Bilt World Elite Mastercard^® Review: Why It's Worth It

The Bilt World Elite Mastercard^® is worth it for cardholders who will take advantage of its unique features — especially renters who wish to get richly rewarded for paying their rent. But it’s also a good option for others seeking a no-annual-fee travel card.

Bilt World Elite Mastercard^® benefits include bonus rewards for dining and travel and double rewards on the first day of each month (up to 10,000 bonus points). You’ll earn flexible points that you can transfer 1:1 to more than 10 travel partners, including United Airlines. You also get travel insurance and shopping protection, which is one reason the Bilt World Elite Mastercard^® made our list of best Wells Fargo credit cards. And as one of the few no-annual-fee cards without foreign transaction fees, it’s great for international travel.

There are a few drawbacks to the Bilt World Elite Mastercard^®, including a lack of sign-up bonus and the requirement to use the card at least five times to earn rewards in a given statement period. The card might not be worth it if those are deal breakers for you.

→ Not the right card for you? See more top no-annual-fee travel cards

• Annual fee: $0
• Foreign transaction fee: $0
• Regular APR: See rates & fees
• Sign-up bonus: None
• Rewards: Earn 1X points on rent payments without the transaction fee, up to 100,000 points each calendar year; up to 5X Bilt points on Lyft rides when you link your Bilt account and pay with your Bilt card; 2X points on travel, 3X points on dining, 1X points on other purchases. Use the card 5 times each statement period to earn points.
• Other benefits:
  • Trip delay reimbursement
  • Auto rental collision damage waiver
  • Lyft credits
  • Cellular telephone protection
  • Purchase security
• Recommended credit: Good / Excellent

One of the standout features on the Bilt World Elite Mastercard^® is the ability to earn rewards on your rent. This makes the card a game changer for renters, especially those in high-cost-of-living areas.

• Earn rewards on your rent: You earn 1 point per dollar for rent transactions, so a rent payment of $2,000 would get you 2,000 points each month.
• Anyone can pay rent with the card: You can use the card to pay your rent via PayPal, Venmo or many other online services. If the property doesn’t offer online payments, you can use your card to pay your rent in the Bilt app, which will then pay your rent as an ACH transaction or an e-check.
• No transaction fees for rent payments: Bilt doesn’t charge a transaction fee for rent payments. Most cards charge a 3% for paying rent with a credit card, which would normally cancel out any rewards on the transaction. In contrast, the Bilt card makes rent payments rewarding.

Keep in mind, you must use your card at least five times in a statement period to earn the full rewards rate on your rent. Otherwise, you earn just 250 points for paying your rent that month.

If your landlord allows you to pay your rent through an online portal that normally charges a transaction fee for paying with a card, the Bilt World Elite Mastercard^® allows you to avoid that transaction fee. And here’s a unique twist: You can redeem your Bilt rewards points toward a down payment on a home if you’re aiming to move from renting to homeownership. The Bilt app allows you to calculate how much home you can afford and more.

→ On the fence about buying a new home? Check out our guide to renting vs. buying a house

• Earning points (4.7 out of 5)

  You can earn points with the Bilt World Elite Mastercard^® by using it for at least five transactions per month. You can earn an impressive 3X points on dining and 2X points on travel, and you get double rewards in those categories and on everyday purchases (except rent) on the first day of each month (up to 10,000 bonus points).

  Those elevated earnings, combined with the card’s travel protections and no foreign transaction fees, make it a great addition to any traveler’s wallet — not just renters.

  The card offers excellent overall rewards value. Given the high value of Bilt points, the card has the highest potential earning rate of any no-annual-fee rewards card in our study.

  Rewards earned per $1 spent*

  • Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: $0.037
  • Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card: $0.035
  • Bilt World Elite Mastercard^®:  $0.028
  • The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express: $0.025
  • Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card: $0.024
  • American Airlines AAdvantage^® MileUp^® Card: $0.023
  Tip: Take advantage of rent day to get the most earnings out of your Bilt World Elite Mastercard^®. On the first day of each month, you get double points on purchases, excluding rent (up to 10,000 bonus points), so 6X points on dining, 4X points on travel and 2X points on other purchases. If you can plan bonus category spending, big purchases and regular shopping trips around rent day, you can really maximize your rewards.

• Redeeming points (4 out of 5)

  Bilt points are some of the most flexible and valuable points around, with a variety of redemption options. Here are some of the ways you can redeem Bilt points:

  • Transfer to a Bilt airline or hotel partner at 1:1 ratio
  • Book a trip in the Bilt Mastercard portal (get a 25% redemption bonus)
  • Use toward your next rent payment
  • Redeem with fitness and lifestyle partners
  • Buy art, decor and apparel from the Bilt Collection
  • Use toward a down payment on a mortgage

  To get the best redemption value, you’ll want to redeem points for travel through the Bilt World Elite Mastercard^® portal or transfer your Bilt points to one of Bilt’s airline or hotel transfer partners.

  You can transfer Bilt points in multiples of 1,000 points through the Bilt app. You must be a member of the airline or hotel loyalty program you wish to transfer to, and you must have linked that loyalty program account with your Bilt account.

  The transfer option allows you to maximize your Bilt points by searching for high-value redemptions in those partner programs. Generally, you can get the most value from your points by looking for a redemption that requires a low number of points or miles but would cost a high amount if you were to pay cash. By using this strategy, we estimate you may be able to get 2 cents or more in value out of every Bilt point.

  Bilt World Elite Mastercard^® transfer partners

  • Alaska Airlines
  • Air France
  • Cathay Pacific
  • Air Canada
  • United Airlines
  • Virgin Atlantic
  • IHG
  • Avianca

  • Turkish Airlines
  • Iberia
  • British Airways
  • Aer Lingus
  • Hyatt
  • Marriott
  • Emirates
  • Hawaiian Airlines

• Other benefits (2 out of 5)

  This card offers some notable travel perks for a no-annual-fee card, including travel insurance and no foreign transaction fees. However, it’s missing a few of the more substantial travel protections and perks that come with many annual fee travel cards, such as lost or delayed luggage coverage and a Global Entry/TSA PreCheck® credit.

  Here’s what it does include:

  • Trip cancellation and interruption protection: Up to $5,000 per covered traveler per trip, if your trip is interrupted or canceled for a qualifying reason.
  • Trip delay reimbursement: Up to $200 per day per covered traveler for up to three days and up to $1,800 per trip, for trip delays over six hours.
  • Auto rental collision damage waiver (secondary for New York residents): Up to $50,000 in coverage for theft or damage of a rental car when you decline the rental agency’s coverage and use your card to pay for the entire rental. The coverage is primary, which means you don’t have to first file a claim on your own auto or home insurance.
  • Purchase security: Covers you if an item you buy is damaged or stolen within the first 90 days, up to $10,000 per item and up to $50,000 per year.
  • Cellular telephone protection : If you use your card to pay your wireless carrier, the coverage will repair or replace a phone that is lost, damaged or stolen for up to $800 per claim, with a $25 deductible
  • Lyft credits: $5 monthly Lyft credit when you take three or more rides a month

The Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card is one of the best travel cards on the market. It may work better than the Bilt World Elite Mastercard^® for moderately frequent travelers seeking a sign-up bonus and strong travel protections in exchange for a modest annual fee.

The card offers a similar rewards structure and earning rate to the Bilt World Elite Mastercard^®, with bonus categories in dining and travel, and the ability to transfer points to similar partners. But the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card offers 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel plus a $50 annual Chase Travel hotel credit. And it boasts a solid sign-up bonus that can help pay for your next trip. Plus, you get more robust benefits and protections, including baggage delay coverage and extended warranty protection.

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is another good choice for regular travelers who don’t mind paying a modest annual fee for a card with a sign-up bonus, elevated travel rewards and trusted traveler benefits (see rates & fees).

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card lets you earn an excellent sign-up bonus and offers a simple rewards structure with 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day; 5 Miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. The Capital One Venture includes a TSA PreCheck®/Global entry application fee credit, which can help to make even occasional travel a much more pleasant experience. It also offers basic travel insurance benefits, including trip cancellation/interruption coverage, lost or damaged luggage protection and no foreign transaction fees.

If you’re not a renter and you spend more at U.S. supermarkets than on dining and travel, you should check out The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express. It’s another no-annual-fee card that lets you transfer points mostly at a 1:1 ratio to a large set of airline and hotel loyalty programs.

The card offers 2x points at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1x), and 1x points on other purchases. It also gives you a 20% point boost if you use it more than 20 times per month, which means you could earn up to 2.2 points on U.S. supermarket purchases. Plus, the Amex membership rewards program includes a larger set of airline and hotel programs, including Delta Air Lines. Not to mention, the card is a good choice if you’re looking to finance a trip or other big purchase, since it includes an intro APR on purchases and balance transfers.

On the downside, it’s an Amex card with limited acceptance abroad, and it charges foreign transaction fees, so it’s not a good card for international travel.

Renters looking to earn rewards on their rent payments and anyone else looking for a no-annual-fee travel credit card may want to apply for the Bilt World Elite Mastercard^®. Also, if you already own an annual fee card and you’re looking for a backup card that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, the Bilt World Elite Mastercard^® could be a great addition to your wallet.

But frequent travelers should consider an annual fee travel card, which will come with better benefits. If this describes you, you should check out our list of the best travel credit cards.