The Bilt Rewards program provides a credit card ecosystem designed to earn loyalty points on housing payments. The system includes three distinct card tiers issued by Column N.A. and serviced by Cardless Inc.
How is the Bilt product structured?
Bilt is a consumer credit platform that integrates housing payments into a traditional rewards structure. The product consists of three card tiers, each with different fee structures and earning potentials.
Bilt Blue Card
The Blue tier is the entry-level product with no annual fee. It is designed for users who want to earn points on rent and everyday spending without an upfront cost. Cardholders receive a baseline 1X point per dollar on housing and most purchases.
Bilt Obsidian Card
The Obsidian tier carries a $95 annual fee. It introduces category multipliers, allowing cardholders to select either dining or grocery as a 3X points category. Grocery rewards are capped at $25,000 in spending per calendar year.
Bilt Palladium Card
The Palladium tier is the premium product with a $495 annual fee. It features a 2X point earning rate on all everyday purchases as of 2026. This tier includes higher-value travel credits and lounge access through Priority Pass.
How does the Bilt system work in practice?
The Bilt system uses a dual-currency mechanism to award points on housing payments. Users must accumulate one currency to unlock the ability to earn the primary loyalty currency.
Earning Bilt Points on housing
Points on rent or mortgage payments are not earned automatically by charging them to a credit line. Instead, Bilt pulls these payments directly from a linked bank account. This mechanism ensures that housing payments do not use the cardholder’s credit limit.
To earn Bilt Points on these payments, cardholders must use Bilt Cash. This is a parallel rewards currency earned at a rate of 4% on everyday purchases made with any Bilt card.
The point conversion mechanism
Cardholders spend Bilt Cash to “unlock” points on their housing payment. As of 2026, the fixed exchange rate requires $30 of Bilt Cash to earn 1,000 Bilt Points on a housing payment.
For example, a user with a $2,000 rent payment needs $60 of Bilt Cash to earn 2,000 Bilt Points. If the user only has $30 of Bilt Cash, they earn 1,000 points on that payment. This system links the value of housing rewards to the volume of everyday spending on the card.
What are the fees and pricing mechanics?
Bilt cards use a tiered fee structure and standard interest rate models for consumer credit products.
| Card Tier | Annual Fee | Everyday Earning | Bilt Cash Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue | $0 | 1X Points | 4% |
| Obsidian | $95 | 1X Points (3X Choice) | 4% |
| Palladium | $495 | 2X Points | 4% |
Standard purchase APRs typically range from 26.74% to 34.74% based on creditworthiness. No Bilt card tier carries foreign transaction fees as of Q1 2026.
What are the limits, eligibility, and availability requirements?
Bilt Rewards products are available to United States residents with eligible credit profiles. The program enforces several caps on reward accumulation.
Points earned on rent and mortgage payments are capped at 100,000 points per calendar year. On the Obsidian card, the 3X grocery multiplier applies only to the first $25,000 spent annually.
Bilt Cash balances over $100 expire at the end of each calendar year. Cardholders must use their accumulated Bilt Cash for housing points or neighborhood experiences before December 31 or forfeit amounts exceeding the $100 carryover limit.
What are the tradeoffs, risks, and limitations?
The Bilt system involves specific constraints that differ from traditional credit card rewards programs.
Housing payment float
Because rent and mortgage payments are debited from a bank account, users cannot “float” these payments on a credit line. This removes the ability to pay for housing now and settle the balance at a later date.
Dependency on everyday spend
Earning points on housing requires consistent use of the card for other purchases to generate Bilt Cash. Users who exclusively use the card for rent or mortgage will not accumulate the Bilt Cash necessary to earn loyalty points.
Product switching constraints
Current program rules do not support upgrading or downgrading between card tiers. Changing to a different Bilt card requires closing the existing account and submitting a new application, which typically triggers a hard credit inquiry.
Common misconceptions about Bilt
”Everyday spending earns 4% in Bilt Points”
The 4% rate applies to Bilt Cash, not Bilt Points. Bilt Cash is a utility currency used to unlock housing rewards and is not transferable to airline or hotel partners.
”Rent payments use my credit limit”
Housing payments are pulled directly from a linked bank account. The credit line is used only for everyday purchases like dining, travel, or retail.
”Bilt Cash value is permanent”
Bilt Cash balances exceeding $100 expire annually. Only $100 of accumulated Bilt Cash carries over to the following calendar year.
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