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Update 5/21/2025: That was short-lived! Bilt has reduced the earnings on Visa, Mastercard, and Discover cards. Instead of earning 1 Bilt Point per $1 paid in rent — as offered from April 16 to May 20, 2025 — you'll only earn 1 Bilt Point per $2 paid in rent. We've updated the post below to reflect this new earning rate.
Bilt Rewards has made a splash in the loyalty world, largely thanks to the ability to earn valuable points on rent payments with no transaction fees. And ahead of the next Rent Day, Bilt has made paying rent with the credit card of your choice even more rewarding.
You can now use any credit card to pay rent and earn Bilt Points on top of your card’s regular rewards. But should you pay rent with just any credit card? Let's take a look.
You Can Now Earn More Points When Paying Your Rent With a Non-Bilt Credit Card
Bilt Rewards now allows members to earn more points when paying rent with any major credit card. And that's a pretty big deal.
Previously, using a card other than The Bilt Mastercard® (Rates & Fees) meant you’d pay a 3% transaction fee and earn just 250 Bilt Points per rent payment. Now, you’ll still pay that transaction fee, but you’ll earn Bilt Points based on the amount of rent you’re paying — in addition to the rewards your card already earns.
Effective May 21, 2025, here’s the new earning structure (capped at 100,000 Bilt Points each calendar year):
- All cards: 1X Bilt Points per $2 on rent, in addition to your card rewards.
Again, the 3% transaction fee still applies for all non-Bilt Mastercards. The Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card also still earns 3X Mileage Plan miles per dollar on rent, plus the same 3% transaction fee (but no additional Bilt Points). And ACH and other eligible payment methods continue to earn a flat 250 Bilt Points per transaction.
If you pay rent using the Bilt Mastercard, nothing is changing for you. You’ll continue to earn 1X Bilt Points per dollar with no transaction fees, as long as you make at least five purchases per statement period.
- 3x points on dining
- 2x points on travel
- 1x points on rent payments without the transaction fee (up to 100,000 points each calendar year)
- 1x points on other purchases
Should You Pay Rent With a Card Other Than the Bilt Mastercard?
For those without a Bilt Mastercard, the 3% transaction fee will likely cancel out most of the extra rewards earned through this new offering. Still, there are situations where it could make sense to pay rent with a different credit card.
One is when you're working toward a sign-up bonus, like on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees). Another is reaching a high spend threshold that unlocks a perk, such as a Southwest Companion Pass or a Hilton free night reward after spending $15,000 on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card.
Rent is a significant expense for many people, and paying the 3% fee might be worth it if you’re unlocking a benefit that outweighs the total cost of the fees you’ll incur to earn it.
Another scenario is if your card earns 2% cash back on all purchases (or more). If you earn 2% cash rewards back on your rent with the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card (Rates & Fees) and also collect 1X Bilt Points per $2 dollars spent on rent, you might come out ahead, depending on how you redeem your Bilt Points. On average, AwardWallet users redeem Bilt Points for 2.01¢ apiece, so this is definitely in the realm of possibility.
Related: How Does Bilt Rewards Stack Up for Earning Rewards by Paying Rent?
Our Take
If you want to double-dip on your rent payments and earn both Bilt Points and the rewards your credit card already offers, you can now do so. Just keep in mind that a 3% transaction fee applies if you’re using a card other than the Bilt Mastercard, so be sure to crunch the numbers to make sure the fee is worth it.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees)
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