{"id":244136,"date":"2026-01-19T14:08:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T14:08:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/?p=244136\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T14:32:02","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T14:32:02","slug":"rewards-earning-restrictions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/credit-cards\/bilt-rewards\/rewards-earning-restrictions\/","title":{"rendered":"Bilt\u2019s New Cards Come With Surprising Rewards Restrictions"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s been a steady stream of news coming out of Bilt Rewards<\/a> lately. With the launch of three new cards and an overhaul to how you\u2019ll earn points on rent<\/a> (and now mortgage) payments, there\u2019s a lot to digest.<\/p>\n

And not all of it is good. Bilt's already gotten blowback on the complexity of its new cards<\/a>. But it gets worse. Once you dig into the terms and conditions, you'll find the soon-to-be-activated Bilt cards have significant restrictions on what types of purchases earn rewards.<\/p>\n

So, consider this a PSA if you\u2019re applying for or receiving a new Bilt card and are thinking about making a big tax payment to earn a welcome bonus or doing some online shopping to rack up a large number of points.<\/p>\n

Bilt Adds Rewards-Earning Restrictions to New Cards<\/span><\/h2>\n

There\u2019s not a credit card in existence that doesn\u2019t come with pages and pages of disclosures. These spell out your card\u2019s rates and fees, what points or miles you\u2019ll earn<\/a>, and a lot more. And in the disclosures for Bilt\u2019s three new credit cards, you\u2019ll find some interesting language around what counts as an \u201celigible purchase\u201d that goes beyond what other card issuers include.<\/p>\n

Eligible purchases matter because they\u2019re the types of transactions that earn rewards, whether that\u2019s Bilt Points or Bilt Cash. What\u2019s more, these purchases are also what count toward your signup bonus, if applicable.<\/p>\n

In each card\u2019s offer terms<\/a>, you\u2019ll see the following paragraph (emphasis ours):<\/p>\n

“Eligible Purchases” or “Purchases” means transactions for goods or services made with your Bilt Card, minus returns, refunds, or credits. Purchases that do not earn Bilt Points or Bilt Cash: Balance transfers, Special Transfers, cash advances, travelers checks, money orders, wire transfers or similar cash-like transactions, prepaid cards, gift cards, person-to-person payments (such as Venmo, PayPal, Cash App, or Zelle), tax payments, online resale marketplaces (such as eBay or Facebook Marketplace)<\/strong>, cryptocurrency or other digital currency purchases, fees or interest posted to your Account (including annual fees, late fees, and returned payment fees), lottery tickets, casino gaming chips, race track wagers or similar betting transactions, and checks that access your Account.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Put differently, if you\u2019re planning to use a Bilt Palladium Card to make a large tax payment to earn its welcome bonus, it won\u2019t count toward your minimum spending requirement and it won\u2019t earn rewards, either. Thankfully, there are plenty of other cards that make sense for tax payments<\/a>, because this clearly isn\u2019t one of them.<\/p>\n

Ditto for gift cards, purchases through online resale marketplaces, and more.<\/p>\n

How will these restrictions be interpreted?<\/span><\/h3>\n

Outside of tax payments, one clear takeaway from these offer terms is that they\u2019re fairly vague, at least when it comes to gift cards and online resale marketplaces. That vagueness makes us wonder whether these terms are really the full story.<\/p>\n

After all, much of the internet functions as an \u201conline resale marketplace.\u201d Beyond eBay-adjacent platforms like Poshmark, Depop, StockX, and others, many websites allow users to resell items they\u2019ve purchased elsewhere. So does that mean purchases made on those sites won\u2019t earn rewards either?<\/p>\n

Taken a step further, this interpretation could even open the door to no rewards on sites like Amazon, Walmart, Target, and others, since these platforms allow third-party sellers to effectively resell merchandise they\u2019ve sourced elsewhere.<\/p>\n

\"Woman
Credit: Jakub \u017berdzicki\/Unsplash<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n

Bottom Line<\/span><\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re about to apply for or receive a new Bilt credit card, pay close attention to its offer terms. Like every other credit card out there, some purchases won\u2019t earn rewards. But the language around what does and doesn\u2019t earn Bilt Points and Bilt Cash is much more restrictive than on most other cards.<\/p>\n

As a result, if you use a Bilt Palladium Card to make a tax payment, a Bilt Obsidian Card to buy a sweater on eBay, or a Bilt Blue Card to purchase a Chili\u2019s gift card, you shouldn't expect to earn anything on those transactions.<\/p>\n

Hopefully these restrictions don\u2019t expand even further. But based on the language in each card\u2019s offer terms, the door is definitely open.<\/p>\n

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