Bilt Rewards just made another big move: As of Thursday, you can now send Bilt Rewards points to Southwest Airlines, its 19th transfer partner.
It becomes Bilt's third U.S. airline to which members can transfer points, alongside United and Alaska Airlines – a rarity among the big banks which typically partner with one or two big U.S. carriers at most. And it's also surprising to see Southwest branch out from Chase, the bank behind the airline's portfolio of co-branded credit cards. Southwest has been a Chase transfer partner for years.
After launching this morning, Bilt members can now transfer their points to Southwest Rapid Rewards at a 1:1 ratio – meaning 2,000 Bilt points get you 2,000 Rapid Rewards points. Southwest's award rates are generally tied closely to the cash price, so you might not get the best bang for your buck with your Bilt points by sending them to Bilt – though after a recent transition to dynamic award pricing, there could be a bigger upside.
But there's one key catch: Transfers to Southwest won't be instant at launch. Instead, Bilt says points transfers will be processed in batches twice a day – once in the morning and again in the evening. A spokesperson for Bilt confirmed they're “working towards a real-time points transfer solution in the near future.”
This new partnership comes just weeks after Southwest rolled out a series of controversial updates to its loyalty program and policies, including the end of its beloved free checked bags policy and the introduction of basic economy fares. And after Southwest's move toward dynamic award pricing, you might not get the same consistent value from your Rapid Rewards points.
On some routes and dates, you may need more points than before. On others, however, your points could now stretch even further.
The Current State of Bilt's Transfer Partners
While it might not be the most dynamite way to redeem Bilt points, Southwest's addition to the fold of Bilt transfer partners puts it above virtually every other transferable points program out there. And it's not just quantity but quality that sets Bilt Rewards apart.
The roster of Bilt transfer partners includes popular airline and hotel loyalty programs like Air Canada Aeroplan, World of Hyatt, Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles, and many more. There are multiple U.S. airline programs and major hotel chains.
With Southwest now in the mix, Bilt members – especially those who lean towards domestic travel – have even more options for putting their points to use. Here's a look at where you can transfer your Bilt points, as of publication:
| Program | Type | Transfer Ratio | Transfer Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aer Lingus Avios | Airline | 1:1 | Within 10 Minutes |
| Air France/KLM Flying Blue | Airline | 1:1 | Within 10 Minutes |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Airline | 1:1 | Within 10 Minutes |
| Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan | Airline | 1:1 | Within 10 Minutes |
| Avianca LifeMiles | Airline | 1:1 | Within 10 Minutes |
| British Airways Avios | Airline | 1:1 | Within 10 Minutes |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | Airline | 1:1 | Within 10 Minutes |
| Emirates Skywards | Airline | 1:1 | Within 10 Minutes |
| Iberia Avios | Airline | 1:1 | Within 10 Minutes |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards | Airline | 1:1 | Twice per day |
| TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go | Airline | 1:1 | Within 10 Minutes |
| Turkish Miles & Smiles | Airline | 1:1 | Within 10 Minutes |
| United MileagePlus | Airline | 1:1 | Within 10 Minutes |
| Virgin Red | Airline | 1:1 | Within 10 Minutes |
| Accor | Hotel | 3:2 | Within 10 Minutes |
| World of Hyatt | Hotel | 1:1 | Within 10 Minutes |
| IHG Hotels | Hotel | 1:1 | Within 10 Minutes |
| Marriott Bonvoy | Hotel | 1:1 | Within 10 Minutes |
| Hilton Honors | Hotel | 1:1 | Within 10 Minutes |
Unless you've earned Bilt status, you'll have to transfer Bilt points in increments of at least 2,000.
How Bilt Rewards Works
Bilt Rewards is a relatively new – but fast-growing – loyalty program that allows renters to earn points by paying rent through the Bilt app while also racking up additional points on other, everyday expenses.
Thanks to a recent change, members who pay their rent via Bilt on Mastercard, Discover, and Visa credit cards will now earn 1x Bilt points per dollar spent on rent (up to 100,00 points per calendar year) … plus however many credit card points they'd earn for the transaction! American Express cards, meanwhile, will earn 1 Bilt point for every $2 spent on rent via Bilt. Non-Bilt cards will still get charged a 3% transaction fee when paying rent.
You can rack up even more points by using the *Bilt Mastercard*, which has no annual fee. Just make at least five purchases in a billing cycle to earn:
- 1x point per dollar spent on rent payments (up to $100,000 of rent each year) without paying transaction fees!
- 2x points per dollar spent on travel (when booked directly with the airline, hotel, or rental car agency)
- 3x points per dollar spent on dining
- 1x point per dollar spent on all purchases.
Want to use a different credit card to pay rent? Now you can – but you'll pay a 3% fee.
Read More: Bilt Plans New Credit Cards, Earning Points on Your Mortgage (Coming Soon)
Learn more about the *Bilt Mastercard*.
Bottom Line
Bilt has added another major airline to its growing list of transfer partners – and it's a big one.
Whether you're earning points by paying rent or swiping the Bilt Mastercard (or both), the ability to transfer to Southwest Airlines opens the door for more award travel opportunities.
