When Bilt rolled out its “2.0” card lineup, the reception was … let’s just call it mixed. New cards, new perks, new ways to earn points – and one big mystery box called Bilt Cash.
For the first few days (or was it weeks?), details were thin, explanations were vague, and members were left wondering whether Bilt Cash was a meaningful new benefit or just another loyalty currency nobody asked for. Now that the dust has (mostly) settled, we finally have a clearer picture of what Bilt Cash is, how you earn it, and where it’s actually useful.
At a high level, Bilt Cash is a currency you can earn through certain activities and redeem for everyday expenses – and unlock point-earning on housing payments. Think of it as Bilt’s attempt to bridge the gap between travel points and the painful reality of paying for rent, utilities, and groceries.
Read on for a full breakdown on all the ways you can earn and redeem Bilt's newest currency.
Related reading: Everything You Need to Know About Earning & Redeeming Bilt Points
How to Earn Bilt Cash
Unlike Bilt Points, which you earn on rent, dining, and travel, Bilt Cash has two primary earning paths.
Earn $50 for Every 25,000 Status-Qualifying Points
The first (and slowest) is earning Bilt Cash through status points. As you earn points toward Bilt status (Silver, Gold, Platinum), Bilt will kick back $50 in Bilt Cash for every 25,000 points earned.
A few things to note here:
- These are status-qualifying points, not redeemable points that can be transferred to travel partners
- This effectively works out to earning 0.2 cents worth of Bilt Cash for every status point earned
- You don’t get to choose Bilt Cash instead of points – it’s an add-on
This isn’t exactly a game-changer, but if you’re earning status organically through your monthly housing payment and spending anyway, it’s a small rebate you wouldn’t otherwise get.
Earn 4% Back With New Bilt Cards
The bigger (and more flexible) earning option comes from Bilt’s new card lineup, which allows you to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spending – in addition to redeemable Bilt points.
This is a notable shift for Bilt. Instead of forcing everything into points and travel redemptions, Bilt is clearly trying to appeal to users who want simple, cash-like rewards for daily expenses.
Still, this only applies if you’re using one of the new Bilt cards – and the opportunity cost versus other cashback cards could be worth considering.
Bilt Cash Redemption Options
This is where Bilt Cash either starts to make sense – or falls flat – depending on how you plan to use it.
Earn Points on Housing
Let’s be clear: Earning points on housing is the headline use case for most. There's no question that Bilt points are ultra-valuable when transferred to the program's slew of travel partners like Alaska Airlines, Japan Airlines, Hyatt, and many more.
You can redeem Bilt Cash for point-earning on:
- Rent payments
- Mortgage payments
- HOA fees
- Utilities tied to your home
Being able to earn points on a mortgage or rent payment — even a little — is genuinely useful since there's (currently) no other way to do it without added fees.
While you'll need to spend 75% of your monthly housing payment on non-rent or mortgage payments each month to earn enough Bilt cash for 1x points on your full payment, it's a little easier for Bilt Palladium (see rates & fees) cardholders.
Since the Palladium Card comes with an annual allotment of $200 just for holding the card, you'll have enough Bilt Cash to earn 6,666 points on housing payments year in and year out. Add in the extra $300 worth of Bilt Cash that you get with the card's signup bonus, and most people should be able to earn points on a full year's worth of rent or mortgage payments (in year one), without going out of their way to spend big on the card.
Related reading: Why I Pulled a U-Turn on the Bilt Palladium Card
Point Accelerator
Here’s one of the more interesting – and slightly confusing – ways to use Bilt Cash.
If you hold the Bilt Obsidian (see rates & fees) or Palladium Card, you can redeem $200 in Bilt Cash to activate what Bilt calls a Point Accelerator. Once you turn it on, you’ll earn an extra 1x points per dollar on all eligible purchases – up to $5,000 in spending.
Max it out, and you’ll earn 5,000 bonus points on top of your normal earnings.
Since you'll earn an additional $200 in Bilt Cash for every $5,000 you spend – and you can activate this up to five times per year – this effectively turns the Bilt Palladium into a 3x everywhere earner (up to $25,000 in annual spending) if you go all in.
The big question is whether it’s worth it. You’re essentially using $200 in cash-like rewards to generate 5,000 extra points. If you instead used that $200 of Bilt Cash to earn points on housing, you'd generate 6,666 points in the process. But for anyone already generating enough Bilt Cash to cover their monthly housing payment, it's a nice option.
Just know: These point boosts expire once you hit $5,000 in spending (or at year’s end) – and if you don’t use the full amount, you lose what’s left.
Travel & Transportation
You can use Bilt Cash toward travel booked through Bilt:
- Hotels: Use Bilt Cash toward hotel bookings in the Bilt Travel Portal (two-night minimum stay required). Bilt Blue and Silver status members can redeem up to $50 of Bilt Cash per month, while Bilt Gold and Platinum members can redeem up to $100.
- Lyft: You can redeem $10 of Bilt Cash per calendar month toward Lyft rides.
- Blacklane: Beginning March 1, Bilt Blue and Silver members can redeem up to $50 per year for Blacklane rides; Bilt Gold members can redeem up to $100 per year; Platinum members can redeem up to $150.
- BLADE: Beginning March 1, you can redeem up to $700 per year (up to $350 per seat) for BLADE airport flights.
- Priority Pass guest access: Bilt Members who hold a Bilt Palladium Card get a Priority Pass lounge membership with the ability to bring in up to two free guests. But they can also redeem $35 in Bilt cash (up to $70 per calendar month) to receive up to two additional Priority Pass guest passes, allowing you to bring up to four guests.
- Unlock higher transfer bonuses: You can use Bilt Cash to upgrade your Rent Day transfer bonus to the next status tier. For example, a Gold member can upgrade from 75% to 100% by redeeming $75 of Bilt Cash.
- Unlock Home Away From Home: Beginning March 1, Bilt Blue and Silver members can redeem $95 of Bilt Cash to get access to Bilt's “Home Away From Home” collection of hotel properties, usually reserved for Gold and Platinum members.
None of these is meant to compete with high-value airline or hotel point redemptions. If you’re already paying cash for any of these, it might help lower your out-of-pocket costs.
Bilt Palladium cardholders might find the option to redeem for hotels most appealing, as their card already comes with two semi-annual $200 Bilt Travel hotel credits. Being able to add an extra $100 in Bilt Cash makes a nicer (or longer) stay worth the splurge.
Additionally, it could make sense to redeem Bilt Cash for a higher transfer bonus if the right opportunity comes along and you're looking to cash in.
Dining & Groceries
Bilt Cash can also be redeemed for:
- Grubhub: Beginning March 1, you can redeem $10 per month for restaurant delivery fulfilled by Grubhub.
- Gopuff: You can redeem up to $5 per month for groceries, alcohol, and other essentials ordered on Gopuff.
- Bilt Dining: You can redeem up to $25 per month at select Bilt Dining partners via “mobile dining checkout.” The key word here is “select” – Bilt says this is expanding to “thousands of restaurants nationwide,” but there's not currently a definitive list (at least that I've seen).
- Bilt Dining Experiences: You can redeem up to $50 per month toward “exclusive” Bilt Dining experiences. Note: This is separate from the unknown list of Bilt Dining partners, and I'd expect it to skew higher end.
These are all pretty straightforward statement credit-style redemptions. Nothing too exciting here, but it provides added flexibility for those unconcerned with earning more transferable points.
Health & Wellness
This category includes things like:
- Gyms and fitness studios: You can redeem up to $40 per month for one group fitness class at places like Soul Cycle, Barry's, and more, booked in the Bilt app.
- Walgreens: You can redeem $10 of Bilt Cash per calendar month toward Walgreens purchases.
These are more niche options – but hey, whatever floats your boat.
Other Redemption Options
Bilt Cash can also be redeemed for a handful of other things – none of which are overly exciting.
- Bilt Comedy: Beginning March 1, you can redeem up to $50 per month for exclusive Bilt comedy experiences.
- Bilt Design Collection: You can redeem up to $10 per month toward Bilt Design Collection purchases.
- Parking: Beginning March 1, you can redeem $5 per month at participating Bilt Neighborhood Parking locations.
Bilt Cash FAQ
Is Bilt Cash the same as Bilt Points?
No. Bilt Cash is more like a cash-equivalent rebate for everyday expenses.
Bilt Points are best used for transfers to travel partners for high-value redemptions.
What’s the value of Bilt Cash?
One dollar of Bilt Cash typically equals one real dollar when you go to redeem with Bilt's partners. Some redemptions within the Bilt ecosystem don't have a cash equivalent.
Does Bilt Cash Expire?
Bilt cash you earn during a calendar year expires at year-end. However, you can rollover up to $100 of unused Bilt Cash into the next year. Any amount of Bilt cash you have above $100 at the end of the year will be forfeited.
Can I convert Bilt Cash into Bilt Points?
No. Bilt Cash is earned separately and can’t be converted to points (or vice versa).
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Bottom Line
Bilt Cash isn’t a replacement for Bilt Points – it's a side feature, offering flexible, cash-like redemption options that can help offset everyday expenses and unlock point-earning on housing payments. While the rollout was messy and some redemption options are quite niche, it can deliver real value for Bilt members who want something practical to go with their travel rewards.
