homeRent Rewards
Rewards programs that let you earn points on rent with no fee
Updated
6 min readHow Bilt avoids the transaction fee other options charge
Most ways to pay rent with a card route through a third-party processor charging 2.5% to 3%. Bilt instead works directly with participating landlords and property managers, so eligible rent payments post with no transaction fee on any of its three cards.
That is the main tradeoff worth understanding: no fee on the payment itself, but the card tiers above the base Blue card do carry annual fees, so you are paying for the card, not the rent transaction.
The three Bilt cards, as of July 2026
| Card | Annual fee | Housing earning path | Everyday earning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bilt Blue | $0 | Tiered up to 1.25 points per dollar based on non-housing spend as a share of rent | 1 point per dollar |
| Bilt Obsidian | $95 | Same tiered housing path | 3 points per dollar in a chosen dining or grocery category (up to $25,000/year), 1 point per dollar elsewhere |
| Bilt Palladium | $495 | Same tiered housing path, plus Bilt Cash redemption option | 2 points per dollar on general purchases outside rent and mortgage |
How the tiered housing earning actually works
Under the 'Housing-only rewards' path, your rate on rent or mortgage depends on how much you spend on non-housing purchases relative to your housing payment in that billing cycle: under 25% earns a flat 250 points for the cycle, 25-50% earns 0.5 points per dollar on housing, 50-75% earns 0.75 points per dollar, 75-100% earns 1 point per dollar, and 100% or more earns 1.25 points per dollar.
There is also a separate 'Bilt Cash' path, where you earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on non-housing spending, then redeem that Bilt Cash at 3 cents per unit to unlock up to 1 point per dollar on housing payments, with only up to $100 of Bilt Cash rolling over each year.
Tradeoffs to weigh
- check_circleNo transaction fee on rent, but the higher card tiers have real annual fees ($95 or $495).
- check_circleThe tiered housing rate rewards spending a lot on the card relative to your rent, which not everyone will naturally do.
- check_circleThe Bilt Cash path requires you to actively redeem Bilt Cash each cycle to unlock housing points, it does not happen automatically.
Common questions
Does the Bilt Blue card really have no annual fee?expand_more
Yes, the Bilt Blue card carries a $0 annual fee. Obsidian is $95 and Palladium is $495, each with a stronger benefits and earning package attached to the higher fee.
Do I need to spend a certain amount on the card to earn points on rent?expand_more
Under the housing-only rewards path, your rate on housing depends on your non-housing spending relative to your rent that cycle. Spending less than 25% of your rent amount on the card in non-housing purchases drops you to a flat, low tier for that cycle.
Is there a cap on how much rent I can earn points on?expand_more
The tiered structure does not publish a hard dollar cap on housing payments, but your rate depends on relative spending each cycle, so very large rent or mortgage payments may naturally land in a lower percentage tier unless matched by proportionally higher non-housing spend.
Keep reading
Bilt Card 2.0: what changed with the 2026 relaunch
Bilt replaced its single Wells Fargo card with three Column-issued cards in February 2026: Blue, Obsidian, and Palladium, plus mortgage earning and a new tiered rent system.
Rent rewards card versus paying rent through a third-party service
A card that earns points on rent with no fee usually beats a third-party rent payment service charging 2.5-3%. Here is the math and when the fee still makes sense.
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