Bilt Rent & Mortgage Calculator
Bilt makes you choose how your rent or mortgage earns: tiered points (Housing-only) or 4% Bilt Cash that you spend to unlock them. Enter your housing payment and card spend — we run all six card-and-option combinations, net of fees and credits, and show which one earns you the most.
Rules from Bilt's own card offer terms and Bilt Cash terms, plus Bilt's 2027 program update. Last updated October 2026 (Bilt changes as of October 27, 2026).
What changed in October 2026
- Housing-only (up to 1.25x on rent or mortgage) becomes the default at each card anniversary in 2027, and the only option for cards opened from Jan 1, 2027.
- The 4% Bilt Cash option stays only if you opt out in the Bilt app before your anniversary (cards opened by Dec 31, 2026 included). You can no longer switch back and forth after that.
- On Housing-only, Palladium gets $600 of Bilt Cash a year and Obsidian $100, on your card anniversary, in place of the old Bilt Cash and hotel credits. Opting out keeps the old credits.
- Obsidian and Palladium can buy Point Accelerators with Bilt Cash on either option.
- Bilt Cash now expires 12 months after it is earned. The year-end expiry and $100 rollover are gone.
- From Jan 1, 2027, Bilt Cash hotel bookings are limited to twice a year: up to $50 each (Blue, Silver), $100 (Gold, Platinum) or $200 (Palladium).
- Hyatt transfers drop from 1:1 to 4:3 on Jan 1, 2027.
That's 60% of your housing payment — the ratio that sets your Housing-only tier.
Spending mix — changes Obsidian only
Typical mix: 15% dining, 15% groceries, 10% travel. Obsidian earns 3x on dining or groceries — we pick whichever pays you more.
- The Bilt Cash option wins by $245 a year: $900 of Bilt Cash unlocks the full 1x on rent and $20 is left for perks.
- Bilt Palladium beats Bilt Obsidian by $212 a year: 2x on everything, $200 of Bilt Cash a year and $400 of hotel credit more than cover the $495 annual fee.
- From 2027 the 4% Bilt Cash option is opt-out only: it's for cards opened by Dec 31, 2026, and you must opt out in the Bilt app before your card anniversary or you move to Housing-only for good.
All six setups
Net value per year · tap to see the math
The math: Bilt Palladium · Bilt Cash
Bilt Cash: $920 a year ($720 earned at 4% and $200 yearly card benefit) → $900 to rent points and $20 to perks.
Your rent is fully unlocked at 1x. Every $1 of Bilt Cash spent here buys 60¢ of points at 1.8¢ a point.
Assumptions
Housing-only vs Bilt Cash at every spend level
Net value per year on your $2,500 housing payment, after fees and credits. Your other inputs stay fixed; only card spend moves.
On Bilt Palladium, Bilt Cash wins at every spend level shown. The labels along the top mark the Housing-only tiers — card spend of 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of your housing payment.
View as table
| Card spend / mo | Of rent | Housing-only | Bilt Cash | Better |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $0 | 0% | −$141 (250-pt floor) | $25 (0.22x rent) | Bilt Cash |
| $625 | 25% | $345 (0.5x rent) | $475 (0.56x rent) | Bilt Cash |
| $1,250 | 50% | $750 (0.75x rent) | $925 (0.89x rent) | Bilt Cash |
| $1,500you | 60% | $858 (0.75x rent) | $1,103 (1x rent) | Bilt Cash |
| $1,875 | 75% | $1,155 (1x rent) | $1,355 (1x rent) | Bilt Cash |
| $2,500 | 100% | $1,560 (1.25x rent) | $1,705 (1x rent) | Bilt Cash |
| $3,750 | 150% | $2,100 (1.25x rent) | $2,515 (1x rent) | Bilt Cash |
| $5,000 | 200% | $2,640 (1.25x rent) | $3,235 (1x rent) | Bilt Cash |
Net value per year for Bilt Palladium: points, Bilt Cash and hotel credit at your assumptions, minus the annual fee.
What your Bilt points book right now
The cheapest business and first class saver seats our scanner found on Bilt's 1:1 airline partners. One-way, per person, as of the latest scan. At about 5,500 points a month, you earn a 27.5K-point seat every 5 months.
- Miami → LimaMIA–LIMBusinessvia
27,5005 mo months of earning - Raleigh → London HeathrowRDU–LHRBusinessvia45,0008.2 mo months of earning
- Philadelphia → DublinPHL–DUBBusinessvia45,0008.2 mo months of earning
- Philadelphia → EdinburghPHL–EDIBusinessvia45,0008.2 mo months of earning
- Montreal → CasablancaYUL–CMNBusinessvia
45,0008.2 mo months of earning - Boston → MadridBOS–MADBusinessvia45,0008.2 mo months of earning
How Bilt 2.0 earns on rent and mortgage
All three Bilt cards — Blue, Obsidian and Palladium, issued by Column N.A. since February 2026 — earn on housing payments made through the Bilt app with no transaction fee. What they earn depends on the rewards option you pick, which applies to your whole account for each billing cycle.
Housing-only
Points on rent scale with how much you spend on the card relative to the payment. No Bilt Cash on spend.
| Card spend ÷ rent | Rent earns | On $2,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Under 25% | 250 pts flat | 250 |
| 25–49% | 0.5x | 1,000 |
| 50–74% | 0.75x | 1,500 |
| 75–99% | 1x | 2,000 |
| 100%+ | 1.25x | 2,500 |
Bilt Cash (Flexible)
Earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Redeem $3 of it for every 100 points on your housing payment, up to 1x.
- 4% in, 3% out: each $1 of spend unlocks 1.33 rent points.
- 1x at 75%: spend 75% of your rent and the full 1x is unlocked.
- Leftovers are yours: Bilt Cash beyond the unlock goes to perks or Point Accelerators.
- No fee: the “3%” is an exchange rate, not a charge.
Where each option wins: a $2,000 rent example
The two options trade the lead in a sawtooth. Housing-only jumps at each tier; the Bilt Cash option climbs smoothly and passes each tier before the next one kicks in. Bilt Blue, points at 1.8¢, leftover Bilt Cash at 50¢ per $1:
| Card spend | Housing-only rent pts | Bilt Cash rent pts | Better |
|---|---|---|---|
| $400 20% of rent | 250 | 533 | Bilt Cash by $61/yr |
| $500 25% of rent | 1,000 | 667 | Housing-only by $72/yr |
| $700 35% of rent | 1,000 | 933 | Housing-only by $14/yr |
| $800 40% of rent | 1,000 | 1,067 | Bilt Cash by $14/yr |
| $1,000 50% of rent | 1,500 | 1,333 | Housing-only by $36/yr |
| $1,100 55% of rent | 1,500 | 1,467 | Housing-only by $7/yr |
| $1,200 60% of rent | 1,500 | 1,600 | Bilt Cash by $22/yr |
| $1,500 75% of rent | 2,000 | 2,000 | Tie |
| $2,000 100% of rent | 2,500 | 2,000 +$20 Bilt Cash left | Bilt Cash by $12/yr |
| $3,000 150% of rent | 2,500 | 2,000 +$60 Bilt Cash left | Bilt Cash by $122/yr |
Everyday points are identical under both options, so the race is only rent points plus leftover Bilt Cash. At exactly 100% of rent, Housing-only's 1.25x wins if you value leftover Bilt Cash under 45¢ per $1; at 150% that break-even drops to 15¢, because the leftover grows with every dollar you spend.
Bilt Blue vs Obsidian vs Palladium
| Bilt Blue | Bilt Obsidian | Bilt Palladium | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | $0 | $95 | $495 |
| Everyday earning | 1x on everything | 3x dining or groceries (you pick; groceries capped at $25,000/yr), 2x travel, 1x other | 2x on everything |
| Rent & mortgage | Same on all three: up to 1.25x on Housing-only, up to 1x on Bilt Cash | ||
| Bilt Cash every year (Housing-only, from 2027) | — | $100 on your card anniversary | $600 on your card anniversary |
| If you opt out to keep 4% Bilt Cash | — | $100 Bilt Travel hotel credit | $200 Bilt Cash + $400 hotel credit |
| Point Accelerator | — | Yes | Yes |
| Welcome offer | $100 Bilt Cash | $200 Bilt Cash | 50,000 points + Gold status after $4,000 in 90 days, plus $300 Bilt Cash |
| Authorized users | Free | $50 each per year | $95 each per year |
Welcome offers are Bilt's standard terms; the app sometimes shows different ones. Bilt Travel, Bilt Dining and Lyft partner bonuses stack on top of these rates and aren't included in the calculator.
How this calculator works
- Every combination at once. Three cards × two rewards options, ranked by net value per year: points at your valuation, plus Bilt Cash and hotel credits, minus the annual fee.
- No phantom fee. Bilt charges nothing to earn on housing payments. The Bilt Cash option spends Bilt Cash you earned; it never bills you 3%, and there's no “out of pocket” — you simply unlock fewer points if you run short.
- Obsidian's 3x is dining or groceries. You pick one category a year; we pick the one that pays you more and apply the $25,000 grocery cap.
- Bilt Cash goes where it's worth most. Rent unlocks (3¢ of Bilt Cash per point), Point Accelerators (4¢ per point, Obsidian and Palladium) or perks at the value you set. We count at most $360 a year of partner perks plus the card's 2027 hotel-booking limit ($100 a year, $400 on Palladium) — past that there's little to spend it on, it can't be cashed out, and it expires 12 months after it's earned.
- Perks you'll really use. Card Bilt Cash follows the 2027 rules: $600 (Palladium) or $100 (Obsidian) a year on Housing-only, or the old $200 Bilt Cash plus hotel credits if you opt out, with the hotel credits counted at the share you choose. The welcome offer only counts in first-year mode, and Palladium's 50,000 points only if your spend reaches $4,000 in 90 days.
- Honest point value. Bilt points default to 1.8¢, AwardClaw's valuation for well-used transfers — see our points-to-dollars table. Change it and everything recalculates.
FAQ
How does Bilt’s Housing-only option work?
Each billing cycle, Bilt divides your everyday card spend (everything except housing payments) by your rent or mortgage payment. Spend at least 25% of the payment and your housing payment earns 0.5x; 50% earns 0.75x; 75% earns 1x; 100% or more earns 1.25x. Below 25% you still get a flat 250 points per billing cycle. There’s no fee and no cap, but you earn no Bilt Cash on spend while Housing-only is active.
How does the Bilt Cash option work? Is there a 3% fee?
You earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend, then redeem it to unlock points on your housing payment: every $3 of Bilt Cash unlocks 100 points, up to 1 point per $1 of the payment. There is no 3% fee — Bilt never charges a transaction fee on housing payments under either option. The 3% is just the exchange rate ($30 of Bilt Cash per 1,000 points). Because you earn 4% and unlocking costs 3%, putting 75% of your rent on the card in everyday spend unlocks the full 1x.
Which Bilt rewards option is better?
It depends on your spend-to-rent ratio. On Blue and Obsidian, Housing-only wins just above its tier thresholds — from 25% to 37.5% and from 50% to about 56% of your rent — and at very low spend (under about $190 a month), where its 250-point floor beats what 4% Bilt Cash can unlock. The Bilt Cash option wins in between, because every $1 of spend unlocks 1.33 rent points, and from 75% to 100%, where it matches 1x and leaves Bilt Cash over. Above 100% it comes down to what leftover Bilt Cash is worth to you versus Housing-only’s extra 0.25x. From 2027 the Bilt Cash option is only for cards opened by Dec 31, 2026 that opt out before their anniversary, and Palladium’s Housing-only $600 of anniversary Bilt Cash tilts it back toward Housing-only. The calculator above runs the exact numbers for your rent.
Which Bilt card is best for paying rent?
Rent earns the same on all three cards — the difference is everyday earning, perks and fees. Palladium ($495) earns 2x everywhere and, on Housing-only from 2027, adds $600 of Bilt Cash on each card anniversary (opting out keeps the old $200 of Bilt Cash plus a $400 Bilt Travel hotel credit). Obsidian ($95) earns 3x on dining or groceries and 2x on travel, with $100 of anniversary Bilt Cash on Housing-only. Blue ($0) wins at low spend. Enter your numbers above to see which one nets you the most.
Can I switch between Housing-only and Bilt Cash?
Not after 2026. Under Bilt’s October 2026 update, every card moves to Housing-only at its first anniversary in 2027 unless you opt out in card settings in the Bilt app beforehand, and after that you can’t switch between the two. Cards opened from January 1, 2027 get Housing-only only; cards opened by December 31, 2026 can still choose the 4% Bilt Cash option.
Does rent count toward the Bilt Palladium welcome bonus?
No. Only everyday spend counts toward Palladium’s requirement of $4,000 in 90 days for 50,000 points and Gold status — housing payments are excluded. The $300 of welcome Bilt Cash posts when the account opens, with no spending required.
What is Bilt Cash worth, and does it expire?
Bilt Cash can’t be cashed out or used as a statement credit. You can redeem it to unlock housing points, buy Point Accelerators, or spend it on perks such as $10 a month each toward Lyft, Grubhub and Walgreens, plus Bilt Travel hotel bookings. Since October 27, 2026, Bilt Cash expires at the end of the month, 12 months after it’s earned (the old year-end expiry and $100 rollover are gone). From January 1, 2027, Bilt Cash hotel bookings are limited to twice a year. That’s why the calculator lets you set what leftover Bilt Cash is worth to you (50¢ per $1 by default).
What is the Bilt Point Accelerator?
An Obsidian and Palladium feature, on either rewards option since Bilt’s 2027 update: redeem $200 of Bilt Cash for an extra 1 point per $1 on your next $5,000 of card spend — up to 5,000 bonus points, or 4¢ of Bilt Cash per point. You can use up to five a year. That is a worse rate than unlocking housing points (3¢ per point), so the calculator only reaches for accelerators after your rent is fully unlocked, and only when they beat what the Bilt Cash is otherwise worth to you.
Do mortgage payments earn the same as rent?
Yes. Bilt treats rent and mortgage payments — plus housing charges billed by your property manager or mortgage servicer, such as HOA dues — as Bilt Housing Payments. They earn under the same two options as long as you pay through the Bilt app or website with a bank account connected.
Related tools
- Current transfer bonuses — every active bonus, including Bilt's, with history
- Transfer Bonus Calculator — what a 25–40% bonus does to your Bilt points
- Points to Dollars — what a Bilt balance is worth next to 19 other programs
- Transfer partners guide — where Bilt points go and which partners are worth it
- Live award drops — business and first class saver seats on Bilt partners, updated every few hours