Pay Rent With a Credit Card and Earn Rewards: The No Annual Fee Option
Rent is most Americans' largest monthly expense. The average US rent is $1,500-$2,500 per month. Traditionally, rent earns zero rewards because landlords accept checks or ACH transfers, not credit cards. Third-party rent payment services charge 2.5-3% fees that wipe out any rewards. The Bilt Blue card changes this equation entirely.
The Problem With Paying Rent by Credit Card
If you use a service like Plastiq to pay $2,000/month rent with a 2% cash back card, you earn $40/month in rewards but pay $50-$60/month in processing fees (2.5-3%). You lose money. This is why traditional credit cards are not viable for rent payments.
Bilt Blue Card: The Solution
Annual Fee
$0
Rent Rewards
1x points
Transaction Fee
$0
Everyday Purchases
1x points
The Bilt Blue is the only no-fee credit card specifically designed for rent payments. It earns 1x Bilt points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee. Your landlord receives an ACH payment (like a normal bank transfer), and you earn rewards as if it were a credit card purchase.
Bilt points are transferable to a strong set of airline and hotel partners: Hyatt, American Airlines, United Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Air France/KLM, and more. At a conservative 1.5 cents per point valuation (through Hyatt transfers), 1x on rent translates to roughly 1.5% back in travel value.
Rent Rewards Math
| Monthly Rent | Annual Points | Value at 1.5 cpp (Hyatt) | Value at 2.0 cpp (Premium) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1,500 | 18,000 pts | $270 | $360 |
| $2,000 | 24,000 pts | $360 | $480 |
| $2,500 | 30,000 pts | $450 | $600 |
| $3,000 | 36,000 pts | $540 | $720 |
How Bilt Rent Payment Works
Set up your landlord in the Bilt app
Add your landlord's information (name, address, payment method). Bilt can send payments via ACH, check, or direct integration if your building is in the Bilt Alliance network.
Schedule your rent payment
Set a recurring payment date. The charge appears on your Bilt Blue card statement like any other purchase.
Bilt sends ACH to your landlord
Your landlord receives a standard bank transfer. They do not need to accept credit cards, sign up for anything, or change their processes.
Meet the minimum transaction requirement
You must make at least 5 transactions per month on the Bilt card to earn points. This can include everyday purchases like coffee, gas, or groceries.
Redeem or transfer points
Accumulate points and transfer to airline/hotel partners, or use for statement credits. Best value comes from transferring to Hyatt (1.5-2 cpp) or airline partners.
Bilt Blue vs Bilt Gold vs Bilt Black
| Feature | Bilt Blue ($0) | Bilt Gold ($95) | Bilt Black ($495) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent rewards | 1x | 2x | 3x |
| Dining | 1x | 3x | 6x |
| Other purchases | 1x | 1x | 2x |
| Bilt Rent Day bonus | Yes | Yes + enhanced | Yes + premium |
For most renters, the Bilt Blue is sufficient. The Gold's 2x on rent is nice, but the $95 fee means you need to spend more than $6,333/year on rent ($528/month) just to break even on the extra point per dollar. Since most renters spend well above that, the Gold can make sense for high-rent areas. But the Blue gives you the core benefit (earning anything on rent) for free.
Bilt Rent Day
On the 1st of every month, Bilt runs "Rent Day" promotions. These include double points on select purchases, entries into a rent raffle (where Bilt pays one winner's rent for up to a year), and bonus transfer deals with partner airlines and hotels.
Rent Day is available to all Bilt cardholders, including Blue. It adds incremental value that can push the effective earning rate above the base 1x on certain days.
Alternatives If Bilt Does Not Work
| Service | Processing Fee | Best With |
|---|---|---|
| Plastiq | 2.85% | Only worth it for sign-up bonus spend requirements |
| RentTrack | 2.95% | Also reports to credit bureaus (credit building) |
| PayPal / Venmo | 2.99% | Only if landlord accepts it; credit card funding incurs fee |
None of these alternatives make financial sense for ongoing rent payments. The fees exceed any rewards you earn. Bilt is the only viable option for earning net-positive rewards on rent.