payments through the Bilt app with no transaction fee, up to 100,000 points per calendar year.
    • 2x points on flights, hotels, rental cars, and cruises when booked directly with airlines, hotels, and car rental agencies.
    • 3x points on dining.
    • Earn double points, up to 6x, on purchases (excluding rent payments) made on the first day of each month.
    • Earn points when you make 5 transactions that post each statement period.
    • No annual fee.

Credit card comparison

We recommend comparing options to ensure the card you're selecting is the best fit for you. To make your search easier, here's a short list of standout credit cards.

Offer Our Rating Welcome Offer Rewards Program APR Learn More
Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Best for cash back on rotating categories 		Discover will match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year. 1% - 5% Cashback Circle with letter I in it. Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places you shop each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and more, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.

Intro:

Purchases: 0%, 15 months

Balance Transfers: 0%, 15 months

Regular: 18.49% - 27.49% Variable APR *Rates as of December 12, 2024.

Apply Now for Discover it® Cash Back

On Discover's Secure Website.

Rates & Fees External Link Icon

Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Best for cash rewards on everyday spending 		$200 cash rewards Circle with letter I in it. Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months. 2% cash rewards Circle with letter I in it. Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.

Intro: Circle with letter I in it. 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers

Purchases: 0% intro APR, 12 months from account opening

Balance Transfers: 0% intro APR, 12 months from account opening on qualifying balance transfers

Regular: 19.24%, 24.24%, or 29.24% Variable APR

Apply Now for Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card

On Wells Fargo's Secure Website.

Rates & Fees External Link Icon

Rating image, 4.00 out of 5 stars.
4.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Best for unlimited rewards on purchases 		25,000 points Circle with letter I in it. 25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening - that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases 1.5 points per dollar Circle with letter I in it. Earn unlimited 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases, with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees, and your points don't expire as long as your account remains open.

Intro: Circle with letter I in it. 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases. 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. After the intro APR offer ends, 18.49% - 28.49% Variable APR on purchases and balance transfers will apply. A 3% fee for 60 days from account opening, then 4% fee applies to all balance transfers.

Purchases: 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases

Balance Transfers: 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days

Regular: 18.49% - 28.49% (Variable)

Apply Now for Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

On Bank of America's Secure Website.

Full Bilt Mastercard® review

This credit card is a good fit for: Bilt users who want to waive their transaction fee, or anyone looking for transferable travel rewards with no annual fee.

Pros

  • Purchase rewards
  • Transferable points
  • Waived rent payment fee
  • No annual fee

Cons

  • Transaction minimum
  • No sign-up bonus
  • No intro-APR offers

Top perks

This card offers a surprising number of perks, considering it has no annual card fee.

Earn up to 3X points per dollar

The Bilt Mastercard® earns up to 3X points per dollar in its bonus categories, which include:

  • 3X points per dollar on dining
  • 2X points per dollar on travel
  • 1X point per dollar on rental payments made through the Bilt App (up to 100,000 points per calendar year)
  • 1X point per dollar on other purchases

As with most cards that offer bonus rewards on dining, the Bilt Mastercard® dining category includes restaurants, bars, and most delivery services. Basically, anything that Mastercard codes as dining should qualify.

The travel category for the Bilt Mastercard® is very restrictive compared to the best travel rewards cards. It is limited to flights, hotels, rental cars, and cruises. Plus, you'll need to book directly with the respective carrier -- i.e., the airline, hotel, or car rental agency -- to earn the bonus rewards on those purchases.

Any travel booked through a third party, including travel agents, Airbnb, Vrbo, and other vacation rental sites, won't be included. Nor will you earn bonus rewards on bus lines, railways, rideshares, campgrounds, parking lots, or tolls.

Keep in mind that there's a transaction minimum to earn rewards each month (more on that below).

Rewards can be transferred to 12 travel partners

One of the most stand-out features of the Bilt Mastercard® is that your rewards points can actually be transferred to one of its 12 travel partners. This is almost unheard of for a no annual fee travel card. The list of partners includes:

  • American Airlines
  • Air Canada
  • Asia Airlines
  • Emirates Airline
  • Flying Blue (Air France & KLM)
  • Hawaiian Airlines
  • Turkish Airlines
  • United Airlines
  • Virgin Atlantic
  • Hyatt
  • Mariott Bonvoy
  • IHG

While comparable programs have way more travel partners -- American Express Membership Rewards can transfer to twice as many partners -- you still have access to a few standout brands. For example, Hyatt is very popular as a transfer partner thanks to its potential for high-value redemptions. United transfers are also an interesting option, as Chase is its only other credit card transfer partner.

If you don't want to use your rewards for travel, they can also be redeemed towards your rent, used on Amazon.com, or redeemed for fitness classes at four fitness partners.

Cardholders can pay rent without the transaction fee

Although pretty much any credit card we've reviewed will let you earn rewards on rent payments made with your credit card, this one takes it a step further. Specifically, as a Bilt Mastercard® cardholder, you can use Bilt to make your rent payments without the extra transaction fee. This can save you 3% on each transaction. Note that you can only make a rental payment to one rental property per month.

Travel benefits and no foreign transaction fee

Bilt's extra travel perks are again unusual for a no annual fee travel card, but very welcome. Firstly, cardholders can take advantage of trip cancellation and interruption protection, which offers up to $5,000 in coverage for non-refundable passenger fares booked with your card that are canceled for a covered reason. You also get trip delay coverage for covered delays of six hours or more. And no travel card would be complete without 0% foreign transaction fees. This lets you make purchases abroad without paying extra fees for currency conversion.

No annual card fee

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about this card isn't its rent rewards or even its transferable points -- it's that there isn't an annual card fee. This makes the card much more versatile. If you're not in the market for a travel card, but you use the Bilt App regularly, the card still makes sense as a way to waive the rental payment fee and it won't cost you extra to keep in a drawer the rest of the month (note that you still need to hit the transaction minimum to earn rewards, though). On the other hand, if you're a casual traveler who wants to earn transferable points without the fee, this card works for you, too.

What could be improved

While this card has a lot of perks, there are some notable drawbacks, as well.

Must make five transactions a month to earn rewards

One of the most important things to note about the Bilt Mastercard® is that you won't necessarily earn rewards every single month. That's because there is a five-transaction minimum to earn rewards. This means you need to make at least five credit card transactions every month to earn rewards on your purchases. (Presumably, this is to keep people from using the card solely for rent and not for anything else, as card companies make a lot of their money through the fees they charge businesses when you use your card.)

No sign-up bonus

Another key thing to keep in mind before applying for this card is that there isn't currently any kind of sign-up bonus. You won't get extra points just for signing up or for spending a certain amount on your card. This is a big bummer, as comparable travel rewards cards -- even those without annual fees -- tend to have sign-up bonuses worth at least a couple hundred dollars. If you're willing to pay an annual fee for a travel card, you can even find sign-up bonuses worth $750 to $1,000 or more.

No intro APR offers

In addition to there being no sign-up bonus of rewards points, there also isn't any kind of welcome offer for an intro APR on purchases or balance transfers. As such, you'll be charged the go-to APR on any balances you carry past the due date from the start. This means you'll want to pay your full balance before your due date every month to avoid accruing high interest fees. It also makes this card a poor choice for balance transfers.

Suggested credit score

The Bilt Mastercard® is issued by Wells Fargo; neither party publishes any information on the credit score requirements. However, most rewards cards require at least good credit, which usually means a credit score of 670 or higher. That said, your entire credit profile, not just your score, will be considered in the decision. Moreover, there are a few cardholder reports of being accepted with scores as low as 650.

Bilt Mastercard® is right for you if:

The Bilt Mastercard® is a good choice for anyone who already uses Bilt regularly to pay their rent, thanks to the waived transaction fee. But it's also a solid option for casual travelers who want to earn transferable travel rewards without paying an annual fee for the privilege. While Bilt's list of transfer partners is minimal compared to the competition, that list does include a few notable options. That said, there's no sign-up bonus or intro APR offers, which may be a dealbreaker for rewards collectors.

Our credit card methodology

At Motley Fool Money, we rate credit cards on a five-star scale (1 = poor, 5 = best). Our rating criteria includes rewards rates, welcome bonuses, fees, and perks like travel credits and 0% intro APR offers to evaluate our ratings.

We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best card recommendations. Learn more about how Motley Fool Money rates credit cards.