Late last year, I stopped using my Bilt credit card. On October 1, 2024, Bilt began limiting its Rent Day double-points promotion to a meager 1,000 bonus points per month. Before that, when the limit was 10,000 bonus points, I made sure to spend enough on the first of each month with my Bilt card to earn top-tier Platinum status by the end of the year. This way, I earned at least 2x on all of my Bilt card spend, and I qualified for the best Bilt transfer bonuses (which they often limited to top-tier elites) — sometimes as high as 150%. It was a great deal while it lasted, but the new 1K limit meant that I could no longer earn top-tier status while also earning at least 2x on all purchases. So, I put away my card and was relieved that I no longer had to worry about making at least five purchases per month to earn rewards (a weird requirement of the Bilt card).
Recent developments have prompted me to reconsider my 2026 Bilt-card plans…
Bilt background
Bilt is a rewards program initially designed for renters, but it has since expanded to be relevant for all US residents. Bilt offers rewards for paying rent (and soon, mortgage too), as well as for spending with any linked credit card at participating merchants of Bilt’s Neighborhood Rewards program (this includes Walgreens, many restaurants, fitness studios, and parking lots, among others). You do not need a Bilt credit card to earn Bilt points, but it’s the only way to earn Bilt points without a fee when paying rent or (soon) mortgage.
Bilt points can be used for 1.25 cents per point towards travel booked through Bilt, or you can do even better by transferring to an airline or hotel partner to book valuable awards. Bilt has an impressive array of transfer partners, including Hyatt, Alaska, Japan Airlines, United, and many more.
Additionally, Bilt offers “Rent Day” promotions on the first of every month. Rent Day promotions often include transfer bonuses to a particular airline or hotel partner. Sometimes the size of the transfer bonus depends on the member’s elite status. It’s common to see transfer bonuses as high as 100% for top-tier Platinum elite members.
Bilt’s elite status is earned within a calendar year based upon either the number of points you’ve earned or the amount you’ve spent through Bilt:
- Silver: 50,000 Bilt Points earned or $10,000 spent
- Gold: 125,000 Bilt Points earned or $25,000 spent
- Platinum: 200,000 Bilt Points earned or $50,000 spent
Rakuten & Bilt
For some time now, the Rakuten shopping portal has offered the option to earn American Express Membership Rewards points instead of cash back. What’s new is the option to earn Bilt points instead. That’s exciting! It’s easy to earn huge numbers of Amex points through credit card welcome and referral bonuses. With Bilt, though, the opportunities for big points windfalls center around paying a lot in rent, buying a new home, or (soon) paying a lot for your mortgage. None of those apply to me. However, I do earn a significant amount of rewards from Rakuten, both through shopping and by referring others. I’m thrilled with the opportunity to earn Bilt points that way! Specifically, I’m interested in taking advantage of some of the great deals that Nick uncovered with Japan Airlines (JAL) miles. Only Bilt offers 1 to 1 transfers to JAL.
A new purpose for Bilt elite status
For the next six months, everyone who chooses to earn Bilt points from Rakuten will earn a point for every portal penny earned. That’s the same as when you choose to earn Amex points. After six months, only those with elite status will continue to earn at that 1 to 1 ratio. That makes Bilt elite status essential if I want to continue earning Bilt points from Rakuten. Additionally, if I’m earning lots of Bilt points, I’ll want access to the bigger transfer bonuses that elite status often unlocks.
Sadly, points earned from Rakuten do not count towards Bilt elite status.
A new life for my Bilt card
To keep my Rakuten to Bilt ratio at 1-to-1 beyond the next six months, I’ll need at least Bilt Silver status. Silver status requires either 50,000 Bilt Points earned (excluding Rakuten-earned points) or $10,000 spent. If nothing changes about that next year, then my go-forward plan is to spend $1,000 every Rent Day (probably on Kiva loans). Since Bilt doubles card earnings on Rent Day (up to 1,000 bonus points), I’ll earn 2x on all that spend, and I’ll earn Silver status by month 10.
Actually, since the Rakuten to Bilt ratio will drop next May for non-elite members, I’ll have to accelerate those plans. If I spend $2,000 each month, January to early May, I’ll have Silver status in time for the mid-May payout from Rakuten (Rakuten pays out once every three months). That plan reduces my point earnings to 1.5x in 2026, but once I earn Silver status in 2026, it will remain in effect until the end of 2027. Starting in January 2027, I could switch to my $ 1,000 per month plan without worrying about dropping to a lower transfer ratio from Rakuten.
However… All of this is dependent upon Bilt’s credit card working the same way next year. But maybe it won’t…
New Bilt credit cards
Last week, Bilt announced that its lineup of three new credit cards issued by Cardless will be launched on February 7, 2026. The annual fees will be $0, $95, and $495. Beyond that, we know very little. We expect to learn more in January.
Current cardholders (like me) will have the opportunity to transition to a Cardless Bilt card without incurring a hard credit inquiry. Additionally, our current Bilt cards issued by Wells Fargo will be converted to the Wells Fargo Autograph card. The latter is a decent card that earns transferable points. I’m happy about that part of the transition because it will give me an easy way to dip my toes into the Wells Fargo rewards ecosystem. Regarding the transition to a new Cardless card, the card will likely appear on my credit report as a new account (rather than being backdated to when I opened my current Bilt card). If so, that will add to my 5/24 count. Boo.
I’m looking forward to learning about the new cards. If any of them offer an accelerated path to elite status or better than 1x base earnings, I could easily imagine that I’d set my sights on higher than Silver elite status. I’d be happy to return to earning Platinum Elite status if it’s not too expensive to do so. If nothing else, I’d love to do a free Blade helicopter ride each year. Hopefully, that Platinum perk will stick around.
A second look at the Rakuten card
When the Rakuten American Express card debuted, I was underwhelmed. Its primary selling feature is that it earns 4x points on all Rakuten purchases above the amount offered by the Rakuten portal itself. So, if you see a Rakuten portal offer for 8x at Macys.com, click through, and pay with the Rakuten American Express card, you’ll earn a total of 12x. That’s pretty good, but there’s an annual cap. The 4X bonus is limited to a total of $7,000 in annual purchases. That cap means you can earn a maximum of $280/28,000 points per year. If you consider that you would have earned half that with a 2x everywhere card, then you see that the maximum upside is small: 14,000 points per year.
With the newfound ability to earn Bilt points through Rakuten, I took a fresh look at this card. By doing so, I found that cardholders had access to a special promotion that had just ended, where they offered 30% back with a specific merchant on each of the first 10 days of November. Wow! Those rates are inclusive of the card’s 4% back, but they’re still awesome. Consider, in particular, that they offered 30% back for Expedia hotel stays on November 4th. That would be exciting on its own, but with the ability to turn that into 30x Bilt points… wow!
There’s no guarantee that Rakuten will continue to offer cardholders special deals like the one shown above, but I’m willing to bet that they’ll run a promotion like that at least once a year, if not quarterly. I’m tempted to apply for this card just for the chance that the above deal wasn’t a one-off.
The waiting is the hardest part
The Rakuten/Bilt news has piqued my interest once again in pursuing Bilt Elite status, and it has even prompted me to consider applying for the Rakuten Amex card. But too much isn’t yet known…
- Will Bilt change the paths to elite status in 2026?
- What perks/benefits will the new Bilt cards offer, and will they make it easier or harder to chase Bilt elite status?
- Will Rakuten continue to offer incredible cardholder-exclusive promotions?
- Will other points & miles opportunities make chasing Bilt status irrelevant once again?
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I guess Bilt didn’t die like some said it would.
Just when I thought my interest in Bilt had peaked, this article piqued it right back up. Then I peeked at my credit card drawer and realized I already have enough plastic to build a small mountain peak— but apparently still not the right one. Thanks Greg for the great analysis and using piqued correctly.
My guess is that the $495 Bilt card will offer at least Silver status…and coupons! 😉