Bilt Card 2.0 adds three card tiers, Bilt Cash, and the ability to earn on rent and mortgage payments.
Updated: January 19, 2026
Quick verdict: Bilt 2.0 can be worth it if you’ll actually use the ecosystem (and not just “set it and forget it” for housing). Blue is the clean no-fee option, Obsidian is the best value for most spenders, and Palladium is only worth paying for if you’ll reliably use its premium credits and lounge access.
Bilt Card 2.0 is a full relaunch of the Bilt credit card program with a new three-card lineup. The headline change is simple: you can now earn rewards on both rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, and those housing payments are pulled from your linked bank account instead of your credit limit. But the real difference is how Bilt now connects everyday spending to housing rewards through a second rewards currency called Bilt Cash.
Contents
- What Bilt Card 2.0 is
- Rent + mortgage: how housing payments work
- Bilt Points vs. Bilt Cash (and why 4% matters)
- Two ways to earn rewards on housing
- Side-by-side comparison of Blue vs Obsidian vs Palladium
- Which card is worth it for your spending style
- FAQs
What Bilt Card 2.0 is
Bilt Card 2.0 is a three-tier card lineup that lets you earn rewards on housing payments and everyday purchases. Bilt’s core promise is that you can pay rent and mortgage with no transaction fee and still earn points. On top of that, all three cards earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on eligible purchases (excluding rent and mortgage payments).
🏠 Rent + mortgage: how housing payments work
- You can pay rent and mortgage through Bilt with no transaction fee.
- Housing payments are pulled from your linked bank account, not your credit line—so you don’t need a huge credit limit to pay housing through Bilt.
- BiltProtect is required for rent and mortgage payments. Bilt uses it to automatically pay off housing charges within 24 hours, helping prevent credit-line issues and accidental interest.
Important: Bilt says you can earn up to 1X points on both rent and mortgage payments—and you can earn on both at the same time if you rent and own.
💳 Bilt Points vs. Bilt Cash (and why 4% matters)
Bilt Card 2.0 uses two reward currencies:
- Bilt Points: Transferable points used for travel and other Bilt redemptions. Bilt says these points do not expire.
- Bilt Cash: A dollar-for-dollar rewards currency used inside the Bilt ecosystem. You earn it on everyday purchases (excluding rent and mortgage), and you can use it to unlock points on housing payments.
Here’s the part that changes the math:
- All three Bilt Cards earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on eligible purchases (excluding rent and mortgage).
- You also earn $50 in Bilt Cash each time you reach 25,000 Bilt Points.
- Bilt Cash can be used for dollar-for-dollar value across the Bilt ecosystem (hotels in the Bilt Travel Portal, dining checkout at Bilt partner restaurants, home delivery, fitness classes, Bilt Collection, and Lyft Cash).
- Bilt Cash is also how you unlock points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee: every $30 of Bilt Cash unlocks 1,000 points on housing payments, up to your payment amount.
- For Palladium cardholders, Bilt notes that Bilt Cash over $100 expires at year-end—so you want to use it throughout the year.
🧩 Two ways to earn rewards on housing
Bilt gives you two different ways to earn rewards on housing payments. This choice is about whether you want Bilt Cash on everyday spend or whether you’d rather convert your everyday-spend activity into a higher housing points multiplier.
Option 1: Fee-free housing rewards (up to 1.25X) — no Bilt Cash on everyday spend
This option is built for people who care most about maximizing housing points and don’t care about earning Bilt Cash on everyday spend.
- Pay your full rent or mortgage with no transaction fee.
- Earn points on housing automatically in lieu of earning Bilt Cash on everyday spend.
- Your housing points multiplier increases based on how much you spend on the card each month—up to 1.25X.
| Housing points | Required everyday spend | Example if housing payment is $2,000 |
| 0.5X | Spend at least 25% of your housing payment | $500 spend |
| 0.75X | Spend at least 50% of your housing payment | $1,000 spend |
| 1.0X | Spend at least 75% of your housing payment | $1,500 spend |
| 1.25X | Spend the same or more than your housing payment | $2,000+ spend |
Bilt says if you don’t hit the minimum spend requirement, you still earn 250 points per month. Bilt also says the previous housing points cap has been removed.
Option 2: Earn 4% Bilt Cash + use it to unlock housing points
This is the original Card 2.0 approach: you keep earning Bilt Cash on everyday spend, then decide how much of that Bilt Cash you want to apply to unlock housing points.
- Earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on eligible everyday purchases (excluding rent and mortgage).
- Pay rent or mortgage with no transaction fee.
- Use Bilt Cash to unlock points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee: $30 Bilt Cash = 1,000 points unlocked.
Expert advice: If you’re not sure which option is best, pick the one that matches your real behavior. If you spend heavily on the card each month and want to maximize housing points, Option 1 is compelling. If you want flexibility (and don’t want to give up Bilt Cash earning on everyday spend), Option 2 is the safer default.
📊 Blue vs Obsidian vs Palladium — side-by-side comparison
| Feature | Bilt Blue | Bilt Obsidian | Bilt Palladium |
| Annual fee | $0 | $95 | $495 |
| Points on everyday purchases | 1X | 1X (plus a chosen 3X category) | 2X (excluding rent/mortgage) |
| Bonus categories | — | Choose 3X dining OR 3X grocery (grocery up to $25k/year) | — |
| Travel earn | — | 2X on travel | — |
| Bilt Cash on spend | 4% back (excludes rent/mortgage) | 4% back (excludes rent/mortgage) | 4% back (excludes rent/mortgage) |
| Housing points (rent + mortgage) | Up to 1X on rent & mortgage, no transaction fee (via your chosen housing option) | Same | Same (Option 1 can reach 1.25X based on spend) |
| Hotel credits (Bilt Travel) | — | $100 per year, split semi-annually; 2-night minimum | $400 per year, split semi-annually; 2-night minimum |
| Extra annual benefits | — | — | $200 Bilt Cash annually |
| Airport lounges | — | — | Priority Pass membership + up to 2 guests (extra guests charged) |
| Foreign transaction fees | None | None | None |
| Intro APR | 10% intro APR for up to 12 payment periods (then variable APR) | Same | Same |
| Standout protections (highlights) | Cell phone protection (up to $800/claim; terms apply) + Purchase Assurance (up to $1,000/loss; terms apply) | Blue protections + Trip Delay (up to $300/trip), Trip Cancellation (up to $2,000/trip), Lost/Damaged Luggage (up to $1,500/incident), Extended Warranty (up to $10,000/claim) | Obsidian protections + Price Protection (up to $250/claim) + Priority Pass |
🧠 Which card is worth it?
Here’s the decision framework:
- Pick Blue if you want no annual fee and you mainly care about earning on rent and/or mortgage without managing credits.
- Pick Obsidian if you spend heavily on dining or groceries and you will use the annual hotel credit. This is the “best value” tier for most everyday spenders.
- Pick Palladium only if you’ll reliably use the $400 hotel credit, value Priority Pass, and you won’t let Bilt Cash expire.
One important limitation: Bilt says switching between Bilt Cards isn’t currently supported. If you want a different tier later, you’d need to close your current card and submit a new application, which is subject to standard credit review.
❓ FAQs
Can I earn points on both rent and mortgage at the same time?
Yes. Bilt says you can earn up to 1X on both rent and mortgage payments, even if you rent and own.
Do rent and mortgage payments use my credit limit?
No. Bilt says housing payments are pulled from your linked bank account, not your credit line.
Do all cards earn 4% Bilt Cash?
Yes. All three cards earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on eligible purchases (excluding rent and mortgage).
How do I unlock points on rent or mortgage using Bilt Cash?
Bilt says every $30 of Bilt Cash unlocks 1,000 points on rent or mortgage payments, up to your housing payment amount.
Can I have multiple Bilt Cards?
No. Bilt says each member can only have one Bilt Card at a time.
Can I change Obsidian’s 3X category later?
Yes. Bilt says dining is the default, you have 30 days after accepting the card to switch to grocery, and after that you can change once per year in January.
When do annual fees get charged?
Bilt says annual fees are charged upon approval and then on each account anniversary. If approved before 2/7/26, the first annual fee is charged on 2/7/26.
🔗 Related links (official Bilt resources)
Bilt Card 2.0 Benefits Overview – Bilt Rewards Support
https://support.biltrewards.com/hc/en-us/articles/42648880265869-Bilt-Card-2-0-Benefits-Overview
About the Bilt Card 2.0 Program – Bilt Rewards Support
https://support.biltrewards.com/hc/en-us/articles/42648751360653-About-the-Bilt-Card-2-0-Program
Earning Bilt Cash with the Bilt Cards 2.0 – Bilt Rewards Support
https://support.biltrewards.com/hc/en-us/articles/42648820400013-Earning-Bilt-Cash-with-the-Bilt-Cards-2-0
A note from Ankur Jain – Simple, Fee-Free Rewards on Housing – Bilt Newsroom
https://newsroom.biltrewards.com/biltcardupdate
Meet Bilt Card 2.0 – Bilt Newsroom
https://newsroom.biltrewards.com/meetbiltcard2.0
