Bilt Rent Day Transfer Bonus: Get up to 100% More Points With a Trio of Avios Airlines

Bilt Rent Day is almost here … and it's another good one for travelers. This time, Bilt is leaning on a trio of its tried-and-true transfer partners – British Airways, Aer Lingus, and Iberia – to offer members up to a 75% on Friday, May 1 – and only May 1.

Here’s how it shakes out, based on your level of Bilt elite status:

• Blue: 40% bonus
• Silver: 50% bonus
• Gold: 60% bonus
• Platinum: 75% bonus
• Platinum + Bilt Cash Upgrade: 100% bonus

Members can also use $150 Bilt Cash – the loyalty program's new standalone currency – to temporarily “buy up” to the next status level, increasing their transfer bonus. For example, a Bilt Blue member could use Bilt Cash to upgrade to Silver and receive a larger 50% bonus. Just know: You can only move up one level using Bilt Cash. 

The promotion runs for just over 24 hours – until 11:59 p.m. PT – and applies to all transfers from Bilt to British Airways, Aer Lingus, and Iberia. Unfortunately, Bilt added an onerous new cap on Rent Day transfers: You're now limited to base transfers (before the bonus) of 100,000 Bilt points or less.

Considering you can combine Avios between a growing number of airlines – including kicking them over to Iberia, Aer Lingus, Qatar Airways, or even Finnair – there are even more ways to put this transfer bonus to use. That opens up more valuable ways to redeem points for premium cabins and partner flights across the Middle East, Asia, and beyond.

What Can You Do With This Bonus?

Avios are, without a doubt, some of the most valuable points and miles in the world. Not only can you use them to fly with the half-dozen (or so) airlines that have adopted them as their own mileage program, but you can also fly with each of these airlines' worldwide network of partners.

The world is, quite literally, your oyster. Here are a few stellar options.

Finnair Biz Class from 45K Points

One of the newest business class seats in the sky is from Finnair … which is also a new entrant into the world of Avios. It takes some trickery to book it – more on that shortly – but it's one of the most affordable. And this transfer bonus makes it even cheaper.

Here's the deal: The airline charges just 62,500 of its own Avios to book a one-way in Finnair business class from the U.S. to its Helsinki (HEL) hub, plus a reasonable amount of taxes and fees. Unlike many other airlines, Finnair's business class is relatively easy to book using miles.

I know what you're thinking: “But Finnair isn't a Bilt transfer partner.” You're right … but British Airways is.

That means you can take advantage of that 40% bonus and transfer just 45,000 Bilt points to British Airways. Once those hit your BA account, kick them over to Finnair using our handy guide, and you're ready to book one of the coziest and coolest lie-flat seats crossing the Atlantic today. 

If you've got a higher level of Bilt status, you could book for as few as 32,000 Bilt points each way! And you can even connect onward throughout much of Northern Europe for the same rates! 

Hawaii and Back for 29K Points (or Less)

You can book flights to Hawaii with British Airways Avios, flying American Airlines or Alaska Airlines out to the islands.

While American and Alaska frequently charge 60,000 miles or more for these flights, you can fly from the West Coast to Hawaii for just 40,000 Avios roundtrip. Factor in the 40% transfer bonus, and you need 29,000 Bilt points to make it happen as a basic, Blue status member – or as few as 20,000 points with Bilt's top-tier Platinum status.

The trick to getting these ultra-low rates is to start your search in Los Angeles (LAX) or Phoenix (PHX), both of which offer nonstop service to the islands. You can also start from other cities like Seattle (SEA), Portland (PDX) San Francisco (SFO), San Jose (SJC), or San Diego (SAN), as Alaska Airlines nonstops to Hawaii are also bookable at these rates.

Read more on the cheapest ways to get to Hawaii using points and miles!

Willing to put in some extra legwork? This deal can get even better. While this transfer bonus only works for British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus, you can transfer Avios between British Airways and Finnair, as well as between British Airways and Qatar Airways.

And you might want to: Finnair charges just 15,000 Avios each way for American Airlines flights between the mainland and Hawaii!

That means you could send your Bilt points to British Airways, get a 40% to 100% bonus, then kick them over to Finnair. And while you'll pay that rate for nonstop flights from the West Coast, it even applies to one- and two-stop trips from the Midwest and beyond! Factor in this transfer bonus, and you could book roundtrip flights to Hawaii from all across the U.S. for as few as 15,000 Bilt points!

Sadly, this trick no longer works for flights on Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines: Those flights now cost 19,500 Finnair Avios in each direction. But depending on where you're starting from, this can still be a meaningful savings over booking with British Airways.

Roundtrip to Spain for Less

Iberia economy flights between East Coast cities like Boston (BOS), New York (JFK), and Washington, D.C.-Dulles (IAD) and Madrid now start at just 16,000 Avios each way – or 32,000 Avios roundtrip in basic economy – plus about $250 in taxes and fees.

Here's how that roundtrip economy pricing to Madrid shakes out at each level of Bilt status: 

• Blue: 23,000 Bilt points
• Silver: 22,000 Bilt points
• Gold: 20,000 Bilt points
• Platinum: 19,000 Bilt points
• Platinum + Bilt Cash Upgrade: 16,000 Bilt Points

If you’d rather fly up front, off-peak business class awards on those same routes now price at 40,500 Avios each way – just 29,000 or even as low as 21,000 Bilt points with this transfer bonus, depending on your Bilt status. 

From other U.S. gateways like Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), Miami (MIA), or Los Angeles (LAX), off-peak business fares run 50,500 Avios each way – as few as 26,000 Bilt points with the bonus. 

Book Qsuites for Cheap

We saved the best for last … at least in normal times. The ongoing war in Iran has wreaked havoc on Qatar Airways operations – but in times of peace, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better way to travel than this. 

Thanks to Qatar Airways' adoption of Avios, the floodgates are open to book Qatar's world-leading Qsuite business class seats using Bilt points. Factor in this 40% to 100% transfer bonus, and you can do it for fewer points.
 

Check out our full review of Qatar Qsuites!

Here's the easiest route: You could book a simple nonstop from many cities in the U.S. over to Doha (DOH) for just 70,000 British Airways Avios. Find the award availability you want, transfer as few as 35,000 Bilt points to your BA account, and book it. Done. It doesn't get much cheaper or easier than that.

Sadly, both Qatar and British Airways recently raised taxes and fees on these business class redemptions. What was once a $100-or-so charge has increased to roughly $235. That's a small price to pay to fly the world's best business class, if you ask us. 

We send Thrifty Traveler Premium members award alerts when they can book the world's best business class using their points, plus cheap cash fares too!

If you want to take it to the next level and connect elsewhere – Dubai (DXB) or Muscat (MCT) in the Middle East, Cairo (CAI), or maybe even the Maldives (MLE) or down to Cape Town (CPT) in South Africa – you'll want to turn to Qatar Airways Avios. And even though you can't directly transfer Bilt points to Qatar with this bonus, you can easily combine your Avios balances between British Airways and Qatar.

And these multi-segment awards wind up being much cheaper when booked through Qatar itself than British Airways. Booking through Qatar, you could fly in Qsuites to …

• Middle Eastern destinations like Dubai (DXB), Abu Dhabi (AUH), or Muscat (MCT) for 75,000 miles – just 38,000 to 54,000 Bilt points after the transfer bonus!
• Other destinations like Amman (AMM) and Cairo (CAI), as well as major Indian cities, go up to 80,000 miles each way, or 58,000 to 40,000 Bilt points with this bonus.
• Getting to the Seychelles (SEZ) or Maldives (MLE) will run you 85,000 miles each way, which works out to 43,000 to 61,000 Bilt points.
• Both Southeast Asia and South Africa typically cost 95,000 miles each way – 48,000 to 68,000 Bilt points.

These flights with connections raise your final cash costs even higher, typically to around $300 or more.

Take our advice: Book a flight that connects onward to the Middle East so you can access Qatar's incredible Al Safwa Lounge during your layover. There's even a sneaky way to connect onward in Qatar Airways First Class all the way to the Maldives (MLE), Bangkok (BKK), Hong Kong (HKG), or Perth (PER) in Australia … for the same rate as flying business class the whole way.

No matter which route you take, you won't regret it.

Read our full guide on the best ways to book Qsuites!

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 Oscar Winner Anne Hathaway. Play in the Bilt app between April 27 (12 p.m. ET) and Friday, May 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 
• Devil Wears Prada 2 (member screenings): Bilt Members can celebrate Rent Day with exclusive screenings of The Devil Wears Prada 2 at neighborhood theaters throughout the U.S. on premiere night, May 1.
• 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 41 restaurants across seven major cities, with optional wine or cocktail pairings.
• Free fitness classes at SoulCycle and Barry’s.
• Complimentary temaki and green tea yuzu-ade from Nami Nori 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 is back with a big, one-day-only Rent Day promo offering up to 75% (or even 100%) transfer bonus to a trio of Avios airlines, depending on your status.

You can use this big bonus to score cheap flights to Hawaii, discounted business class seats to Europe, and much more.