There are some big changes coming to Bilt Rewards and the Bilt credit cards in 2027. The good news is that your Bilt Cash is getting more time before it expires. The bad news is that 4% Bilt Cash on everyday spend is retiring, and Bilt Cash on hotels is getting a cap. There are also some new perks coming your way.
This is Bilt's effort to simplify things. I'll walk you through all four changes, and you can decide whether it actually feels simpler.
Bilt Cash now expires 12 months after you earn it
Before, all of your Bilt Cash expired on December 31, and you could only carry $100 over to the next year.
That's completely changing. Your Bilt Cash now expires 12 months after you earn it, at the end of that month. For example, if you earned Bilt Cash in February 2026, it expires on February 28, 2027.
So if you earn a lot of Bilt Cash in December, it no longer expires at the end of the month with only $100 carrying over. You get a full 12 months to use it.
This also applies to the Bilt Cash already sitting in your wallet, so you don't have to worry about December 31 anymore. I show you where to find your expiration dates in the app further down.
4% Bilt Cash is retiring on your card anniversary
This is the one that gets a little confusing.
Right now there are two ways to earn points on rent and mortgage with Bilt:
- Option 1 (Housing Only): You earn up to 1.25x points on rent and mortgage.
- Option 2 (Flexible Bilt Cash): You earn 4% Bilt Cash on everyday spend, and you redeem that Bilt Cash to unlock points on your rent and mortgage.
Option 2 was the more complicated one. It's what Bilt launched with Bilt 2.0 in February, and two days later they added Option 1 as the simpler version.
Now Option 2 is being retired. On your next card anniversary, everybody automatically moves to Option 1, Housing Only, unless you opt out.
How Option 1 rent points work
With Housing Only, there's no Bilt Cash involved. It's all automatic. Bilt looks at how much everyday spend you put on your card compared to your rent or mortgage and assigns you a multiplier.
Say your rent is $2,000. If you put $1,500 of everyday spend on the card (75% of your rent), you earn 1x points on rent. If you put $2,000 or more on the card (100% of your rent), you earn 1.25x.
How to keep the 4% Bilt Cash
You can keep the 4% Bilt Cash option if you opt out of the automatic transition before your next card anniversary. Think of it as the legacy option: you grandfather yourself into 4% Bilt Cash.
If you really like 4% Bilt Cash, I'd consider opting out before your card anniversary. Bilt made it fairly easy to pick in the app, and I walk through it below.
You need a Bilt card by December 31 to have the choice
One key date to remember: you have to be approved for a Bilt card by December 31, 2026 if you want the option to keep 4% Bilt Cash.
If you get the card in 2027, you only get Option 1, rent points up to 1.25x. You won't be able to grandfather yourself into 4% Bilt Cash.
Option 1 vs keeping the 4%: side by side
Here are both options next to each other: Option 1 on the left and the legacy option on the right.
The thing I want to point out is the card credits.
- Bilt Palladium Card: Today you get $200 in Bilt Cash and $400 in hotel credits. On Option 1, Bilt instead gives you $600 in Bilt Cash a year on your card anniversary. You still get $600 in credits either way. It's just the format that changes.
- Bilt Obsidian Card: The $100 hotel credit on the legacy option turns into $100 in Bilt Cash on Option 1.
Whichever option you choose, Point Accelerator is still available.
Bilt Palladium Card1
Which option is better for you?
- Keeping the 4% usually wins if you have the Palladium or Obsidian card and actually use the hotel credits, or if your everyday spend is well above your rent.
- Option 1 usually wins if you mostly pay rent with Bilt, put somewhere between 25% and 100% of your rent on the card, and don't use the hotel credits.
- You can move to Option 1 later, but you can't go back to 4% once you switch. If you're unsure, keeping the 4% keeps both doors open.
Bilt Cash on hotels gets capped at twice a year
If you like booking hotels through Bilt Travel with your Bilt Cash, there's a new cap. This won't affect a lot of people, but starting January 1, you can use Bilt Cash on hotels booked through Bilt Travel only twice a year, not every month.
How much you can use depends on your Bilt status:
- Blue and Silver: Up to $600 a year today. In 2027 that drops to $100 a year ($50 twice).
- Gold and Platinum: Up to $1,200 a year today. In 2027 that drops to $200 a year ($100 twice).
- Bilt Palladium Card: $400 a year ($200 twice).
Let me know if you think this is truly a big negative or not.
New Bilt perks coming in 2027
There are also new perks and benefits coming in 2027.
- SIXT and Hertz status. Your Bilt status (Silver, Gold or Platinum) determines which SIXT and Hertz status you get.
- Pay with points on Home Away from Home. Available if you have Gold or Platinum status.
- Daily Rewards, launching January 15. You pay rent on time and take part in neighborhood activities, and that earns you entries into grand prize giveaways like $1 million toward a home, 10 million Bilt points and a year of rent covered. There's no additional cost to you. It's a gamified way to get you more involved in Bilt Rewards, and I'm interested to see what it looks like on January 15.
Key Bilt deadlines to remember
- December 31: No longer your Bilt Cash deadline. It's also the last day to get approved for a Bilt card and still have the choice to keep the grandfathered 4% Bilt Cash.
- January 1: The Bilt Cash cap on hotels starts.
- January 15: Daily Rewards launches.
- Your next card anniversary: Probably the most important one. You have to decide by then whether to keep 4% Bilt Cash or move to 1.25x points on rent.
How to opt out of the new Bilt rewards in the app
They made it easy to pick your option, it's just a little tricky to find.
- Open the Bilt app and tap Wallet, the fourth icon from the left. It lands on your Bilt card.
- Scroll all the way down to the section called Bonus Rewards, Flexible Bilt Cash.
- Tap the settings icon in the top right corner of that section. This shows your card anniversary date. Mine is March 1, 2027.
- Tap Moving to updated rewards to see both options: Option 1 with $600 of Bilt Cash a year (on Palladium), or the grandfathered 4% Bilt Cash option.
- Pick one. You can change it any time until your card anniversary.
How to check when your Bilt Cash expires
- From the Wallet, swipe over to the Bilt Cash section. It shows your balance and how much is expiring this month.
- Tap See Details to see a timeline of when all your Bilt Cash expires.
Bilt should be using your oldest Bilt Cash first. That isn't happening in my account: it used my April through June Bilt Cash but left $83.83 expiring on March 31, 2027. I've sent it to Bilt to look into, so check your own timeline.
Bottom line
Your Bilt Cash lasts 12 months now, the 4% Bilt Cash retires on your card anniversary unless you opt out, and Bilt Cash on hotels drops to twice a year starting January 1. If you want the choice to keep the 4%, you need a Bilt card by December 31.
Some of this is confusing, so if you have questions, leave them in the comments on the video. And if you want the full breakdown of how Bilt 2.0 rent points and Bilt Cash work, read my Bilt 2.0 guide.
