Bilt Welcomes Wyndham Rewards With a Big Rent Day Transfer Bonus

In terms of quantity – and more importantly, quality – Bilt's stable of airline and hotel partners is among the best … and the list just keeps growing.

Bilt's latest move? Adding Wyndham Rewards as a new 1:1 hotel partner. This definitely checks the quantity box but falls short on quality. To celebrate the news, Bilt is leaning on its new partner for next month's Rent Day.

On Wednesday, April 1 – and only April 1 – you can get up to a 100% bonus (or even 125%) when transferring points to Wyndham Rewards. Whether or not you should is an entirely different question. Here’s how the transfer bonus shakes out, depending on your level of Bilt elite status:

• Blue: 25% bonus
• Silver: 50% bonus
• Gold: 75% bonus
• Platinum: 100% bonus

Members can also use $125 Bilt Cash – the loyalty program's new standalone currency – to temporarily “buy up” to the next status level, increasing their transfer bonus. You can only move up one level using Bilt Cash. And even though Platinum is as high as it goes, those top-tier members can still “buy up” to a 125% bonus.

While any transfer bonus is welcome news, this one should be an easy pass for most travelers. While there are certainly pockets of value in Wyndham's program, they're few and far between.

Read on for a few of the best (and maybe only?) ways to use this transfer bonus – and to see what else Bilt cooked up for Rent Day.

What Can You Do With This Bonus?

Redeeming Wyndham points for a free night is straightforward, with three different pricing tiers: 7,500, 15,000, or 30,000 points per night. Meanwhile, Club Wyndham vacation rental properties cost between 15,000 and 30,000 points per bedroom, per night. 

Despite the reasonable rates, there's just not much to get excited about with Wyndham Rewards.

With brands like Days Inn, La Quinta, Super 8, and Travelodge all falling under the Wyndham umbrella, you're more likely to find a run-of-the-mill motel than something aspirational here. 

That said, I poked around and found a few bright spots. 

Hodges Bay Resort & Spa

At the upper end of Wyndham's list of hotel brands is Registry Collection Hotels. These properties are among the most luxurious in Wyndham's entire portfolio and include Hodges Bay Resort & Spa – a real standout on the pricey Caribbean island of Antigua. 

Free nights here cost 30,000 points per night for a garden view studio suite. With a 25% transfer bonus even for basic Blue members, you could book a night here for just 24,000 Bilt points … or as few as 15,000 points for top-tier Platinum members. 

Compared to the cash price of $900 per night, that's a real bargain and makes using Wyndham points here a no-brainer … especially with a big transfer bonus like this.

Shell Vacations Club Kauai Coast Resort

Flights to Hawaii can be downright cheap. Hotels? That's a different story. 

No matter which island you're heading to, room rates typically start around $250 per night and only go up from there. These sky-high prices make hotel points especially valuable for a Hawaiian vacation – and Wyndham has a surprising number of properties to choose from throughout the state.

Take the Shell Vacations Club Kauai Coast Resort, for example. A one-bedroom villa here prices out at the top end of Wyndham's award chart, costing 30,000 points per night. This means you could book a three-night stay for 90,000 Wyndham Rewards points … or as few as 45,000 Bilt points with top-tier Platinum status.

The cash cost for that same three-night stay? Nearly $2,500! In this case, using Wyndham points – especially with this transfer bonus – is an amazing deal.

To be perfectly clear, this resort isn't flashy. But since it's a part of Club Wyndham, each villa comes with a full kitchen, living room, and separate bedroom, making it more of an apartment than a traditional hotel. Being able to cook meals right in your room means you can stock up on groceries and cut down the high cost of dining out. 

Plus, you really can't beat soaking in the jacuzzi, taking in this view. 

The Beekman Tower, Trademark Collection by Wyndham

Maybe the Big Apple is more your vibe. Just like Hawaii, rooms in New York City don't come cheap. Wyndham points can help here, too. 

The Beekman Tower hotel – located on the east side of Manhattan, overlooking Roosevelt Island – looks quite modern, and the rooms are surprisingly spacious. The base-level room is a Queen Studio suite that includes both a kitchenette and a living area – a rarity in New York City. 

Free nights here go for 30,000 points … or as few as 15,000 Bilt points with this transfer bonus. 

If you were instead paying cash, you'd be out of pocket $600 per night for this exact same room. 

Once again, using Wyndham points – especially with this transfer bonus – is a great choice. 

Other Rent Day Promotions

As always, Bilt is rolling out more ways for members to earn and redeem points beyond the big transfer bonus.

• Rent Free: This month’s Rent Free challenge stars comedian and actor Pete Davidson. Play in the Bilt app between March 26 (12 p.m. ET) and April 1 (3 p.m. ET) for a chance to win free rent (up to $2,500) or bonus points.
  • Top 10 to 19: The top 10 scorers will automatically win free rent (up to $2,500), with an additional rent winner added for every answer Pete gets correct, bringing the total possible rent winner pool to 19.
  • Next 100: 1,000 Bilt points
  • Next 500: 100 Bilt points 
• Pete Davidson live in Las Vegas: Pete Davidson is taking over BleauLive Theater in Las Vegas on Saturday, April 11, for a one-night-only performance. Bilt Members can get exclusive tickets that include a member-only post-show event with a meet-and-greet with Pete, drinks, and light bites.
• Neighborhood comedy series: Bilt continues to grow its dining series, fitness experiences, and entertainment events for Rent Day, including comedy nights in 17 venues across 12 cities.
• Multi-course dining experiences at 42 restaurants across 10 major cities, with optional wine or cocktail pairings.
• Free fitness classes at SoulCycle and Barry’s.
• Complimentary Jamaican patty and naturally flavored sparkling water at the Bilt Neighborhood Cafe Rent Day food truck (837 Washington St.)

Earn Double Points on Rent Day

Another thing to keep in mind on Rent Day: You'll earn double the points (up to 1,000 bonus points) for every non-housing dollar spent on Bilt's trio of credit cards on the first of the month.

Key details:

• Bilt Blue (see rates & fees) cardholders will earn 2x points on everyday spending (regularly 1x points), up to 1,000 bonus points 
• Bilt Obsidian (see rates & fees) cardholders will earn 6x points on their selected category of dining or groceries (regularly 3x), 4x points on travel (regularly 2x), and 2x on other everyday purchases (regularly 1x), up to 1,000 bonus points 
• Bilt Palladium (see rates & fees) cardholders will earn 4x on everyday spending (regularly 2x points), up to 1,000 bonus points
• Double points start at 12:00 a.m. ET on April 1 and ends at 11:59 p.m. PT on April 1.

Read more: From No Thanks to No-Brainer: Why I Pulled a U-Turn on the Bilt Palladium Card

How to Use Bilt Rewards Points

Just because the points can be fairly challenging to earn doesn't mean they aren't useful – just the opposite. There are many ways to use Bilt points. And once you've got them, they're some of the most valuable points in the world of travel.

The easiest way to use them is to book through the Bilt Rewards travel portal, where each point will be worth 1.25 cents apiece. That means 10,000 Bilt points are worth $125 toward travel.

But you'll get the best value for your Bilt points by transferring points to one of its travel partners, including World of Hyatt, Alaska Airlines, Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles, United Mileage Plus, and British Airways Avios, among many others.

Just keep in mind that unless you've earned anything beyond Bilt Blue status, you'll need to transfer a minimum of 2,000 points to get started.

Here's the full list:
 

If you prefer to use your points for something other than travel, Bilt recently introduced the ability to “cash out” Bilt Rewards points  (at a rate of .55 cents per point) by applying them as a statement credit to the outstanding balance on your Bilt Rewards Card. At approximately a half-cent per point, redeeming them this way represents poor value and should really only be done as a last resort.

Prior Rent Day Promotions

Over the years, Bilt has done a good job leveraging its partners to come up with some really creative (and often incredibly lucrative) promotions. While not every month's promo is a home run for travelers, the majority of Bilt's Rent Day promos do a good job of engaging members on a day that's otherwise un-celebrated.

Here's a look back at some of the other Rent Day promotions from the past year:

Most of Bilt's Rent Day promotions are travel-focused, and even the ones that aren't are still valuable for most Bilt Rewards members. Looking at prior Rent Day promos, you have to wonder how Bilt can continue to raise the bar month after month.

Bottom Line

Bilt just added Wyndham Rewards as a new 1:1 transfer partner and is celebrating with a one-day-only Rent Day promo offering up to a 100% (or even 125%) transfer bonus depending on your status.

Even with a big bonus, Wyndham points are far from a slam dunk given the program’s limited high-end value – but there are still a few standout sweet spots, like select Caribbean resorts, Hawaii vacation rentals, and pricey city stays, where this deal can pay off.