(Almost Free Traveling is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as Milevalue.com. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers)
Paying rent is one of those expenses that feels like lighting money on fire every month, but did you know there’s a no-fee Mastercard you can open and use to pay your landlord? The BILT card was designed so renters could earn rewards (and build credit!) every month just paying rent. Even if a property only accepts checks, renters can pay with the card through the Bilt Rewards app and BILT will mail a check on their behalf–all with no transaction fee. You’re eligible whether you pay by check, Venmo, Paypal or other online portals; even if your online portal charges a fee, you’ll receive a BILT rental account number in order to avoid a transaction fee.
Earned rewards can be redeemed in BILT’s portal for travel (read about a special Disney perk below!), transferred to travel partners, as rent credits, or stockpiled and later used for a down payment on a house! Read on to learn more about how to use a credit card to pay your monthly rent.
This blog post will cover:
Who can benefit from a BILT card
Basic perks offered through the card
BILT for Disney fans
Transfer partners
How to earn BILT points even without the card
Should you open a BILT card?
If you’d like to earn rewards paying your rent every month, then you should consider the BILT card–you can earn up to 50,000 BILT rewards annually just paying rent! If you’re the type person who likes to open more than one card and earn multiple bonuses, you’ll want to assess how the BILT card will fit into your Chase Bank 5/24 count. To learn more about beginning a points and miles travel journey, refer to this post:
The Basics
Comparable to other premium travel cards, the BILT card offers 3x rewards per dollar on dining, 2x on travel purchases and 1x on rent and all other spending (cardholders must use the card for 5 purchases/month in order to earn points). As an added perk, if you take 3 Lyft rides in one calendar month you’ll get a $5 Lyft credit with your Bilt Mastercard; additionally, try a free three-month DashPass membership (new members only) with your Bilt Mastercard (additionally, both new and existing members receive $5 off the first order each month).
Rent Day
Gone are the days of dreading the first of the month; instead, celebrate with the BILT card by spending and earning 6x on dining, 4x on travel and 2x on any other purchase (except rent) on the first day of every month. A great strategy could be maxing out the monthly minimum of five purchases on rent day every month!
Competitive with other flexible points (Chase, Capital One, Citi, Amex), BILT rewards can be redeemed in their portal for an elevated 1.25 rewards per dollar towards travel, and Disney fans will be excited to know that there are portal products just for them!
BILT for Disney Fans
One of the main selling points for the BILT card–and the reason we talk about it a lot–is that it’s the only program offering a 1.25 redemption rate per point for Disney tickets and resorts through their Expedia portal! Points can be redeemed for Disney admission to Disneyland, Disney World and Disneyland Paris, and for Disney resorts at all three properties (assuming availability).
Transfer Partners
Another exciting perk setting BILT apart are their 1:1 transfer partners, which include hotels brands IHG & Hyatt and airlines Aeroplan, Turkish Air, Hawaiian, Virgin, Emirates Skywards, Flying Blue, Cathay Pacific, United–and currently they’re the only program transferring to American Airlines!
Shopping With BILT Rewards
Beyond transferring points or redeeming them for travel in the portal, cardholders can use their BILT rewards to shop on Amazon or in the BILT collection, a hand-curated catalogue of art, decor, and apparel inspired by a different featured artist each month. Rewards can also be used to book fitness classes with Soul Cycle, Rumble, Y7 Studio or Solidcore.
Card Protection Offers
Trip Cancellation & Interruption Protection
Book a passenger fare on your BILT card and you’re eligible for up to $5,000 reimbursement for a non-refundable passenger fare if your trip is interrupted or canceled for a covered reason.
Trip Delay Reimbursement
Enjoy reimbursements for expenses including meals when your trip is delayed more than six hours due to inclement weather, mechanical breakdown of the common carrier or air traffic control delays.
Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver
Booking most rental cars on the BILT card ensures auto coverage for covered damages due to collision or theft.
No Foreign Currency Conversion Fee
Enjoy no foreign currency conversion fees for purchases converted to U.S. dollars when the BILT card is used to book travel.
Cell Phone Protection
Cardholders receive up to $800 of protection (plus $25 deductible) against covered theft or cell phone damage when the monthly cell phone is paid on the BILT card.
Purchase Security (Theft and Damage Protection)
Purchases made on the BILT card are eligible for theft or damage coverage within 90 days of the purchase, up to $10,000 per claim.
Dining Benefits
World Elite Mastercard Concierge
The concierge can make arrangements on your behalf at locations around the world for dinner or a special gift, and can also recommend hotels.
Earning BILT Points Without the Card
BILT invites everyone to earn rewards, whether you’re a cardholder or not–and there’s many ways to engage the program. Renters can earn points by renting from a BILT alliance property; additionally, anyone can sign up at Bilt.com, and link to all their travel loyalty accounts, earning 100 BILT rewards for every account linked!
To hear from Richard Kerr, a big Disney fan and Senior Director of BILT Rewards, listen to this episode of The Disney Points Podcast:
Takeaways
No one has to feel like they’re throwing money out the window every month paying rent anymore; instead, open a BILT card, build your credit, and get to work earning your next Disney vacation simply paying your landlord every month!
Learn more about how we travel for almost free on Instagram @almostfreetraveling and join the conversation on facebook.com/almostfreetraveling
Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post. The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of our partner offers may have expired.
Almost Free Traveling 
Leave a comment