Bilt Rewards may be losing American Airlines as a transfer partner later this year, but another U.S. airline is about to take its place.
Bilt on Thursday announced it is adding Alaska Airlines as a transfer partner, the only rewards program to partner with the Seattle-based airline. Travelers who earn points on their monthly rent payments or with the *Bilt Mastercard* to make big monthly payments can now transfer those points to Alaska on a 1:1 ratio to book flights on Alaska or partner airlines like Starlux, Condor Airlines, or even American.
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles are some of the most valuable airline miles on the planet thanks to traditionally low rates – especially to fly business class with the likes of Japan Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and Qantas. But they aren't the easiest to earn. This new partnership with Bilt opens up a great new avenue to earn Alaska miles from a credit card.
That's not all. Bilt members who use an Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® Card to pay for rent through Bilt will earn 3x Alaska miles on their rent payments, up to $50,000 annually. That benefit is not yet live but will be available sometime this spring, Bilt said in a news release.
Since launching in 2021, Bilt has been steadily adding to its stable of transfer partners, which includes some of the best airline and hotel programs in the game like World of Hyatt and – for a few more months – American. With the addition of Alaska Airlines, Bilt now has 13 airline partners and three hotel programs where you can transfer your hard-to-earn Bilt points to book travel.
Here's where you can move your Bilt points as of publication.
| Program | Type | Transfer Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Aer Lingus Avios | Airline | 1:1 |
| Air France/KLM Flying Blue | Airline | 1:1 |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Airline | 1:1 |
| Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan | Airline | 1:1 |
| American Airlines AAdvantage | Airline | 1:1 |
| Avianca LifeMiles | Airline | 1:1 |
| British Airways Avios | Airline | 1:1 |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | Airline | 1:1 |
| Emirates Skywards | Airline | 1:1 |
| Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles | Airline | 1:1 |
| Iberia Avios | Airline | 1:1 |
| Turkish Miles & Smiles | Airline | 1:1 |
| United MileagePlus | Airline | 1:1 |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | Airline | 1:1 |
| World of Hyatt | Hotel | 1:1 |
| IHG Hotels | Hotel | 1:1 |
| Marriott Bonvoy | Hotel | 1:1 |
Best Ways to Redeem Alaska Miles
Not familiar with the Alaska Airlines Mileage Program? Renters paying through Bilt Rewards and travelers with the *Bilt Mastercard* can now transfer their Bilt points to Alaska to book flights on the Seattle-based airline its more than two dozen airline partners.
West coasters like myself can book a trip to the Hawaiian islands for 12,500 Alaska miles each way, paying only $12 in taxes roundtrip! That's a steal for what can often be an expensive trip.
Speaking of expensive, how's flying in the front of the plane for a change? Alaska recently teamed up with Taiwanese carrier Starlux, allowing you to book their excellent business class seats to Taipei (TPE) for just 75,000 Alaska miles each way.
Alaska also partners with German carrier Condor Airlines. Just 55,000 Alaska miles is all you need to get from the East Coast to Frankfurt (FRA) in Condor business class.
Now you see how valuable Alaska miles are!
How Does Bilt Rewards Work?
Bilt Rewards is a fairly new rewards program that allows qualified U.S. renters the ability to earn rewards by paying their rent through the Bilt Rewards app.
Earning points on these payments is quite simple. If you live in a property that's part of the Bilt Rewards Alliance (more on that shortly), you'll earn a minimum of 250 Bilt Points per month by paying your rent through the Bilt Rewards app – no matter how much your monthly rent costs. Simply pay through the Bilt app and you’ll receive 250 points each and every month.
Renters can drastically accelerate how many points they can rack up by paying their rent and making other purchases with the Bilt Mastercard. Bilt overhauled both their Mastercard and status levels a few years ago to make them even better.
This $0 annual fee card is the key to earning more valuable points. So long as you make at least five transactions per statement period, you'll earn:
- 1x point per dollar spent on rent on up to $100,000 in rent annually
- 2x points per dollar spent on travel when you book directly with the airline, hotel, rental car agency, etc.
- 3x points per dollar spent on dining
- 1x points per dollar on other purchases
Learn more about the *Bilt Mastercard*.
If your landlord is a member of the Bilt Rewards Alliance, you will be able to pay your rent electronically through the Bilt Rewards app by securely linking your bank account. According to Bilt, the current members of the Bilt Alliance make up more than 3 million rental units.
- The Blackstone Group
- The Related Companies
- Equity Residential
- GID
- AvalonBay Communities, Inc.
- Camden Property Trust
- Cushman & Wakefield
- Trammell Crow Residential
- Highmark Residential
- AMLI Residential
- Morgan Properties
- SL Green Realty Corp.
- Starwood Capital Group
- LivCor
- The Moinian Group
- Veritas Investments
- Artemis Real Estate Partners
Renting someplace that doesn’t make this list? By paying your rent with the Bilt Rewards Mastercard, the company can send your landlord a paper check via USPS First Class mail for your rental amount, similar to Plastiq. Bilt says it will take five to seven days to process.
No matter where you live, these rental payments via Bilt are completely fee-free.
Read our guide to earning points for paying rent with Bilt Rewards!
Bottom Line
Bilt has added another transfer partner to its growing portfolio: Alaska Airlines. Travelers who earn Bilt points on their monthly rent payments or with the Bilt Mastercard can transfer their points to Alaska to book flights on them or any of their partner airlines.