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The Bilt Rewards family of transfer partners keeps on growing. Today, Bilt is adding a new 1:1 airline transfer partner: Avianca LifeMiles. This comes just over a month after Bilt added Marriott Bonvoy as a transfer partner, so the program has clearly been busy.
Here's what the addition of Avianca LifeMiles brings to the Bilt Rewards table.
Bilt Adds Avianca LifeMiles as a Transfer Partner
If you've got a stash of Bilt Rewards points, you can now convert the points you earn for paying rent to Avianca (stylized as avianca to stay hip with the times) LifeMiles at a 1:1 ratio. And just for linking your Bilt account to LifeMiles, you'll earn a 100-point bonus.
Also, like other transfer partners, transfers must be made in 1,000-point increments with a transfer minimum of 2,000 points (for Blue members).
What makes this particular addition exciting is the ability to use your points toward aspirational redemptions like Lufthansa first class, plus other highly-sought-after business-class awards on Turkish Airlines, SWISS, and ANA. And you won't pay heavy fees on these awards when booking through LifeMiles, unlike what you may see through other booking options.
But that's not all you can use LifeMiles for. Avianca operates a comprehensive route network that can take you all over South America, as far north as Toronto, and as far east as Barcelona. The award rates are also highly competitive, including an advance booking discount, and there's a wide variety of other ways to earn LifeMiles. That means LifeMiles are easy to come by if you have a specific award in mind and your Bilt Rewards points don't completely cover the cost of it.
Related: Avianca LifeMiles Program: Overview and Sweet Spots
Earning Bilt Rewards Points
Bilt Rewards points are accruable in two primary ways: paying rent and spending on The Bilt Mastercard®.
To get the most out of the Bilt Rewards program, you'll want to carry the Bilt Mastercard. Renters can earn Bilt Rewards points without the Bilt Mastercard but will find themselves limited to earning just 250 Bilt points per month — the same amount as those who have the card but don't use it to make at least five purchases per statement period.
If you make at least five transactions per statement period on your Bilt Mastercard, you'll earn Bilt Rewards points at the following rates:
- 1x points on rent payments made through the Bilt App — up to 100,000 points per calendar year.
- 2x points on travel.
- 3x points on dining.
- 1x on all other purchases with no cap on earnings.
There's no annual fee on the card, which matches the fact you won't pay fees for paying your rent through the Bilt App (this perk alone is a major money saver) — even if your landlord isn't part of the Bilt Rewards Alliance network. Plus, regular promotions on the first of the month can double your earnings on the Bilt Mastercard.
Related: How Does Bilt Stack Up for Earning Rewards by Paying Rent?
Other Bilt Transfer Partners
With the addition of LifeMiles, Bilt continues to grow its options for using points. For reference, these are the available transfer partners:
Final Thoughts
Bilt's addition of Avianca as its 16th transfer partner is huge, given the number of places LifeMiles can take you. The number of ways you can now use Bilt Rewards points seems endless, which makes the Bilt Mastercard product hard to pass up if you want to maximize the points you earn on rent.
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