AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners for links on the blog. The opinions expressed here are our own and have not been reviewed, provided, or approved by any bank advertiser. Here's our complete list of Advertisers.
Toward the beginning of 2026, Bilt launched Bilt 2.0, which introduced three new
Less than a year later, Bilt has announced its 2027 Bilt Program Updates, and several aspects of Bilt Rewards are changing. If it's taken you months to get used to the new rules and restrictions, this announcement might frustrate you a bit. That said, these updates are largely positive and should make the program a bit easier to engage with. Let's break down all the changes.
Introducing Daily Rewards
Starting January 15, 2027, you will be able to earn Daily Rewards through qualifying activities. When you pay your rent or mortgage on time, you'll get a Daily Reward. You'll also earn a Daily Reward by completing one daily activity with a qualifying neighborhood partner, including going out to eat or taking a class.
Each Daily Reward reveals two rewards, and you can choose one to claim. Rewards can include an instant prize like Bilt Points or Bilt Cash, or you can collect toward a chance to win a grand prize like $1 million toward the purchase of a home, 10 million Bilt Points, free rent or mortgage for a year, free Lyft rides for a year, or your dream getaway.
While details are scarce, this will be an exciting way for members to engage and be rewarded more meaningfully within the Bilt ecosystem. There aren't any changes to your earning potential if you are a Bilt cardholder. We should hear more details in January.
Changes to Bilt Cash
Expiration policy is shifting
One frustration with Bilt Cash was that all but $100 would expire on December 31. The remaining $100 would roll over for use in the following year. That meant that if you had a large Bilt Cash balance at year-end, most of it would expire if you didn't use it. Luckily, that is changing. Effective immediately, Bilt Cash will expire at the end of the month 12 months after you earn it. So, if you earn $100 of Bilt Cash on March 15, 2027, it will expire on March 31, 2028.
The Bilt website and app clearly lay out the expiration information, giving you time to use your Cash. This is great news for Bilt members who were lamenting a large chunk of Bilt Cash expiring at the end of 2026. However, this also means you'll have multiple Bilt Cash expiration dates to track.
Bilt Cash hotel credits are harder to use
Currently, members can redeem Bilt Cash for two-night hotel stays in the Bilt Travel portal each month, limited to $50 per month for Blue and Silver status and $100 per month for those with Gold and Platinum status. Unfortunately, this is becoming more restrictive.
Beginning January 1, 2027, members will be limited to two Bilt Cash hotel redemptions per year, instead of once per month. This will still be based on Bilt status or by holding a credit card, as follows:
- $50 per hotel redemption for Blue and Silver members ($100 per year).
- $100 per hotel redemption for Gold and Platinum members ($200 per year).
- $200 per hotel redemption for Bilt Palladium Card (Rates & Fees) cardholders ($400 per year)
Overall, this change shouldn't have a huge impact, although fewer credits are definitely a negative. The two-night minimum on hotel bookings when using Bilt Cash makes the credit hard to use for great value, so this change likely affects only those who use it several times throughout the year.
Updates for Elite Members
Use Points for Home Away from Home bookings
Starting in 2027, Gold and Platinum elite members will be able to use Bilt Points for Home Away from Home bookings. You can redeem points at 1.25¢ per point, but we don't yet know what redemptions will look like. These luxury stays include benefits like room upgrades and daily breakfast for two when booked by eligible Bilt elite members. Using points for these stays offers even more ways to save on your trip.
Car rental status
Bilt elite members can also take advantage of rental car status, depending on their Bilt status level:
- Bilt Platinum members: Match to SIXT ONE Platinum Status and Hertz President's Circle
- Bilt Gold and Silver members: Match to SIXT ONE Gold Status and Hertz Five Star
This could be a nice addition for frequent renters who want perks like skipping the counter and potential upgrades.
Changes for Bilt Cardholders
Currently, Bilt allows cardholders two options for earnings on their spending (Offer Terms):
- Flexible Bilt Cash: Earn 4% Bilt Cash per dollar spent on everyday purchases on your Bilt Card (on top of any points earned with your card). Redeem Bilt Cash to unlock up to 1X points on housing payments.
- Housing-Only: Earn up to 1.25 points per dollar on housing payments, based on the percentage of spending on everyday purchases in the same billing cycle.
Those who primarily use the Bilt program to earn points on rent or mortgage payments may benefit from the second option by earning more than 1 point per dollar on those expenses. Meanwhile, those without rent or a mortgage (or who don't want to earn points that way) can choose the Bilt Cash option. These choices are changing.
Starting in 2027, all new Bilt cardholders will earn only through option two. Everyone will earn up to 1.25X points on rent and mortgage payments, and Bilt will retire the Flexible Bilt Cash mode.
Fortunately, any current cardholder, or anyone who opens a Bilt Card through December 31, 2026, can still choose between the two options. If you are currently using the Flexible Bilt Cash earning method, you must opt out of the new benefits in your card settings before your account anniversary date. Once you opt out (and continue to earn Bilt Cash), you can't switch back and forth between the two options as before, but you'll keep any eligible annual credits.
This sounds even more complicated, in part because of the “opt out to keep from being forced over” to the housing option. Nevertheless, Bilt appears to be streamlining the previously confusing two earning options into one, earning up to 1.25X points on housing payments. But for now, the Bilt Cash option will remain for those who prefer it.
Cardholder credits are changing
Along with the change in earning methods, Bilt is adjusting the Bilt Cash cardholders receive as annual credits with the Bilt Obsidian Card (Rates & Fees) and Palladium Card. To start, you'll get your credits on your account anniversary, not on January 1 each year. Luckily, you can still redeem Bilt Cash for the Points Accelerator.
Here's how things are changing:
- Obsidian Card: Instead of receiving a $100 hotel credit annually, you will receive $100 of Bilt Cash annually, which can be used more broadly for any of the Bilt Cash redemption options.
- Palladium Card: Instead of receiving $200 in Bilt Cash and a $400 hotel credit annually ($200 biannually), you will receive a single $600 annual Bilt Cash credit. Again, this gives you more flexibility with Bilt Cash, including hotel bookings if desired.
These changes will go into effect on your next account anniversary. Importantly — just like the Bilt Cash earning method above — current Bilt cardholders can still opt out of the changes and receive the above credits in the same method as before. That means you must decide whether you want more flexible Bilt Cash or the hotel-centric credits above.
The latter is worth considering because Palladium Card cardholders can use the $200 biannual hotel credit and supplement it with $100 of Bilt Cash, resulting in a $300 total credit on a two-night hotel booking. If you choose the new Bilt Cash-only credit, you're limited to $200 per booking.
To keep the option for the Flexible Bilt Cash earning structure, you'll need to apply for a Bilt card soon. Check out these offers:
- Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
- 1X points on everyday spend
$95Rates & Fees
- Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
- 3X points on your choice of grocery (up to $25K/year) or dining. Your 3X category choice remains in effect for the entire calendar year.
- 2X points on travel
- 1X points on everyday spend
$495Rates & Fees
- Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
- 2X points on everyday spend
Bottom Line
That's a lot to take in. If it's taken you the better part of the year to wrap your head around Bilt Cash, you'll now need to learn the ins and outs of these 2027 updates. Bilt is introducing Daily Rewards, adding new benefits for elite members, changing the Bilt Cash expiration policy, and changing cardholder perks.
It almost seems like Bilt is phasing out Bilt Cash by making it much harder to obtain going forward. That means using Bilt Cash for Points Accelerators, Rent Day transfer buy-ups, hotel bookings, and more will get harder. Less than a year after its introduction, Bilt Cash is already becoming much less relevant to the future of Bilt Rewards. It will be interesting to see what the next year holds for Bilt Cash.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Bilt Palladium Card (Rates & Fees), Bilt Obsidian Card (Rates & Fees), and Bilt Blue Card (Rates & Fees)
