A few months ago, I applied for and received the Bilt card as I pay rent for our daughter’s grad school apartment and it’s nice to earn points on a fairly large monthly expense. I have been careful to make sure I use it for four additional swipes per month to make sure I earn points on rent (see below).

Since that time, the card has added several new transfer partners and improved its referral program so you can earn points on every referral (instead of requiring a minimum of five). Perhaps the most interesting new feature is Rent Day, where you can earn double points on the first day of each month. Not only can you earn 2x on non-bonused spend (think utility bills, medical bills, etc.) but you can even earn double points on bonused spend such as 4x on travel (up from 2x every other day) and 6x on dining (up from 3x every other day). This could make you think about waiting to book that expensive trip on the 1st of the month and earn a bunch of transferrable points.

Bilt allows you to pay rent with a credit card with no credit card processing fees AND earn rewards points that can be transferred to American, United, Hyatt and other programs. There’s no annual fee so you can earn points on a regular monthly expense without worrying about paying for the privilege. Bilt also earns 2x on travel (airlines, hotels, motels, resorts, cruise lines, and car rental agencies) and 3x on dining plus provides excellent primary rental car insurance and travel protections.

There are a few caveats:

• You have to make at least 5 purchases each billing cycle to earn points. So, you need at least 4 other swipes besides your rent. The good news is that the card earns 3 points per dollar at restaurants and 2 points per dollar on travel (airline, hotel, rental car) purchases.
• The card will count against your 5/24 limit so if you are close to the limit or trying to work on Chase cards for now, you might want to wait before applying.
• The card works seamlessly with some major landlords in the Bilt Alliance, but for many landlords, you will have to request a check to be sent, so watch the timing with the added complication of the US Mail. You can also set up Bilt like a bank account in your landlord’s portal so the rent is just debited automatically each month and shows up on the 1st in the landlord’s account. Bilt will provide an account number and routing number for this.

If you think this card works for your needs, please use my referral link here.

If you enjoyed this post (or have questions), let me know in the comments or send me an email at emptynestermiles@gmail.com. If you are thinking about opening a new credit card, please use one of my links.