Posted : 7/11/22 | November 7, 2022
As an avid travel hacker, I'm always looking for new ways to earn more points and miles on my everyday spending. This is more than a million points every year that I can use to enjoy all kinds of free flights and hotel stays, upgrades, VIP lounge access, Elite and more.
Travel hacks have saved me thousands and thousands of dollars over the years, and I wouldn't be able to travel this far without them.
However, there was one big expense that was always difficult to write off traditionally: rent.
For years, travel hackers have taken advantage of temporary discounts that waive credit card payments or follow complicated procedures to get points to pay for rentals.
But these movements were sporadic and short-lived. There are thousands of possible points left on the table.
until now.
A map called Built was released earlier this year. And this changed the situation.
What is a bill?
Bilt is a credit card that lets you earn points when you pay rent (as well as your everyday purchases). Then use those points as you would any other rewards program. You can use them to book travel directly, transfer to travel partners or use any other redemption option.
There are two ways to earn points with the card: rent a Bilt Alliance property or use a Bilt World Elite Mastercard®.
Built Alliance properties comprise a network of two million units in the United States. But I won't focus on that. I'm talking about your credit card.
How does the Bilt Customer Card work?
After opening a Bilt MasterCard® (issued by Wells Fargo and with no annual fee), log into the Bilt app or website to set up your recurring monthly rent payments.
Bilt creates a special bank account linked to your Bilt credit card, so your rent is paid by electronic check instead of your credit card. This bank account is essentially a legitimate "dummy" account created to avoid credit card processing fees. You don't use it for anything else and you don't withdraw or save money from it.
Your Bilt Mastercard® will be charged the same amount every time you use these unique routing and tracking numbers for rent. (You still need to link your personal bank account to pay off the card each month.)
And if your property is older and only accepts checks, you can still pay with your Bilt card through the Bilt Rewards app and Bilt will send you a check on your behalf.
All this takes about five minutes to set up. Once you're done, you'll earn points for your rental. I use not to leave points on the table.
Billet Award Benefits
After you create your account, you'll earn one point for every dollar you spend on Bilt credit card rental payments, up to 50,000 points per calendar year. While the number of miles required for free flights depends on many factors, if you play your cards right, the number of points can get you a free round trip from New York to London.
And while earning points on rentals is Bilt's main draw, every dollar spent on travel (when booked directly or through Bilt's travel portal) earns two points and every dollar spent on dining earns three points. All other purchases earn one point per dollar.
Remember that you must make five purchases per month (with no minimum spend) to earn these rewards.
You can transfer points 1:1 to travel partners such as American Airlines, United, Emirates, Hawaiian, Virgin Atlantic, Air Canada, Air France/KLM, Hyatt and IHG.
Crossing American Airlines and Hyatt makes this card stand out (in addition to rentals). No one switches to American, so that's a big selling point for this card because it's the only way to earn AA points without having an AA card. And earning Hyatt points gets you out of the Chase system.
You can also choose from fitness classes like SoulCycle, Solidcore, Rumble and Y7, as well as items from the Bilt Collection, handcrafted home accessories. However, fitness room discounts hover around one percent — you'll get better deals on travel purchases.
Additionally, purchases help you rank up in the Bilt Rewards program based on the total number of points you earn each year.
The levels of these built-in rewards are as follows (the following levels include all of the above):
- Earn points for renting Blue and the ability to transfer them 1:1 to travel partners
- Silver (25,000 units per year). 10% bonus points when you sign a new lease or renew your lease and a percentage of your points balance (at the national interest rate published by the FDIC)
- Gold (50,000 units per year). 25% bonus points on new leases/renewals and access to Real Estate Concierge (to guide you through the home buying process)
- Platinum (100,000 units per year). 50% bonus points on new rentals/upgrades and free Bilt starter kit.
While the top tier perks aren't particularly exciting, they're a great way to earn extra points if they're for you. But even at the entry level, you can take advantage of Bilt's main draw: earning points with rentals.
In addition to earning points, the card rewards:
- Trip cancellation and interruption guarantee
- Compensation for travel delay (after six hours delay)
- Car rental collision insurance
- Cell phone protection (up to $800)
- There are no foreign transaction fees
- Three months of free DashPass and $5 off your first DoorDash order every month
- $5 Lyft credit every month after you take 3 rides that month
Who is this card for?
This card is perfect for anyone looking to earn points on their monthly rent. Once you set up online payments (you can even set up auto-pay) and use your card five times a month, it's basically a set-it-and-forget-it card. . With no annual fee, you have nothing to lose and only points to gain.
The card is specifically aimed at travelers and restaurants, as it offers 2 travel points and 3 restaurant points. Very comparable to other travel credit cards that offer better benefits, better welcome bonuses and higher returns.
I'm going to start using the Bilt card instead of the Chase Sapphire because I get a lot of Chase points from business spending and I want to fly to Japan next year to use those AA points (AA is a member of Japan Airlines). .
Who is this card not suitable for?
As with any travel credit card, you don't have to buy the card if you plan to carry or bill it. Interest rates on travel credit cards are very high, and the Bilt card is no exception with high APRs of 19-27%. Points are worthless if you pay interest every month.
This card isn't for people with bad credit either, as good or excellent credit is required to qualify.
Also, Billet Card is not for those who want a big welcome bonus (because there isn't one) and takes into account the Chess 5/24 rule (you can't open more than five Chase cards in a 24-month period). ) If you have five chess cards open or plan to open more, you may want to skip them.
Overall, if you're a renter and looking to earn points for those big monthly expenses, the Bilt card is worth considering. It's completely free and easy to set up, so there's nothing to lose. Even if your fare isn't the most expensive, points are points, and a Bilt card can be a great additional resource to earn those coveted points and miles (especially if you're flying American Airlines, since they're their only transfer partner). . .
As the only rewards card to offer completely free rental points, Bilt is a new player in the travel space. In my opinion, it makes no sense to pay rent so that you can work with free flights and hotel stays.
Want to know all about points and miles?
Stop paying full price for a plane ticket. Download our free travel hacking guide and learn:
- How to choose a credit card?
- How to earn miles for free flights and hotels
- Is Travel Pirate really a scam?
Click here to receive your free guide
Book your trip. Logistics tips and tricks
Book your flight
Find cheap flights with Skyscanner. It's my favorite search engine because it searches for websites and airlines from all over the world, so no stone is always left unturned.
Book your accommodation
You can book your hostel on Hostelworld. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com because they consistently offer the cheapest prices for B&Bs and hotels.
Don't forget about travel insurance
Travel insurance protects you against illness, injury, theft and cancellation. If something goes wrong, it is completely preventable. I've used it so many times before that I never travel without it. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value for money are:
- SafetyWing (best for everyone)
- My Travel Insurance (for people over 70)
- Medjet (for additional flight coverage)
Ready to book your trip?
Check out my resource for the best companies to use when traveling. I will list all the ones I use when I travel. They are the best in their class and you can't go wrong using them on your travels.
Bilt Rewards Card. The post How to earn points for paying your rent appeared first on Travel Nomadic Matt.