Bilt Palladium
The welcome offer, the rent and mortgage rules, every credit and its catch, the insurance, and whether the $495 fee pays for itself.
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Premium travel · Bilt
Welcome offer
50,000 points + $300 Bilt Cash
Annual fee
$495
$300 of Bilt Cash on approval, plus 50,000 points and Bilt Gold status after $4,000 in purchases (excluding rent or mortgage) in the first 90 days.
Issued by: Column N.A., a U.S. bank; Bilt runs the rewardsForeign transaction fees: NoneRewards: Bilt PointsAuthorized users: $95 each a year
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The Atelier Take
The premium card that also pays on rent; worth it only if the everyday spending is there to unlock it.
Who it suits
Renters and homeowners with large everyday spending who want one premium card for everything, housing included, and who book hotels through Bilt Travel.
Who should skip it
Anyone whose everyday card spending is well below their rent or mortgage: the housing rate falls with it. The Obsidian earns the same housing points for $95.
Every credit, and the catch
Two annual benefits carry the fee: a $400 hotel credit through Bilt Travel and $200 of Bilt Cash. Bilt Cash is Bilt’s own currency, spent at partner merchants or used to unlock points on housing.
Bilt Travel hotel credit
Up to $400 a year
Bookings of two nights or more through the Bilt Travel portal only; the credit must be selected in the booking flow, and each half-year's $200 is lost if unused.
Annual Bilt Cash
Up to $200 a year
Spent at Bilt partners such as Lyft, Bilt Travel hotels, Grubhub, Walgreens and fitness studios, or used to unlock housing points. It expires on December 31; up to $100 rolls over.
Priority Pass
Bilt values it at $469 a year
Two guests free per visit; each additional guest costs $35.
What it earns
Rewards: Bilt Points, which transfer to Bilt's airline and hotel partners, most at 1:1, including World of Hyatt.
2x
Everyday purchases
5x
Bilt partner restaurants
Up to 5x at 20,000+ U.S. restaurants in the Bilt Neighborhood network
4x
Hotels booked through Bilt Travel
3x
Flights booked through Bilt Travel
4x
Lyft rides
After linking Bilt and Lyft accounts
1.25x
Rent and mortgage, with no transaction fee
The maximum; see how housing points work below
Housing points come two ways; cardholders choose one. Housing-only rewards: the rate on rent or mortgage depends on everyday card spending that billing cycle, from 0.5x at 25% of the housing payment to 1.25x at 100% or more (250 points if under 25%). Flexible Bilt Cash: everyday purchases earn 4% back in Bilt Cash, and every $30 of Bilt Cash redeemed unlocks 1,000 points on housing, up to 1x. TPG values Bilt Points at 2.2¢ each, the highest of any transferable currency, so 2x returns about 4.4¢ per dollar.
Lounges, status and other benefits
No fee on housing payments
Pay rent, mortgage or HOA through Bilt by card, ACH, Venmo or a mailed check, without a card fee.
Priority Pass
1,700+ lounges in its guide, with two guests free per visit.
Bilt Gold status
Part of the welcome offer; card spending also counts toward Bilt Elite status.
Bilt Cash uses
Transfer bonuses, status upgrades and a points accelerator that adds 1x on category spending up to $5,000.
Will the $495 fee pay off?
Enter what would go on this card. The result values points at TPG’s valuation, adds the credits that would actually be used and, in year one, the welcome offer, then sets the total against a no-fee card that pays 2% back on everything.
1 · Spending on this card
Example figures are filled in; replace them with real ones.
Hotels booked through Bilt Travel
4x
Flights booked through Bilt Travel
3x
Flights and hotels booked elsewhere
2x
DiningUp to 5x at Bilt partner restaurants; counted at 2x here
2x
Groceries
2x
Gas
2x
Everything else
2x
Rent or mortgagePaid through Bilt, no transaction fee. Up to 1.25x, depending on everyday spending
1.25x
2 · Credits that would be used
Tick only what would be used anyway, at full value.
3 · Assumptions
The result
Housing points: the calculator works out both of Bilt’s options from the amounts above and uses the better one. Housing-only rewards pay 0.5x to 1.25x depending on everyday spending as a share of the housing payment (250 points a month below 25%); Flexible Bilt Cash earns 4% in Bilt Cash on everyday spending, and every $30 redeemed unlocks 1,000 housing points, up to 1x. Bilt measures this each billing cycle, so uneven months can earn less. Not counted: Priority Pass, Bilt Gold status, 4x on Lyft and partner-restaurant bonuses. Bilt Cash is counted at face value.
Insurance and protections
Mastercard benefits, described in the Palladium Guide to Benefits. Pay for the trip or purchase with the card to be covered.
Trip cancellation and interruption
Up to $2,000 per trip and $5,000 per account per 12 months.
Trip delay
Up to $300 per trip after a delay of more than 6 hours, for 1 claim per 12 months. Secondary.
Lost or damaged luggage
Up to $1,500 per incident, for 2 claims per 12 months.
Baggage delay
Up to $250 per claim for emergency essentials, for 2 claims per 12 months.
Car rental (MasterRental)
Secondary cover for damage and theft on rentals of up to 31 days.
Cell phone protection
Up to $800 per claim and $1,000 per 12 months, after a $50 deductible.
Purchase assurance
Damage or theft within 90 days: up to $1,000 per loss and $50,000 per 12 months.
Extended warranty
Extends eligible U.S. manufacturer warranties of two years or less.
Price drop protection
Up to $250 per claim when an item’s advertised price falls, for up to 4 claims a year (minimum claim $25).
Pros and cons
Pros
- 2x on everyday purchases, plus points on rent or mortgage without a card fee
- The hotel credit and annual Bilt Cash offset most of the fee for Bilt Travel users
- Bilt Points carry the highest TPG valuation of any transferable currency (2.2¢)
- Priority Pass with two free guests
Cons
- $495 fee
- The hotel credit only works through the Bilt Travel portal
- Full 1.25x on housing needs everyday spending at least equal to the payment
- Travel insurance limits are lower than the Sapphire Reserve’s or Amex Platinum’s
Card terms change often and some offers are personalized; the issuer’s page is the final word.